IC qualifying problem

HI I've had IC1 a couple of months now - so I'm pretty much getting the hang of it. However I've come up against a frustrating problem. Here's an example. At Michigan I can set the car up to achieve about 233mph average in qualifying. This turns out to be much faster than the computer generated grid. But at laguna Seca for example, I'm consistantly 2-3 seconds off the pace. I've tried everything, but I cannot get the lap times down to 1:08 (1:10.5 is my best). Is this a setup problem or is it a game `problem'? Also can you buy add-on circuits? In particular Indianopolis? - many thanks Alan - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr Alan D. Pengelly, Software Engineering Laboratory B81 161 27, BT Laboratories, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich IP5 7RE. tel : +44 1473 646652 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

<<I've had IC1 a couple of months now, so I'm pretty much getting the hang of it. However I've come up against a frustrating problem. Here's an example. At Michigan I can set the car up to achieve about 233mph average in qualifying. This turns out to be much faster than the computer generated grid. But at laguna Seca for example, I'm consistantly 2-3 seconds off the pace. I've tried everything, but I cannot get the lap times down to 1:08 (1:10.5 is my best). Is this a setup problem or is it a game "problem"?>> As in actual road course racing, the last 1-2 seconds are always the most difficult to trim off your time. I don't know how your driving, so I can't help there, but in general you need to be very smooth and fluid with the car. There is much speed to be lost when entering a turn, for example, if you forego the proper racing line and entry. IC Racing and NASCAR Racing do a remarkable job at being fairly realistic, I believe. Obviously, thought, there are *big* differences : ) <<Also can you buy add-on circuits? In particular Indianopolis?>> Yes, there is an expansion pack available as well as a separate expansion pack available with just IMS. Nick :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #6, #94 & #16 in the REAL quest for the Cup! Go Ford!!!

As a matter of fact, the bug is in Michigan where the cars qualify with full tanks of fuel and normal racing setups. They really should run 233+mph laps too... In Laguna, you should just train more, and tweak your setups, my best lap so far is 1:07:something and i usually am the polesitter in a race (even won one race at Laguna) The trick in Laguna is that your shocks have to be perfectly fitted to your driving style, I.E. they must be safe (you _do_ race with damage on?) and you can't afford to spin in the slow corners, and with 30 Gallons of fuel gone, the car must still be driveable. Now this is from memory but my shock setups are something like this: RF: 35% RR: 65% LR: 65% LF: 45% You notice the difference between the front tires? What it means is that the car turns better to the left since the right front has better grip. And when you study the track, you will notice that the track has more difficult lefts than rights ---> that means 1-2 seconds faster laps as you can drive them 10-30mph faster. Of course you'll have to adjust your driving style too. (as an example, the second-last lefthander before the upslope.. corner n:o.5 I think it is, well I usually drive it 120mph at the apex, real Indycar's drive it 90mph or so?) Also on the steep upslope before the corkscrew, try setting your gears so that you can drive the slope on the 5th gear, with the engine running around 12500-13000 rpm. Driving the upslope in 6th gear is a serious mistake, will cost you mebbe 1 sec or more... btw. some people have ran 1:02 laps in Laguna (really!) Sure, all the tracks except Miami are available as add-ons Tommi Pajari

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> <<I've had IC1 a couple of months now, so I'm pretty much getting the >hang of it. However I've come up against a frustrating problem. Here's an >example. At Michigan I can set the car up to achieve about 233mph average >in qualifying. This >turns out to be much faster than the computer generated grid. But at >laguna Seca for example, I'm consistantly 2-3 seconds off the pace. I've >tried everything, but I cannot get the lap times down to 1:08 (1:10.5 is >my best). Is this a setup problem or is it a game "problem"?>>

If you want a more realistic challenge at michigan change the michigan.txt file where the BLAP entry reads 30579 to 29579, this is the computer best time in thousands of seconds. I think the original entry of 30579 was a typo because my qual time is always 236/237 and the computer 219 (best). With 29579 the times shoot up to 235 odd. Also change the RELS entry to 100, this determines the % effort of the computer drivers. The original entry of 96 made them a bit too weak. Having a good steering device helps. I went from 1.09's at laguna using a joystick to 1.07's when I got a steering wheel/pedal in a ***pit set. It allowed me to hold a turn smoothly and make very fine adjustments to power on the gas pedal. Chris.

