GRAN TURISMO 3: ENDURANCE RACES GUIDE

by

Jamie Stafford/Wolf Feather
feather7@ix.netcom.com



Initial version completed: December 5, 2001
Current version completed: December 5, 2001

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CONTENTS
Spacing and Length
Permissions
Introduction
Grand Valley 300km
Seattle 100 Miles
Laguna Seca 200 Miles
Passage to Colosseo 2 Hours
Trial Mountain 2 Hours
Special Stage Route 11
Roadster Apricot Hill
Mistral (Cote d'Azur) 78 Laps
Super Speedway 150 Miles
Wish List
Contact

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SPACING AND LENGTH
For optimum readability, this driving guide should be
viewed/printed using a monowidth font, such as Courier.
Check for appropriate font setting by making sure the numbers
and letters below line up:

1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
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PERMISSIONS
This driving guide may only be posted on: FeatherGuides,
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gamesover.com, Absolute-PlayStation.com, RedCoupe,
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ps2replay.com, cheatingplanet.com, neoseeker.com,
ps2fantasy.com, gamespot.com, and vgstrategies.com.  Please
contact me for permission to post elsewhere on the Internet.

Permission is granted to download and print one copy for
personal use.

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INTRODUCTION
Why a game guide specific to the Endurance Races in Gran
Turismo 3?  Certainly, many of the Endurance Races do not
have any restrictions concerning the types of cars allowed
and/or tuning restrictions.  However, a few races do, so this
guide presents some strategies to winning races.

For all but a handful of Endurance Races, ANY car in Gran
Turismo 3 is a legal entry.  For these races, I much prefer
to use an F1 car.  I am certainly not a physicist, but I
assume that the lack of vertical height makes an F1 car's
center of gravity much lower, thus allowing it to both
respond better to steering and corner at higher speeds
(averaging about 30MPH/50KPH faster, and up to 70MPH/110KPH
faster).  For my personal driving style, I also find it much
easier to both induce and recover from a slide when taking
tight corners with an F1 car.  Ultimately, this means - in my
opinion - that the F1 cars are a nearly-sure bet for winning
a race.  For the races for which an F1 car IS a legal entry,
the superior cornering and powerful acceleration will usually
result in impressive leads over the rest of the field.  Yet
the response to steering could lead to turning just a little
too much just a little too soon, thus rubbing a wheel against
a barrier, and potentially bringing your car to a standstill
if this occurs at the right (or, depending on point of view,
wrong) angle.  For more information on this, please see my
Gran Turismo 3: F1 Guide.

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GRAND VALLEY 300KM
Lake most of the Endurance Races, Grand valley 300km does not
have restrictions on cars or tuning.  An F1 car is a great
pick for this race, although as the tire indicators turn
orange and red, expect and F1 car's inherent slide-ability to
make handling extremely tricky through hairpins and the
chicane after the third (semi-open) tunnel.  Plan on about 2
hours, 15 minutes to complete this 60-lap race.

An IA license is required for this race.

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SEATTLE 100 MILES
The scenery has changed a little since GT2 (primarily the
stadiums at the end of the circuit), but this is still a
wonderful and challenging racing venue.  At 40 laps, this
race can be completed in approximately one hour.  There are
plenty of good passing opportunities here, especially on the
front stretch, long uphill climb, and the bridge over the
railroad tracks approaching the stadium area.

There are no car restrictions here, so an F1 car's inherent
agility provides a good advantage here, especially in
navigating the final segment of the circuit (the bus stop
chicane between the two stadium sites and the tight left-
right chicane at Pit Entry); however, an F1 car is so light
that safely navigating the steep uphill climb can be
difficult, especially when trying to corner at the top of the
climb.

An IA license is required for this race.

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LAGUNA SECA 200 MILES
This is the circuit with the world-famous Corkscrew.  The
Corkscrew tends to cause problems for all sorts of cars, but
the aerodynamic problems seem to be especially great for F1
cars.  This 90-lap race takes place in the evening, so there
is an orange glow cast over the circuit.  This also produces
severe shadows in some areas, which may make it difficult to
quickly spot dark-colored cars.  Plan on a little over two
hours to complete this race.

