GPL Advice To Drivers

In preparation for the inaugural event in IGPS Season 2, I emailed all the drivers with the following advice. After thinking about it, I figured a lot more people could benefit from what I had to say. First, a little background. In IGPS, we run Intermediate races, which allows the use of Shift-R to repair the car after an accident. However, in IGPS races, Shift-R can only be used if you complete the lap you're currently on and pull into the first pit stall. This keeps a lot more people in the race than driving in Pro races, but still lends more of an aire of realism to the races in that if you break your car, you have to go to the pits to get it fixed. Keep in mind that I'm not the fastest driver out there by any means, and that I willingly admit that my driving style is my own personal outlook on racing life, but I make an effort to play well with others and be respectful of significantly faster drivers. So without further delay, class is now in session... (reprinted with permnission) More Season 2 Advice From Your Uncle John ========================================= Everyone take heed - drive with a little less aggression and you WILL survive the races. The last thing anybody wants is to be coasting or scraping back to the pits for a dose of Shift-R. Not only that, but people limping back to the pits under less than ideal conditions create a hazard for everyone that still has all his/her parts on the car. Patience - Don't be in such a hurry to pass that slow car in front of you. Don't try to pressure the driver into making a mistake. He's got enough problems knowing you seem to be tied to his transaxle. Practice - MAKE TIME to practice for every race. While this is primarily fun, you don't want to ruin everyone else's fun by not being prepared. Being fast is good, but stable is better (and leads to being fast). Think - KNOW the race course. Commit your braking points and problem areas to memory. Think about everything you're doing. You're piloting a 1,000 point rocketsled around a confined area. It's up to you to "keep it on the gray part". Aware - Know how the fast drivers race. If you think they're going to be passing you, learn their passing technique and be ready for it. Watch the pit board. It tells you (sometimes) how far back the car behind you is. Listen for cars coming up behind you. Drive Ahead - as you round a corner, look for the next turn and see if a car is wrecking there. A quick glance is all it takes. Watch the flagmen. If you see anything that even appears to be a yellow or white flag, ease up a bit until you're sure there's nothing blocking your racing line. Consistency - Attack each turn and straightaway the same way every time (wreck avoidance notwithstanding). Consistent lap times are one of the keys to success in GPL. Smooth - Despite what you might think, sliding through a turn is not the correct way to manuever. If you're sliding, then you're not in control. If you're not in control, you're a hazard to everyone else on the track. Slow in, fast out. Flatten the corners as much as possible. Smooth acceleration coming out of a turn. These techniques will help you finish a race in IGPS and will even improve your lap times. Comments and questions are welcomed. -- ========================================================= John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12) http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html IGPS (Season 2) Director http://207.104.111.77/igps2/igps2.html If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame. =========================================================

You can believe what you want, but I don't have problems with very many people - just you and maybe one or two others. Pffft... -- ========================================================= John Simmons - Redneck Techno-Biker (Zerex12) http://www.members.home.net/jms1/index.html John Simmons - Barbarian Diecast Collector http://members.home.net/jsimm/diecast_index.html IGPS (Season 2) Director http://207.104.111.77/igps2/igps2.html If you want to send me email, go to either of the URL's shown above & click "Send Me Mail" in the contents frame. =========================================================

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Its a shame you don't practice what you preach A la MONACO Yeah patience when overtaking slower cars, shame you don't have it.

Well, I don't know what happened in this incident but having just completed a 12-race league season with John I can tell you he is one of the cleanest, fairest drivers around. This obviously was one isolated incident... -- Cheers! Graeme Nash http://www.karisma1.demon.co.uk ICQ# 11257824 1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

Totally agree Graeme God know how many laps we have driven with John - squeaky clean racer. Just a ***y bit impatient if you can't get it in gear when the lights have gone green mind! :) Tony

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>>Its a shame you don't practice what you preach A la MONACO >>Yeah patience when overtaking slower cars, shame you don't have it. >Well, I don't know what happened in this incident but having just >completed a 12-race league season with John I can tell you he is one of >the cleanest, fairest drivers around. This obviously was one isolated >incident... >-- >Cheers! >Graeme Nash >[link lost in import] >ICQ# 11257824 >1998 Xoom GP2 League Champion

I must also agree with Graeme and Tony. I've also just finished a season with John, and he is a very clean driver. And fast too! "ZZ" -- Official member IGPS (Internet Grand Prix Series) And Sim Racing Mag Ferrari Challenge ---------------- Busch Motorsports "Remember racecar is racecar spelled backward" ----------------- Busch Carpentry "Plans?"