C’mon, riley… cough something up for him to do.
I have been chosen to replace RileyBanks, since he cannot come up with a challenge. Brace yourself, Strop.
Ho ho ho, let’s do this!!!
[size=150]Year![/size]
[ul]][size=150]2015[/size]/:m][/ul]
[size=150]Restrictions![/size]
[ul]][size=150]N/A[/size]/:m][/ul] [size=50]No, that does not mean naturally aspirated…[/size]
[size=150]Goal![/size]
[ul]][size=150]You must record a time of 1:08.99 around the Top Gear Test Track.[/size]/:m][/ul]
Oh you’re a dick, how did I know you were going to set me that challenge 
Fine, challenge accepted! Back to the airfield I go!
EDIT: btw jakgoe, you do realise that you’re technically obliged to post the .lua of your file proving the challenge is doable, should, for any reason, I fail to submit a solution in a timely fashion? 
[quote=“strop”]Oh you’re a dick, how did I know you were going to set me that challenge
Fine, challenge accepted! Back to the airfield I go!
EDIT: btw jakgoe, you do realise that you’re technically obliged to post the .lua of your file proving the challenge is doable, should, for any reason, I fail to submit a solution in a timely fashion? [/quote]
Did this just turn into a ‘double dog dare’ showdown in the school yard?
You could say that, though I am checking with Vic to make sure I’m not actually just pulling things out of my ass!
No, strop is correct. Jakgoe would need to produce a LUA showing that the challenge is possible in the event strop fails. Failure to provide a valid LUA in such circumstances invalidates the challenge. Thus strop would then be able to move on and issue a challenge to the next person on the list without “losing”.
OK so after some back and forth, there is a slight impasse, but there is a concession from the challenger.
strop - do your best on the challenge, but if you can’t do it, it will not be considered a failure. Jakgoe will not provide either a screen cap with stats or a LUA file, so without 3rd party verification that it’s possible (i.e. someone else doing it and posting the LUA), you can’t “lose” per se.
I also want to make this explicitly clear for everyone going forward: You are expected to create challenges that are interesting and fun, but also reasonably possible, and will be required to provide a LUA as proof if no one else can replicate your challenge goals and restrictions.
I am not surprised. What does surprise me, however, is that Jakgoe didn’t think I’m wasn’t too proud to call his bluff (or maybe he thought I was really going to do it, in which case, I’m flattered haha!)
Nobody is obliged to hand over their files, but to make a challenge based on another existing challenge in a separate thread isn’t really in the spirit of this thread. In addition, I have no doubt that 1:08.99 is entirely possible. After all, using a 2014 build, Leo and Jakgoe submitted a 1:09.0 (to the nearest tenth). Seeing as Jakgoe went back and racked up what I’d call a ‘comfortable’ lead afterwards, as to what refusing to share .lua or unedited screenshot actually means, well, I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Basically, I don’t want to waste everybody’s time any longer. Finding the challenge not so much to my liking but otherwise valid enough, for about fifteen minutes, I went back to my old time-attack MR build and fiddled with the aero and suspension, and whacked some mufflers onto the engine, and shaved off a tenth or so, making my time in 2015 1:09.12 or something. But I’m fairly sure I’ve hit a wall and I’ll need a fresh perspective to find whatever it was I missed, or even make a fundamentally different build with a different body even. There’s just too many variables, it’ll take me too long, and I got bored.
So there you have it,
[size=200]I DUNNO LOL[/size]
Anyway, sharing is caring, so if you want my .lua file, it’s the one called Sleipnir TA3. I didn’t bother saving it to 2015, I don’t think, so it’s a 2014 model and gets 1:09.16? I think? Something like that. I’m not sure you’ll learn too much about setting up cars in general here because it’s just got a whacking big NA V8 and that’s pretty easy to make. And the rest of it is such an extreme build it’ll pretty much only run on a perfectly flat surface. Also, look at the bump graph lol. If you do manage to find a way to make it even faster around airfield, by all means let me know!
Moving right along, I have one for HighOctaneLove that will really bake his noodle.
