Rules for beginning racers

Rules of etiquette for online racing: 1) When pulling out of the pits, stay well off the racing groove and keep a constant eye in your mirrors for approaching cars. If you see one coming, slow down and let him pass. This holds true for your entire pit out lap. The guy coming up behind you is on his qualifying lap. It won't hurt you at all to slow down and let him by, but if you hold him up, it very well may ruin his fastest qualifying lap. At Watkins Glen, you need to come to a stop at the end of pit lane and look before you exit the pits onto the track. 2) Practice is for qualifying, not racing. You might think you are racing the guy behind you, but in fact you are holding him up and ruining his qualifying lap. Save the close dicing for the actual race. 3) If you spin during qualifying, you have blown any chance of a fast lap. Be very careful re-entering the track. Be absolutely certain you are not going to get in the way of another car who very well could be on his fastest qualifying lap. The best way to do this is to steer the car in such a way as to re-enter the track at a parallel angle so that you have a good view to the rear with your mirrors. DO NOT enter at a 90 degree angle where there is no way to see approaching cars. After you do re-enter after a spin, STAY OUT OF THE WAY of other cars! Remember, you have blown any chance of a fast lap. Let them pass. Why should your mistake ruin his fast lap attempt? 4) Pay attention to your starting position and the qualifying times of the cars in front of you. Are they 2 seconds of more faster than you personal best? Then don't try to beat them into the first turn!!! What good will it do, even if you succeed? You aren't fast enough yet to stay up with them. You are going to make a very hazardous situation (the start) even worse. 5) Be cautious in the first turn. Your job is to avoid crashing, NOT to gain position! Avoid contact with other cars AT ALL COST, even if it costs you position. Many if not most of the first turn crashes in GPL would be fatal if it was in real life. I propose we should drive as if it was real. I think it would be a lot more fun in the long run if everybody drove this way. 6) When passing, pick your spot carefully!!! Don't think you can just pass anywhere you want, even if you are rapidly gaining on the car in front. If two cars are side-by-side going into the Masta Kink, what do you think is going to happen? Would you pull such a foolish stunt in real life, going 175 mph, in an open wheel car? In fact, there really are very few places you can actually pass. Learn where these are. If in doubt, then don't. 7) If you are racing, and you see a blue flag, it means you are about to be lapped, let the car pass! Only an idiot would try to stay ahead. You are going to slow the guy up and let the car behind him catch up. This will make the guy behind you VERY angry. 8) If you retire from the race early and remain on-line, avoid needless chat. It is very distracting to those who are still racing. 9) After the race is over, stick around long enough to be at least be a little bit friendly and thank those whom you raced against. And don't forget to thank the host. 10) Don't let your inexperience stop you from racing. Race more! We need more people racing, the more the better! Just use common sense. -Tony-

On Mon, 22 Nov 1999 21:02:36 -0800, Tony Jester

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>Rules of etiquette for online racing: >1) When pulling out of the pits, stay well off the racing groove and >keep a constant eye in your mirrors for approaching cars. If you see >one coming, slow down and let him pass. This holds true for your entire >pit out lap. The guy coming up behind you is on his qualifying lap. It >won't hurt you at all to slow down and let him by, but if you hold him >up, it very well may ruin his fastest qualifying lap. At Watkins Glen, >you need to come to a stop at the end of pit lane and look before you >exit the pits onto the track.

I always use Shift-V and Ctrl-V when leaving the pits to see if there are any cars too close. It's a very good way to prevent those stupid incidents particularly on the tracks that have a tricky pitlane exit, for example Monaco and the Glen. -- Greger Huttu

always use Shift-V and Ctrl-V when leaving the pits to see if there are any cars too close. Greger, What does the shiftv and ctrlv commands do? I tried them and nothing happened. Thanks! Rik

When in car, it scrolls through all the drivers currently on track. It will only work when you are in the driving seat. MS

Enter your car in the pits and use these controls to check views from any car ahead or behind yours. Keep pressing to go further ahead or back. v : view from car ahead shift-v : view from car behind cntl-v : view from your car

> When in car, it scrolls through all the drivers currently on track. It will > only work when you are in the driving seat. Please note that when in the car in the pit lane, it will ONLY show you 4 cars in front and 1 behind (for a dial up connection anyway). As an example, if you shift-v and see the car behind is on the start-finish straight, and shift-v again and see the (apparently) next car is miles away, you cannot just follow the first car since there may be any number of cars on the track between the two!!! Paul -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nortel, London Road, Harlow, Essex. CM17 9NA

On Thu, 25 Nov 1999 00:22:18 -0500, "Jim Allison"

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>> always use Shift-V and Ctrl-V when leaving the pits to see if there >> are any cars too close. >> Greger, >> What does the shiftv and ctrlv commands do? >> I tried them and nothing happened. >> Thanks! >> Rik >Enter your car in the pits and use these controls to check views >from any car ahead or behind yours. Keep pressing to go further >ahead or back. > v : view from car ahead >shift-v : view from car behind >cntl-v : view from your car

Yeah, these commands only work when you're car is stopped. So besides using these commands in the pits it's sometimes useful to use them after a spin. -- Greger Huttu

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>On Thu, 25 Nov 1999 00:22:18 -0500, "Jim Allison" >>> always use Shift-V and Ctrl-V when leaving the pits to see if there >>> are any cars too close. >>> Greger, >>> What does the shiftv and ctrlv commands do? >>> I tried them and nothing happened. >>> Thanks! >>> Rik >>Enter your car in the pits and use these controls to check views >>from any car ahead or behind yours. Keep pressing to go further >>ahead or back. >> v : view from car ahead >>shift-v : view from car behind >>cntl-v : view from your car >Yeah, these commands only work when you're car is stopped. So besides >using these commands in the pits it's sometimes useful to use them >after a spin.

