rec.autos.simulators

Hi:

Just read an excellent interview in the April issue of  F1 Racing
magazine that was conducted in early 1968.  In it, Jimmy Clark
provides some comments regarding the 1967 Lotus 49.  Makes for
interesting reading.  Some highlights:

"...the Lotus 49 was quite difficult to drive - much more so than most
people thought.  Of course, there was more power than we've ever had
before, and while, in itself, this is not a problem, the power did
have a tendency to come in with a rush at about 6500 rpm.  With our
fixed-ratio gearbox this meant we could have some very rude shocks out
of slow corners..."

"...The problem with the 49 in 1967 was that I couldn't drive the
thing the way I really wanted to.  I like to dive deep into a corner
with the brakes on, but whenever I tried to do this with the 49 it
felt as if the car was getting up on its back wheels.  The back end
would then flick out mid-corner.  This may provide good subject matter
for the photographers, but it was hell to live with..."

"... I think Graham (Hill) was much more comfortable with the handling
of the 49 from day one.  He has fantastic car control and he is very,
very quick..."

Straight from the maestro's lips.  If someone of Jimmy's stature
considered the 49 a difficult car to drive, it seems awfully
presumptuous of we mere mortals to criticize the validity of the GPL
physics model after, what, about 10 days of driving a pre-alpha
version?  

Me, I'm still in the 1:12's.  I have no illusions about being in the
same league as the two flying Scotsmen,  Jim Clark or John Wallace,
but I WILL soldier on, and I WILL improve.  Five days ago, I was
convinced that I would never get under 1:15, but the times are
starting to come down and the consistency is improving.  It's a
difficult sim to master, to be sure, but I wouldn't want it any other
way.

Ian

<snip> jimmy clark on the lotus 49....

I understand what he's saying there, the first time I drove the GP car, I
noticed that all of a sudden halfway through first gear, the tires lit up in
the back, and the car was very powerful at mid rpm's! That Lotus is a very
powerful and hard to handle car. When I first drove it, 1:15's were what I
was getting, and I'm thinking, "How will I ever get down to the 1:10?"
(which was the record at that time). Now I'm turning low 1:09's and still
sliding out too much in places, so I know 1:08's are close. I just can't
imagine driving that thing with other cars around me!! A whole new
experience!

Craig Marcho

Greg