[size=150]Surpassing One’s Master[/size]
You, (HighOctaneLove), run a Moldovan automotive manufacturer with its own tuning house hoping to make a real impact in the first world (how about that!). However, your race pedigree hasn’t… been off to the unequivocally… strongest start ever. Something you wanted to rectify. So sometime in the not-so-distant past, you approached infamous boost nut, Stroppy McHorseguy, and asked him to proverbially pop the hood on his modified old bomb he was planning to use in a race series. He was only too happy to oblige, but what you saw seemed to make no sense whatsoever: How did a car as completely undriveable as his manage to get around the track without crashing let alone win races?
Since then, you really wrestled with your firm belief in accessible, well-balanced vehicles with nice gradual torque curves. Having pushed the envelope, you’ve actually seen some result, others have noticed it too, and it’s encouraging: the sun is rising on the Moldovan ascension!
Just around the corner is a European GTi cup. Powerful, comfortable, practical, fun, economical and inexpensive don’t normally belong in the same sentence, especially not in a Balkan country still marred by violent disputes over governance. But the GTi hot hatch market is really tough, as this call for contenders in the 2015 market shows. And a market that, if tapped, can be extremely lucrative. So it’d be really awesome if you could wow everybody at the opening race, Brands Hatch Indy, and beat some of your old idols while you were at it.
The good thing about a racing cup, is that you can ditch the comfortable, practical and to an extent, the economical. The bad thing about this racing cup, is that you’ve been gifted, courtesy of your old buddy Stroppy McHorseguy, probably the least suitable chassis for a racing cup. It looks like a freaking people mover. In fact, wait, it IS a people mover, one that Strop has facetiously named Enigma. Well, the whole deal seems pretty mysterious to you right now.
But mysterious or not, he seems to have faith in you, and you’ve got a real chance to make your mark. This is the time to make your own leap of faith, and apply everything you know to the limits. As a well loved rapper once said, if you had one opportunity… would you capture it, or just let it slip?
[size=150]THE RULES:[/size]
The original Enigma makes a decent 270hp out of a 1273cc DI turbo i4. In fact, for a 1175kg premium hatch, it gets around the track pretty sharpish, probably just as much aided as hindered by its various sporting bells and whistles. It’s certainly nice enough to sit in… but you’re not going to win any races taking a bloatmobile around the circuit now are you? Frustratingly for you, the cup only allows a rather narrow range of modifications in order to maintain some semblance of spirit, so you’re going to have to be very focused. More power! More speed!
The GTi cup stipulates that the car must be a close resemblance of the original in body, engine and drivetrain. So strictly speaking, you need to use a 1273cc DOHC 20 valve DI turbo i4 in the same Enigma body. What does this really mean? I’ll walk you through it:
[ul]]No changing anything whatsoever on the platform. No materials, no layout, no body, no suspension, no morphing, no fixture, no quality changes. Must be original, or it’s not according to the letter of the law of this production car cup (oh, you CAN change the paintjob if you wish)/:m]
]No changing the materials or dimensions in the engine, and no changing the valvetrain or injection system/:m]
]Most other things in the engine are fair game. Compression, cam profile, turbo, intake, fuel type, fuel mix, ignition timing, rev limiter and exhaust are free to be modified/:m]
]Engine quality sliders are fair game/:m]
]The only thing that must remain untouched in the trim are the width of the wheels. They must all be 265mm wide, but the diameter, profile and material is entirely up to you/:m]
]Also, you can only use power steering, all the other driving aids need to be removed/:m]
]Otherwise, you are free to change EVERYTHING ELSE in the trim (including quality sliders)/:m]
]Other race regulations included a minimum safety of 30, and a minimum engine reliability of 50, whatever/:m][/ul]
Your budget? You… don’t have any. You’re not exactly rich, after all! Well, the parts for the original car came up to $14000. So if you hock some of the useless stuff off, you could possibly make some savings and see how far that, and some elbow grease takes you (hint: surprisingly far!)
Your aim? It looks like Strop’s build for the ATCC 2, that lovely HR31, ran a best lap of 57.80 around Brands Hatch.
If you can beat that, it would prove your true mettle as a race tuner. You have to beat it, any way you know how.
I’ve also attached the Enigma GTi, as entered into the Hot Hatch contest. That’s the car you have to base it off!
