Fair enough... thanks for the tip... Im just worried because in order to get gold silver or bronze you have to go at a pretty quick pace.....

I'm going to play this like all day tomarrow tho and i'll figure it out.... Either way I'm hooked to this game lol.

Well I try that whole drafting thing with the overtake. I only got that to work in the NASCAR events. Even the VW bus event wouldnt let me draft for anything. I got 3rd in that event but still, AI buses cluser together in turned, finding the imaginary opening is a pain when theres 10 buses blocking the entire thing. I normally try to take inside lines as often as I can, since they tend to be faster to get out of a turn with, and follow all the tricks the National A to International C taught on turns and braking. Most of the time, they really don't work well when your in the back being boxed in by the AI.

See this? then people complain there's no "realistic" damage and mechanical damage....now imagine the hoards of whinners up in arms if everytime they hit something the car gets damaged and lose the race only to be left with a pile of junk needing expensive repairs.

Sure the A.I will ram your ass, but that's completely avoidable and happens because you drive too aggresively and place yourself in front of them when you shouldn't overtake and -gasp- the A.I cars have no alternative than to hit you if they are running full throttle. Overtaking the A.I doesn't mean they have to automatically adjust their driving, in a fraction of second, to leave you the open way right after you cut through like a maniac.

And by the way, the bumping rules can be VERY forgiving in License and Special Events. I bump into other cars quite often, especially when I'm getting the hang of it, as long as you don't hit them at a considerably high speed you won't get DQd. Hitting walls works the same, but the impact must be quite softer (than impacting cars) for the game to let it pass (and never head-straight), and getting out of the track is a big NO.

Getting Gold in some of those events and tests demands near-perfection, but most people can pass with bronze or silver without going insane trying (unless you really suck at driving), or ever having serious issues with the A.I. drivers/DQ rules. Gold is not for everybody in GT5, it demands you to get the best of your skills and anything less it's, you guess it, not Gold.

One can get away with fairly hard bumping. If you are side by side, you can force the car beside you (but don't do it on purpose, just follow your line). Then you MUST consider that for the next corner he is still there. Cut into hes line and you're screwed. 

What you MUST NOT do is touch another car (or allow them to touch you) with what feels like the back half of the side of your car (from the wheel it feels that way, from the replays you can not tell, especially since most replays end BEFORE the disqualification event occurred). Instant disqualification. Ridiculous. I mean, I got away with bumps that I would have disqualified me for, but was disqualified many times for barely audible brushes with other cars.

If you are an early breaker, do not do it with other cars right behind you, better to choose a different line, that will allow you to either circle them on the outside of the curve or cut in on the inside. When cutting in, mind the corners where the AI uses excessive braking, or you are surely to smack into a car in front of you and be disqualified. Better to go on the outside if you can to avoid that.

You expect to draft in the Bus event? Do you know what drafting is even? Obviously not. The reason it works so much better in Nascar is because the speed. On high speeds, there is a lot of air resistance to a car, so a car in front eliminates this (well, no, but it does make it much smaller). Car cuts air and at fast speeds it doesn't just reform back instantly, making the next car not have to go through as much. Slow speeds, the air pressure is filled in by the time you get to it. What do you expect to happen at slow speeds (ie: Bus event)? Seriously man, think about it. This is why the Veyron and other cars cannot reach their true top speeds. Not because they can't go say 300 MPH, but air resistance makes it impossible out of the factory testing.

So I'm not the only one growing bald over the Special Events?

Going?  I'm there now.

You CAN draft in the buss event. It's subtle, and you have to time it right or you will not feel the benefits, but on the folowthrough you can reach 110 kph with drafting and less without.

Also, there's no such thing as a car's true speed other than the ones we measure on earth. I mean, how would a Veyron function in vacuum for example (if we are to think about it)?

wow! that sounds like hell?

Sebastien Loeb is actually quite trivial once you get the hang of rally in GT5.

I beat it within my first 10 tries on every track while using the PS3 controller.

One thing to realize is that the driving line is BS for rally and you have to ignore it...