rec.autos.simulators

1] Never been brave enough to race through VROC, but have obviously read
loads about it. Before embarking, is it possible to race FD (I think that's
what they're called) class cars through VROC.
2] If so, will I be able to find any like-minded racers to run with, (ie -
people who know they're not the quickest drivers, but aren't bothered by
that, and just want to enjoy their driving.)
3] Like VROC, I've never ventured onto GPLRank - the full F1 cars were too
much of a handful for me, so it felt pointless. Is there anywhere I can
compare my lap times for FD cars?

Thanks in advance to anyone who answers - I'm back off to Kyalami now,
although I'm sure I'll be back with more q's!

Cheers,

Rick.

Join in on organised F2 and FD races with a good bunch of people on
passworded servers with the VROC F2 club. Great fun :0)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vroc-f2

Jim

Check out the F2/FD hotlap site here: http://www.simracing.dk/jc/ .  You'll
find replays and setups for some really fast laps.  Just to give you an
idea, the world record FD lap listed at Kyalami is 1:21.78 by Rick Prydden
driving a Ferrari.  A number of people have submitted FD GPL Ranks.  Do a
search on FD at GPL Rank to see some ranks.  Looking at the really fast
F2/FD drivers, Gary Simpson has an FD GPLRank of -7.05 with a fastest lap at
Kyalami of 1:21.90.

Cheers

Phil
--
http://www.legendscentral.com
http://www.geocities.com/f2_festival

GPL Handicaps: F1 -3.60 secs, F2 +115.11 secs

<snip>
<snip>

All the stuff with regard to FDs has been answered excellently already
in this thread (I'll just say that I'm glad the initial controversy
over them has turned out so sensibly), but as for this point: surely
the vast majority of people would prefer a good clean(ish) fight to a
flag-to-flag stroll. Speaking personally, one of my favourite races
ever was at Spa - a crash left me in about 6th place with 4 laps to go.

For whatever reason, I was absolutely "on it" (by my standards - think
3:19) that day, and overtook the fifth-place man's Brabham around the
outside of Stavelot (heart-stopping, that one!). Near the end of the
penultimate lap, I pressured the fourth-place bloke (another
Brabham) into a mistake, and was through.

So, at the start of the last lap, I was around 6 seconds back from a
podium place. All or nothing time. I took every risk I could,
speedshifted every time (good job it was an Eagle and not a Lotus!),
and generally did the eleven-tenths thing. I was catching the Ferrari
in front of me hand over fist, and worked out (well, you need something
to do along the Masta straight) that I'd catch him just before La
Source.

Which I did. He ran a little wide, and I nipped inside. It would be a
straight sprint to the line. Floored the throttle - and bang went the
camshaft. Damn. No Shift-R as it was a Pro race, so I had to sit there
and watch four cars go through. I ended up eighth, but so what? It was
a fabulous race.

I've rambled on a bit here, haven't I? Oh well, just take it from me:
95% of GPL drivers are a hell of a lot more interested in fun than
records. A clean 1:32 driver will be a lot more welcome at Monza than
someone who does one 1:28 and then drives into the car in front. As
they say on the King of Shaves packets: "Important: enjoy!".

--
David. (GPLRank handicap: -5.92; Monsters of GPLRank h/cap +287.71)
The GPL Scrapyard: http://scrapyard.9ug.com
"After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll,
really" - Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.

| After owning, selling as second-hand and then repurchasing GPL on budget,
| it's taken me an age to actually get to where I wanted to be with it.
| However, I've just had to reformat the HD and reinstall, and so took the
| opportunity to look at GPL again. Installed it, patched it, (thanks
Thom_j!)
| and for the first time downloaded and used the GP Engine swap utility. Now
I
| know I'm being a complete lamer here, but by running the 2.5l engines an
F1
| Eagle chassis, setup as per Alison's X-files, and using her slowed
| drivers.ini file, I am _finally_ beginning to get it. After a day of
driving
| today I've put in a 1:26.7 at Kyalami, (don't know how this compares, and
| don't care - it felt superb, and kept me competitive with the rest of the
| field.) Anyway - enough of the boring stuff, I've got some questions...
|
| 1] Never been brave enough to race through VROC, but have obviously read
| loads about it. Before embarking, is it possible to race FD (I think
that's
| what they're called) class cars through VROC.
| 2] If so, will I be able to find any like-minded racers to run with, (ie -
| people who know they're not the quickest drivers, but aren't bothered by
| that, and just want to enjoy their driving.)
| 3] Like VROC, I've never ventured onto GPLRank - the full F1 cars were too
| much of a handful for me, so it felt pointless. Is there anywhere I can
| compare my lap times for FD cars?
|
| Thanks in advance to anyone who answers - I'm back off to Kyalami now,
| although I'm sure I'll be back with more q's!
|
| Cheers,
|
| Rick.
|
|
|

| After owning, selling as second-hand and then repurchasing GPL on budget,
<sniiped