Good luck, and Godspeed.
strop Enigma GTi - Rev1.lua (130 KB)
Sleipnir TA3 - Rev1.lua (134 KB)
Ouch! This looks like what I was dreading; lots of difficulty and the clear likelihood of egg on my face! 
I shall get stuck into this right away and I’ll post my time and .lua soon. 
Now where is that Brands Hatch test track I wonder… wanders off to randomly abuse the forum search function
Edit: Found it!!! Now to work out how to do this challenge justice 
Oh sorry! I knew I forgot to provide one link.
If you look at it from the perspective of a 5seater FF hatch (without tc or esc… Hello throttle understeer!) versus an AWD coupe, the challenge seems ridiculous. But just think… This is a bit of a puzzle… Compared to the ATCC 2, you have far less money but better tech… What things have I left unrestricted that the ATCC didn’t?
I know you can do this!
It is with great trepidation that I write this as I have all but lost my mind trying to beat this extreme challenge (for me, that is!)
II was feeling a mixture of excitement, anxiety and pure terror as the Gryphon Gear truck turned up into the Bogliq special projects workshop forecourt. Stroppy “Strop” McHorseguy was a pleasant fellow to know but his automotive creations were so much more insane than the usual Bogliq product that came through here that I was worried that someone would end up hurt or even killed by this nuclear meltdown of a hot hatch.
Much to my shock, rather than wheeling out a sleek and ultralight hatch, Strop unloaded what looked to be some form of shrunken people mover! “Mr X I presume?” Strop winked at me as we shook hands, amused at the Speed Racer alibi. “Here you go son, one eligible GTi racer. It don’t look like much but she’s got potential so take good care of her” I nodded in reply, too choked up with my conflicting emotions to articulate anything of consequence. "You’ll be right as rain, son. Just remember what I taught you and you’ll be fine… " Strop’s voice trailed off as he turned around and walked back to the cab of the truck and drove off into the misty morning.
It seems England is always misty in the morning and today was no exception so I spent the morning stripping superfluous parts and disengaging pointless driver aids. Brands Hatch is a lovely venue and I was looking forward to the challenge of tweaking this madman hatch when I realised that I was not alone. It seemed that the venue was double-booked for the entire time that I was allocated to shakedown the Enigma! I was rather miffed at this turn of events so I strolled over to the other workshop to size up whether I was going to have any trouble getting the required track time that I would need to get the Enigma prepped for raceday. As I arrived at the pit garage I heard the unmistakable growl of a sweet Nissan inline 6 and the flutter of a race-tuned turbo’s wastegate; the other car was a time attack veteran who got a kick out of running rare factory racecars. Suddenly the driver appeared and I had a rude awakening; it was
Nigel Bassett-hound, my old rival from race school!
“Nigel, you’d better not get in my way” I growled, knowing fully that he’d engineered this to get me back for making him look like a thorough cad. Nigel, with a smirk on his face, replied “I’d say the same to you old bean but it hardly needs to be said. If you can beat me then I’ll give you the entire week-end free of trouble but until then, keep clear” I was so furious that I couldn’t think of a suitably witty retort so I flipped him the bird and walked back to my pit.
This was a nightmare; I’d let my ego get in the way of my good sense and now I’d have to deliver the goods or else! Nigel had posted a best time of 57.8 seconds so I’d have to limbo under that time to make him pay or otherwise I’ll never be able show my face at Race Wars again…
Day 1: After finishing off the easy tweaks I hit the track and after a productive afternoon I was a half second quicker than the original Enigma but well over Nigel’s time. Damn!!!
Day 2: A hard day spent massaging and tweaking the Enigma saw my efforts rewarded with a time one second off Nigel’s time; The lads at Race Wars would accept it as a win but I’d have to live with the knowledge that Nigel goaded me into making a promise I couldn’t keep.
I had hit the wall; Do I give up or do I try and go all out and tune the car myself?
I went with option B and, armed with determination (with a hint of desperation) and an old SAAB 900 Aero turbocharger, I set about making this car 100% my own creation…
Result: Success!!!
Here is my car .lua so y’all can bask in my dubious glory but a win’s still a win! 
Bogliq Doppelganger GSi - Rev1.lua (127 KB)
Ooh goody. I am away right now but I will check the file when I get back.
