rec.autos.simulators

the worst tracks for the Ferrari. And a LOT is in the setup. A small change
can make a big difference.

buzard

The pole in an intermediate race is around the 3:22 mark so I'm qualifying
around 14th and I cannot for the life of me see where I'm losing so much
time. Maybe a bit through Eau Rouge (going in in 4th & shifting to 3rd) but
that's about it...Seems as though in the race anyone who qualifies from 12th
& up is just driving away from me in a straight line as well! I can just
about stay with teh 10/11/12 placed cars in a race but its RIGHT at my limit
& I usually end up with the inevitable pile of bent Italian tin....:-(

Only other tracks I've spent time at are the ring where my best is about
9:59 & Silverstone where its 1:32. The best I have managed round WG is 1:11.

Now I don't think the Ferrari is the quickest car but I've seen a replay of
some guy going round the Ring in one  in 8:15 so its not THAT slow (I found
his setup undriveable though...).

oh well, back to the drawing board! I think more time withe setups is
required...that said I have created setups that I can use - it just seems
they are not quick enough!

I.

(I hope this mad somebody feel a lil better!) & if anyone has any useful
Ferrari setups I'd love to try them out!

Without spins you certainly should be able to drive a low 9:xx at the
ring - but it's very hard, I know. At WG I manage to drive solid laps
between 1.06.50 and 1.07.00 during a 17-laps-race with the Ferrari.
I'm not the fastest, I know, but I guess the Ferrari isn't ideal for
WGlen too. At WG, you have to drive very smooth, especially the
Essess, and don't brake too much for the loop! I made the original
setup softer (esp. springs) and am rather happy with the car handling.
One thing that worries me at WG is that the AI drives incredibly fast
for the first two laps. With cold tires, I lose at least 1.5 secs at
the start when accelerating through the Esses.
Just keep practising!

Daniel

--
    Daniel Lichtenberger, Vienna/Austria

The current IGPS points leader ran a 3:28's and 3:29's at Spa in a
Ferrari.  In fact, he's won the pole in ALL 4 of the IGPS events we've
run.  I'm starting to dislike the color red... :-)

There's two factors that are keeping you from going faster

a) Setup - stiffen the suspension for course like Spa, and Silverstone,
soften it up for twisty courses.

b) Driving Style - learn how the car reacts and adapt your driving style
to make use of the characteristics of the car.

The current IGPS points leader ran 8:20's in a Ferrari at Nurburgring.  
We haven't run Silverstone yet, but I'm sure he'll do very well there
too.

Graeme, can you help this poor soul?

--
=========================================================
John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12)
http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html

John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector
http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html

IGPS Director
http://www.paddedwall.org/igps/igps.html

If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's
shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame.
=========================================================

--
Dan -- Smokin_D on TEN
http://www.smokinhq.com

life

You will quickly see where you are slow - it could be gearing, a subtle
difference in your line through the corner, your braking point or balance,
or your car set-up. You have to spend some time figuring out how to improve
that section of the track, without ruining the other parts you are doing
well. This is tedious, but works well. I rarely match the hot lappers
everywhere, but if I can get close most places, it is usually good enough to
do well in races which is my primary interest. Deciding if you are going to
trail brake, or go for maximum straight line stopping power is important
too.

I've just started driving the Ferrari, after quite awhile driving the
Brabham. I got the Brabham into the 3:24s at Spa. I haven't driven the
Ferrari there much yet. It feels fast and easy to drive there, but the times
aren't great. The Ferrari doesn't have a very good top end, so Spa and Monza
aren't it's best tracks. Some drivers are able to make up for it's
deficiencies though!

Kevin Caldwell
Calgary, Canada

/ No comment..... :o)

I'm happy to help one and all! Although I have to admit that I am -crap-
at setting up a car and generally use Mr. Arnao's setups with just one
or two tweaks to suit me.....
But at most tracks setup isn't super-important. Experience is the most
important thing. You've gotta know how the car is gonna behave in
various situations before the times can come.

All my Ferrari laps can be found at my website:
http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk/gpl/

Just click "hotlaps" and then "Ferrari"....

Cheers!
Graeme Nash

http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk
ICQ# 11257824

1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

I think many of us around here benefited a lot from driving the demo for a few months before
GPL came out... I've no idea *how* many laps of WG and Monza I did in that time. Certainly
enough to pick up a good "feel" for the Lotus... which is why I feel at home in it I guess. The
Ferrari's nice, but I always feel safer (and faster) in a Lotus.

My times aren't too close to the leading edge, but one thing I found helped was learning
tighter tracks like Zandvoort and Mosport. Hard work at 1st, then immensely rewarding, then
-- eventually -- quite fast :-) After that, going back to the "bigger" tracks like Spa is, in some
ways, easier. Easi*er*, I stress!

Bottom line is probably find a track you really like, race against AI drivers as much as you
can, and enjoy yourself. The rest will come with time... but only time! I don't get much
satisfaction from quick fix games, but the more time I put into GPL (and Su27 Flanker for that
matter) the more enjoyment I get. As long as you're feeling something similar, you'll be
getting somewhere... just don't expect to speed up from one day to the next!

Thinking about it, I have learned a little from watching replays. Usually though it's a case of
learning what's possible if you have the nerve to try it. You see people going through turns in
higher gears, breaking later, whatever, and you can -- sometimes! -- pick up a second or so
a lap straight away. Of course, you have to be pretty slow to start with :-)

Andrew McP

You always think that yiu can't go any quicker only to be proven wrong :-)

Regards,
David Mocnay

Thanks...