With this season, my intent was to run as realistically as possible from every conceivable standpoint - schedule, venues, AI competitiveness, race distances, and so forth. In addition, I began modeling wet race conditions using a combination of new TRACK.TXT and RACE.LP files, specific anti-roll bar and brake bias settings, and the "mist" weather toggle feature of ICR2-3D. I had also intended to increase tire wear at the road and street circuits to more accurately reflect real life, but have yet to find a way to do so without also generating a ridiculous amount of heat and unrealistic loss of traction.

In any case, this season was aborted midway through due to a desire to turn my attention to Formula One (F1RS, specifically). I still plan on completing it one day, but I can't say when.

Settings are as follows: 100% opponent strength (with BLAP and RELS values potentially modified; the TXT files are provided below); 29 opponents; 100% race length; arcade damage; random breakdowns; random weather; yellows and pace lap on; manual transmission and braking; spin recovery off. I continued to use Brad's driver randomizer - here's my DICRSET.TXT. Finally, I allowed myself only one restart per race (and that within the first two laps only), and I ran every race through from start to finish in a single sitting (a bug in ICR2-3D precludes saving races).

The schedule is below. I've kept this as close to the real thing as possible given our venue limitations, replacing Homestead with Atlanta (at the time, Homestead wasn't yet available), Motegi with Darlington, Rio with Texas, and Houston with Watkins Glen. I also opted to run the Motorola 300 at New Hampshire rather than the N2-converted Gateway, as the AI at the latter track are horrendous (I did create an improved RACE.LP, but it wasn't enough). The Atlanta and Darlington tracks are converted from N1, while Texas, Watkins Glen, and California are converted from N2; the rest are the native ICR2 tracks. Race distances reflect the actual CART events, with the exception of a longer Round 6 race.

1 - Marlboro Grand Prix of Atlanta Presented by Toyota, Atlanta Motor Speedway (C. Fittipaldi)
Distance: 148 laps (225.3 miles) • Weather: SE 9 mph, 57.5 F • Total Time: 1:14:05.9 • Average Speed: 186.588 mph • Cautions: 4 for 16 laps • Lead Changes: 10
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
Despite an inferior car, I came through with a finish in the points. I would lose several tenths of a second to the leader every lap, but managed to remain on the lead lap (generally running around 12th) and, through some pit strategy and luck (I pitted early under the second yellow, while the rest of the field stayed out and eventually had to pit under green), even managed to lead a few. With the third caution and about 40 to go, I was at the point ... but I fell to 8th in short order, later losing that position as well and ending up the last car on the lead lap. I was extremely loose in turns 1 and 2, even with anti-roll bars set at their extremes, but I was competitive through 3 and 4. The second yellow involved me (Ribeiro tangled with me; see replay); the rest were AI incidents. The final yellow flew with 4 laps remaining, so the race ended under caution - a bit anticlimactic, perhaps, but leaving me with a pretty welcome 9th-place finish. And I now know what needs to be improved with the setup for next year ...

2 - Budweiser 500, Darlington Raceway (S. Pitkin)
Distance: 229 laps (312.8 miles) • Weather: W 6 mph, 75 F • Total Time: 1:41:30.9 •
Average Speed: 190.509 mph • Cautions: 5 for 18 laps • Lead Changes: 6
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
I hadn't expected a win this soon in the season, if at all, but as it turned out Zanardi and I were the class of the field ... a bit of a surprise, after struggling in practice and making only minor changes to the car before the race. It didn't take me long to work my way from 12th to 2nd, but by that time Zanardi had checked out, and it wasn't until he began working traffic that I had a chance of catching up. We dueled, and I got by him using a backmarker to my advantage. The race progressed, interrupted by five yellows - one of which may have been my fault, but two of which involved me and were due to erratic driving by CCs (in fact, the two Penske cars; see replay for the second incident). I got lucky on my third pit stop: I had 10 gallons more fuel than Zanardi and the rest of the field (having gotten out of sequence after one of those incidents), and while they had had to pit under green, I was graced with a fortuitous caution flag. After the last yellow I had clear track ahead of me, while Zanardi, a handful of positions back, had traffic to navigate through; that allowed me to come through with the victory. The car was excellent, very quick even on a full tank; I was tight around 1 and 2, where I lost time, but could take 3 and 4 flat out. Only minor front anti-roll bar changes were needed through a fuel run.

