GPL lap times

This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples comments that I've heard so far). Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap times.... Cheer, Rich

http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/index.html

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>This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm >impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly >real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with >the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples >comments that I've heard so far). >Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your >best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems >pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any >hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap >times.... >Cheer, >Rich

I'm afraid this is a case of practice, practice and more practice. I thought I'd hit a wall at 1.09 at the Glen and now I've just turned in my first 1.06. The very best are in the 1.04s but I'll never be that good. Go to Alison Hine's site and download some setups - that'll give you a small boost. Study the hotlappers - see where they slow down, where they speed up and what gears they use where (obviously ratio dependant - but a good guide). Don't overdrive the thing. Accuracy is key and slower is often faster particulary in the wiggly bits. A feature of GPL is consistency - you don't seem to be able to fluke a good time in the way you can in other sims. The fastest drivers can drive those absurd times lap after lap - they get pole and they go on to win.You just have to learn the car, the track and improve in little increments. I find that following a slightly faster car brings out the best in me. I'd start with Monza not the Glen - there are only 4 corners of when you have to brake and there are no chages of elevation. Learn to brake without locking up - some modulation of the pedal will prevent this - manual ABS. Try to get on the accelerator as early as possible coming out of a corner - exit speed is key to fast lapping. But don't get on to early: on-off-on is worse than a gentle on a bit-on a bit more-on the most. Ease onto both the brakes and the accelerator - don't ramp them down or else you'll be left having to correct nascent spins which will lose you masses of time. Learn to scrub speed by sliding into the corners - this involves turning the wheel into the corner more than expected and means that you can brake slightly later. Some of the very good drivers enter a corner at amazing angles but usually still on the rcaing line. Paul

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> This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm > impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly > real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with > the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples > comments that I've heard so far). > Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your > best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems > pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any > hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap > times.... > Cheer, > Rich

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>>This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm >>impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly >>real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with >>the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples >>comments that I've heard so far). >>Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your >>best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems >>pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any >>hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap >>times.... >>Cheer, >>Rich >> Well I drive a Murasama and just started at the Glen. So far, my best

lap is a 1:10 something. So if you're driving a Lotus, then yes, you need to be in 1:05 - 1:07 range.

My PB at the Glen is a 1m04.37. Realistically that's too high to aim for to begin with (My head swells <g>) so you should concentrate on knocking your times down gradually to about 1m06. Then you can be competitive with AI regularly. I'm currently working on a GPL driving guide which will probably be ready sometime next month. Until then all I can say is "Practice". Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

>http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/index.html >>Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? ok. These are my best times for the courses, that i have done so far. All these are in the Coventry, and are what i think average times for a beginner. Kylami - 1 : 32 . 97 Mexico - havent done Monaco - 1 : 46 . 12 Monza - 1 : 37. 22 Mosport - 1 : 35 . 54 Nurburg - 11 : 01 . 09 Rouen - 2 : 16. 59 Silverstone - 1 : 44. 02 Spa - 4 : 03 . 80 Watkins - 1 : 59 . 08 Zandvoort - 1 : 39 . 63 The tracks I have only practiced on are Nurburg and Watkins, and Spa, so those times arent competitve but the others are fairly alright for a beginner I would think good luck Macca

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> This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm > impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly > real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with > the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples > comments that I've heard so far). > Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your > best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems > pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any > hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap > times....

Some time ago I got 1:05:77 in a Lotus with automatic transmission, no other aids (throttle and brake aid will definitely slow you down). Haven't tried for about two months now since I switched to Brabham and manual transmission. The best times in WG are about 1:04. A sub-1:04 might be possible, but the times are starting to concentrate on 1:04:xx Go to http://homepages.nat.fr/~estori85/index.html or some other hotlaps site to see what kind of laps people are doing. Get the replays and compare them to yours. (I look at speeds at specific points, usually at the end of straights and the minimum speed in corners). -- Anssi Lehtinen

Only had the game for a week and done most of my practice at Silverstone but here's my best times (for more detail go to www.toastyhamster.freese rve.co.uk) Kyalami 1:29 Silverstone 1:31 Nurb 10:59 Monza 1:33 Spa 3:59 Glen 1:10 Most of these times are in the Coventry using Alisons setups, except Silverstone which is in the Lotus using Dave Mansells settings, still faster at the Glen in the Coventry though *damn* practice practice! -- Mike Buckley WWW: www.toastyhamster.freeserve.co.uk

