2021 FIA Series Race Discussion
- Thread starter GTPNewsWire
- 9,031 comments
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- 2,388
- United Kingdom
- Hasnain282
- 62
- United Kingdom
- challenger001
Guess you need to know when to call it quits.
I'm just not *fast* around here. Qualified 18th, 16th and 15th. First race, finish 10th having run out just before start-finish line. Could have been a lot worse. Second race, appalling, I finish 18th having run out of fuel coming out of the last corner. This race, I manage to keep it on track with plenty of fuel, and what do I do? I bin it on the final corner, pick up a 1.5 second penalty. Dropped from a possible 5th down to 11th. I could hang myself at this point. Not going to go again.
I'm just not *fast* around here. Qualified 18th, 16th and 15th. First race, finish 10th having run out just before start-finish line. Could have been a lot worse. Second race, appalling, I finish 18th having run out of fuel coming out of the last corner. This race, I manage to keep it on track with plenty of fuel, and what do I do? I bin it on the final corner, pick up a 1.5 second penalty. Dropped from a possible 5th down to 11th. I could hang myself at this point. Not going to go again.
ANOTHER WIN!!!! Pretty much everyone did one stop while I was trucking along. Two laps to go and P2 was catching up on a full tank... As soon as I cross line for last lap, I had 1.3 laps left, I turned on the jets but he was already in my slipstream.
Last lap, T1, the scumnag dives on me and almost punts me out. MY RAGE was unlimited, and then, the coup de grace, the cherry.. he got 2s pen.
I AM 1.8 behind, plenty of fuel. This is a sprint. I immediately swiped my hair back and underneath it was Nicholas Cage in 60. The car had fuel, and my heart was fueled with pure hatred and rage. I pushed hard. I don't care about P1 at this point. I have to stop him from winning even if it costs me the entire race.
But fast, and steady, hearing the engine ROAR for the first time in 14 laps, I pressed on. Tilted, and furious, I bounced my limiter several times to assert my dominance. The Spaniard waved, and I was catching him up. In last sector, he was only 1 sec ahead and was going to be serving his penalty.
HE DID, and immediately unlisted and tried to punt me out. But I was ready: it was not the first time I have smelled his kind.
I start very gently steering towards the pits, while passing him on the left. Left tires loaded. They feel it, the climax is coming. And it happens: he dives onto my left to block me and I swerve to the right, avoiding him completely. I cross the line with my blinkers on as the scumbag tasted the grass. Unfortunately P3 was very far so he stayed on P2.
Door 9
Q7
P1
It was worth updating my livery yesterday at 2am...
And I hope P2 chokes on a bit of undercooked chorizo.
Last lap, T1, the scumnag dives on me and almost punts me out. MY RAGE was unlimited, and then, the coup de grace, the cherry.. he got 2s pen.
I AM 1.8 behind, plenty of fuel. This is a sprint. I immediately swiped my hair back and underneath it was Nicholas Cage in 60. The car had fuel, and my heart was fueled with pure hatred and rage. I pushed hard. I don't care about P1 at this point. I have to stop him from winning even if it costs me the entire race.
But fast, and steady, hearing the engine ROAR for the first time in 14 laps, I pressed on. Tilted, and furious, I bounced my limiter several times to assert my dominance. The Spaniard waved, and I was catching him up. In last sector, he was only 1 sec ahead and was going to be serving his penalty.
HE DID, and immediately unlisted and tried to punt me out. But I was ready: it was not the first time I have smelled his kind.
I start very gently steering towards the pits, while passing him on the left. Left tires loaded. They feel it, the climax is coming. And it happens: he dives onto my left to block me and I swerve to the right, avoiding him completely. I cross the line with my blinkers on as the scumbag tasted the grass. Unfortunately P3 was very far so he stayed on P2.
Door 9
Q7
P1
It was worth updating my livery yesterday at 2am...
And I hope P2 chokes on a bit of undercooked chorizo.
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- 2,277
- UK
- TPC_Watto
Thank you, it's been a long time since I had a race go that well. Was fortunate to qualify 5th and just pick and choose when to burn fuel to take and maintain positions and when to save. I had a French guy chasing me down in the closing laps but they couldn't get close enough in the dirty air to make a move. So managed to hang on for a very nice amount of points
Livery credit to @RacingGrandpa
- 108
- United States
I'm not fast either, right now I can only get within 3s of the top times. That said, I usually stick with one-and-done because the second race usually is worse for me. I too make too many unforced errors and shoot myself in the foot.
But i get back behind the wheel because theres always a next race and I wanna learn how to be in those top times.