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> HI > > I've had IC1 a couple of months now - so I'm pretty much > getting the hang of it. However I've come up against > a frustrating problem. Here's an example. At Michigan I can set > the car up to achieve about 233mph average in qualifying. This > turns out to be much faster than the computer generated grid. > But at laguna Seca for example, I'm consistantly 2-3 seconds > off the pace. I've tried everything, but I cannot get the lap > times down to 1:08 (1:10.5 is my best). Is this a setup > problem or is it a game `problem'? > > Also can you buy add-on circuits? In particular Indianopolis? > - > many thanks > > Alan > -

Yes there are two track packs, One with most of the other tracks for Indycar and then a separate pack for Indianapolis. Two cavaets here, first, there is a good chance Indy won't be on next year's schedule... and second. the NEW Indycar II is coming out soon and will have 15 tracks included(except the Indianapolis track) If you like the Nascar improvements, many of those will be included in ICRII. Have fun! Dave Henrie oh and as far as better track times at 'Guna...I average 1:10's with only an occaisional dip to 1:08. I'm thinking straight away speed is the biggest value. So low downforce unless you just can't stay on the track. Good lluck Dave Henrie * JABBER v1.1 * -- | Fidonet: Dave Henrie 1:346/25 | Fido -> Internet/Usenet via Net 346 Services

The really hot guys are going 243+, 233 on full tanks happens! this is one way to do it. there are others. i use stagger at this track, but others hate it. I didn't look in the***pits as they went by but it didn't look like they were even going 90mph to me - and I camped out at T5 for the last race. I am told that it is possible to hit the apex of T5 at over 140mph, but I sure can't do that... Laguna is a very well executed track in ICR, but one thing it doesn't get right is the grip, because I *KNOW* I'm not 5+ seconds faster than Jacques Villeneuve :-) (On the other hand, do notice that ICR cars adhere to 1993 specs, which includes a lot more downforce, albeit with older engines, tires and chassis.) I can't agree with you on this. This is one of the two really fast parts of the course (the other is from T11 to T2), and if you're set up right you hit the top of the hill at > 150mph. Not exactly a 5th gear section of the track. (T2 entry is about 156mph.) If you're at 12,500 rpm at 150mph at the top of the hill, you should be in 6th gear so you have gearing for the rest of the track. If you write off 6th gear here, you are writing it off everywhere else too. -- Brian Wong Systems Engineering Group (Servers)

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>> a frustrating problem. Here's an example. At Michigan I can set >> the car up to achieve about 233mph average in qualifying. This >> turns out to be much faster than the computer generated grid. >> But at laguna Seca for example, I'm consistantly 2-3 seconds >> off the pace. I've tried everything, but I cannot get the lap >> times down to 1:08 (1:10.5 is my best). Is this a setup >> problem or is it a game `problem'? >As a matter of fact, the bug is in Michigan where the cars qualify >with full tanks of fuel and normal racing setups. They really should >run 233+mph laps too... >In Laguna, you should just train more, and tweak your setups, my best >lap so far is 1:07:something and i usually am the polesitter in a race >(even won one race at Laguna) The trick in Laguna is that your shocks >have to be perfectly fitted to your driving style, I.E. they must be >safe (you _do_ race with damage on?) and you can't afford to spin in >the slow corners, and with 30 Gallons of fuel gone, the car must still >be driveable. >Now this is from memory but my shock setups are something like this: >RF: 35% >RR: 65% >LR: 65% >LF: 45% >You notice the difference between the front tires? What it means is >that the car turns better to the left since the right front has better >grip. And when you study the track, you will notice that the track has >more difficult lefts than rights ---> that means 1-2 seconds faster >laps as you can drive them 10-30mph faster. Of course you'll have to >adjust your driving style too. (as an example, the second-last lefthander >before the upslope.. corner n:o.5 I think it is, well I usually drive it >120mph at the apex, real Indycar's drive it 90mph or so?)

But to demonstrate how much your driving style counts, my laguna setup (below) is very different to Tommi's (shock setups) but I can still do a similar time (1.07 or so). Fuel: 7 gal Tire Compound PSI Camber Shocks RF Soft 37 -2.01 90% RR Soft 39 -1.68 100% LR Soft 36 -1.42 100% LF Soft 39 -2.08 90% Stagger: +0.000 Steering Lock: 12 FW: 13.90 RW: 12.60 1st: 11.90 4th: 7.50 2nd: 9.80 5th: 6.80 3rd: 8.30 6th: 6.00 Anti-roll bars: Front 8 Rear 5 Brake bias: 6 Boost level: 9 Most definately. I only hit 6th on the start/finish straight and only for a few seconds before the left hander. Chris.