I don't think drivers in 67 had this option, anyone on the track should be aware of what is coming up. A short chat message saying you are leaving the pits should suffice, if a person on the track doesn't like it then too bad, this is the way racing works. Too many people forget they have a brake pedal and can slow down a little to avoid accidents. It is the responsability of both the person on the track and the person entering the track to ensure a smooth transition. The shift-v option helps but I really don't think it's needed if more people drove responsibly. Vintook

that is the point: if more people drove responsively and provident and tried to avoid accidents, even if they didn't cause the tricky situation themselves, we would have a lot less crashes in online racing. but I have to admit that I am somewhat astonished that there are very few crashes on our GGPLC-server since we switched it to PRO :-) Lio

>Yeah, these commands only work when you're car is stopped. So besides >using these commands in the pits it's sometimes useful to use them >after a spin. Yeah right....you and spinning?......nah, never... <g> Remco

Vintook How the hell do you know what is coming up without seeing or hearing it? A real 1967 driver had the option to move his eyes and turn his head to look around him him whilst leaving a pitlane. bad, Even when there is sometimes a several second delay between someone sending the message and it appearing on the other driver's screen? Some drivers even have in car chat turned off to avoid distractions whilst driving. Since when did people leaving the pits have priority over drivers on flying laps anyway? Absolute crap. Tell me how you are supposed to control a car on the edge of adhesion or commitment at the pit exits at places like Brands Hatch or the Glen, when people simply pull out in front of you with a speed differential of around 100mph. >The shift-v option helps but I really don't think it's needed if more people drove responsibly. Like any other useful tool, it plays a part for the right job. As I said before, the real Clark et-al used to crane their heads around before simply driving onto a circuit. The responsibility is with the person leaving a pitlane, not the guy or gal who is hauling ass on his hottest flying lap. MS

Hi Lio, I just wish more of the hosts on VROC would run in PRO mode too.. I can't believe some of the stupid driving that goes on, when the idiots in question know they can use shift-r to get going again.. In our league, we only run in PRO mode, and i personally would not join a league that runs with Shift-r implemented, as it does tend to bring out a less than ideal mind set in the drivers. If PRO mode was made more widespread on VROC, we would all see vast improvements in the driving styles of the drivers that joined the races. Even in a shift-r enabled race on VROC, i will not use shift-r, so if i damage my car in a VROC race to the point where it becomes undriveable, i will retire rather than use shift-r. That is why i would like to see more PRO races run on VROC.!! The drivers have to drive more sensibly and show more patience, otherwise they are out.. I get sick of being taken out of a race in the 1st hundred yards by the idiots, ego maniacs, hotshoes, etc etc, who just have to try and make up the spots that they couldn't make up in qualifying... I call these guys the The 100 Yard Wonders. Cheers, Ron

Hmm, when did F1 start stationing a flagperson at the pit exit? Was this done at all in the 60's? > . . . > I don't think drivers in 67 had this option, anyone on the track should be > aware of what is coming up. A short chat message saying you are leaving the > pits should suffice, if a person on the track doesn't like it then too bad, > this is the way racing works. Too many people forget they have a brake pedal > and can slow down a little to avoid accidents. It is the responsability of > both the person on the track and the person entering the track to ensure a > smooth transition. The shift-v option helps but I really don't think it's > needed if more people drove responsibly. > Vintook

> I always use Shift-V and Ctrl-V when leaving the pits to see if there > are any cars too close. It's a very good way to prevent those stupid > incidents Wow! Thanks for this tip. I'm not sure why I never new about this trick. It works great! Thanks again. -Tony-

Hmmm... Back in 1967 the drivers didn't had the option to announce their pit exit with a chat message neither ;-) -- -- Fran?ois Mnard <ymenard> -- May the Downforce be with you... "People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realise how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

>>Yeah, these commands only work when you're car is stopped. So besides >>using these commands in the pits it's sometimes useful to use them >>after a spin. >Yeah right....you and spinning?......nah, never... <g> Well, I wasn't really talking about myself. :)) -- Greger Huttu

If someone comes out of the pits at Monza and jumps right into the racing groove(I've seen this happen), you may have a 100+mph difference in speeds. It could take a LOT of evasive action to avoid THAT one... Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Own Grand Prix Legends? Goto http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

Lio, Frankly, I'm not surprised. You have a different mental attitude when you run a Pro race. And Pro races tend to only interest the experienced driver. Notice I didn't say faster drivers. Simply because I'm a mid packer at best. But I love a good,clean,hard fought race. Joel Willstein

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>Hi Lio, >I just wish more of the hosts on VROC would run in PRO mode too.. >I can't believe some of the stupid driving that goes on, when the >idiots in question know they can use shift-r to get going again.. >In our league, we only run in PRO mode, and i personally would not join >a league that runs with Shift-r implemented, as it does tend to bring >out a less than ideal mind set in the drivers. >If PRO mode was made more widespread on VROC, we would all see vast >improvements in the driving styles of the drivers that joined the >races.

I've asked the question before - do people even LIKE pro or GP races? I've setup many such races, but no one joins. I think you're in the minority here. There may be 8-10 people in our group who'd run them. And, they're not all online at the same time. I've also checked the chat logs on my server. I see a LOT of people who login, run around for a while, then yell, "HOW MANY LAPS?!?" Isn't the length of the race visible on GSB and VROC? Sheesh... Eldred -- Tiger Stadium R.I.P. 1912-1999 Own Grand Prix Legends? Goto http://gpl.gamestats.com/vroc Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

on our GGPLC server there is a lot of traffic normally: often full grid. but we don't go for a GP race though, but rather pro short. sufficient race length and no shift-r. Lio