rec.autos.simulators

1) Whenever I come out of the Portier corner before the Tunnel
everything seems fine, regarding the grip, but as soon as I get on the
throttle and start moving through the long sweeping corner, all the way
through the Tunnel, it seems like there's almost no lateral grip at all.
I have to let off the gas in 4th gear to make sure I don't lose it
through that corner. Then, when I'm through the Tunnel and back ***
the gas, as I come to the hill, where it starts to descend to the
Chicane, if I let off the gas to abruptly it feels like I could almost
lose the car again. So the problem seems to be on that whole sweeping
right section of the track, from right after the Portier all the way to
just before the Chicane. What could be wrong?? Roll-bar stiffness?? Is
the car too high? I'm driving the Ferrari right now. Please tell me what
you think needs adjusted.

2) What is a good speed to take the Chicane at?? And what line to take??
I think I'm taking it way too fast and I'm cutting the corner very
straight, resulting in me driving over the left curb and bottoming out
the car as I come through the corner. Is this a third or fourth gear
corner?? And at what speed, about??

Thanks for any help.
Jason

The really quick guys appear to be in fourth at or approaching 150 mph
through the chicane.

Well, that seems to be the popular approach!

Come participate in the "Nail That Track" Monaco race tonight. With a
one-hour practice session, you'll have plenty of opportunity to watch a lot
of fast lines through the chicane. And there are generally a number of
Ferraris in the pits.

If you can't make it tonight, check our schedule posted here under ""Nail
That Track" Training Race Series moves to Monaco"

Hope to see you there!

Jack

As to setup, Monaco's surface has very little grip; it's a bit like Kyalami
that way.  After floundering at Monaco with a conventional setup, I found that
a really low ride height helps a bunch.  My current Lotus setup is based on S.
Backstedt's hotlap setup, which got him around in 1:25.71!  I had to raise it
up a bit on principle, slow the steering WAY down, and fiddle a bit here and
there, but it's still got me knocking on 1:27's door.  Also, you might want to
take a clutch or two out of the differential.  More clutches help with braking,
but make it tough to get 'round all those tight corners.  It's an odd setup;
unlike any others I've used, but it works at Monaco.

Ahhh, the chicane.  That and the tight bit between Mirabeau and Portier are the
keys to Monaco.  Pretty much anything between 130 and 150 is OK through the
chicane, as long as you can do it consistently.  That's the tough part.  Go
really slow through it and look at the black marks of the racing line entering
and exiting.  You'll see it lines up nicely, ignoring the little zig-zag that
NONE of the AI takes, and yes it does take you over the left curb.  When doing
it at speed, look at the dark racing line, not the bales, or you'll hit 'em!
Look right down the middle and go for it  After you zoom through it a few
times, it stops being such a gut-check.  That's not true really; I still grit
my teeth every time through! :-)  And don't worry about going as fast as the AI
through the tunnel; none of the hotlaps do either, and they're tons faster
overall.

Cheers,

Steve B.

remove "edy" from address for email

If you can find a good Nurburgring setup, it should be a very good basis
for Monaco.  You may want to put a little more sway-bar or tighten the
springs a little.

I don't think you will ever have a setup that will work on the whole
track and have one that will allow you to floor it through the tunnel.
However, do your best aim for the apex of the turn and apply enough
throttle to maintain your speed through the tunnel.  It is more
important to not get on the curbs than pure speed here.  If you are
lined up properly exiting this turn, you can get away with applying alot
of throttle leading up to the chicane.

Depending on your setup, you may need to lift slightly as you approach
the crest of the bump just before the chicane.  Otherwise the balance of
the car will make it impossible to line up the car to thread the needle.
Once (and only if) you sense the car has settled after the bump, you can
once again get on the throttle.  If not, just coast your way through the
chicane.  Some drivers floor it all the way, but I'm a chicken and want
to consistently make it through the chicane, so I usually lift slightly
going through the chicane.  This way if I catch the curb wrong, or am
slightly off, I still have some weight transfered to the front wheels to
make a (hopefully saving) minor adjustment.  Once safely through I am
then back on the throttle hard until my next braking point.

--
**************************** Michael E. Carver *************************
     Upside out, or inside down...False alarm the only game in town.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=<[ /./.  [-  < ]>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=