I got a pb in quali, 55.97, but still only good enough for 5th on the grid. On my last lap of quali I hit JWardy who was parked next to the pits. He seemed to come out of nowhere, but on watching my replay I can see that was because he was lagging and invisible to me until I was very close. I wasn't on a particularly quick lap so no harm done.
Race 1 went well. I had a close battle with Rabbit over the first few laps for 5th position. I managed to get in front before something happened and he retired, seemingly permanently. Finished 3rd.
Race 2 started rather badly. Subconsciously I knew that starting the MRT was different to other cars, unfortunately my body responded by pushing down on the brake instead of putting the car into first using the left hand paddle. By the time I worked out my error and got the car slowly off the grid, I'd dropped from 4th to last. That made for an interesting race though. On the first corner of lap 2 I softly nudged JWardy. I believe that he was running wide in spite of my nudge, and I carried on. I will look at the replay to check, and do apologise if it was my nudge that caused any difficulty. I then managed to slam into somebody sat in the middle of the last corner complex on about lap 5 or 6. I had no warning or time to react apart from some last second braking. I ended up with some suspension damage, but the car was still ok to drive. I managed to lap consistently from then, overtook a few cars by slipstreaming on the back straight. Finished 3rd.
It was a good evening for me. Many thanks to Dan again for organising, and for the good natured competition that I encountered from all other drivers.
Race 1 went well. I had a close battle with Rabbit over the first few laps for 5th position. I managed to get in front before something happened and he retired, seemingly permanently. Finished 3rd.
Race 2 started rather badly. Subconsciously I knew that starting the MRT was different to other cars, unfortunately my body responded by pushing down on the brake instead of putting the car into first using the left hand paddle. By the time I worked out my error and got the car slowly off the grid, I'd dropped from 4th to last. That made for an interesting race though. On the first corner of lap 2 I softly nudged JWardy. I believe that he was running wide in spite of my nudge, and I carried on. I will look at the replay to check, and do apologise if it was my nudge that caused any difficulty. I then managed to slam into somebody sat in the middle of the last corner complex on about lap 5 or 6. I had no warning or time to react apart from some last second braking. I ended up with some suspension damage, but the car was still ok to drive. I managed to lap consistently from then, overtook a few cars by slipstreaming on the back straight. Finished 3rd.
It was a good evening for me. Many thanks to Dan again for organising, and for the good natured competition that I encountered from all other drivers.
You guys are just jealous because you didn't choose the topless sleek one. Now she is RACy 
I only had time for a quick practice yesterday. SiD was online. I thought I was doing quite well getting into low 56s, but he showed me up by doing 55s.
He followed me for a bit though, and couldn't get past. Overtaking is going to be tricky. Hopefully some drivers will be online before the race for some practice races.
He followed me for a bit though, and couldn't get past. Overtaking is going to be tricky. Hopefully some drivers will be online before the race for some practice races.
I managed a few more practice laps this morning, and got my time down to 56.33 - that's still 0.7 secs slower than Kamo, but then I haven't done 540 laps yet!
There's only 2 realistic passing places on this track, at the ends of the long straights, but it'll need to be a fairly aggressive manouvre to get past unless the driver ahead makes a mistake. It would help to have some practice racing ...
There's only 2 realistic passing places on this track, at the ends of the long straights, but it'll need to be a fairly aggressive manouvre to get past unless the driver ahead makes a mistake. It would help to have some practice racing ...
I had the wrong title up and these are your Sprint 2 rev stats ... although you've done even more laps on Sprint 1 rev than Sprint 2 rev.
Round 5 South City Sprint 1 Rev : Pre race discussion
I've just done a few laps around this track to get my bearings. I haven't raced here before. There's only 3 corner complexes to worry about, so not too much to learn.
After all the mayhem in the last couple of south city track races, I would like to have some practice races before Tuesday. Is anybody around after about 9pm GMT today?
After all the mayhem in the last couple of south city track races, I would like to have some practice races before Tuesday. Is anybody around after about 9pm GMT today?
Last edited by bozo, .
Reason : wrong track in title!
Not such a good race for me. Wasn't doing too badly in 14th after 2 laps, then I managed to drive straight into the rear of Bean0 after he'd passed me on the banking at the start of lap 3. Said hello to the wall, and the resultant damage led me to pit at the end of the lap. After that it was a quiet drive.
I'm amazed that I'd been driving with 50g of ballast until just before qualifying. That explains why I felt I was so slow :bike: during practice. My set originated from one that I got from Hannu a little while ago, but never raced with it (I think) because I didn't find it very quick!
I'm amazed that I'd been driving with 50g of ballast until just before qualifying. That explains why I felt I was so slow :bike: during practice. My set originated from one that I got from Hannu a little while ago, but never raced with it (I think) because I didn't find it very quick!
