GPLRank: Musings on a handicap below 100 (long)

Hi all, Well, as of yesterday, I managed to lower my handicap below 100 for the first time. Now, with all the talk of negative handicaps, I know this is not that impressive, but it's a milestone for me. I've managed to take off about 140 seconds during January (so far ;) ), so that's something. If I can maintain this pace, I'll be breathing down Mr. Huttu's neck in no time. :-) Anyway, a lot of the discussion here seems to center on how to get your handicap down from the 30-50 range into negative territory. I thought I'd post a few things that I've learned and noticed in my quest for that sub-100 number, in the hope that it might help some other beginners like myself (I got GPL around November of 2000). So, without further ado, in no particular order, with the disclaimer that I'm still not particularly good myself, so take this advice for what it's worth, etc. etc., here are my thoughts. o Just getting around the 'Ring without crashing or spinning can take 30 or 40 seconds off your time when you're just starting out there. o Learn to trail brake. No other technique has helped me more. o Don't spend all your time trying to get to 1:29 at Monza. Learning the other tracks is fun too, and the skills you develop doing it will help your times elsewhere as well. o Tracks like Spa and Monza are harder than they appear. Yes, they're mostly straight, so it's relatively easy to get around them in a more or less quick way. But because they're mostly straight, the importance of the corners that they do have is greatly magnified. If you're not *perfect* through Malm�dy, Masta, and Lesmo #2, your lap time will suffer greatly compared to someone who is. You'll be losing considerably more time than it actually takes to negotiate the corner in question, because your relative speed will be down all through the following straight. o *!@%^ Flugplatz! o You'll be faster at Monaco once you can negotiate all the hairpins without using reverse... o Zandvoort is a good track for learning two important techniques: trail braking and the four wheel drift. I get around much of Zandvoort by turning in early for the corner while lifting or braking ever so slightly. The cars then just slides right around the corner without losing much speed. Two thirds of the track is taken this way. And I find that I'm faster at other tracks after having driven Zandy for a while. I really mean that last bit too. I had been lapping Zandvoort, and set a new PB there. Then I went to Kyalami, and quickly and effortlessly reset my PB there too (not hard-- it wasn't very good to begin with). So the next afternoon, I went back to Kyalami, feeling I had quite a bit more potential to lower my time. To my chagrin and dismay, I couldn't even get back within a second of my effortlessly set fast time from the previous day, even after doing *75* laps. Frustrated, I parked GPL completely for a couple days. When I came back to it, I did some other things, found my way back to Zandy, and resumed my form. A new PB at Kyalami followed almost effortlessly afterwards. I think the reason for this may be that because Kyalami has so many straight parts, it becomes less obvious that you need to drift and trail brake the car in the corners that it does have. But after driving twisty Zandvoort for a while, this gets worked into your psyche, and you continue it elsewhere, to the betterment of your lap times. That's my theory anyway. o *!@%^ Nouveau Monde! o While learning Rouen, I had trouble taking Gr�sil flat, even though it didn't look like it should be any harder than Monza's Ascari, which I had been taking flat for some time. Eventually I discovered that the difference was in the setup. I was running at Monza with a setup that I downloaded from lightsout racing, while at Rouen I was using the default. When I stiffened up the roll bars, Gr�sil came under control. Now I imagine that a more talented driver could have done it with the default setup, and in fact, as I learned the line better I was able to do it with less stiffness in the roll bars, but this definitely helped me get going. The setup does matter, although obviously it's not the only difference between a raw rookie struggling to stay on the pavement and a world record holder. :) o My best times at Monza have all come with other cars on the track. Somehow chasing someone just inspires me to push that little bit extra, I guess. I don't know if this means anything, but it's just something I've noticed. I've never been under 1:30 in training mode. o I only drive the Ferrari. I once tried the Lotus at Monza thinking it might magically make me 3 seconds a lap faster. It didn't. Looking at the world records, I'm so far off the best Ferrari times that I don't think futzing with other cars is the real route to getting better. It might improve my times a little some places, but it won't improve my skill, so what's the point? Improving my skill is what I'm really after. o Don't spin at La Source. It's easy enough not to, and oh how frustrating after an otherwise good lap. You're not going to turn a 3:30 into a 3:20 by getting on the gas a microsecond earlier here, so don't bother. o I don't particularly enjoy hairpins. o Somehow I'm just really fast at Maggotts. When following an AI car, I invariably zoom up his tailpipe here, even if we've been very even the rest of the lap. I'm not sure what I'm doing so differently here. But I suspect this may be part of the reason why Silverstone is one of the two tracks where I've beaten the Papy benchmark. Anyway, all I do is turn in early, lift, slide around the corner, and get back on the gas also a little early. A technique I learned from Zandvoort, of course. o The lefthanders are faster than the rights at Silverstone (except for Woodcote), but those slow rights are harder to get right, for me anyway. I do them better after some Zandy practice. Just a touch of trail brake helps a lot. So anyway, that's it. Again, my handicap is only +91.52 at the moment, so don't listen to me, do what Huttu says instead. :) I don't doubt that some of the things I mentioned above are bad habits that I'll need to unlearn to improve further, so be careful paying any attention to me. But I was just feeling effusive and decided to share. Thanks for reading this far. :) Marc

