Thanks very much to the Keepers and Makers of GPL World Rankings...I Have NO LIFE NOW...thanks a bunch...

Just a word to say how much I enjoy being able to see just where I stand in regards to my times...(purty damn slow...hehe) But now Im driven to improve my worst time...naturally its the RING. 10:40'xx so slow I must have been driving Miss Daisy. PAPA DOC

thank the maker! (okay if you get that you'll get it, if you don't you won't! :) ) Pierre Legrand <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:39771fdc.2092121@news... > Just a word to say how much I enjoy being able to see just where I > stand in regards to my times...(purty damn slow...hehe) But now Im > driven to improve my worst time...naturally its the RING. 10:40'xx so > slow I must have been driving Miss Daisy. > > PAPA DOC

> naturally its the RING Come off it, you're slower than that at Monza! ;-) 1st thing you've got to do IMO is get rid of that Ferrari/Eagle trip you're on :-) Try some of the Cooper setups that are floating around the fastlaps sites, they feel very "safe" to me, though I've done all my fastest laps in the Lotus (currently pushing 8:20 hard with Marc Mercer's sub 8:00 setup). Don't think of it as abandoning your favourite chassis, think of it as research, broadening your experience in order to improve your technique when you get back home. (Note: this technique doesn't work for marriages). I keep kidding myself that setups aren't *that* important, but when you find one that suits your style (or lack of it <g>) you really know it. I tend to plateau at a certain range of times with different setups. Having said that I think the good news for you is that you've probably still got room for improvement just by building up better track knowledge. I got under 10 minutes originally during one long afternoon with the default Lotus when I learnt the track... and listened to a lot of Pink Floyd. Having "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" on auto repeat seemed to help... though "Tear Down the Wall part seven: with my front offside wheel" is generally more appropriate to my performance. That's making me think. The biggest deal by *far* with the Ring isn't setup, Maria Carey <eek!> on the stereo, or what kind of socks you're wearing (though the lucky Mickey Mouse ones that play Happy Birthday To You may help ;-). It's concentration, concentration, concentration. Start to think about *anything* other than the next corner and you're stuffed. Sadly Greger Huttu's concentration level is not available for download. Andrew "attention span of a goldfish with Alzheimers" McP PS Welcome to the most addictive (and rewarding!) addition to GPL since...well, ever :-)

hehe...Andrew andrew andrew...always meeting in the strangest places...<G> > >> naturally its the RING > >Come off it, you're slower than that at Monza! ;-) Actually percentage wise Im probably slowest at Mosport or Silverstone or Roen....my 3 worst tracks except for that bastard Ring. Im probably best at Mexico...which aint that good..hehe. > >1st thing you've got to do IMO is get rid of that Ferrari/Eagle trip >you're on :-) Surely you jest....Red is my favorite color...indeed its the only color acceptably close to "my" National colors...besides my Grandmom was half Italian since she was born in Corsica. Forza Ferrari...besides I wouldnt want to embarrass you younsters by getting in a really fast car. 8-)

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>Having said that I think the good news for you is that you've probably >still got room for improvement just by building up better track knowledge. >I got under 10 minutes originally during one long afternoon with the >default Lotus when I learnt the track... and listened to a lot of Pink >Floyd. Having "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" on auto repeat seemed to >help... though "Tear Down the Wall part seven: with my front offside >wheel" is generally more appropriate to my performance.

This is very true and shortly I shall have the luxury of a complete 3 days of Family in Tenn while Im in the Ring. I should be nipping at your heals in GPL ranks by then...hehe. Damn that thing is addictive...Im sitting here after about 30 laps at SPA thinking hey its only 1:30am time enough for a few more laps. PAPA DOC

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> >That's making me think. The biggest deal by *far* with the Ring isn't >setup, Maria Carey <eek!> on the stereo, or what kind of socks you're >wearing (though the lucky Mickey Mouse ones that play Happy Birthday To >You may help ;-). It's concentration, concentration, concentration. Start >to think about *anything* other than the next corner and you're stuffed. > >Sadly Greger Huttu's concentration level is not available for download. > >Andrew "attention span of a goldfish with Alzheimers" McP > >PS Welcome to the most addictive (and rewarding!) addition to GPL >since...well, ever :-)