    I'm not the fastest F3 driver but because I love the F3's I'm out there
as often as I can be.  In a couple F3 clubs I run in, we have some dedicated
F1 drivers that tried the F3's just to try something different.  From what I
understand they wish they have taken the slow F3's more serious earlier
because they are having a blast with them.  Shame more F1 drivers don't
realize that it's not the speed that makes for good racing!  Mark Seery has
wrote a very good article about the F3 class, you can read it on the Zero
Gee News "Race Reports" page (http://bovineracing.com/zgrace_reports.htm)

    I'm more then willing to help anyone having problems with the F3's (and
maybe F2 as well), Driving, Setups, Sounds, et.. all you have to do is ask,
and I'm sure Alison and Ron will do the same.

|
| >Ok back again Rick...lol Hopefully you can get yourself hooked up
| >with Michael Barlow, Alison Hine or Ron A from Australia so you
| >can try to get on their F2 or F3 Vroc club!! They are nice, friendly
| >and are very tolerant with newbies online!!
| >If you have any problems drumming these folks up via email just re
| >me and I will try to help you..ok?? Cheers Nice Guy Thom_j. <g>
|
|     um...   I joined up with the F2 VROC club some time last year but have
| only made one or two practice races.  Out side of that I have no other
| affiliation with the VROC F2 Club.  I wish there was a VROC F3 club as
| that's what I love in GPL.  The GPVL has just started their first season
of
| F2 and I'm beginning to enjoy that, so maybe I should think about doing
some
| VROC F2 racing.  Alison Hine has done a whole lot for the GPL community,
| probably more then anyone will ever realize.   I bet that if Alison where
to
| condense some things and expand on a few others of the VROC web site, she
| could easily write a novel on the subject. <hint to anyone that writes,
and
| I'll buy the first "signed" book off the press>.  Ron (been so long since
| I've seen him that I don't remember his last name) has also helped out
quite
| a bit in the F2/F3 community as far as creating nice stable setups.  In
fact
| I think it was Ron that first told me about the ability to race the
trainers
| online.
|
|     I'm not the fastest F3 driver but because I love the F3's I'm out
there
| as often as I can be.  In a couple F3 clubs I run in, we have some
dedicated
| F1 drivers that tried the F3's just to try something different.  From what
I
| understand they wish they have taken the slow F3's more serious earlier
| because they are having a blast with them.  Shame more F1 drivers don't
| realize that it's not the speed that makes for good racing!  Mark Seery
has
| wrote a very good article about the F3 class, you can read it on the Zero
| Gee News "Race Reports" page (http://bovineracing.com/zgrace_reports.htm)
|
|     I'm more then willing to help anyone having problems with the F3's
(and
| maybe F2 as well), Driving, Setups, Sounds, et.. all you have to do is
ask,
| and I'm sure Alison and Ron will do the same.
|
|

Look out for me trailing around at the back sometime soon!

Thanks again, all,

Rick.

Went to VROC F2 Club chat in VROC tonight, and after a few teething problems
got to see the servers available. Got chatting to Dave and J Socorro, (sp
right, I hope,) and ended up having a novice race at Kyalami.

After practise I was 2nd of the 3 of us, and at the start, got the jump on
Dave. Into turn 2 I ran wide got a tap from behind - put all 3 of us out,
but managed to regain track still in first. Went on to record a victory in
my maiden outing.

Now, please don't think I'm bragging - I think the gods were smiling on me
tonight. I just wanted to thank all those who offered support and
suggestions over the last couple of days, and to let them know that their
efforts weren't in vain.

A massive thanks to all involved - not least my two opponents.

Must go now - need to regulate breathing and pulse, dry palms of hands and
print out that screen grab of the results!

Cheers,

Rick.

| Sorry, but had to report back on positive feedback...
|
| Went to VROC F2 Club chat in VROC tonight, and after a few teething
problems
| got to see the servers available. Got chatting to Dave and J Socorro, (sp
| right, I hope,) and ended up having a novice race at Kyalami.
|
| After practise I was 2nd of the 3 of us, and at the start, got the jump on
| Dave. Into turn 2 I ran wide got a tap from behind - put all 3 of us out,
| but managed to regain track still in first. Went on to record a victory in
| my maiden outing.
|
| Now, please don't think I'm bragging - I think the gods were smiling on me
| tonight. I just wanted to thank all those who offered support and
| suggestions over the last couple of days, and to let them know that their
| efforts weren't in vain.
|
| A massive thanks to all involved - not least my two opponents.
|
| Must go now - need to regulate breathing and pulse, dry palms of hands and
| print out that screen grab of the results!
|
| Cheers,
|
| Rick.
|
|
|

Chris Noto, see Noto at tee dee ess dot net