I take it you're talking FZ50 Dan, as I'm not having any problems with Supers on the RAC. Mind you, that could be because I'm not going very fast
I've come to the conclusion that my driving style does not suit the RAC. I'm so far off the pace. I've noticed from replays that decent drivers like Misko slide the car into a corner, but stabilise the car through the corner to get the power on early. I just don't seem to be able to carry the same speed through the corner.
I still enjoy the challenge of driving the RAC, but it would be so much better if I could at least hope to compete for those midfield positions!
I've come to the conclusion that my driving style does not suit the RAC. I'm so far off the pace. I've noticed from replays that decent drivers like Misko slide the car into a corner, but stabilise the car through the corner to get the power on early. I just don't seem to be able to carry the same speed through the corner.
I still enjoy the challenge of driving the RAC, but it would be so much better if I could at least hope to compete for those midfield positions!
Wasn't it a bit cramped on the back seat?
Flip, I used the wrong words. I didn't think there was anything wrong with your driving. The track just became a bit small for the 3 of us as we approached the corner. You didn't move across into me - I wrote that incorrectly. That's what I thought at the time, but on viewing the replay I saw that it was just our respective racing lines converging. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
Round 4 : Aston Cadet post race discussion
Well, the racing didn't go quite to plan for me. I just struggled to race closely behind anybody tonight. Race 1 I ran into the back of an AR driver on T2. Just a tap but enough to spin us both. Race 2 and it was Dan who I hit going through the chicane as he had a wobble ahead of me. I thought I would just get around him, but he moved across the track. Sorry to both!
I got side-swiped on lap 9 of race 1. I wasn't too happy about it, but on the replay I can see it was just an unlucky move for me. We were 3 abreast, Serp, P Martin (Sly or Flip?) and myself. P Martin was in the middle and just moved across into me, and I ended up facing the wall. It was not intentional, so I'm very glad I didn't say anything until I saw the replay :-)
I still had some good battles, and had to hang back a few times when I got a bit feisty with the car ahead. Overall it was fun. I hope to have less contact in the next race - I'll try to improve ...
I got side-swiped on lap 9 of race 1. I wasn't too happy about it, but on the replay I can see it was just an unlucky move for me. We were 3 abreast, Serp, P Martin (Sly or Flip?) and myself. P Martin was in the middle and just moved across into me, and I ended up facing the wall. It was not intentional, so I'm very glad I didn't say anything until I saw the replay :-)
I still had some good battles, and had to hang back a few times when I got a bit feisty with the car ahead. Overall it was fun. I hope to have less contact in the next race - I'll try to improve ...
Oops, I got the lap times wrong in my post yesterday. I'm in the 54s not 55s - 54.64 is my best. Kamo was in the 53s.
I was practicing with Kamo a little earlier. He was into the 54s, just. I was down to a best of 55.82. I may practice a bit more tomorrow before the race, but I don't expect to find much more time.
As ever I am looking for some way to make my RAC go round the track quicker. A better driver would be one solution (before anyone else suggests it). I can't even rely on other racers falling off the track this time, as there isn't much danger around here once you know where the corners are.
I guess I'll just have to practice more, and hope I bump into somebody with a half-decent setup.
I guess I'll just have to practice more, and hope I bump into somebody with a half-decent setup.
Pity you had that disconnect Tim.
I had a few game plans to chose from, depending upon how lap 1 went. I decided to pit after lap 2 so that I could have a clear track for at least the first half of the race. I'd checked before that I could do this with a sufficient gap before the leaders started to lap me. The only risk was if I crashed and needed to pit later, which thankfully I didn't.
The race turned out well. Started 14th, and finished 8th. I'm pleased with that, given that I didn't have the pace to challenge many others in the race. The tortoise versus the hares!
I had a few game plans to chose from, depending upon how lap 1 went. I decided to pit after lap 2 so that I could have a clear track for at least the first half of the race. I'd checked before that I could do this with a sufficient gap before the leaders started to lap me. The only risk was if I crashed and needed to pit later, which thankfully I didn't.
The race turned out well. Started 14th, and finished 8th. I'm pleased with that, given that I didn't have the pace to challenge many others in the race. The tortoise versus the hares!
Yes, I was planning to use R1s. They stay at a nice temperature, at least for the first 15 laps ... I haven't tested beyond that yet.
I've got no excuses. I'm sure it'll prove to be a good race.
Ok. I just observed it in the last last 2 qualifying runs that I did, and assumed that was the way it was.
Nice qualifying time Tim - I couldn't quite better that!
Nice qualifying time Tim - I couldn't quite better that!
Just to clarify, the outlap does count. If you leave the pits with 10 laps remaining, as soon as you cross the line to start your flying lap, you will only have 9 laps remaining.
I think that is the way it should be.
As the outlap doesn't count, you can try as many online qualifying laps as you like, as long as you abort the lap before crossing the line if it isn't quick enough. So you may be right here. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.
Will the second practice event be run with qualifying laps limited to 12?