- 1,591
- United Kingdom
- VulcanSpirit
Did have faith in getting a good result after completing some promising test lobbies in the '16 GT-R, but this was before last night when I found the Lexus to be more stable and @Ashthebash suggested that the half-shift technique would be a more optimal way of saving fuel. Prior to that, I had relied on the leaner maps plus higher revs to get me through and, as @MetaBrain put it, 'obliterate' some of the test races I had been in.
After completing the 18:20 EMEA slot with @GR33N, I am happy to say that taking Ash's advice on board made a massive difference to the way that my real race turned out...
18:20 Nations
Two turbo RC Fs against 18 turbo GT-Rs. It would be easy to assume just from reading that that it would be a Nissan whitewash, but even in later tests I knew there was a chance to upset the status quo. Followed one GT-R around to set a 1:31.727 on brake balance -2, all while avoiding an incident involving a separate driver at the first corner. Got a good slipstream down the straight, but had to back out of my second lap when I realised too late that I would end up compromising the GT-R's run if I committed to the apex. Apologised to him straight after, but still wound up 7th on the grid. The other RC F snatched pole by a whopping four tenths (1:31.080) which did make me wonder how things would've been different if I matched the 1:31.2 I managed in testing.
First lap and we already have two GT-Rs (one dark grey, the other in Sega colours) running wide out of Coca Cola curve. Enough of a hindrance to allow the stock-liveried GT-R (driven by the same person who treated the V8 Vantage like a battering ram last week) to squeeze past. Said GT-R proceeds to lunge and punt the dark grey car past the Sega car, earning a 2-second penalty. The dark grey car got out onto the kerb and spun into my path as a result, allowing a Spanish GT-R to pass as I briefly backed out in avoidance. The Spaniard and the Sega car proceed to trade paint all the way up to Turn 1, where the Spaniard is punted wide and spins out on the outer kerb. One place gained out of all of this, and a combination of gentler braking and the Lexus' more stable character allow me to easily catch up to the Sega car plus the 4th and 5th-placed runners.
Throughout the race, I maintained my initial approach of using higher fuel maps into and through corners, which was especially important as it allowed me to save a bit more fuel behind traffic. On Lap 6, the GT-R in 4th place went wobbly through the Coca Cola curve and dropped back upon sliding onto the Turn 4 runoff. It was on the same lap where I finally pulled past the Sega car into Turn 1. A bit forceful by my standards, but a good opportunity to use the extra juice I had saved to rev high and sow up the move. The very next lap, I pull off the same move on the French car with plenty of room to spare. On Lap 9, another Spaniard in front loses a significant chunk of time through the Coca Cola complex, allowing me to sweep around the outside into 3rd. Dipped into the high-1:32s and cranked up the revs towards the end in a bid to catch the remaining Spaniard in 2nd. Think the tyres were starting to lose their edge by the end, likewise my entries into Turn 1 were getting bit sloppier. Still clawed up enough ground to finish four tenths behind the Spaniard with 2% fuel remaining.
Like Laguna Seca on Saturday, everything in this race just clicked. Compared to the GT-R, the RC F felt like it was on rails through tighter sections and worked just as well on the straights with the half-shift approach. Again, I have to wonder how much a better qualifying position would've changed things up, but I'm incredibly thankful to have made the car switch and to follow Ashthebash's advice on shifting and fuel maps before matchmaking. I was doubtful about the half-shift approach after seeing a YouTube streamer attempt it and not get enough pace, but in the end it proved much better than relying purely on leaner mixes and potentially losing positions to faster cars behind.
My best result in the main Nations championship for a very long time (not counting the RBR Gr.1 podium last year which got reassigned to the "Exhibition Stage"). Good job GR33N on making the top 10, too!
Also, guess which obscure BTCC livery I used for inspiration behind this evening's paint scheme...
After completing the 18:20 EMEA slot with @GR33N, I am happy to say that taking Ash's advice on board made a massive difference to the way that my real race turned out...
18:20 Nations
Two turbo RC Fs against 18 turbo GT-Rs. It would be easy to assume just from reading that that it would be a Nissan whitewash, but even in later tests I knew there was a chance to upset the status quo. Followed one GT-R around to set a 1:31.727 on brake balance -2, all while avoiding an incident involving a separate driver at the first corner. Got a good slipstream down the straight, but had to back out of my second lap when I realised too late that I would end up compromising the GT-R's run if I committed to the apex. Apologised to him straight after, but still wound up 7th on the grid. The other RC F snatched pole by a whopping four tenths (1:31.080) which did make me wonder how things would've been different if I matched the 1:31.2 I managed in testing.