An IA license is required for this race.

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PASSAGE TO COLOSSEO 2 HOURS
This is patterned after true endurance races:  The winner is
the car which completes the most laps in the allotted time.
With an F1 car, I have always completed at least 75 laps in
two hours; I could probably complete 100+ laps, but I tend to
play around with the other cars and try to knock the cones
ALL the way around the circuit.

The trickiest part of the Rome circuit is entering Pit Lane;
the Pit Lane Entry is immediately to the right AFTER
navigating the final tight right-hand corner.  Because of the
barrier, Pit Lane is unsighted approaching the final corner.
After the initial laps, always be mindful of slow cars in
this corner; if you cut the corner too sharply, you may ram a
car entering Pit Lane.

An IA license is required for this race.

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TRIAL MOUNTAIN 2 HOURS
Like the Passage to Colosseo race, the winner here is the car
which completes the most laps in the allotted time.  Only
Normal (non-racing) cars are permitted for this race; I used
a Corvette Z06 with Medium-slick Tires and had no trouble
winning, although I failed to lap the second-place car.

Trial Mountain is a shadowy circuit due to the tall mountain
cliffs, the long tunnel on the back stretch, and the many
trees.  Therefore, it may not be wise to use a dark-colored
car here if you prefer to drive in Chase View; a lighter-
colored car will make cornering easier, as you will not have
as much difficulty in spotting the front end of your own car.

This is also a technical circuit, with some corners between
the mountain cliffs requiring a maximum speed of 65MPH.  One
great place to pass is the wide left-hand corner after
exiting the long tunnel; instead of braking, slide along the
guardrail on the outside of the corner - friction will
certainly slow you down, but not as much as other cars
braking normally to your left.

An IA license and a Normal car are required for this race.

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SPECIAL STAGE ROUTE 11
One of the original circuits of the Gran Turismo series,
SSR11 was missing from GT3, and has returned with some
modifications.  This is a nighttime race, which is a
different experience from racing in the daylight.  An F1 car
is a good choice here to better navigate the tight corners
and chicanes (especially in the first half of the circuit);
because of the generally poor visibility at night, an F1 car
will have its single red taillight on.  Plan on a little over
two hours to complete this race.

An IA license is required for this race.

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ROADSTER APRICOT HILL
This is one of the Endurance Races with restrictions on
appropriate cars.  Further, only factory-stock, non-tuned
cars can be used; the only change to the cars can be the
tires.

Concerning the tires, I suggest buying two sets of tires:
Soft or Super-soft Tires for qualifying, and Medium-slick
Tires for the actual race.  While not truly necessary,
qualifying with Soft or Super-soft Tires will give you a good
chance to start the race at the front of the pack.

The Mazda MX-5 Miata LS will be your strongest competition
here in the initial laps, and will play psychological warfare
with you as it leaps out to a big lead, unless you have the
flawless racing skills to keep pace.  However, the Miata LS
stops for tires every three laps, so if you are falling
behind initially, just wait for the Miata LS to go to Pit
Lane once or twice and you should have the lead.  The other
cars in the race are much slower, and you will likely lap the
backmarkers at least once.

As for race strategy, many of the corners at Apricot Hill are
rather tight, so use of the rumble strips - especially at the
apex and exit of each corner - is key.  However, be careful
not to drop a wheel off the rumble strips and into the same
lining the inside of most corners (especially in the initial
S-turns), as that will both slow you down and accelerate tire
wear.  Please see my Gran Turismo 3: Tires Guide for more
information on tire care.

Plan on about ninety minutes to complete this race.

An IA license is required for this race.  Also, only three
cars are permitted for this race: Mazda MX-5 Miata LS, Maza
MX-5 Miata 1.8 RS(J), and Mazda MX-5 Miata (J).