Many thanks for the detailed response Tim.
I do agree with trying the restricted qualifying laps. My observation was that this will make it difficult to judge a target lap time. In the old format I would generally get some practice and set a qualifying time during the weekend before qualifying finishes. I would then check what times my main competitors were posting, and try for a quicker lap during the last few days if my time was adrift of where I would like to be.
I've seen Hot Tracker used in other leagues. For all the competing drivers this shows some stats about the combo, such as best lap time and number of laps. With the new qualifying format I would be practicing online, using short races on the other OLFSL servers to improve my laptimes and learn the racing lines for overtaking/defending a position. I just think that it would be useful to use something like Hot Tracker within the LFS-League.com site so that we can see our relative performances during the build up.
It's just a thought. I do like these changes that you have made.
I do agree with trying the restricted qualifying laps. My observation was that this will make it difficult to judge a target lap time. In the old format I would generally get some practice and set a qualifying time during the weekend before qualifying finishes. I would then check what times my main competitors were posting, and try for a quicker lap during the last few days if my time was adrift of where I would like to be.
I've seen Hot Tracker used in other leagues. For all the competing drivers this shows some stats about the combo, such as best lap time and number of laps. With the new qualifying format I would be practicing online, using short races on the other OLFSL servers to improve my laptimes and learn the racing lines for overtaking/defending a position. I just think that it would be useful to use something like Hot Tracker within the LFS-League.com site so that we can see our relative performances during the build up.
It's just a thought. I do like these changes that you have made.
I like the ideas behind the new qualifying format. Overall I think that this has the potential to be a lot more pleasurable than spending ages hotlapping trying to catch the 'perfect' lap.
I do have a few questions though:
1. Although the warm-up seems to be unlimited laps, in the next season if the number of laps is restricted to 12 laps then do the outlap and inlap count? I suspect the outlap does, but the inlap doesn't if the car does not cross the finish line at the end of the lap
2. Will there be servers available for practicing the combo which do not count for qualifying? I hope so, providing the ability to practice online with other drivers, and then when 'peak condition' is reached, the driver can switch over to the qualifying server.
3. What was the reason for deciding to restrict the qualifying laps? I think that this will encourage people to leave qualifying until the last few days, making it difficult to judge a target qualifying time. I would prefer to see progress during the qualifying period. My suggestions would be one of the following, with option 1 being my preference:
I do have a few questions though:
1. Although the warm-up seems to be unlimited laps, in the next season if the number of laps is restricted to 12 laps then do the outlap and inlap count? I suspect the outlap does, but the inlap doesn't if the car does not cross the finish line at the end of the lap
2. Will there be servers available for practicing the combo which do not count for qualifying? I hope so, providing the ability to practice online with other drivers, and then when 'peak condition' is reached, the driver can switch over to the qualifying server.
3. What was the reason for deciding to restrict the qualifying laps? I think that this will encourage people to leave qualifying until the last few days, making it difficult to judge a target qualifying time. I would prefer to see progress during the qualifying period. My suggestions would be one of the following, with option 1 being my preference:
- option 1: display best time from the practice servers also, but separately from the qualifying server (this could just be taken from lfsworld stats, if too much effort to capture stats from OLFSL practice servers only)
- option 2: run 2 qualifying periods, 12 laps available in each period, with the best lap across both qualifying periods counting for each driver
- option 3: make qualifying laps unlimited
That's the spirit
Race 1 was interesting. Towards the end of lap 1 I was behind GFresh when he made a slight error in the final turn. I bumped him, which spun us both. Waited for him to recover, and everyone else to pass as otherwise I would have hit somebody when recovering. Then had a great race catching everybody that I could from 14th position. Thanks to a few errors by others and that unfortunate disconnect of GFresh, I ended up in 7th.
Race 2 started well. From 4th I was up to second, following Dan into the final chicane. For some reason (must have been that new setup) he turned way too early and hit the barrier. I couldn't avoid the contact, and ended up stalled in that narrow bit before the final corner. Got hit a couple of times, and when I finally got away again I was way down the field and with a wonky car. Let a few racers past quite easily in the next few laps as I couldn't really keep the car straight, but adapted my driving and got the car home. I think I finished 6th, with very tired arms from all the steering I had to do!
I thought it was a good event overall. Accidents are to be expected around here.
I'll be racing tonight, and I'm looking forward to an action-packed couple of races ...
I have a question concerning when qualification actually starts.
When your car first appears in the pit, there is a countdown until the qualification starts. What is the significance of that countdown?
I have always assumed that is the countdown after which the qualifying period starts, and as long as you are still within the pitlane until the countdown completes, then there is no harm in exiting the pit immediately.
When your car first appears in the pit, there is a countdown until the qualification starts. What is the significance of that countdown?
I have always assumed that is the countdown after which the qualifying period starts, and as long as you are still within the pitlane until the countdown completes, then there is no harm in exiting the pit immediately.
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG