I love the idea, although I think you should include the two road courses.
Run them like a BTCC meeting, a short 15 minute sprint race and then a
longer 1/2 hour Main Event with an inverted start<g>. I'd pay to watch!
--
don
"Getting hit by a meteorite is an accident...
everything else is driver-error."
"Steve Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> ]The 1967 USAC Championship Trail: A Proposal[
<snip>
]The 1967 USAC Championship Trail: A Proposal[
Once we get beyond drooling over Dave Noonan's wonderful converter and
start conjuring what we might do with this bounty, let me suggest a
re-creation of the '67 USAC Indy car championship, using mostly the
paved ovals from NASCAR Racing 3 and NASCAR Legends. If the lap speeds
at Indy, Phoenix, and Milwaukee are any indication, the performance of
'67's real-world Champ cars (as they were then known; a motley
collection of Lotus 38s and 42s and "homebrewski" Offy-powered clones)
was astonishingly close to GPL's F1 cars. The best single lap at the
Speedway in qualifying that year was Andretti's 53.09 sec. (vs. a recent
GPL Eagle time of 53.29). Mario also set a record at Phoenix (29.41 vs.
my personal best, a modest 29.12) and Roger McCluskey turned a 31.13 at
Milwaukee (vs. Nate Hine's PB of 30.18). There were 10 paved-oval
events on the Championship Trail that year. Many venues are long gone
(Langhorne, Hanford), but there are now more than enough converted
tracks to conduct a viable online Championship.
Background: The worlds of European-style road racing and classic
American "roundy-round" racing were a lot closer in 1967. Guys like
Foyt and Andretti raced over there (Foyt won Le Mans), and a lot of
names familiar from GPL came over here to race for USAC points: Gurney,
Clark, Hill, Brabham, Hulme, Rindt, and Surtees among them. The
Championship Trail comprised not only paved ovals, but also dirt ovals
(in front-engined Sprint cars), road courses (Riverside, Mosport, Ste.
Jovite), even the Pikes Peak hillclimb! The centerpiece was, of course,
the Indy 500, which A.J. won after a 25-cent part on Parnelli Jones'
turbine-powered car, "Silent Sam", failed. Several of the constructors
should be familiar to GPL fans, too: Lotus, Eagle (using the same
chassis as "our" T1G F1 car), and Lola (the 'Murasama' of the game was,
in real life, a Honda-powered chassis designed and built by Eric
Broadley).
Courses aside, the biggest difference was in the scoring systems.
Unlike F1, which only paid points for 1st through 6th place (on a
9-6-4-3-2-1 scale), the Champ Trail paid down through 12th, which should
please online racers, if implemented. The number of points scored for a
win was the race distance X2 (i.e., Indy, the only 500-miler on the
calendar, paid 1000 points to win; Riverside's Rex Mays 300--Gurney won
in a Eagle--paid 600 pts., etc.). Most of the USAC races started 24
cars (except for the 500's traditional 33). Another significant
departure: rolling starts (do-able online, I swear).
Since there aren't any pit stops in GPL, and since any online races over
half an hour or so are asking for discos, I propose all the races in
this series be limited to under a half-hour. To compensate for the
relative "weight" of the 500 (in those days it really was "the greatest
spectacle in motor racing"), I propose the second 'half' of the race be
moved to Ontario (a near-clone of the Brickyard; its turns had a degree
or two more banking). Each race in the Championship would pay 300
points to win (or roughly 10 points a minute), with the rest of the USAC
pay scale following, 2nd through 12th:
240/210/180/150/120/90/75//60/45/30/15.
Here's what the schedule might look like (track/length/# laps/approx.
time/approx. fuel)
Phoenix 1.00 mi. 50 laps 23 min. 12 gal.
Pikes Peak 1.00 50 24 12
Pocono 2.50 30 28 20
Indy 2.50 30 27 20
Milwaukee 1.00 50 25 13
MIS 2.00 40 27 22
Louden 1.06 50 25 14
Gateway 1.25 50 29 16
Fontana 2.00 40 27 22
Ontario 2.50 30 28 20
I've vetted some--but not all--of the F1 cars at each of these tracks to
see whether the RF tire can survive 30 minutes of full-bore racing (when
temps soar over 300 deg., traction turns to mush). The Eagle is the
fastest on the superspeedways; the Lotus is fastest on the bullrings;
the Cooper is a dreamboat; the Ferrari is a dog. Each of the tracks is
different, each offers a unique challenge (you use 2 gears for Louden, 3
for Pocono). Drafting opportunities abound. I've also tested at the
new (tri-ovaled) Atlanta, Homestead, Bristol, Dover, Darlington, etc.,
and unless I'm way off base (always a possibility), I don't think the
RFs could go the distance at these places. Each track in this proposal
has been cherry-picked for its suitability to online racing.
