> writes:
> >Well guys I am very disenchanted now. I just spent roughly 30 laps at
> >Malaysia playing around with stability control and in that time took 2 full
> >seconds off of my PB. Over 100 laps of practice prior to the race and the
> >best I could do was a mid 1:38, now I can run in the 1:36's, and all it took
> >was full stability control, full TC, and auto shifting, all of which are
> >legal in RASF1. Now granted a mid 1:36 is not an impossible time without
> >aids, but I suspect it's not particularly easy either. What was
> >particularly bothersome is that full stability control allowed me to brake
> >way too late into the turns and still make them without spinning. It
> >affects braking almost like ABS. I could even continue to downshift into
> >mid corner and not spin. It also allowed me to use liberal amounts of curb
> >and grass without loss of speed or control - as long as I didn't ground the
> >chassis I was in full control. If I really screwed up badly I would still
> >spin, but the margin for error it gives you is totally unrealistic. These
> >tools are a great way to learn the line perhaps, but I am starting to
> >question whether we should allow them in the race. I'm tempted to say that
> >TC, clutch help, and autoshift should be the only allowed aids, but then
> >again maybe if everybody took advantage of all the aids we would have a
> >cleaner race with more finishers. It's a tough call - realism or fun?
> >Opinions?
> I just tried to run some laps without stability control. I had previously run
> low SC and low TC, and clutch. Yesterday in the race(or in qual) I ran a 1:51.
> Tonight, I couldn't put two laps together without spinning, and could only
> get to a 1:54. And I was reminded why I started using SC in the first place -
> Silverstone. I couldn't complete a lap without spinning in the sharp
> lefthander near the end of the lap. At Malaysia, I have the same problem with
> T2. Out of those 10 laps I ran, I probably spun there 7 or 8 times(more
> counting outlaps).
> So, it appears I'm the only one who uses(and needs) SC. If you guys want to
> run races without it, then fine. But I won't race - I'm just not good
> enough... :-(
> Eldred
Hi Eldred:
I have no problem with that. You should use
what you want.
How did that 2:54 feel?
In 10 laps? I've done all my driving with
minimal assists. In the week before last Sunday's
race I've probably done 30 laps at Malaysia.
Once I got a 1:49 and once I got a 1:47. I saw
it, but my "official" record reports a 1:49 as my
best.
I qualified at 1:52 or 1:53, and you qualified
2 or 3 seconds behind me. After the race I hadn't
reduced my PB.
After 10 laps you cut a 2:54! No experience with
stability assistance turned off and in 10 laps you
were within a second or two of my qualifying time.
That's faster than your qualifying time in the race.
Look, I won't lie to you. That time sucks. But
it's good enough to race with me.
Consistency, that's everyone's challenge on every
lap of every race. Will you have a chance to practice
this week? Because that's what you need to become
consistent.
My advice is to go to internet multiplayer, host
a race at Indy, or your favorite track, with a name
that has the word "Beginner" in it and stability
assistance disallowed. Start cutting some laps. It
took me more than 10 laps to learn how to drive this
beast at the low level of performance I have right
now.
Why the Internet? Because it's cool to have other
real drivers. They will want to race, so practice
until someone comes in and cuts times like your's, and
then have a little race. I recommend sprints, damage
off because we're looking to log some laps.
Here is a tip. Turn 1 at Malaysia, it's nice to
gently turn into the apex. Don't even think about
that with no stability assistance. It's a white
knuckle, max brake, wheels dead forward slide toward
the left side of the right turn, and when your are
slow enough release the bakes and then turn into
the apex. Accelerating out of turns is almost as
demanding. You might be able to very gently roll
the throttle on as you are straightening out your
wheel. That's how I do it, perhaps some good driver
can tell us both how to do it fast Learn to follow
the line, as laid out on the road surface.
It's hard, it unforgiving, and it's a lot of
fun. It takes more than 10 laps to learn. And
you've already beaten your qualifying time at
Malaysia.
Larry