> Surely you jest....Red is my favorite color You just like struggling :-> Tonight in five online races I made a scientific study of annoying roadblocks: they were most likely to be red. Seriously, everyone always said the Lotus was hardest to drive. IMO the Ferrari sounds *stunning* but is slippery as a mud-wrestling marathon. Mind you, despite my fundamental anti-Eagle (blame it on Mel Gibson ;-) stance I now use it at Monza and Spa... my Lotus abilities just can't get close to the Eagle setups I borrowed. What I'm saying, I suppose, is that when it comes to going faster you can't afford to be picky about what team you play for. You can always go back to the home team when you've learned what the opposition have to offer. Think of it as technical espionage... a sort of Counterstrike mission with a twist. > shortly I shall have the luxury of a complete 3 days Sounds like a recipe for success. Remember though, you can only race after you've completed that review ;-) > Im sitting here after about 30 laps at SPA I admire your stamina! I'm ready for the knackers yard after about five laps at Spa. Andrew McP

hehe...Wanna hear something really freaking hilarious...I overwrote the prose and benchmark portion of the review in a fit of brilliance last night about 10 minutes prior to posting it. This is just too sad to be funny...but it is..hehe. About a months worth of work....POOF....bubbye. I have a copy from about 1 week ago and am reconstructing it right now. But I nearly committed suicide last night as I want nothing more than to be done with this mother of a review looking like work. Wifey came in the room in a rush to find out what was wrong since I was fairly vocal <G> in my utter astonishment at my idiocy. Then I railed at the MS machine for not keeping some type of cache where the overwritten file might be found...3 hours of searching thru my computer turned up nothing...then I railed at software developers in general who dont protect idiots like me from me...wifey took that sorta personal since she is a developer....<VBG> I then apologized and my night was absolutely complete. Humiliation, stupidity, absurdity and witless remarks...so off to the warm and comfortable cockpit of my brilliant Red Car...for some slow laps around Spa...the high point was hitting the Masta kink so perfectly I almost shouted...cepting I was too busy paying attention. Say did you read about that German Porsche test driver going around the Ring..? Great read...

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>Sounds like a recipe for success. Remember though, you can only race after >you've completed that review ;-) > >> Im sitting here after about 30 laps at SPA > >I admire your stamina! I'm ready for the knackers yard after about five >laps at Spa.

Twas an exaggeration, hell if I could manage to circulate for 30 laps my time would be far better than it is...at least I hope so...hehe PAPA DOC > >Andrew McP >

> Sadly Greger Huttu's concentration level is not available for download. > One of the funniest, but most enlightened, things I have read on r.a.s. in months!!! Marc.

> I overwrote the prose Oh dear. In my delusional past as a wannabe writer I did a similar trick with a whole chapter. I feel your pain! > I want nothing more than to be done with this mother > of a review looking like work I know that feeling as well. I remember my early days on CompuServe, when benchmarking new kit (which cost so much more, relatively, back then) was a serious business. I spent a week of free time once comparing my way, way, *way* too expensive SuperMicro motherboard with a friend's half-price no name board. The results were as depressing as the time it took. It does start to become very much work and no fun whatsoever... but that's the nature of Good Ideas :-> > Humiliation, stupidity, absurdity and witless remarks Just another day at the office then <g> > so off to the warm and comfortable cockpit of my brilliant Red Car <fx:puts Frasier hat on and raises eyebrow over the comfort afforded by a slippery red cockpit> Andrew McP

Put a few laps in the Red Car thru the Ring last night in a vain attempt to lower my absurdly long time thru said track. Im getting very good at ending my spins facing nearly the correct way...<G> I take comfort in the small gains in life...hehe PAPA DOC ><fx:puts Frasier hat on and raises eyebrow over the comfort afforded by a >slippery red cockpit> > >Andrew McP