WalkthroughGRID 2019 Video Guide
WalkthroughGRID 2019 Video Guide
After a prolonged pause of just over three months to enjoy some much-needed summer time off, I’ve managed to present a lineup of three upcoming events. These include the Super Tourer, Pro Trucks, and Classic Ferrari categories. I’m still feeling a bit of the lingering effects of rust from my break, but I’m slowly regaining my confidence.
The first event is a four-race competition known as the International Super Tourers Championship, which marks the final race in this challenging handling category. For this occasion, I opted for the Ford Falcon FG-X Supercar. The locations include Havana’s Paseo de Marti, Barcelona’s Marina Gate, Sydney Motorsport Park’s Brabham Circuit, and Shanghai’s Waibaidu Way. There are two standout venues in this race: Marina Gate and Waibaidu Way. Marina Gate’s tight corridors and demanding S turns present a real test, while the nighttime conditions at Waibaidu Way, combined with heavy rain, added another layer of difficulty. I managed to consistently finish within the top six thanks to strong hotlaps, and the AI struggled to keep up in the first and second positions.
The second event is the Pro Truck Champions Series, another four-race contest that concludes this category. As expected, it’s the last race in this class, which is a positive outcome for me since these trucks perform even worse than the Super Tourers. The venues are San Francisco’s Short Circuit, Crescent Valley’s National Circuit, Shanghai’s Nanpu Bridge Circuit, and Indianapolis’ Sport Circuit Reversed. The main highlight was the Nanpu Bridge Circuit. It rained heavily, which is already tough for these vehicles, but turning around in reverse added an extra challenge—a long, widening bridge section that felt like a fast descent. The only time I faced real trouble was in the dry tunnel, where my panic and a rushed glance at the mini map led to mistakes. Usually I handle that section smoothly.
The third and final event is the Invitational Ferrari 512 BB LM World Challenge, a three-race competition. The locations are Silverstone’s GP 2009 Circuit Reversed, Zhejiang’s East Track Reversed, and Indianapolis’ Sport Circuit Reversed. If I had to choose a standout track, it would be Silverstone and Indianapolis. The Silverstone circuit was more demanding to navigate, while the Indy track proved trickier for hotlapping. Fortunately, none of these tracks were in heavy rain, though I’m not certain it would have made a difference, given that even this vintage Ferrari far outperforms the Super Tourers or Pro Trucks.
I have completed three additional events now. This collection features Super Modified, GT Group 1, and F1000 categories.
The first event is a four-race competition named Super Modified Pro Tour. I selected the highly capable Mitsubishi Evolution Lancer VI Time Attack vehicle. The race locations appear in this sequence: Havana's Castillo View, Okutama's Mizu Mountain, Sydney Motorsport Park's Amaroo Circuit, and Shanghai's Waibaidu Way. The race begins with a relatively brief, dry session at night, transitions into a longer sprint during daylight rain, follows with a short daytime race, and concludes with a long, dry finish at dusk. Each race was manageable, though the standout moment was the sprint on Mizu Mountain.
The second event is a four-race series called International GT Series GT Group 1. I opted for the Aston Martin Vantage GTE. The venues in order are Sydney Motorsport Park's Brabham Circuit, Shanghai's Nanpu Bridge Circuit, Silverstone GP 2009 Circuit Reversed, and Barcelona's Memorial Run. It starts with a lengthy, dry day race, moves to a prolonged wet night race, then continues with another long day race and ends with a final dry night session. Both the Shanghai and Barcelona races were memorable, but the latter was the most challenging. I found it extremely difficult to secure a fifth-place start and doubted my chances of winning. I’ll stop here.
The third event is a single-race competition titled FA Face-Off Part 1 in the Jedi F1000 - SPEC. It is also the final F1000 race in the game. The location is Zhejiang's Full Circuit. This contest involves just four participants: my team versus the FA Racing Logitech G team. With only three other competitors vying for the best hotlap time, it was a tough battle to reach third place. Eventually, I overcame the challenge and secured pole position. Adapting to the tight turns on this speed-focused track also proved to be a significant test.
The following three competitions consist solely of Classic GT events. Each participant receives the Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.0 to compete in these races, which total two events.
