rec.autos.simulators

by **Andrew MacPhers** » Sat, 09 Aug 2008 21:59:00

I have no such excuse. :-) While I have had periods enjoying a little
oval action, my sim upbringing has been mainly road racing.

After putting in a few more laps at Infineon I'm a bit disappointed the
week's racing there is almost over. By the time I'm safe to race there
it'll be too late. But it is, despite initial appearances, a very
satisfying track to get round once you know what you're doing... exciting
even! And that's without anyone else on the track.

If the British summer continues as it is as the moment (grey and damp,
which is actually how I prefer my weather if I'm honest) I may well be
spending more time on iRacing than I suspected. That should accelerate
either my assimilation into the Stepford Racers, or my falling off the
iRacing perch.

Andrew McP... half watching the Olympics opening ceremony when he really
ought to be in bed ready for work tonight. The Chinese certainly know how
to stage a show!

by **Larr** » Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:42:47

My understanding is that ONLY In-Class races count towards promotion.

This is the section from the Rule Book:

2.4.3. Sessions must be completed by the driver in series with minimum
license eligibility
requirements that match the driver's current license level in a given
category.

***** Sessions completed in series for which the driver is only eligible by
virtue of a 4.0 or
higher Safety Rating (see section 2.9.2, "racing up") will count toward the
minimum
participation requirements. Sessions completed in series with minimum
license
eligibility requirements below the driver's current license level (see
section 2.9.3,
"racing down") will not count. *****

It appears this has been clarified a bit. If you race UP, by virtue of
having a 4.0 or higher SR, you DO get credit for those races.

If you race DOWN, i.e. you are a Class C and decide to run some Late Model
Races, those do NOT count.

That is why you met the requirements. You raced UP.

Good for you :)

-Larry

> > One other thing, and a lot of people miss this. For races/TT's to
> count
>> towards promotion, you must race IN-CLASS. You can race up, and you can
>> race down, but only IN-CLASS races/TT's will count towards promotion. I
>> think a few got bit by this the last cycle. This is one part I do thing
>> should be made clearer in da book.

> Huh? As a rookie with SR at 3.x the adv slowstice races and TT counted
> towards SR, and as a rookie with 4.x SR the Skippy TT and races counted
> towards SR. And SR is the only thing that matters when it comes to
> promotions. It would really suck if you had to go back and do slowstice
> races after earning a promotion.

by **Larr** » Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:54:15

You guys are coming from SIMS like rFactor, GTR, GPL, etc... and being put
into MUCH slower and ill-handling cars. That is where the issue is. You
aren't used to it.

We ALL had to suffer through this at least once. Just get yourself
graduated out of the Solstice and Legends and things will change
dramatically for you.

Every soldier goes through Boot Camp :)

-Larry

> Is the Soltice that bad of a car in RL or has iRacing just made it
> appear bad and is not as realistic as some would have us believe? THe
> Solstice is no Ferrari for sure and I have never driven a Solstice but
> looking at its design specs it should'nt be that bad of a performer.

> http://www.racesimcentral.net/

> "The Solstice carries itself like a true sports car, its classic rear
> wheel drive and four-wheel independent suspension layout allows for that
> correct old-timey roadster ride, but still delivers all the advantages
> of up to the minute 2006 Pontiac technology.

> The suspension package includes four Bilstein coil-over monotube shocks,
> eigh*** inch 245/45R18 *** and fast-ratio rack and pinion steering,
> which allows Solstice to be driven like a sports car should, and really
> deliver that special "feel" of a sports car to the driver and passenger.
> The Solstice will let the driver feel the road, and can take corners
> like a true sports car, yet is still smooth and comfortable enough to
> enjoy even the longest road trip."

by **Larr** » Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:57:00

A tip about the grass. Below a certain speed, the off penalties will not
appear so if you know you have to go off course, get your speed down.

I don't remember if it's 30mph or 10 mph, but one of those will negate
off-penalties.

-Larry

>> I'd say you'll be over 4 very soon

> Not if I repeat what happened yesterday during a push for 4. Racing with
> some new rookies (all were faster than me, but a few were a lot more
> inconsistent & dangerous) I had several deliberate grass excursions to
> avoid trouble, and then a final lap T1 spin, leaving me face on into the
> lapping traffic. My SR or *** pressure may never be the same again. :-)

> Andrew McP

by **Larr** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:01:11

Andrew,

I am by far no setup wizard, but what helped me in the Skippy (especially
with those mid-turn lift and spin maneuvers) was to move the Spring Perch
settings from the + side to the - side. Be aware it tightens the car up so
you may need to counter this by upping the rear tire pressure a bit.

-Larry

>> I Skipped almost immediately...

> Mmm... and now I'm only about 2s off the rookie Solstice pace at Lime
> Rock. Lol!

> Ignoring that depressing statistic, the Skip Barber 2000 is very nice to
> get into. I'd forgotten how claustrophobic those closed***pits are
> until someone took the sheet metal cutter to my car frame and delivered
> something with a bit more breathing room.

> My first impression though was to rip the gearbox out and replace first
> gear. I suspect it's kept deliberately long to minimise start line antics,
> but it definitely masks the car's performance when you first put the foot
> down looking for a little GPL-esque throttle action.

> Still, that's the least of my problems. Infineon is a tricky track. It's
> one of those annoying places which seems to be infinitely configurable.
> So you've got bits of spare tarmac and optional race line everywhere,
> ready to lead your anticipation astray. Throw in several *** blind
> turns, some unfriendly camber, even less friendly 'grass', and a
> surrounding landscape which -- like Laguna Seca -- is clearly suffering
> from a bit of premature global warming, and you've got a fairly
> challenging experience. It's taken me about 20 laps to feel even remotely
> comfortable there... taking me down to about 1:58, which is only about
> 12s off the pace, I believe.

> Ah, now I understand why Max Mosely gets such a thrill out of paying
> people to beat him... iRacing is a taking a whip to my backside, and
> showing me what a bad, bad, *bad* driver I've always been.

> Andrew 've haff means ant vays off makink you valk back to ze pits' McP

by **Larr** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 00:04:44

Uve,

Hang in there bud. Once you get to the Class C Mazda and Silver Crown, the
tendancy to 'bore out' goes down considerably.

Your progression is exactly like mine was:

Solstice/Legends - Oh, please PLEASE let me out of these things!
Skippy/Late Model - Fun, but becomes a bit stagnant after a while.
Mazda/Silver Crown - Now we're talking! You are too busy in these cars to
get bored :)

Bear with it. Long before December you'll be singing a different tune :)

-Larry

by **Tony** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:29:45

> And finally... I've just noticed that the last race report (with the
> kicked out back end incident) shows no incidents reported. Maybe I got
> away with it after all. I certainly didn't the other day with the
> post-qualification prang though.

The incidents only show for the race laps. Warm up incidents and post
race incidents count against your SR but are not reported in the race
report.

Cheers
Tony

by **Tony** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:30:25

> Oh bollox. I Skipped almost immediately... the buying process is very
> quick & easy, giving you no time to reconsider. That;s my excuse anyway
> and I;m sticking to it.

Resistance is futile...

by **Ronald Stoeh** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:03:21

>> I Skipped almost immediately...

> Mmm... and now I'm only about 2s off the rookie Solstice pace at Lime
> Rock. Lol!

Hmm, slowly I'm beginning to suspect a perfectly designed marketing campaign...
'I don't like it!' 'Aah, it's slow!' 'Hmm, that's better!' 'Wow, iRAcing rocks!'

Just kidding!

l8er
ronny

by **Ronald Stoeh** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:08:05

>> Not meaning to put a "damper" on your new-found enthusiasm,
>> but for some reason the novelty and relative fun driving
>> the Skippy after being forced to drive the milk truck wore
>> off after another week or so

> The Skippy is not as much of a performance leap from the Solstice as I'd
> hoped. But, being fair, it's probably the right sort of step up. I can
> certainly make a real mess of Infineon driving it, so I guess it's more
> than enough of a vehicle for me. :-)
<snip>

> Maybe if they add the 'Ring to iRacing it'll help? Lol! Imagine what that
> track would cost to buy, based on the cost of existing tracks... probably
> about $200. :-)

That's why I can't wait for 'GTR Evolution' (Addon for Race07), which will
contain a (hopefully great) commercial version of the Ring (not to show
disrespect to the creators of the mod version of the green hell, of course).

l8er
ronny

by **Tony** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:27:16

>>> I Skipped almost immediately...