If you have passed, seriously well done, that was a HARD challenge I set, as I wanted to show you what was possible on a limited budget. And if the file checks out, I daresay you may indeed find yourself much more competitive in future tournaments!
EDIT: I’ve scrutinised the .lua. The result is as follows:
Stroppy “Donut” McHorseguy strolled into pit lane as the sun set at the end of shakedown. He wondered how the Boqliq revheads had fared, hoping they had risen to the occasion. As he entered the garage, he gazed in bemusement as a basset hound stormed past with dark clouds written all over his face.
“So how was it?” he enquired of the team principal, referred to only as Mr X. For his part, Mr X could barely contain his joy as he handed McHorseguy the readouts. “Just squeezed in eh?” Strop studied the data and telemetry. “That’s a very interesting setup you have there. Ultra long first gearing for better closeness at speed in the flying lap? As long as you don’t mind getting passed by half the field off the line, you’ll do well in qualifying! And your new turbo sure puts out a lot of grunt.” He put the board down with a grin. “Well done, you’ve passed the test.”
He went over to look at the car, which had been resprayed but otherwise looked exactly the same from the outside. Peering through the window, he raised his eyebrows, before turning to Mr X with a twinkle in his eye. “Although… you probably would have had a couple of extra thousand in the bank and shaved off a few tenths if you’d finished stripping out and selling the radio and the seats. And then put that into getting even better tyres.”
With that, he turned around and walked out of the garage. “I look forward to seeing you on the track. Until next time, then!”
OVERALL: Not exactly how I would have done it, but enough to get over the line. High quality semi-slick tyres and a strong boosted output (but tuned correctly) were integral to this challenge and you managed both. If you minimised interior you would have had more money to play with, as the car’s still heavy enough to gain from further lightening. With that you can improve the block, push up the rev limit (but only slightly is needed), and restore quality to suspension and power steering, tweak the brakes so you don’t have to resort to using undersized pads with a bit of ‘raciness’ to them etc. And with a wider powerband, you can drop a cog. All the edits are enough to give a time of 57.3… my goodness gracious how mad would you have gone if I set you that time 
Okay, it’s your turn to set a new challenge!
I can’t believe I missed the entertainment slider! At least I passed the test (even if I got a “B” rather than an “A” )
Here is Chipskate’s Challenge!!!
You are a young car enthusiast who has a love for circuit racing and you live in sunny Automation. Not being well off you’ve started your racing career in historical racing but, being cash-poor, you’re only able to afford an old barn-find 1967 Bogliq Buttercup. This racecar had the dubious honour of coming last in all the ITA competitions in 1967 and was widely regarded as underpowered and underdone. The one thing the car does have going for it is that it’s easy on the eyes and so you endeavour to change this little car’s history of failure by being victorious at the upcoming Classic car bonanza, the annual racing event at the local track.
Venue: Automation test track
Your car: 1967 Bogliq Buttercup (adjusted to 2015)
2015 Challenge Protagonist - Rev0.lua (79.4 KB)
Your nemesis:
2015 Challenge Antagonist - Rev0.lua (89.7 KB)
Time to beat: 2:32.61
Rules
General:
No tyre changes; must be no lower profile than 60% for historical accuracy
No interior changes other than safety
No changes to gearbox type and no. of gears but ratio adjustments are fine
No quality slider adjustments allowed (you’re stuck with some of my weird choices! )
Gold Standard
No changes to the platform at all
No changes to engine configuration other than internal parts quality and tuning
No changes to anything but the aero settings and suspension settings
Silver standard
MPFI w/ throttle per cylinder allowed (scrutineers don’t really understand how these foreign cars should look)
Front and rear suspension type can be changed to match the antagonist car (same underlying structure)
Bronze standard
You can install the engine from the antagonist car (but you cannot use MPFI if you do this)
You can change the body material to fibreglass
I think that covers all the basics but feel free to ask any questions or point out any glaring improbabilities in my challenge… Best of luck!!! 
Well f*ck me, you’re not exactly making things easy Is this some kind of revenge action for the monster challenge that Strop gave you?
I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to beat 2:32 on 135’s, but I’ll give it a shot and see how far it goes. Just a few questions:
- What exactly constitutes as “tuning the engine”? Can I change the cam profile and compression ratio, or only fuel mixture, ignition timing and redline?