Well written...and thankyou for taking the time to do it. :o)) Morgan Boof

> o Just getting around the 'Ring without crashing or spinning can take > 30 or 40 seconds off your time when you're just starting out there. You have a 9:20 there now. This is a really really slow time. Consider that for the faster guys 8:20 is cruising speed, and that in FD you can hit 8:30 or 9:00 in FG without much trouble. If you are 9+ min. you should drop all other tracks and concentrate here. It's the best track in the game anyway. > o Learn to trail brake. No other technique has helped me more. I dunno about this. If you mean braking into a corner, fine. If you mean using both brake and throttle at the same time with a 2-axis controller, you don't need this to hit 0. What I keep telling myself is "use the throttle in corners" and "look for the apex", but then I'm pretty slow. > o *!@%^ Flugplatz! Actually this is pretty easy. Approach at full speed (I get into 5th in the ferrari) then just before the jump tap the brakes to slow down a bit and as you launch hit the gas. You'll land on all fours every time. > o I only drive the Ferrari. I once tried the Lotus at Monza don't try it again. Its an evil car. rms [email hidden]

Marc Fraioli wrote: > o Tracks like Spa and Monza are harder than they appear. Yes, they're > mostly straight, so it's relatively easy to get around them in a They definately are. It took me a lot of laps, fiddling around with RA and GPLSpyGirl to bring my Spa time down to a 3:19, and before that I kept hitting a 3:25, even when I thought I had driven a magnificent lap! Spa was mystery to me for a long time, and it still is, in a way... > is taken this way. And I find that I'm faster at other tracks > after having driven Zandy for a while. I found that too! Exactly this have I told a friend of mine who just started GPL. Practising Zandy makes one go faster at other circuits... > o I only drive the Ferrari. I once tried the Lotus at Monza I really like the Ferrari, especially with Alison Hine's setups. I have just begun tweaking those setups, but they've helped me to get to a -5.6 handi so far, with at least 15 seconds to find at the 'ring, 2 at Monaco and 1 at Zandvoort. Before I jump into the Lotus I want to be *really* quick with the Ferrari, that is my goal :) > o I don't particularly enjoy hairpins. Don't get me started :) Nice post, Marc. Keep improving! -- Imar de Vries - [email hidden] - ICQ 6972439

In article <SNHa6.21564$[email hidden]>, [email hidden] (Marc Fraioli) writes: >o You'll be faster at Monaco once you can negotiate all the hairpins > without using reverse... > LOL! Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett GPL F1 hcp. +28.80...F2 +151.26...F3 hcp. +373.73 Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

In article <cHLa6.12704$J%[email hidden]>, "Roger Squires" <[email hidden]> writes:

Quoted text (8 lines)

>> o Just getting around the 'Ring without crashing or spinning can take >> 30 or 40 seconds off your time when you're just starting out there. > > You have a 9:20 there now. This is a really really slow time. Consider > that for the faster guys 8:20 is cruising speed, and that in FD you can hit > 8:30 or 9:00 in FG without much trouble. If you are 9+ min. you should drop > all other tracks and concentrate here. It's the best track in the game > anyway.

Yep, I've only done a total of maybe 10 laps there in my life. There are still blind crests which I approach having no clue where the track is going to go on the other side. And just think, I've taken a full minute off my time there since the first time I tried it! I *said* I wasn't one of the hot shots when I started this thread, right? ;-) >> o Learn to trail brake. No other technique has helped me more. > > I dunno about this. If you mean braking into a corner, fine. If you Yes, that's all I meant. > mean using both brake and throttle at the same time with a 2-axis > controller, you don't need this to hit 0. What I keep telling myself is No, I don't even have 2-axis pedals. Not what I meant. > "use the throttle in corners" and "look for the apex", but then I'm pretty > slow. Hey, you're faster than me... >> o *!@%^ Flugplatz! > > Actually this is pretty easy. Approach at full speed (I get into 5th in > the ferrari) then just before the jump tap the brakes to slow down a bit and > as you launch hit the gas. You'll land on all fours every time. I'll give that a try, thanks! >> o I only drive the Ferrari. I once tried the Lotus at Monza > > don't try it again. Its an evil car. ;-) Actually, I've heard that people dislike the Lotus, and I don't quite understand. Is it just that it's the fastest car, so people like more of a challenge and prefer to refrain from using it? Marc

On Mon, 22 Jan 2001 03:10:46 GMT, [email hidden] (Marc Fraioli) wrote: >Actually, I've heard that people dislike the Lotus, and I don't quite >understand. Is it just that it's the fastest car, so people like more >of a challenge and prefer to refrain from using it? > > Marc Compared to the Ferrari the Lotus is more difficult to drive, you spin sooner in a Lotus.. That's why I only drive the Lotus, I like it's wild behaviour :) Andre

On Sun, 21 Jan 2001 20:39:14 GMT, [email hidden] (Marc Fraioli) wrote: <snipsnipsnip> >So anyway, that's it. Again, my handicap is only +91.52 at the moment, >so don't listen to me, do what Huttu says instead. :) I don't doubt >that some of the things I mentioned above are bad habits that I'll need >to unlearn to improve further, so be careful paying any attention to me. >But I was just feeling effusive and decided to share. Thanks for reading >this far. :) Great post Marc, I'm sure you will be in the negative range very soon if you keep up like this! Maxx, I think this post belongs in the GPLEGS files.. Andre > Marc >