My PB is 1.04.07, although 1:03 is possible and will happen soon IMO :o) In online quals, I usually do mid 1:04's and constant 1:05 in races, with occasional 1:04's. When the competition get's tough at VROC, you MUST be in 1:04's to be in one of the front rows, or else you will surely get rearended at the start (that's my experience). Lotus is nice to drive around WG, but first aim to drop into 1:06's, then start studying hotlaps and start tweaking the setup so that it satisfies your needs. Now let me give you some tips.... T1 : Don't brake too much, try going into the corner at 125mph, dropping down to ~118mph just beofre apex. Start accelerating out of T1 to T2 and try not to sacrifise speed to track position. Steer the car with the throttle to make it turn into T2 and get on the power as soon as possible. If you get it right, you'll just miss the hay bales on the right side of the track (you're in 4th gear through T1 and T2). Shift to 5th on the entry to T3 and stay on the throttle ! You don't want to lift there, believe me :o) Exit speed should be about 150mph (a bit more). Coming into T4, start braking just as you pass the add-table on the left. First brake in straight line (gently there) , then just before you can see the apex of the corner, turn in HARD - scrub of that speed, and if you're lucky (when you master it, it's easy) you'll hit the apex and slide to the outside where you release the throttle (try not to go under 85mph) a bit for better turn in for exit and start accelerating, no mistakes there, T4 is cruical for 1:04's, so you better stay in 3rd gear there and make it a long gear. You'll need to have stiff front and enough clutches (usually 3) to do it properly - exit speed should be about 135mph when the guard rail ends on the left. Now you have the straight and T5, nothing fancy there, just flat out :o) Now comes the hardest part of the track.... T6,T7,T8..... You'll have to find a comfortable braking point into T6 (try to trail brake into it) so you can accelerate through T6 to T7 as soon as possible - and try to stay as close as possible to the apex in T6. Now you can stay in 3rd or can shift up to 4th gear. Start braking into T8 just as T7 ends, you can trail brake if you wish, straight the car (stay in 2n gear) and accelerate down to the finish.... Congratulations ! If you did it properly, you are in low 1:04's ;o) Tadej Krevh // http://members.xoom.com/LotusRacing/

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>This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm >impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly >real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with >the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples >comments that I've heard so far). >Can someone give some realistic lap times to aim for??? Come on post your >best times. To be able to win races I guess I need about 1m07 ish. Seems >pretty tough as I can't see many places to save time. Has anyone got any >hints for this course so I can shave a couple of seconds (!!!) of my lap >times.... >Cheer, >Rich

>> This game is hard isn't it? Are people genuinely winning races?? I'm >> impressed. I'm usually quite good at racing games but this is frighteningly >> real!! I've put most time into Watkins Glen my best time is 1m09.09s with >> the Lotus. I find the Lotus the best to drive (contrary to most peoples >> comments that I've heard so far). You might actually go faster with a different car- the Lotus is pretty touchy. Although, admittedly, it can do the best lap times on most courses. With the Lotus, I finally broke in to the 1:04.xx range the other day, in a qualifying run online. Sort of surprised me; I'd been in the mid 1:05s until that. (WG is by far my best track) But if you can do consistent 1:07's, you will win most races- because most people at the Glenn (like Zandfort, Kyalami, Spa, etc.) make mistakes. I've won twice at Spa (and I suck royally at Spa, for some reason)- only because I didn't make big mistakes. I mean, one guy did (in a race I didn't win) a 3:17.xx... my god, I don't know how these people are doing it. Well, I wish I had the replay from my run then. The damn machine crashed when I came off the track. At least the screen froze on my times screen (and I knew I did something in the mid 1:04s from the placard on the track) Anybody else notice GPL crashing a lot when in Online mode, normally when entering the main racing screen? Never has happened in non-online use, but is quite the horror in online. Oh yes- I see someone has broken in to the 1:03 range at WG. And who else... but the incredible W. Woeger! I must admit, I have never improved a setup I've ever touched- in any simulator. I've only made them worse! No knack for it whatsoever. SO I generally use... W. Woegers! And most of his setups seem to be mighty similar to each other, at least on the tracks I'm most on. But the setups don't give you speed, the driving is still the deciding factor. The main reason I use them is because I want to use something can be confident can do a fastest speed, versus me designing my own and wondering where the plateau on my setup is, (wondering if it just my driving or the setup that is poor). Woeger has some incredible times, and having raced online a few a few races he was racing, he certainly lives up to his speedy repution. Now, does Joystick really make a big a difference? and if so, then why? Perhaps real cars should have a stick!

Hehe, try Brabham and see where it'll get you ;o)It's the hardest car to drive IMO, but it can be very fast on twisty circuits (1.26.29 monaco) I don't know where and who you race, but al lthe times I was at the Glen,at least consistent 1.05's were needed for a win. Nope, just when I want to return to Windows it sometimes freezes... Yepps, he's damn fast :o) And I'm yet to experience that ;o) IMO, they are helpfull when exiting corners and flooring it. It has got less physical travell and you can apply lock-to-lock quicker - which helps you stabilize car with full throttle and you don't have to ease off, but ofcourse it takes a hell lot of practice :o)) Tadej Krevh Lotus Internet Racing http://members.xoom.com/LotusRacing/

On Wed, 20 Jan 1999 12:57:26 +0100, Tadej Krevh <...> I don't mean scheduled races- I mean just average races hosted at VROC, of which I have seen many with nobody qualing in the 1:05s. And even when they can, or no-time guys in the back can, generally it is one of those tracks where big mistakes get made, and either you or the guy next to you ruins your race. ANd losing 5 or 8 seconds on the grass, or at the start in the pileup, or doing "Shift-R" with 3 laps to go, often means that someone doing consistent 1:07's (that is, staying out of trouble) wins. I must say, in the past month people have been getting better, though. There was a time when I just couldn't lose there or Monza; now there are guys that get out of sight, and don't make big mistakes, and I am very happy with a podium. Mistakes- gotta love 'em (when you aren't hating them). Is it not thrilling when some guy who had 8 seconds on you is suddenly coming up on you from behind?! With one lap to go?! <...> He was out of sight of me at Monza so fast I couldn't believe it (and I qual there the mid 1:28 range). I eventually won the race; I figured he got bored up there and disconnected, because I certainly never saw him again. But you still need to have pedals, right? My understanding is that these amazing speeds you and he get relies to some extent on having the brake and throttle axis separated- is that right? I have a T2, and have only been racing with them on the same axis (don't know how to separate them). I wish I did.