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INTRODUCTION
Gran Turismo 2 introduced rally racing to the most popular
auto racing series for PlayStation. Gran Turismo 3 continues
the rally racing series for PlayStation2. However, as in
GT2, GT3 requires that drivers first acquire a Rally License
to participate in Rally Events - even the wet-based events
which do not use dirt.
This guide is designed to provide tips in acquiring a Rally
License in Gran Turismo 3; the goal, therefore, is to assist
drivers in earning a Bronze Medal. The Rally License is
actually the easiest of the six licenses to earn (but just as
difficult as the others for obtaining Gold Medals in all
eight tests), but those new to driving on dirt are
nonetheless likely to find rally racing a bit tricky.
Please note that rally racing in GT3 is very different from
real-world rally racing. GT3's Rally Events take place on
'circuits,' in that the ending point is the same as the
starting point; most real-world rally racing takes place on
stages, where the starting and ending points are somewhat far
apart. Also, in GT3, drivers race each other; in real-world
rallying, drivers race the clock and rarely pass another car
on the stage (cars all start each stage at a fairly wide
interval from each other). For a game which is much closer
to real-world rally driving, buy World Rally Championship;
however, skills obtained in either Gran Turismo 3 or World
Rally Championship can be helpful in the other game as well.
====================================
RIDING THE WALLS
This tactic can be very useful, both in the License Tests and
in actual competition in Gran Turismo 3. The game does not
include damage modeling, so scraping the walls, cliffs, and
other barriers will only slow a car (and accelerate tire wear
if applicable to a particular race).
Riding the walls entails placing one side of the car against
the wall or other barrier and letting the curve of the
obstruction change the car's direction. However, in the
License Tests, this must be done VERY carefully, as hitting
obstructions with much force will result in automatic failure
of the test.
The best way to engage in this practice is to gently edge the
side of the car against the obstruction at a very gentle
angle. Keeping the accelerator fully engaged, the friction
will slow the car, but will still generally allow for a
greater speed than braking and cornering normally - and in a
racing situation, can result in passing one or more cars
performing 'normal' cornering procedures.
Exiting the corner, however, can be tricky when riding the
walls. Depending on the car, the terrain, the speed at exit,
and the obstacle itself, a car may want to keep going in the
direction at which it had been turning. Therefore, always be
prepared to quickly countersteer on exit; lifting off the
accelerator just before corner exit may also be of use in
this situation.
LICENSE R-1
Skill: Rally Driving Basics I
Car Used: Peugeot 206 Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'15.600
Silver Time: 0'16.000
Bronze Time: 0'17.300
This first Rally License test - taking place at the beginning
of Tahiti Circuit - requires cornering during the transition
from pavement to dirt. On the positive side, braking on
pavement is generally better than braking on dirt, as the
tires generally find more grip on pavement. On the negative
side, turning too much can cause the car to spin once on the
dirt; similarly, carrying too much speed from the pavement to
the dirt will cause the car to slide toward the outside wall,
thus requiring heavy braking to stay off the wall and likely
resulting in failing the test (time will expire). The trick
here is to balance both braking and cornering as much as
possible.
====================================
LICENSE R-2
Skill: Rally Driving Basics II
Car Used: Toyota Corolla Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'29.200
Silver Time: 0'29.600
Bronze Time: 0'31.800
This test at the end of the Smokey Mountain venue (the new
rally venue in the series) begins on gravel, and then
transitions to pavement just beyond the final (crested)
corner. The key to successfully passing this test is a
thorough knowledge of the width and apexes of this section of
the circuit. The previous test venue was essentially flat;
this test venue combines multiple consecutive corners with
significant elevation changes, resulting in blind corners
created by crests in the circuit and the barriers at the
valleys, all in an effort to obscure a driver's vision of the
circuit. In general, keep tight to the apex of each corner,
and try to keep from drifting all the way out to the walls on
exiting corners. Once the test venue has been very well
committed to memory, it is possible to straightline several
of the corners before the tunnel.
The final corner (at the exit of the tunnel) can be tricky.
Most likely, drivers will brake for this corner, and the test
can indeed be safely completed by braking here IF the rest of
the test venue has been cleared flawlessly. However, the
best bet is to keep on the accelerator and turn hard early,
using the natural slope of the corner to help keep the car
near the apex and prevent it from sliding up the gravel
banking. This should shave at least one second off the test
time, and should vault Bronze Medal drivers up to Silver
Metal instantly.
====================================
LICENSE R-3
Skill: Rally Driving Basics III
Car Used: Ford Escort Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'22.300
Silver Time: 0'22.700
Bronze Time: 0'24.000
This test takes place at Swiss Alps, one of the most
difficult venues in all of Gran Turismo 3. The most
difficult aspect of this license test is successfully
clearing the S-curves; the difficulty lies in the long
shadows across this area of the circuit, making flawless
knowledge of these corners and their limits absolutely key to
passing this test.
On exiting the final S-curve, there is ample swing-out room,
which can be very beneficial is braking was not used in the
S-curves, but swinging out too far can be detrimental in
terms of time. Braking can be used here to help slow
sufficiently for the corners, but will almost certainly
result in only a Bronze Medal.
====================================
LICENSE R-4
Skill: Practical Rally Driving I
Car Used: Toyota Celica Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'22.400
Silver Time: 0'22.800
Bronze Time: 0'24.300
This test occurs in the final third of the Tahiti Circuit
venue, with the three consecutive hairpin corners. Holding a
tight apex is key to saving time here, but will usually mean
shedding A LOT of speed well before corner entry. It is
possible to never use the brakes and still pass this license
test, but doing so will require sliding through corners and
still somehow managing to countersteer well enough to keep
off the walls on corner exit.
====================================
LICENSE R-5
Skill: Practical Rally Driving II
Car Used: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'26.850
Silver Time: 0'27.300
Bronze Time: 0'29.600
Returning to Swiss Alps, this test begins where test R-3
ended. This is a very tricky portion of the circuit: a long
straightaway followed by a ninety-degree right-hand turn
followed instantly by a sharp left-hand hairpin which causes
the car's rear end to want to swing out violently; this is
followed by a brief straightaway and a wider right-hand
hairpin before the final (short) run to the Start/Finish
Line.
Fortunately, the circuit is fairly wide, and widens even more
to accommodate cars spinning around while trying to handle
the hairpin corners. Braking is almost certainly a
requirement for the first corner of the license test, but the
rest of the test section can be cleared with precision
driving and superhuman reflexes.
====================================
LICENSE R-6
Skill: Drifting Techniques I
Car Used: Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car
Gold Time: 0'29.400
Silver Time: 0'30.000
Bronze Time: 0'31.800
The R-6 test takes place at Tahiti Maze, by far the most
difficult rally venue in Gran Turismo 3. This test requires
clearing a set of four hairpin corners joined by brief
straightaways; making matters worse, the Lancia Delta HF
Integrale Rally Car always wants to spin on exiting corners,
so throttle management and countersteering are very important
here.
There are really two strategies for achieving a Bronze Medal
in this test. The first is to drive semi-normally, sliding
the car through the hairpins and braking only as necessary
(usually to avoid smacking the walls when exiting the
hairpins). The second is to ride the walls (explained
above), which itself has its own risks.
====================================
LICENSE R-7
Skill: Drifting Techniques II
Car Used: Subaru Imprezza Rally Car Prototype
Gold Time: 0'22.400
Silver Time: 0'22.800
Bronze Time: 0'24.600
This test uses another section of the Tahiti Maze circuit,
again with multiple hairpins connected by brief
straightaways. This time, however, the entire test area has
a downhill slope. Also, there is a semi-sharp right-hand
corner immediately after the beginning of the test area, and
a transition from dirt to gravel just before the end of the
test area.
Again, riding the walls is probably a good option here,
especially since the Subaru Imprezza Rally Car Prototype has
more power than the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Rally Car from
test R-6. Braking will likely be needed for virtually all
the corners, although experts should be able to simply slide
the car around all the corners.
====================================
LICENSE R-8
Skill: Rally License Final Exam
Car Used: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII Rally Car
Prototype
Gold Time: 1'58.700
Silver Time: 2'00.000
Bronze Time: 2'08.000
This is the most difficult Rally License test of all: a full
lap at Tahiti Maze. Fortunately, the Bronze Medal time is
sufficiently high that one or two corners can be taken fairly
poorly and the test still passed successfully. Riding the
walls will certainly help to shave time, although some of the
straightaways between consecutive hairpins are so short that
there is virtually not enough room to gently edge up against
the wall before reaching the next hairpin.
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Wolf Feather Jamie Stafford
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Just as there are many parts needed to make a human a human, there's a
remarkable number of things needed to make an individual what they are.
- Major Kusanagi, _Ghost in the Shell_
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What isn't remembered never happened. - _Serial Experiments Lain_
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