rec.autos.simulators

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--
Bill Jones    e-mail addresses:


(860) 701-1201   WWW:   http://www.racesimcentral.net/

I don't want to rain on your parade, but how much help can CPR or
ABC's sim actually *be* on a square oval like Indy?  For cryin out
loud, it's a rectangle!  There's no track to 'learn'.  The differences
between real life and the sim are going to be so huge, because of the
different kinds of cars, tires, and setup.  This is very different
than learning a road/street course using a sim, where you need to
memorize what turn is coming up next, approximately what kind of
corner it is and where its apex is, what gear it needs to be taken in,
when a good brake point might be, and so on.  To be really helpful on
ovals, you need a VERY accurate sim that is so accurate you can
actually make useful setup changes and play with different lines.  I
don't believe CPR or ABC's Indy Racing are realistic enough to provide
that level of help to a real-life racer.  NASCAR 2 has obviously
helped Winston Cuppers, which shows how solid their model is, at least
as far as setups and racing lines go, but I just question the
open-wheelers because they are so out of date and out of step with the
hardware that's currently used on the track.

Randy

Yes, Indy is a square oval -- and have you ever tried to take a 90-degree
left-hand turn at full-throttle with an entry speed of 230+ mph?  Anybody
who's ever tried to turn in hot laps (or race, for that matter) at Indy in
ICR2, CPR, or ABC Indy Racing knows the difference between a good entry/exit
and a bad one that scrubs off speed or causes you to lift off the throttle.
Given that, it seems there's a LOT to learn on a "simple" square oval.  In
fact, since improvements at Indy -- and the difference between the pole
position and a starting spot in the back of the pack -- comes down to mere
hundredths of a second, I've found myself spending TONS more time learning
Indy in these various sims than any other track.

As for CPR or ABC Indy Racing (or ICR2, for that matter) being realistic
enough, I'd have to say that they probably are, because one of the most
critical parts on a track like Indy is timing.  The track surfaces, tires,
general physics, etc., may not be realistic enough, but if the lap times and
speeds are portrayed accurately, you can get a fair idea of how much time
you have between turn 2 and turn 3, for example -- or between turn 1 and
turn 2 in the short chute.  On an odd, square oval like Indy, that sense of
timing can be critical, especially at the speeds they travel there.

Towards the end of a long practice session at Indy, Tony Stewart once said
that he was having concentration problems because his thoughts began to
wander on the backstretch; he found himself pondering what he was going to
have for dinner, and he said that kind of shook him up when he realized he
was traveling at over 230 mph with his thoughts drifting off to other things
besides driving.  Timing and concentration ARE critical issues, and a sim
can help with these as long as the speeds and times correspond well with the
real-world track that is being modelled.

A sim can also help in the area of visual cues -- if the graphics are good
and the terrain/buildings/etc. are patterned fairly closely after the
real-world track, then the driver has a chance to learn just where the
turn-in point is with respect to the visual cues (grandstands, pit lane
entry, etc.).  This is obviously one thing that makes a sim valuable
learning tool for a road or street course -- a simple, square oval may seem,
well, simple in comparison to Long Beach or Laguna Seca, but there ARE still
visual cues to be learned and memorized.

On the concentration issue, that's the main reason Hollansworth uses sims --
he also sits in his***pit for extended periods of time, just getting the
feel of the car, meditating, and visualizing what's to come in the race
ahead.  A driving sim gives him added visuals to concentrate on, which he
says helps him focus his concentration further.  Apparently it works,
because Hollansworth was the fastest qualifying rookie at Indy this year.

As an aside, Hollansworth was using CPR because he said he hadn't been able
to find a copy of the ABC Indy Racing title.  I told him the last place I'd
seen a copy of ABC Indy Racing on sale was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Museum Gift Shop -- but I never found out if he managed to get a copy for
himself.

Hollansworth and Team Xtreme also just signed on Lycos as their primary
sponsor in a 3-year deal that covers Team Xtreme, Hollansworth and the
entire team.  Not bad for a guy who plays video games, eh?

Now, given all this, have you spent much time on the Indy track in ICR2,
CPR, or ABC Indy Racing?  If not (or if not recently), go back and run a few
laps and decide for yourself just how difficult it is to be fast on a square
oval.  If your goal is to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 -- or to be the
fastest rookie qualifier -- I guarantee you there's plenty to be learned . .
. and plenty that can be learned from a halfway-decent sim.

-- JB