The inaugural competition is the Classic GT City Cup. It takes place at Havana's Paseo de Marti and Barcelona's Memorial Run. The first race occurs during daylight, while the second is held under rain. Neither event was especially demanding.
The subsequent competition is the Classic GT Series. This event is held at Crescent Valley's Infield Circuit and Okutama's Grand Circuit. The first race is scheduled for rainy conditions, the second at sunset with dry weather. The standout event here is the Okutama race.
The final event is the Classic GT Tour. It features Indianapolis' Road Course and Havana's Revolución Way. The first race is a day race with overcast skies, followed by another day race under wet conditions. The challenge here is clear—Indy stands out as the most difficult.
Here's the next set of events, which includes TC-1 Specials, Oval Stock, and Time Attack classes.
The first is a 4 race event called International TC-1 Specials Championship. For this event I chose the BMW M1 Turbo Group 5. The race venues are Okutama's Sprint Circuit at day and dry, Brands Hatch's GP Circuit Reversed at day in rain, Sydney Motorsport Park's Gardner GP Circuit at night and dry, and Sepang's Full Track at sunset and dry. The highlight here by far is the last race at Sepang. Due to the track's layout and sunset conditions affecting visibility, this track took a while to learn how to race.
The second is a 1 race event called The Chase at Indianapolis, where all cars in the event are the Jupiter San Marino Oval Stock, a fictitious vehicle. This is a flat out, 8 lap oval track race at Indianapolis at night in dry conditions, reaching speeds of 211 MPH. It took some getting used to dropping my lap times, but when I managed a 2nd place start position, I knew I had a chance.
The third is another 1 race event called World Time Attack Challenge. For this event I chose the Audi R8 1:1 due to it's superior power to weight ratio. The race venue for this event is Sydney Motorsport Park's Gardner GP Circuit at day in dry conditions.
Spoiler
I didn't spend much time hotlapping the TC-1 Specials race at Sepang, and settled for a 15th place start. It was evident in learning during the race however key places where I could go full gas in some turns with the right line, and after seeing my fastest lap time, that I could have started in at least 9th place had I known that while hotlapping. It wouldn't have probably affected the outcome though, as at the start there was ample opportunity to pass pretty much the whole GRID. At the 28:10 mark in this race on the 2nd lap, the game flagged my lap time red in the turn as if I'd made a track cut, yet did not show the typical warning message onscreen, nor was I penalized in race finish position. This happens now and then, but rarely, and I'm not sure if it's due to a false positive or something (like both left tires not being entirely beyond the apron simultaneously), but even had the game penalized my finish position, I would have likely won the event anyway, having placed 1st in the other 3 races.
In the Indy Oval race, I maxed my suspension to all the way firm, set gear ratio to the longest, and ramped steering sensitivity from 50% all the way to 75% to assure that I could race it full gas and arc a tight enough turn through the corners just holding down the steer key hard. I finally caught up to the lead AI in lap 7 on the backstretch, but I had hoped I would have done so well before corner #3. As a result I still had an inside line after passing him when I hit corner 3, and had to initiate a power slide at 211 MPH (6:30 mark), because the normal wall-to-inside trajectory was not possible. The reason you see me getting a bit wiggly with the steering just prior to that slide is I was attempting to impart a subtle "Scandinavian Flick" to help initiate the slight sideways slide. This as you may or may not know is a common technique in rally racing whereby you steer the opposite direction of a turn just before steering the direction of the turn, which helps the car pivot sideways a bit. These cars can get squirrely pretty fast just passing someone, and you definitely can easily get out of control with any contact, so all I could hope for was that my slide was precise, and held well. Fortunately it was, and did, WHEW!
In the World Time Attack Challenge event on lap 3 at the 3:33 mark, I thought I might have cut the track, but upon closer examination it appears at least one or both left tires stayed in contact with the outside edge of the apron, vs drifting entirely beyond it.
I’ve gathered the upcoming sequence of races for you. Each one unfolded swiftly, all featuring a single race within the Racing Icons series. They encompass categories such as Historic GT, Time Attack, and Group A Touring, yet every one is a Time Attack.