- Can I change quality sliders on anything other than the bottom end (I’m assuimg that’s what you mean by ‘internals’)?
- Are there any engine reliability requirements?
- Can I adjust the cooling airflow, or only inclination and downforce?
- Am I allowed to change the brake pad compound?
- Do I really have to use 135mm wheels, or can I change the width and rim diameter as long as I comply with the profile requirements?
- Does the “no quality sliders” rule apply to the tire quality as well?
- And lastly, are there any cost limitations?
I got curious and decided to also vet the challenge, but got confused (mainly because I’m in full dyslexic mode go).
@HighOctaneLove: You specify that you can “change” certain things to the Protagonist car, but isn’t the Protagonist car the one that’s meant to be downloaded?
Also it would probably pay to specify what parts are the “internals”, just to be sure! And I wasn’t just imagining it, you say in the gold standard that you can change internal parts quality, but in general, you can’t change the quality at all. So… what can we change?
(It may also help to specify whether exhaust diameter is allowed, because no matter how much you beef up internals, if you can’t switch out the pipe for something a bit bigger, the power’s going to get strangled off anyway).
[quote=“Chipskate”]Well f*ck me, you’re not exactly making things easy Is this some kind of revenge action for the monster challenge that Strop gave you?
I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to beat 2:32 on 135’s, but I’ll give it a shot and see how far it goes. Just a few questions:
- What exactly constitutes as “tuning the engine”? Can I change the cam profile and compression ratio, or only fuel mixture, ignition timing and redline?
- Can I change quality sliders on anything other than the bottom end (I’m assuimg that’s what you mean by ‘internals’)?
- Are there any engine reliability requirements?
- Can I adjust the cooling airflow, or only inclination and downforce?
- Am I allowed to change the brake pad compound?
- Do I really have to use 135mm wheels, or can I change the width and rim diameter as long as I comply with the profile requirements?
- Does the “no quality sliders” rule apply to the tire quality as well?
- And lastly, are there any cost limitations?[/quote]
Sorry about the confusion!
Anything other than the carbs and head type are fair game for the engine (Including sliders for the silver and bronze levels) as it is assumed that you need to rebuild the engine before competition starts. The max level of the sliders, if you choose to use them, is either +5 or the maximum the slider already set, whichever is the greater!
Engine reliability must remain at or above 30 and the octane rating must be set at 98RON (leaded or unleaded; I don’t care which one)
Cooling can be adjusted but no extra vents can be installed (except for bronze level)
Brake pad compound is free
Tyre width and diameter is free but the sidewall must not be shorter than a 50% aspect ratio
Tyre quality slider cannot go over +4 (unless it’s already over +4)
The price of the car is now multi-tiered; +20% for Gold, +30% for silver and +40% for Bronze (based on unmodified car price)
[quote=“Chipskate”]Well f*ck me, you’re not exactly making things easy Is this some kind of revenge action for the monster challenge that Strop gave you?
I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to beat 2:32 on 135’s, but I’ll give it a shot and see how far it goes.[/quote]
Sorry if you think you’re being punished, just do your best and if you find it too difficult then run any changes you want to make by me as I’m wanting this to be fun as well as a decent challenge! 
[quote=“strop”]I got curious and decided to also vet the challenge, but got confused (mainly because I’m in full dyslexic mode go).
@HighOctaneLove: You specify that you can “change” certain things to the Protagonist car, but isn’t the Protagonist car the one that’s meant to be downloaded?
Also it would probably pay to specify what parts are the “internals”, just to be sure! And I wasn’t just imagining it, you say in the gold standard that you can change internal parts quality, but in general, you can’t change the quality at all. So… what can we change?
(It may also help to specify whether exhaust diameter is allowed, because no matter how much you beef up internals, if you can’t switch out the pipe for something a bit bigger, the power’s going to get strangled off anyway).[/quote]
dyslexia all 'round it seems! 
I’ve changed the wording; protagonist should read antagonist! Both cars are available for downloading so the engine file for the superior DOHC engine is available
Internals are the pistons, crank, and conrods. NO overboring or stroking of the engine is allowed!!!
Exhaust is free to change diameters to whatever you need
Dont worry, I’m just kidding; I like a good challenge once in a while.