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TOKYO R246
This 100-lap race in Tokyo combines fast speeds with tricky
corners.  In a way, this circuit recalls Ridge Racer V,
especially on the front stretch approaching Turn I.  Care
must be taken entering Pit Lane, which narrows significantly
upon entry.  Plan on a little over two hours to complete this
race.

An IA license is required for this race.

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MISTRAL (COTE D'AZUR) 78 LAPS
This race takes place at the Monaco circuit used in real-
world F1 races; circuit details (including driving
instructions) are included in my Gran Turismo 3: Cote d'Azur
Guide.  Unfortunately, this version of the Cote d'Azur
circuit places a blindingly-bright sun directly at the top of
Beau Rivage >:-(   Care must be taken entering Pit Lane,
which narrows significantly upon entry.

Since this circuit is used (exclusively) by real-world F1
cars, an F1 car is the best possible choice here.  However,
tuning any car is key here on this tight, technical circuit.
One area which warrants tuning attention is the gearbox;
since there is really only one "long" area in which to
accelerate, change the gearbox toward "Sport" to gain faster
acceleration out of corners (at the sacrifice of top-end
speed, which is definitely not a priority at Cote d'Azur).
Second, raise the Front and Rear Downforce close to maximum;
while this also sheds top-end speed, cornering will be
easier.  Adjusting Ride Height to maximum will increase
aerodynamic friction underneath the car, slowing the car
slightly to also assist in cornering.  Finally, use high
brake settings to get maximum speed heading into the tight
corners.

Passing at Cote d'Azur is extremely difficult because the
circuit is so tight (although GT3 presents a generally wider
circuit than the actual streets of Monaco).  Therefore, it is
to your advantage to first qualify on Pole if at all
possible; this will keep you ahead of the logjam at the first
corner (Sainte-Devote) and help you to gain a larger lead as
the rest of the competitors try to squeeze through the tight
right-hand corner.  If you are not using an F1 car (which can
only use Medium Tires in GT3), make sure to use Soft or
Super-soft Tires to qualify; the extra grip will help in the
tight corners and in acceleration.  Plan on about two hours
to complete this race.

An IA license is required for this race.

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SUPER SPEEDWAY 150 MILES
This race has no restrictions concerning tuning or acceptable
cars, which means that fast, high-powered cars can be used
here for an extremely easy win in under 60 minutes.  As with
many of the other Endurance Races, the F1 cars are a good bet
here.  Also, a fully-maxxed Suzuki Escudo (over 1800HP) can
be used here, although it will have so much power that it
will be scraping the walls in the corners.

Interestingly, Pit Lane starts and ends on the back stretch
of Super Speedway.  This is much better than the track's
appearance in Gran Turismo 2, in which Pit Lane was extremely
short and difficult to enter as both entry and exit were on
the front stretch.

There has been some discussion on the Internet concerning a
rubber band trick which can be used at Super Speedway.  While
I have not tried it and have not really read the details of
the trick, I do know that it requires using a rubber band to
position the left (steering) analog stick and using a clamp
or other item to keep the accelerator button held down.  Once
this is done, simply walk away and return in about an hour.

An IA license is required for this race.

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WISH LIST
Some of the things I would like to see in future versions of
the Gran Turismo series:

1.) Even MORE Endurance Races would be nice, including Rally
Endurance Races :-)

2.) TRUE endurance races would be great.  Perhaps the Petit
Le Mans or the 24 Hours of Daytona could be added.  Of
course, this would require a method to allow players to save
their progress during the game; perhaps this can be done when
a player comes to Pit Lane.

3.) One of the challenges of Gran Turismo 2 was finding just
the right car within a certain horsepower range for a given
Endurance Race.  These restrictions should be brought back.
Also, a range of license restrictions should be implemented
in accordance with appropriate horsepower ratings.

4.) Please implement more Normal Car Endurance Races, perhaps
in conjunction with the item above.

5.) For all non-Rally races, bring back the bonus money for
gaining Pole Position, as was the case in the original Gran
Turismo.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
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