The initial race is titled Racing Icons Gulf GT40, featuring the Ford GT40. It takes place at Silverstone’s GP 2009 Circuit during sunset under rainy conditions. This setting makes the track challenging to navigate, especially with visibility reduced by rain. You must carefully manage braking and steering, as the car can easily lose control if mishandled.
Spoiler
I managed a solid time on the first lap. However, a mistake during the second lap’s first turn allowed another AI to pass me, and I feared my lead would slip. The lap ended without counting due to a drift gone too early and a collision with an AI on the third lap. Luckily, my time remained strong, securing a victory.
The next event is Racing Icons Moby Dick, with the Porsche 935/78 Group 5 "Moby Dick." The location is Brands Hatch’s GP Circuit, under overcast skies with dry, daytime weather. Here, visibility was superior to the rain-soaked race at Silverstone. The car responded more reliably and handled better than the GT40, allowing for quick adaptation to the track.
Spoiler
The main issue arose during earlier attempts when approaching an AI at the junction of two straights leading into the rear section. The car would veer unpredictably, nearly colliding with it or losing track. After a few passes, the following car was my teammate, who managed to steer effectively and avoid such incidents.
The third race is Racing Icons R32 GT-R, in the Nissan Skyline GT-R Group A (R32) at Sydney Motorsport Park’s Gardner GP Circuit, under sunny conditions. I was taken aback by the Skyline’s reputation for precision; it required steering sensitivity set to 80% to navigate its tight corners at high speed.
Spoiler
Once accustomed to the vehicle, the only challenge was encountering AI that obstructed my path in unexpected ways. In a prior lap, I veered off course near the start of the second lap but managed to stay ahead of all AI by the end. However, a pile-up involving multiple cars in the right and left turns before the final bend forced me off track, costing me a chance to overtake. Despite this, my strong first lap time secured my win.
The upcoming session features Prototype and Time Attack categories.
The initial competition consists of the International GT Series Prototype. The locations include Silverstone's Grand Prix Circuit, Crescent Valley's GP Circuit, Sydney Motorsport Park's Gardner GP Circuit, and Sepang's Full Track. For this competition, I selected the Acura DPi, valuing its driving dynamics over the Cadillac.
Spoiler
This competition included two relatively straightforward races and two exceptionally challenging ones. The more demanding races took place at Crescent Valley and Sepang. Although I had previously secured victory at the same venue with the same vehicle during the day, the AI, especially my teammate, remained persistent at night. No AI encountered any pile-ups during the hairpin turns in daylight. This situation worsened during night driving, which was less optimal on a track with poor lighting. I opted for a second-place finish, understanding that achieving a win at Sepang would still guarantee my overall success. Unfortunately, the Sepang race proved equally tough, with my best result being 14th place. Luckily, I managed a strong start from 14th and without facing significant competition, maintaining my position.
The second competition is the FA Face-Off Part 2, held in the Cadillac DPi-V.R. at Indianapolis' Sport Circuit Reversed. I was taken aback by the AI granting me a second-place start in this four-car race, but I didn’t accept that easily. I attempted to secure a pole position start instead.
Spoiler
I only achieved a third-place finish through overtaking, but quickly regained control and maintained it.
The third event is an invitational named the Okutama Grand Hillclimb MCA Hammerhead Nissan Silvia (S13). I wouldn’t have faced difficulties if all participating vehicles offered comparable handling and performance, but this was not the case. Many recognize the Nissan Silvia as a strong drift vehicle, yet this version lacked significant traction. It was absurd to compete against a car like the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO, especially when facing the Audi R8, which offers far greater grip and power. This led me to lower the difficulty setting to Medium for the first time in my career. I have lowered the AI setting to Medium on other occasions during historical events, but kept assists at level 3 due to their Hard rating.
Spoiler
I attempted to increase assists to maximum levels, similar to Medium difficulty, while keeping the AI on Hard. Despite many hotlaps, I remained 6 seconds behind the fastest AI, which would have eliminated any chance of reaching the podium. It was also surprising to see the AI significantly improve their lap times by 7 seconds between hotlaps and the race. It was particularly striking to observe how, even with maximum assists, the tires struggled during hard accelerations when I slowed down to navigate tight corners.
This phase concludes the standard career competitions, transitioning into the final stages with six one-race Showdowns and seven GRID World Series contests. It features three additional invitational events, all structured as single-race contests and categorized under G7 Specials.
The initial event features the Okutama Grand Hillclimb Porsche 917/30 on the Tenshi Way track. While the G7 Specials vehicles offer strong acceleration, the Porsche 917/30 struggles significantly compared to the McLaren M8D in the subsequent race. Performance was notably worse on this course than at Crescent Valley in the earlier event. I can only confirm that Okutama typically faces challenging conditions—such as fog, tree-lined roads, and shade—which developers likely accounted for by making the tarmac more slippery. To adapt, I reduced the difficulty to Medium, but even with Hard AI and maximum assistance, I remained several seconds behind after multiple attempts. The track’s narrow sections, walls, and railings also contributed to the difficulty.
Spoiler
After hitting a wall during my hotlap, I successfully completed the race without touching any barriers, even though I was heavily impacted by the AI ahead.
The second event is G7 Specials Face-Off Part 1 at Indianapolis' North Circuit Reversed, where the McLaren M8D is assigned. Compared to the Porsche, this vehicle provides superior traction and the track itself is relatively forgiving.
Spoiler
I underestimated the braking distance during a late turn, which narrowly turned my lead into a slim victory margin.
The third event is G7 Specials Face-Off Part 2 at the fictional Crescent Valley Club Circuit, using the Porsche 917/30 once more. The car proved challenging on this layout. My earlier Truck race experience there showed similar results—ending in an 11th-place finish but still securing a win.
Spoiler
After several attempts, I secured a first-place start and eventually claimed victory after a few races. Initially, I believed I bypassed penalties on the track, similar to my Truck event, but closer examination revealed that the aprons featured a narrow cobblestone strip along the infield, keeping me in contact. This likely explains why I wasn’t penalized.
And ultimately, we reach the climax of the professional journey, beginning with Showdowns. This marks the initial three out of six overall Showdowns, encompassing categories such as Super Tourer, Oval Stock, and Super Modified. Each of these events consists of a single race with four competitors.
The first contest is Super Tourers Showdown Hammerhead Racing, held on Barcelona's High Street after dark, featuring the Ford Falcon FG-X Supercar. This race offers a pole position start, and despite not achieving close proximity to that lead through overtakes, I accepted the honor.
Spoiler
I understood this would require maintaining a close following of the leaders and avoiding unnecessary passing opportunities. I succeeded in doing so most of the time. On the final lap, an AI came close just before the tight roundabout before the finish line, but failed to secure a strong position due to poor positioning. I regained control immediately afterward.
The second contest is Oval Stocks Showdown Vulpini Racing, taking place at Crescent Valley's GP Circuit under night conditions, in the Jupiter San Marino Oval Stock. This event begins with a fourth-place start, and I struggled to secure a solid position through overtaking. This concern stemmed from the challenging nature of the GP layout, and I anticipated that an Oval Stock vehicle would be difficult on such a track.
Spoiler
Eventually, I adapted to driving this style of car on a Grand Prix circuit with sharp corners. I increased steering sensitivity from 50% to full 100%, and adjusted the Linearity from 4 to 7. This helped prevent the car from feeling overly responsive at high speeds. Noticing that these NASCAR-inspired vehicles tend to slide in certain maneuvers actually improved my control during turns. By the end of the first lap, I executed the turn sequence flawlessly before the final stretch, establishing a substantial lead for roughly half of the second lap.
The third event is Super Modified Showdown DisruptR Time Attack, held at Shanghai's Nanpu Bridge Circuit at dusk, in the Auto Gallery Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32). I anticipated it would be more demanding than expected, given the team racing in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Time Attack.
Spoiler
Immediately, the Nissan appeared to struggle more than the Mitsubishi. However, recalling that my steering sensitivity was set at 100% from the previous race, I reduced it to 92%, while keeping linearity at 7. This adjustment proved effective. Soon after, I executed several strong high-speed laps with minimal margin and no contact. I was satisfied with my time of 1:26:667, particularly since I wasn’t certain if I could beat the 1:28 mark.
This segment wraps up the Showdown phase of the endgame, featuring Group 1, R26, and G7 Specials classes. All these events are again single-race formats.