The Big Question is, if we've already got Riverside and Mosport, why not
replicate *more* of the '67 USAC calendar...road races and all? Answer:
Because this is an *oval* track series. Some guys just love road
racing. Some don't. This series is designed to appeal to some of the
better NASCAR 3 drivers who may be getting a little bored with the same
ol', same ol', and might want to see what a *real* physics engine feels
like ("so much more alive," said one former NROS regular). I think it
will make for one helluva Championship...for hot-shoes with a
predeliction for turning left.
I have neither the organizational jones nor the administrative acuity to
contribute such an enterprise, but I would like to help develop setups.
You're all gonna need 'em. Neither common practice, nor the conventions
of logic, nor the laws of nature seem to apply to oval setups. I've
spent the past several months plumbing the mysteries of these strange
animals--and pestering sages like Alison Hine, Achim Trensz, and Michael
Hausknecht for *their* opinions--and am prepared to share my findings
with you. Once you're hooked up, F1s on the ovals are a blast. So slip
on your Gentex helmet, Wunda-Weev polo shirt, and Frye JetBoots, and
let's hit the bricks.
Please let me know what you think.
--Steve Smith, [email hidden]
Great idea!!! I'd love to see it :)
--David Cook
wrote...
Sound's like a great idea Steve!
"Steve Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
Quoted text (105 lines)
> ]The 1967 USAC Championship Trail: A Proposal[ > > Once we get beyond drooling over Dave Noonan's wonderful converter and > start conjuring what we might do with this bounty, let me suggest a > re-creation of the '67 USAC Indy car championship, using mostly the > paved ovals from NASCAR Racing 3 and NASCAR Legends. If the lap speeds > at Indy, Phoenix, and Milwaukee are any indication, the performance of > '67's real-world Champ cars (as they were then known; a motley > collection of Lotus 38s and 42s and "homebrewski" Offy-powered clones) > was astonishingly close to GPL's F1 cars. The best single lap at the > Speedway in qualifying that year was Andretti's 53.09 sec. (vs. a recent > GPL Eagle time of 53.29). Mario also set a record at Phoenix (29.41 vs. > my personal best, a modest 29.12) and Roger McCluskey turned a 31.13 at > Milwaukee (vs. Nate Hine's PB of 30.18). There were 10 paved-oval > events on the Championship Trail that year. Many venues are long gone > (Langhorne, Hanford), but there are now more than enough converted > tracks to conduct a viable online Championship. > > Background: The worlds of European-style road racing and classic > American "roundy-round" racing were a lot closer in 1967. Guys like > Foyt and Andretti raced over there (Foyt won Le Mans), and a lot of > names familiar from GPL came over here to race for USAC points: Gurney, > Clark, Hill, Brabham, Hulme, Rindt, and Surtees among them. The > Championship Trail comprised not only paved ovals, but also dirt ovals > (in front-engined Sprint cars), road courses (Riverside, Mosport, Ste. > Jovite), even the Pikes Peak hillclimb! The centerpiece was, of course, > the Indy 500, which A.J. won after a 25-cent part on Parnelli Jones' > turbine-powered car, "Silent Sam", failed. Several of the constructors > should be familiar to GPL fans, too: Lotus, Eagle (using the same > chassis as "our" T1G F1 car), and Lola (the 'Murasama' of the game was, > in real life, a Honda-powered chassis designed and built by Eric > Broadley). > > Courses aside, the biggest difference was in the scoring systems. > Unlike F1, which only paid points for 1st through 6th place (on a > 9-6-4-3-2-1 scale), the Champ Trail paid down through 12th, which should > please online racers, if implemented. The number of points scored for a > win was the race distance X2 (i.e., Indy, the only 500-miler on the > calendar, paid 1000 points to win; Riverside's Rex Mays 300--Gurney won > in a Eagle--paid 600 pts., etc.). Most of the USAC races started 24 > cars (except for the 500's traditional 33). Another significant > departure: rolling starts (do-able online, I swear). > > Since there aren't any pit stops in GPL, and since any online races over > half an hour or so are asking for discos, I propose all the races in > this series be limited