>> Mmm... and now I'm only about 2s off the rookie Solstice pace at Lime
>> Rock. Lol!

> Hmm, slowly I'm beginning to suspect a perfectly designed marketing
> campaign...
> 'I don't like it!' 'Aah, it's slow!' 'Hmm, that's better!' 'Wow, iRAcing
> rocks!'

> Just kidding!

It is not an unusual progression. The iRacing forums have a number of
posts from first time racers who struggle to see how it is different to
any other form of pickup racing and the fact that sim racers who have
been driving the fastest cars competently are forced into a slow saloon
(which feels slower in a sim without any forces) can be a bit hard to
swallow.

Often it is these same unimpressed drivers who are the ones to then
extol its virtues as they move up to quicker cars and the ratings kick
in. The tricky bit is that it needs to be experienced to believe it - a
little like a ***ager being told by an *** that too much beer will
make him ill :)

I think its tough marketing that - getting a driver to spend the seat
time and not dismiss it. I do wonder if there will opportunities to test
the faster cars free of charge when it moves beyond the sim enthusiasts.

Cheers
Tony

by **Tim Wheatle** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:05:06

> My understanding is that ONLY In-Class races count towards promotion.

> This is the section from the Rule Book:

> 2.4.3. Sessions must be completed by the driver in series with minimum
> license eligibility
> requirements that match the driver's current license level in a given
> category.

> ***** Sessions completed in series for which the driver is only eligible by
> virtue of a 4.0 or
> higher Safety Rating (see section 2.9.2, "racing up") will count toward the
> minimum
> participation requirements. Sessions completed in series with minimum
> license
> eligibility requirements below the driver's current license level (see
> section 2.9.3,
> "racing down") will not count. *****

> It appears this has been clarified a bit. ?If you race UP, by virtue of
> having a 4.0 or higher SR, you DO get credit for those races.

> If you race DOWN, i.e. you are a Class C and decide to run some Late Model
> Races, those do NOT count.

> That is why you met the requirements. ?You raced UP.

> Good for you :)

> -Larry

> > ?> One other thing, and a lot of people miss this. ?For races/TT's to
> > count
> >> towards promotion, you must race IN-CLASS. ?You can race up, and you can
> >> race down, but only IN-CLASS races/TT's will count towards promotion. ?I
> >> think a few got bit by this the last cycle. ?This is one part I do thing
> >> should be made clearer in da book.

> > Huh? ?As a rookie with SR at 3.x the adv slowstice races and TT counted
> > towards SR, and as a rookie with 4.x SR the Skippy TT and races counted
> > towards SR. ?And SR is the only thing that matters when it comes to
> > promotions. ?It would really suck if you had to go back and do slowstice
> > races after earning a promotion.

They do count towards your safety rating, actually. But you still need
the minimum participation at 'current' (or by racing up) level to be
promoted at the end of the season.

by **Tim Wheatle** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:05:26

> A tip about the grass. ?Below a certain speed, the off penalties will not
> appear so if you know you have to go off course, get your speed down.

> I don't remember if it's 30mph or 10 mph, but one of those will negate
> off-penalties.

> -Larry

> >> I'd say you'll be over 4 very soon

> > Not if I repeat what happened yesterday during a push for 4. Racing with
> > some new rookies (all were faster than me, but a few were a lot more
> > inconsistent & dangerous) I had several deliberate grass excursions to
> > avoid trouble, and then a final lap T1 spin, leaving me face on into the
> > lapping traffic. My SR or *** pressure may never be the same again. :-)

> > Andrew McP

30mph.

by **Gary** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:30:28

Sage advice....

>You guys are coming from SIMS like rFactor, GTR, GPL, etc... and being put
>into MUCH slower and ill-handling cars. That is where the issue is. You
>aren't used to it.

>We ALL had to suffer through this at least once. Just get yourself
>graduated out of the Solstice and Legends and things will change
>dramatically for you.

>Every soldier goes through Boot Camp :)

>-Larry

by **Andrew MacPhers** » Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:30:00

> Warm up incidents and post race incidents count
> against your SR

I see. I think it's safe to work on the assumption that every time I see
an incident message online, it's hurting! That way I'm never going to be
surprised.

Andrew McP

rec.autos.simulators

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