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2010 Kyoto 500: Comments So Far
So, as we've done 7 practice sessions and are a couple weeks away from qualifying, feels like good time to give some comments on what I've seen so far, in no particular order.

1. Patience I have seen a significant amount of impatience in some of the sessions. You must use a level head, and not make erratic/sudden moves just because "There's a hole now" etc. Use better judgement, use your mirrors/look buttons to see if you're clear inside or outside (wherever you are going). I cannot begin to count the number of incidents that have been caused since the 500 started that are solely down to a driver assuming that he's clear to go where he's going.

2. Driving Style: I've also seen so far quite a lot of drivers driving somewhat erratically, or making jerky movements. To be fast on the oval, you need to be as smooth as you can be. Make sweeping movements, not sudden, jerking movements.

3. Drafting: This can be a touchy subject here. There are some who will say you need to draft to get speed no matter what, there are some who don't agree with that. We take a middle ground. Use the draft as best you can for whatever situation you are in to maximize efficiency and break away from a large pack or catch the car(s) ahead. The draft will help you immensly when used right. You do need to practice it to learn how to maximize it. Do I expect you to use it to the maximum all race ? Surely not, I expect you to use it when its a) Safe to do so, b) safe to do so (there's a reason I put it twice), and c) There's a reason to do it.

4. Racing the Race: The race is 500 miles. It's not 5 miles. It's not 50. It is 270 laps (268 for the pedantic ones among us). It's not 2, it's not 8, it's not 100. To get to the final lap and then the checker flag, you must spend the first 267 racing laps keeping yourself in position to be first to the flag. This involves, but is not limited to:

Staying out of trouble: You cannot under any circumstance win the race before your LFS screen reads 270/270. You cannot win it on turn 1 of the first lap, or the 134th lap, or the 269th lap. You must work in a mode of self-preservation for most of the race, so you can finish the rest of it.

Lap 1 (actually through Lap 10): The first 10 laps of this race, if they are green, will be nothing short of scary, hairy, dodgy, shocking. Yes, we're obviously insane for making you start three abreast with 30 cars. But that won't change the fact that we're keeping it. The starts have actually, so far, been fairly good so far. Session 1 was bloody amazing how the first handful of laps were green, with a nearly full grid. You must resist the urge to snap up 8 places before turn 1 on the start. Stick in your row or into the row ahead if there's room. If you're inside, stay inside, if you're middle, stay in the middle, and if you're outside, well, the wall is your friend to stay outside. It should take, all told, about 5-10 laps for things to START to spread out if you can keep it green, the first 25 laps will be hairy until things really settle out. Do not take any unnecessary risks on Laps 1 through 269.

Strategy: It's tricky. It's caught out many drivers in the first two years, drivers that dominated on pace failed on strategy and ended up not on the lead lap, or worse, DNF. Practice with wind, with other cars, to see how far you can go on fuel and tyres. Learn to manage tyres if they get too hot.

5. A Driver's Guide: Jeff Garry (Skydiver173) wrote this prior to last year's running, and it holds true still. You'd all be well advised to read it.
On the whole, I've seen some promising things so far, and expect this to be a good show on Saturday, June 26th.

The Kyoto 500 is intended to showcase how exciting and fun oval racing can be, how we at New Dimension Racing can gather 30 of [what should be] the best oval racers in LFS.

Please, racers, do your part to help make the 2010 Kyoto 500 an amazing spectacle of racing. Show me that you can keep your wits about you in the race, show me how consistently fast you can go in qualifying, show me that oval racing is more than just turning left.
#2 - J@tko
Don't want to butt in here, but one thing I would add :

Don't be afraid to lift out of the throttle, particularly when you're in a multi-car draft or just in a big pack. I'm as guilty as anyone of not doing this, but there's 500 miles [probably with many cautions] so losing a tenth by backing out is much better than crashing by not.

Also have a look at some of the racing in the Speedweeks 250 last night - some superb [and at times not quite so superb :P] driving there
Quote from dekojester :Staying out of trouble: You cannot under any circumstance win the race before your LFS screen reads 270/270. You cannot win it on turn 1 of the first lap, or the 134th lap, or the 269th lap. You must work in a mode of self-preservation for most of the race, so you can finish the rest of it.

Quoting the most important part
#4 - Ori
Quote from J@tko :Don't be afraid to lift out of the throttle

Amen to that.

Another thing which will guaranteed get u further.
Quote from Ori :Amen to that.

Another thing which will guaranteed get u further.

I would also like to point you in the direction of THIS video (thanks fragmasters). This gives masses of tips and hints for making the most of safe drafting, something I think everyone can do.
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(xtraction) DELETED by dekojester : unrelated to discussion
Quote from dekojester :
5. A Driver's Guide: Jeff Garry (Skydiver173) wrote this prior to last year's running, and it holds true still. You'd all be well advised to read it...

awww, shucks.... you remembered!
Hope you all have a SAFE, FUN race! I hope to be able to watch it, if it's being broadcasted live this year. Good luck to all of you!

HUGZ!
Quote from Skydiver173 :awww, shucks.... you remembered!
Hope you all have a SAFE, FUN race! I hope to be able to watch it, if it's being broadcasted live this year. Good luck to all of you!

HUGZ!

It'll be broadcast, I sent 36 EUR to multiBC to ensure it will be.
sry, i can't find that what time we started kyoto 500?
Quote from Firebee :sry, i can't find that what time we started kyoto 500?

You are right my good sir. It doesn't say anywhere.

Last year it was 1800 GMT.
It's cleverly hidden away in an old thread


Quote from dekojester :

Hello LFS Community !

The New Dimension Racing Team is pleased to announce the dates for the 2010, Third Annual, Kyoto 250 and Kyoto 500.

[snipped kyoto 250 stuff]

The 2010 Kyoto 500 will take place on 26 June 2010, with the green flag to fall at 16:45 GMT. Qualifying weekend will be 19-20 June 2010. The 2009 Kyoto 500 was an awesome event with over 100 signups, about 75 people eligible to try to qualify, and about 50 drivers actually taking qualifying attempts, and the 30-car grid only separated by only four hundredths of a second, beating the record from the inagrual Kyoto 500 which was a quarter of a second gap. We hope to have the same amount of drivers try to make it into this Greatest Spectacle in Live for Speed. Signups will open on 5 April, 2010. The event will follow the same qualifcation procedures as has been since the first running, but with some minor changes.

We look forward to seeing participation in these, two events, which we regard as our two most prestigious races of the NDR history so far.

thanks

FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG