Automobilista 2 | 1989 Camel Continental @ Watkins Glen | 500km Full Distance Race
43Channelling my inner @GPLaps for this one. Outside of an ill-fated Indy 500 attempt a while back, this is my longest race in AMS2 and a true test of how well this game holds up as an offline racing simulator. In real life, IMSA split GTP and GTO between two distinct events; this is a sim, I can do what I want, I turned it into a multi-class race.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR3ztMf_jaY
This was recorded live while I was on Discord bantering with a friend, just be warned that someone is obviously into HellDivers 2.
110% Strength
Medium Aggression
This race makes use of the following resources:
AMS2 Content Manager
https://www.overtake.gg/downloads/automobilista-2-content-manager.59727/
Race Strategy Calculator
https://onlineracing.info/
Thunderflash GTP Carset
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/9uiungtcuaunl/Automobilista_2_-_Thunderflash_Mods
IMSA GTO Payware
https://www.virtual-racing-cars.com/p/ams2-arc-pack/
Notes:
- I discovered the Hard tire compound can last almost 1000km, which as a result let me quad-stint them and save 60 seconds total in the pits over the course of 3 pit stops. The AI by comparison use only soft tires, resulting in them wasting 60 seconds in the pits.
- I intentionally ran my turbo more aggressive than the default setting of 80%, requiring me to repair the motor during the first two pit stops. Had I left it at 80% and therefore not needed repairs, I would have saved even more time in the pits than I already did, and put even more cars 3-4 laps down.
- The strategy for this race was pretty obvious, stints should have been 100L/100L/100L/45L to minimize time spent in the pits. I noticed AI cars going in far earlier than they should have, and some Group C cars pitting with just a handful of laps to go. This includes a car who led a good chunk of the race, going in on lap 89 of 92. Could have been related to Soft compound wear vs the Hards.
- The AI cannot pass lapped cars; they charge right to their back bumper, then slam on the brakes and act indecisive for a few seconds before finally navigating around them. Sometimes the side they opt to pass them on, puts them in an even worse spot. On a high speed track like Watkins Glen, this means they lose a ton of momentum and several seconds per lap, anytime they approach a lapped car. This plus poor pit strategy basically determines the outcome of the race, every single time. At no point did I ever need to chase down a car for position; I simply waited until we came up on the lapped cars.
- The AI can't pass in general; each time I came up on the GTO Camaros, there were a set of three than ran in the same exact conga line, identically spaced apart, for the entire duration of the race.
- Backmarker AI is brutal. You'll put a car a lap down, and they'll immediately start aggressively racing you, ramming you from behind or on the sides. This is even after gracefully conceding the spot.
- There was a crash in the final corner at about the halfway point of the race. The game did not de-spawn the crashed 962c for several laps.
- There was a cool moment where the turbo started to fail, but started working again at random a few minutes later. Didn't know AMS2 simulates turbo clogging and un-clogging, kinda neat.
- By the end of the race, I couldn't stand the tire model and think it's one of the worst sims I've driven in while. The car is constantly lazily wandering around under you as if you're driving in molasses, which does not match any Group C footage. These are basically two-seater F1 cars with obscene downforce and instead it's like driving a 70's muscle car in fast forward. It's really disappointing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGwQ7w3Tkl4