Well,
I drove the race you're trying to do tonight and I can't really see what's
going wrong for you. I haven't driven N3 much at all, but Martinsville is my
favorite short oval, so I thought I'd have a go. Using your race settings
and the game-supplied "Ace" setup I drove home an 18th finishing position,
having started 31st on the grid. Now, if I were leading the Winston Cup by
300 points, I wouldn't be too disappointed by that(only place I can
consistently beat the 99% AI is at Loudon).<g>
So what's the trick to Martinsville? -First off, let me say I'm no expert on
simulated NASCAR driving (I ventured on TEN a couple of times and got my
behind thoroughly waxed) and I found pulling off my preferred line
consistently a lot harder than in N99 (the N3 driving model *IS*
different!). The trick to Martinsville, IMO, is to prevent yourself from
getting rattled. Just reel off the laps and stay out of trouble. The AI seem
incredibly quick off the mark when the green drops, but if you conserve
your tyres, you'll get them back when the fuel load diminishes. I try to use
consecutive yellows to get laps back and try to run my own race
strategy/pitstop wise (had some luck this time).
As for the line I go by the (well known??) dogma of "the first third of the
corner is wide", i.e. when not pressed I take a wide, trailbraking entry
which, if unchecked, would see me understeer into the wall at a tangent from
the apex. As soon as the fronts start to lose grip, however, I back out of
it, turn quite sharply for a late apex and gun it down the next straight (no
downshifting).
If there's a single mistake to make at any track (but especially crucial at
Martinsville), it's using the speedo/gear indicator (bottom left of screen)
as a gauge whether you're gonna make the turn or not. Feel the grip and look
well ahead. Try to keep a tight line out of the corner if challenged to the
inside to prevent yourself from being overtaken, i.e. don't give them room
to really put the power down (if they're driving 'round you on the outside I
truly wonder how you got the lead you have).
Good luck!
Jan.
----
> I'm currently on my 8th race of the 2000 season, racing at 99%
> opponent strength. 1 pole, 2 wins, 7 top 10's and a 300+ points lead.
> I get to Martinsville and I qualify dead last, and that's where I
> finish in test races!!!
> WTH is wrong? Is something hosed with the AI on this track? Or is it
> me?
> I've downloaded every setup I can find on the web, though most are N2
> setups that the webowners say will work fine in N3. *bzzzt* Wrong.
> I've found none that will get me out of running dead last.
> Any help greatly appreciated.
> Jim