The initial challenge is Group 1 Showdown Euro Rand, taking place in the Aston Martin Vantage GTE at Brands Hatch's GP Circuit Reversed. It was raining during the night, which made driving this vehicle particularly enjoyable for me—it's the car I consistently choose for Group 1 events.
Spoiler
This was the sole event I successfully hotlapped among the three, as it offered the best opportunity to improve my starting position and secured pole position. The race proved relatively straightforward for winning.
The next contest is R26 Showdown Fernando Alonso, using the Renault R26 at Sepang's Full Track under sunny daytime conditions. These races resemble high-performance F1 machines compared to the F1000, with rapid acceleration and a 7-speed transmission. There were just three competitors—my teammate and Fernando Alonso—and I adjusted the steering sensitivity to 100% and Linearity to 10. This race proved exceptionally challenging, marking a standout moment for me.
Spoiler
I secured the lead in the first corner. The race oscillated between unpredictable chaos and poor handling, causing the AI to either cling too tightly or struggle through tight corners, losing significant ground. However, when conditions stabilized, maintaining precise lines and consistent speed became crucial to overtake others.
The final event is G7 Specials Showdown at Aurora Motorsport, featuring the McLaren M8D at Indianapolis' Sport Circuit under dry daytime conditions. I appreciated driving the McLaren instead of the more slippery Porsche.
Spoiler
Four participants took part in this Group 1 race. Despite starting from fourth, I managed to overtake in third on the first bend and then secured a first position in the subsequent tight turn, without any contact. This performance would have been significantly more difficult on the Porsche. Overall, the race remained manageable from that point forward.
The initial three contests in the GRID World Series are the first three stages of the competition, featuring the Super Tourer, Oval Stock, and Super Modified categories. Each of these contests consists of three races.
In the opening race, I opted for the Ford Falcon FG-X Supercar. The locations varied: Brands Hatch's GP Circuit during the day, Sydney Motorsport Park's Gardner GP Circuit at night, and Barcelona's High Street in the afternoon. I adjusted the steering sensitivity and linearity to 100/10. The Barcelona race stood out as the most memorable for me.
Spoiler
The initial race was relatively straightforward. I struggled slightly on a few turns, which allowed the AI to close in, but no one managed to overtake me. During the third lap of the second race, I nearly lost control after catching an apron, yet managed to stay in contention. A strong hotlap in the third race secured my pole position, which would have made the race much more challenging.
The second contest was the GRID World Series Stock, held at Jupiter San Marino Oval. The venues included Indianapolis' Sport Circuit at sunset, Okutama's Sprint Circuit at dusk, and Crescent Valley's Oval Circuit under rain. I kept steering sensitivity and linearity at 100/10 for this event. The Crescent Valley race was the highlight of my participation.
Spoiler
The first two races went smoothly, even without securing a pole start. I managed to catch an apron and lose control early in the final lap at Indianapolis, but recovered just before the AI closed in. I maintained a strong lead until the AI closed the gap, and I held on for the win. At Okutama, the AI was relentless, forcing me to lose the lead a few times, but I managed to stay ahead. Crescent Valley was easy to secure the pole position by a margin of three seconds, though the AI also outperformed their hotlap times by that amount. The fastest car took off as if it had a superior vehicle, making it nearly impossible to catch. Despite this, I still claimed victory with two wins and a second place.
The third event was the GRID World Series Tuner, a Time Attack race. I selected the Subaru Impreza WRX Tomei Cusco. The venues were Zhejiang's Full Circuit during the day, Shanghai's Nanpu Bridge Circuit at sunset, and Sydney Motorsport Park's Gardner GP Circuit at night in the rain. Normally, I prefer the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Time Attack for its better acceleration, but it struggled with tight turns at Zhejiang and was too slow to brake. The Subaru surprised me with its performance on tight corners and rapid braking. I adjusted steering sensitivity and linearity to 80/8, and even then, the car handled Nanpu Bridge's tighter turns effortlessly. The Zhejiang race was the standout moment for me.
Spoiler
The Subaru handled the Zhejiang track exceptionally well. I managed to overtake six vehicles in Shanghai and five in Sydney. However, I should have been more cautious during the sixth pass at Shanghai, which ended with a wall scrape on the bridge.