to under a half-hour. To compensate for the > relative "weight" of the 500 (in those days it really was "the greatest > spectacle in motor racing"), I propose the second 'half' of the race be > moved to Ontario (a near-clone of the Brickyard; its turns had a degree > or two more banking). Each race in the Championship would pay 300 > points to win (or roughly 10 points a minute), with the rest of the USAC > pay scale following, 2nd through 12th: > 240/210/180/150/120/90/75//60/45/30/15. > > Here's what the schedule might look like (track/length/# laps/approx. > time/approx. fuel) > > Phoenix 1.00 mi. 50 laps 23 min. 12 gal. > Pikes Peak 1.00 50 24 12 > Pocono 2.50 30 28 20 > Indy 2.50 30 27 20 > Milwaukee 1.00 50 25 13 > MIS 2.00 40 27 22 > Louden 1.06 50 25 14 > Gateway 1.25 50 29 16 > Fontana 2.00 40 27 22 > Ontario 2.50 30 28 20 > > I've vetted some--but not all--of the F1 cars at each of these tracks to > see whether the RF tire can survive 30 minutes of full-bore racing (when > temps soar over 300 deg., traction turns to mush). The Eagle is the > fastest on the superspeedways; the Lotus is fastest on the bullrings; > the Cooper is a dreamboat; the Ferrari is a dog. Each of the tracks is > different, each offers a unique challenge (you use 2 gears for Louden, 3 > for Pocono). Drafting opportunities abound. I've also tested at the > new (tri-ovaled) Atlanta, Homestead, Bristol, Dover, Darlington, etc., > and unless I'm way off base (always a possibility), I don't think the > RFs could go the distance at these places. Each track in this proposal > has been cherry-picked for its suitability to online racing. > > The Big Question is, if we've already got Riverside and Mosport, why not > replicate *more* of the '67 USAC calendar...road races and all? Answer: > Because this is an *oval* track series. Some guys just love road > racing. Some don't. This series is designed to appeal to some of the > better NASCAR 3 drivers who may be getting a little bored with the same > ol', same ol', and might want to see what a *real* physics engine feels > like ("so much more alive," said one former NROS regular). I think it > will make for one helluva Championship...for hot-shoes with a > predeliction for turning left. > > I have neither the organizational jones nor the administrative acuity to > contribute such an enterprise, but I would like to help develop setups. > You're all gonna need 'em. Neither common practice, nor the conventions > of logic, nor the laws of nature seem to apply to oval setups. I've > spent the past several months plumbing the mysteries of these strange > animals--and pestering sages like Alison Hine, Achim Trensz, and Michael > Hausknecht for *their* opinions--and am prepared to share my findings > with you. Once you're hooked up, F1s on the ovals are a blast. So slip > on your Gentex helmet, Wunda-Weev polo shirt, and Frye JetBoots, and > let's hit the bricks. > > Please let me know what you think. > > --Steve Smith, [email hidden] >Great idea!!! I'd love to see it :)
--David Cook
In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
wrote...
Quoted text (17 lines)
> ]The 1967 USAC Championship Trail: A Proposal[ > > Once we get beyond drooling over Dave Noonan's wonderful converter and > start conjuring what we might do with this bounty, let me suggest a > re-creation of the '67 USAC Indy car championship, using mostly the > paved ovals from NASCAR Racing 3 and NASCAR Legends. If the lap speeds > at Indy, Phoenix, and Milwaukee are any indication, the performance of > '67's real-world Champ cars (as they were then known; a motley > collection of Lotus 38s and 42s and "homebrewski" Offy-powered clones) > was astonishingly close to GPL's F1 cars. The best single lap at the > Speedway in qualifying that year was Andretti's 53.09 sec. (vs. a recent > GPL Eagle time of 53.29). Mario also set a record at Phoenix (29.41 vs. > my personal best, a modest 29.12) and Roger McCluskey turned a 31.13 at > Milwaukee (vs. Nate Hine's PB of 30.18). There were 10 paved-oval > events on the Championship Trail that year. Many venues are long gone > (Langhorne, Hanford), but there are now more than enough converted > tracks to conduct a viable online Championship.That's a great idea...I'd buy a the game in a heartbeat.
Gary
Steve Smith wrote:
