GT5 Seasonal Events 2 - NO SRF - Part 2 - Ford Focus ST at Circuito de Madrid

This one is another tough one. I think this is the hardest one out of the 5 events. However, I spent less time beating this than the RX-7 one. This event is the hardest because one of your opponents uses a Ford Focus RS while you are stuck with a Ford Focus ST. Basically, the RS has 300hp stock while your ST is limited to 221hp. Even though the Focus RS starts in 2nd place, it will pass the car in first place (Honda Civic Type R) at the end of the first lap or at the beginning of the second lap. You will have no problem getting 2nd place, but catching up to the Focus RS is a pita.

With the given requirements, it basically means that you are not allow to do any weight reduction and you can't add much, if any hp. So again, like the RX-7 one, tuning is very important. I bought all the parts (full suspension, full tranny, chassis reinforcement, adjustable LSD, etc). Again, I will post my settings and video up later. For now, please read below for some tips on golding this event without using Skid Recovery Force on.

As soon as you take the first few corners in the Focus ST, you will notice MASSIVE understeer. So first tip: do NOT overspeed when entering a corner. If you go into a corner way too fast, the car will simply go straight to the wall. However, you can use this as your advantage - you can go slightly overspeed as long as you can time it so that you hit one of the opponents. If you do it correctly, it will bump you into the right driving line and help you corner a bit faster. Yes that's cheating in a certain way but it works and there's no penalty. Obviously if you hit too hard, you will either lose control or you and your opponent both fly to the wall.

The first hairpin is also very important. After the starting line, just before the first hairpin, there's a slight S turn. You should be able to negotiate this S turn at over 135km/h. And as you do so, prepare to brake for the hairpin. Make sure you are slow enough so that the car would turn more quickly. Gradually apply full throttle and this should help pull the car out of the corner. I think this is an important segment of the track and if you can accelerate out of this hairpin quickly, it should help your exit speed and your thus overall lap time a lot.

For all of the other parts, you just have to make sure you follow the right line and remember to maximize exit speed. I was able to pass the Focus RS just before the final corner in the last lap. You should aim for 1:44 for your first lap, and 1:43 on average for the other 4 laps. I was able to hit 1:42 in one or two laps.

Good luck and happy racing!