3 - Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (G. de Ferran)
Distance: 105 laps (167 miles) • Weather: S 14 mph, 74 F • Total Time: 1:39:20.4 • Average Speed: 100.842 mph • Cautions: 0 for 0 laps • Lead Changes: 4
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
My first race in the new Midway livery was anything but spectacular. After starting on the outside of the front row in my best-ever qualifying run at Long Beach, and having a car easily capable of holding the lead for the first 67 laps, naturally this finish is a big disappointment. It is, however, no one's fault but my own - exiting the pits I tangled with J. J. Lehto, resulting in not only an immediate loss of position but also a costly return to the pits for wing repairs. From there I remained a lap down, working my way from 20th to 15th in hopes that attrition might get me into the points, but finally surrendering a couple of positions before the end. The car was fantastic, and had it not been for my shunt with Lehto, it looked as though I would have finished at least in the top four, since four of us had separated from the main pack over the first third of the race. If I had continued to work carefully through backmarkers and kept it off the walls, I would almost certainly have won. But this track has never been kind to me. At least I grabbed a point for leading the most laps ...

4 - Bosch Spark Plug Grand Prix Presented by Toyota, Nazareth Speedway (G. Moore)
Distance: 200 laps (200 miles) • Weather: N 8 mph, 75 F • Total Time: 1:20:40.7 • Average Speed: 150.668 mph • Cautions: 7 for 21 laps • Lead Changes: 15
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
Well, another non-points finish at a track at which I had a pole, a good car, and plenty of experience to draw on. The car wasn't particularly good until about 10 laps into a run, when it would start to stick and loosen up and I could take turn 3 good and fast. I led 49 laps of the first 70 or so, around which time I made my first pit stop (I discovered I couldn't run nearly as far on a single tank of fuel as the competition, a situation I'll have to look into before next season!). The stop was okay, but the full tank and cold tires led me to misjudge the speed at which I could take turn 3 and I touched the wall, slightly damaging the front wing. Since even a little damage is devastating here, I had to pit again, and from there it was downhill - my attempts at making up a couple of laps resulted in three or four yellows, and I wound up only sinking further back in the pack. By the end, I had wing damage again and found myself running 8 laps down. I do have to admit that running in traffic was a blast - particularly since there was an urgency about it, with Andretti keeping right behind me pretty much the whole time I was leading. While I was competitive, it was about as realistic and exciting a race as I've ever run.

5 - Texas 400, Texas Motor Speedway (D. Franchitti)
Distance: 165 laps (247.5 miles) • Weather: N 4 mph, 87 F • Total Time: 1:10:36.3 •
Average Speed: 209.921 mph • Cautions: 2 for 6 laps • Lead Changes: 29
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
I'm very happy with this result, especially considering I had acquired some front wing damage which slowed me down a little for the second half of the race. The race itself was an exciting one, and the AI were better than I'd anticipated - excellent, as a matter of fact. Getting through traffic was intense as always, but the competition seemed a little more aware, especially when entering the turns; there were none of the "unexpected AI move" problems that often occur at other circuits. Also, the AI cars seemed somewhat less consistent (and more realistic) than usual - one might be running strong lap after lap but "slip up" and go high unexpectedly at some point. In any case, I ran everywhere from 22nd to 1st during the race; there seemed to be three different pit strategies being played out, and mine worked beautifully. By the end, I had worked my way up to 3rd ... and the first two cars of Franchitti and Andretti were right in front of me. I might have been able to catch them given three or four more laps - my tires were sticking, and I'd taken just enough fuel to get me to the end on my last stop, so the tank was light. In any case, a good solid finish, and it boosts me up from 7th to 4th in the standings.

