The most common type of race run in VROC is an "Intermediate Short",
with Advanced damage, so you might want to try a couple of those. Other
than the increased length (Monza is 11 laps), the main thing you'll
need to to careful of is over-revving - you might not get away with
speedshifting in an Int Short race as you generally can in a Novice
one.
Well, blowing an engine - unless you're being *really* stupid by
changing into 1st at 150mph - isn't going to be your fault, so you
dopn't need to worry about that. (Okay, I suppose you might argue that
bad setups could be a contributory factor, but let's not get too
involved here.) Driving into a tree shouldn't matter too much, either -
it's much better than driving into another car! In fact, given the
choice of the two, you should be prepared to deliberately drive off the
road, even at the cost of your race. (Not that this level of
sportsmanship is exactly common, though...!)
<snip>
95% of open VROC races are friendly to all - it might help if you put a
chat message in when you join explaining your situation, as many people
will help a newcomer. Most VROCcers are much more irritated with the
more experienced drivers who bite off more than they can chew by going
for impossible gaps etc. Eldred's servers (mentioned by him above) are
certainly recommended.
You've learnt four tracks well so far. A little bit of advice for each:
Monza: the first corner at Monza causes more trouble than anything else
put together, especially if there's a tight grid. Whatever you do, stay
on a straight line away from the start, and favour smoothness over
speed - you might get passed by a couple of people, but you'll be
better equipped to avoid the (almost inevitable) pileup if you're fully
in control. If you're lucky, you'll be on the right of the grid, where
you'll have more room.
Watkins Glen - careful coming out of the pits in qualifying, as you're
almost immediately into the "fast lane". You might have to wait a while
for a gap in the traffic. There's a fair bit of spinning at this track,
so keep an eye on the grass verges everywhere.
Spa - Any circuit on which the first corner is Eau Rouge is going to be
a bit fraught away from the start. You'll need to use the "look
left/right" buttons a fair bit here, and stay totally focussed. Spatial
awareness is tricky in a game with little peripheral vision, but you
need it somehow!
Rouen - a lovely track, but a slippery one. It's very easy to slide off
the outside of the first downhill right-hander - but there's plenty of
run-off, so you should make it back on OK. And be *very* careful at the
hairpin - you may even have to come to a complete stop to avoid a rear-
end shunt into the car in front.
--
"After all, a mere thousand yards... such a harmless little knoll,
really" - Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.
The GPL Scrapyard: bits 'n' bobs at http://www.racesimcentral.net/
