Are you all sitting comfortably?.....then let me tell you a story<S>
Once upon a time there was a GP1 owner who couldnt get on with the
little badly spaced buttons on his GP1, he just couldnt change gear with
them and manage the paddles for acc/brake behind the wheel.
So one day he had an idea!
Why not make use of those 2 feet redundantly dangling on the end of his
legs....hmmm....perhaps a set of pedals, leaving his fingers more free
to change gear with?.....no, too easy.... Lets make a set of pedals with
switches inside and use them with our feet to change gear with.....much
more fun. Just like trying to rub your chest (or hers) while patting
your head, its pretty hard to do!
Within a couple of days he had mastered it and went on to run some
pretty good lap times with that setup.
Whenever anyone asked him what he used and was told, they just didnt
believe him! They laughed at him..... So after a while he became
withdrawn and hid in his woodcutters shed with his computers.
Then one day the Big Bad Wolf came to see him clutching his new red
wheel, look at this he said, grinning....."My, My what a big red wheel
you have Mr Wolf" said the GP1 owner who by this time had bought all
remaining stocks of GP1's in the UK to convert to foot gear change in
case it ever took off as a craze.
Have a feel of it said the Big Bad Wolf, "hmmmmmm"....said the GP1 owner
"feels soft and limp as usual"
"Well just hang on a minute while i plug in the special Viagra PSU" said
the Big Bad Wolf.
The GP1 owner knew the end was near for his beloved Wheels as he had
heard other people in the forest had been smitten by the Big Red wheel
and he realised that he would have to bite the forbiden fruit soon.
Alas, so popular was the Red Wheel that nobody had one to give to the
poor GP1 owner and for months he scoured the forest looking for one.
Eventually he found one Locked up for a long time in a glass case with
snow white, he found someone to unlock the case and he ***d it, (the
wheel that is!)......"ahhhhhh.....peace of mind at last" said the GP1
owner.
Thats what he Blo*dy thought!!
Here is what he had to say when interviewed for bedtime story news......
After weeks of grief trying to get used to the LWFF pedals which IMO are
real cr*p, I'm still slow, even after altering the spring rates etc....i
had an idea, well more in desperation really!
I got one of my old TM GP1 steer wheels out, which has paddles on for
acc/brake, ripped the wiring out of the LWFF pedals and rewired it into
the GP1 paddles. Put the steering wheel on the floor upside down and
used the paddles with my feet.
Put a bit of *** tube under the brake lever to give some feeling to
the lock up point, got the LW to recalibrate and tried it out<BG>
Pots used by TM are 250K and LW use 50K but no probs with calibration!
Had to put my feet at a strange angle as the paddles are set for 10 and
2 o'clock on the wheel but by turning it around i ended up with 4 and 8
o'clock which isnt too bad for now<S>
Back to silverstone where i have struggled to get into the low 1:28's in
the last 2 weeks and first laps a low 29 followed by a 28:14 and then a
27:90. I did a few more and yes its repeatable.....
I cut up the GP1 wheel so i have both pedals(paddles) facing me instead
of at an angle and i mounted them on some MDF board at an angle and
fitted alloy foot plates to them. They work absolutly wonderfully. So
well i think i will be happy for now till i have time to make my own
Proper pedals to suit me.
Close of quote........
You see dear children, GP1 owner is STILL unconventional! fancy using an
upside down GP1 wheel to acc/brake with.....the guy must be one of the
three bears.
This wasnt the end of the tale though as even with his "new" pedals he
found GPL very difficult and was thinking soon to revert to his former
***ion of a GP1 fix if he couldnt find out why he was so slow and
inconsistant. He undressed his new Red wheel, Hmm..nut holding steering
wheel on was loose, but thats not the main problem. Stripped *** in
front of him with all its parts showing, he removed its steering
potentiometer and found that the makers had made the hole it sat in too
big for the shaft to grip properly. When he turned one way, then the
other quickly there would sometimes be a delay before the pot responded
exactly to the steering input, so he would apply more steering, suddenly
to find he had now too much input and would have to opposite lock with
the same effect in that direction.....then he would crash and burn.
Distraught at the thought of wandering the forest looking for yet
another (none Friday afternoon) Red wheel (just now about as rare as
rocking horse sh*t) he quickly got his new hot glue gun that his wife
had bought him for Xmas out and set about gluing the pot shaft in place.
While he was about it he superglued the 2 bushings into the steel front
plate as they were a loose fit, (presumably to help the little elves who
assemble the red wheels meet the production targets) but causing too
much flop in the wheel for GP1's liking. That worked a treat and he was
much happier. With the Red wheel still *** he rushed off to Kyalami
for a well deserved holiday and while he was there Mr Vroc asked him if
he would like to race. Having not been there for a long time GP1 was a
little worried he may need some of Wolf's Viagra to be able to perform,
but he neednt have worried as within a few laps he had pole and won the
race with a FRL time only 3 tenths short of his Best GP1 wheel hotlap
ever.
He had made the grade at last and would now be allowed into the LWFF
members enclosure at Brands. Only one more test did he have to
pass....enable FF....he had so many problems along the way in his quest
for the holy grail he had forgotten all about Mr INI File. Well, as a
matter of fact I know he hadnt forgotten FF but had so many other
problems including trying to change gear with his hands and not brake
with the changedown lever by mistake that he left it off on purpose till
he sorted out his other shortcomings.
GP1 has now talked to Mr INI File and is still negoitiating as to terms
for the damping and torque settings but he seems well on the way to a
full recovery from meeting the Big Bad Wolf and hopes to pass as many of
you as possible in the coming months.
It has been rumoured that others, even joystick owners may also soon
take a bite from the forbidden fruit, they no doubt will have as many
slower races as GP1 has had in the fight to overcome their ***ion to
an erect piece throbbing beneth their right hand (JS for clarity, just
in case<S>) But they should search through the forest for one that they
feel at home with as they will be gripping it for some time to come.
They should not take the trials GP1 had with his as the norm, most times
the elves build good ones, even MSFF elves. Maybe they should come out
of the forest to the land of Game centers or some such place where they
can take one home to their woodshed and try it, returning it to ye olde
worldy shop for another make or refund if they so desire.
And they all lived happily ever after......
OK children, thats all for today, say bye bye...........
Regards.
GP1<G>
--