6 - Motorola 300, New Hampshire International Speedway (G. Moore)
Distance: 300 laps (317.4 miles) • Weather: NW 5 mph, 81 F • Total Time: 1:53:33.9 • Average Speed: 170.560 mph • Cautions: 2 for 7 laps • Lead Changes: 22
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
Gearbox problems prematurely ended what would probably have been a great run for me. I had qualified on the pole and led pretty much until the first pit stop (swapping the lead in traffic with second-place Zanardi a couple of times), but the rather slow stop dropped me back to 5th. I had clawed my way into 4th and was working on 3rd-place Michael Andretti when the gearbox seized up. My interest in how the rest of the race progressed was limited, so I didn’t pay a lot of attention to what happened over the last two-thirds ... except to notice that Pruett led more laps than I did (103 to my 72), robbing me of a valuable championship point. In any case, my setup was very good, and I'll be looking forward to coming back here - the AI is excellent and the track provides some great racing. Of interest, I found that only minimal anti-roll bar adjustments were needed during a fuel run, and a too-loose car was rarely an issue.

7 - Miller 200, The Milwaukee Mile (A. Zanardi)
Distance: 200 laps (200 miles) • Weather: N 10 mph, 71 F • Total Time: 1:16:46.4 • Average Speed: 161.298 mph • Cautions: 5 for 15 laps • Lead Changes: 8
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
A probable top-five finish went by the wayside with one bad move on my part - pushing a little too hard, I brushed the wall at the exit of turn 2 and bent the wing, leading to a lengthy green-flag stop and dropping me from the lead lap. My car wasn't up to par with those of Zanardi, Andretti, and Fernandez, especially on cold tires and full tank, but traffic was a bit of an equalizer and I was cautious but quick in getting through it, such that I remained on the lead lap and in the top five for most of the race. P.J. Jones and I got together some 60-odd laps in, bringing out the yellow; I pitted, and from there on was about 20 laps out of sequence with most of the rest of the field, which enabled me to eventually take the lead for a few laps. In any case, I was running about 6th when I tagged the wall. The guys in front of me would have needed to pit within a handful of laps, but I still had half a tank and the tires were good, so I was hoping I'd be able to put off my last stop until a caution came out (and thereby gain a big ol' advantage). Well, not only did I have to stop under green, but the damage had to be repaired. The most depressing part of all this is that I was all set to finish 11th when, in the last corner, Vitolo came down on me and spun me, allowing Herta to get by for 11th and dropping me to 12th. Of course, I was foolish to attempt to pass a lapped car at that stage, but I guess I'd figured it was wrapped up. Live and learn. Not the smartest race I've ever driven, but then again, I was up front most of the day despite a car that was far from optimal.

8 - ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix, The Raceway on Belle Isle (M. Andretti)
Distance: 72 laps (151.2 miles) • Weather: NW 7 mph, 81 F • Total Time: 1:35:10.7 •
Average Speed: 95.314 mph • Cautions: 1 for 2 laps • Lead Changes: 4
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
I love this circuit, and can turn quick, consistent laps, but always end up finishing poorly. It's such a "busy" circuit that a single tiny lapse of concentration can take you out of contention, but this time it was car trouble that took me out - though I did make a couple of costly mistakes beforehand. After starting from pole, I led the next 20 laps, finally misjudging when passing a backmarker and acquiring very minor front wing damage. I figured I might as well pit for fuel, tires, and repairs, since the damage was slowing me down noticeably. I came out 4th, and within a couple of laps had damaged the wing again - an inexcusable mistake - forcing me to pit again and dropping me to 15th. I then drove with a vengeance, moving up four or five positions on the track and a few more when the rest of the field began pitting. The car was excellent, and I was lapping a second or so faster than the leader. I had just gotten past Vasser for 3rd, with a very good shot of winning if I could stay off the walls, when the engine blew going into turn 8. I really don't know whether I downshifted a bit too quickly or it blew by itself; I've turned hundreds of laps here without ever blowing the engine, so I find it hard to believe it was me, but it's possible. In any case, another DNF, and I'm down to 10th in the points.

9 - Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline, Portland International Raceway (A. Zanardi)
Distance: 98 laps (191.1 miles) • Weather: N 6 mph, 71 F • Total Time: 1:47:35.3 • Average Speed: 106.593 mph • Cautions: 1 for 3 laps • Lead Changes: 3
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE (WET)
My second consecutive DNF, and it's a shame because I was running well. It was my first actual race under wet conditions, but I could turn fast laps and, despite being passed by Zanardi at the end of the second lap, was able to stay within a second and a half of him for many laps following. I had two offs, one of which was my own fault (slid off around turn 2), the other of which was the result of a blatant punt by Andretti at the Festival Curves. The upshot of these incidents was that I had dropped to 8th from a comfortable 2nd by the time my car broke, but I could almost certainly have salvaged a good finish if I could have kept going. The rain racing system I developed seemed to work very well, though - it was a completely new kind of challenge, and felt pretty authentic. In any case, my goal now is to get back into the top 10 in points and stay there. It should help that Cleveland's the next race ... I always seem to run well there.

10 - Medic Drug Grand Prix of Cleveland, Burke Lakefront Airport (S. Pruett)
Distance: 90 laps (213.2 miles) • Weather: S 8 mph, 82 F • Total Time: 1:43:27.0 • Average Speed: 123.701 mph • Cautions: 1 for 3 laps • Lead Changes: 7
RESULTS | CURRENT POINT STANDINGS | TRACK TEXT FILE
The bad luck continues! I started from the 3rd position and took the lead within a couple of laps, holding it pretty handily until trouble passing a backmarker - one of the AAR cars braked a bit too heavily coming into turn 8 and I ran into the back of him, causing me to spin and allowing 2nd-place Fernandez by. I caught back up within 3 or 4 laps, pitted on lap 28 (some 2 or 3 laps before the bulk of the field; with my boost at the max I was guzzling fuel), and came out in 7th. Another ridiculous AI move caused me to spin again in turn 1 a lap later, dropping me back more positions and relegating me to, I believe, 14th, some 30 seconds behind the leader. With some of the hardest driving I've done in a long time, I managed to work my way back into 5th, within 4 seconds of the leader and certainly back in contention for the win, when the end came - I passed Moore for 4th around turn 2, but coming up on turn 3 he ran into the back of me, sending me hard into the wall at the worst possible angle and damaging my suspension (and taking himself out in the process; see replay). I didn't remember the AI being so poor here, but here were 3 inexcusable incidents, none of which were my fault. Guess that's racing. Toronto's up next - I had a good 3rd-place finish there last season, though interestingly enough it was Moore who cost me that win ...

11 - Molson Indy Toronto, Exhibition Place
99 laps (176.2 miles)

12 - U.S. 500 Presented by Toyota, Michigan International Speedway
250 laps (500 miles)

13 - Miller 200, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
83 laps (186.8 miles)

14 - Texaco/Havoline 200, Road America
50 laps (200 miles)

15 - Molson Indy Vancouver, Concord Pacific Place
102 laps (171 miles)

16 - Honda Grand Prix of Monterey Featuring the Texaco/Havoline 300, Laguna Seca Raceway
84 laps (186 miles)

17 - Texaco Grand Prix of New York, Watkins Glen International
82 laps (199 miles)

18 - IndyCarnival, Surfers Paradise, Australia
65 laps (181.7 miles)

19 - Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota, California Speedway
250 laps (500 miles)