First lap and we already have two GT-Rs (one dark grey, the other in Sega colours) running wide out of Coca Cola curve. Enough of a hindrance to allow the stock-liveried GT-R (driven by the same person who treated the V8 Vantage like a battering ram last week) to squeeze past. Said GT-R proceeds to lunge and punt the dark grey car past the Sega car, earning a 2-second penalty. The dark grey car got out onto the kerb and spun into my path as a result, allowing a Spanish GT-R to pass as I briefly backed out in avoidance. The Spaniard and the Sega car proceed to trade paint all the way up to Turn 1, where the Spaniard is punted wide and spins out on the outer kerb. One place gained out of all of this, and a combination of gentler braking and the Lexus' more stable character allow me to easily catch up to the Sega car plus the 4th and 5th-placed runners.
Throughout the race, I maintained my initial approach of using higher fuel maps into and through corners, which was especially important as it allowed me to save a bit more fuel behind traffic. On Lap 6, the GT-R in 4th place went wobbly through the Coca Cola curve and dropped back upon sliding onto the Turn 4 runoff. It was on the same lap where I finally pulled past the Sega car into Turn 1. A bit forceful by my standards, but a good opportunity to use the extra juice I had saved to rev high and sow up the move. The very next lap, I pull off the same move on the French car with plenty of room to spare. On Lap 9, another Spaniard in front loses a significant chunk of time through the Coca Cola complex, allowing me to sweep around the outside into 3rd. Dipped into the high-1:32s and cranked up the revs towards the end in a bid to catch the remaining Spaniard in 2nd. Think the tyres were starting to lose their edge by the end, likewise my entries into Turn 1 were getting bit sloppier. Still clawed up enough ground to finish four tenths behind the Spaniard with 2% fuel remaining.
Like Laguna Seca on Saturday, everything in this race just clicked. Compared to the GT-R, the RC F felt like it was on rails through tighter sections and worked just as well on the straights with the half-shift approach. Again, I have to wonder how much a better qualifying position would've changed things up, but I'm incredibly thankful to have made the car switch and to follow Ashthebash's advice on shifting and fuel maps before matchmaking. I was doubtful about the half-shift approach after seeing a YouTube streamer attempt it and not get enough pace, but in the end it proved much better than relying purely on leaner mixes and potentially losing positions to faster cars behind.
My best result in the main Nations championship for a very long time (not counting the RBR Gr.1 podium last year which got reassigned to the "Exhibition Stage"). Good job GR33N on making the top 10, too!
Also, guess which obscure BTCC livery I used for inspiration behind this evening's paint scheme...
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Very good race from your side ! It was nice to meet you again.Did have faith in getting a good result after completing some promising test lobbies in the '16 GT-R, but this was before last night when I found the Lexus to be more stable and @Ashthebash suggested that the half-shift technique would be a more optimal way of saving fuel. Prior to that, I had relied on the leaner maps plus higher revs to get me through and, as @MetaBrain put it, 'obliterate' some of the test races I had been in.
After completing the 18:20 EMEA slot with @GR33N, I am happy to say that taking Ash's advice on board made a massive difference to the way that my real race turned out...
18:20 Nations
Two turbo RC Fs against 18 turbo GT-Rs. It would be easy to assume just from reading that that it would be a Nissan whitewash, but even in later tests I knew there was a chance to upset the status quo. Followed one GT-R around to set a 1:31.727 on brake balance -2, all while avoiding an incident involving a separate driver at the first corner. Got a good slipstream down the straight, but had to back out of my second lap when I realised too late that I would end up compromising the GT-R's run if I committed to the apex. Apologised to him straight after, but still wound up 7th on the grid. The other RC F snatched pole by a whopping four tenths (1:31.080) which did make me wonder how things would've been different if I matched the 1:31.2 I managed in testing.
First lap and we already have two GT-Rs (one dark grey, the other in Sega colours) running wide out of Coca Cola curve. Enough of a hindrance to allow the stock-liveried GT-R (driven by the same person who treated the V8 Vantage like a battering ram last week) to squeeze past. Said GT-R proceeds to lunge and punt the dark grey car past the Sega car, earning a 2-second penalty. The dark grey car got out onto the kerb and spun into my path as a result, allowing a Spanish GT-R to pass as I briefly backed out in avoidance. The Spaniard and the Sega car proceed to trade paint all the way up to Turn 1, where the Spaniard is punted wide and spins out on the outer kerb. One place gained out of all of this, and a combination of gentler braking and the Lexus' more stable character allow me to easily catch up to the Sega car plus the 4th and 5th-placed runners.
Throughout the race, I maintained my initial approach of using higher fuel maps into and through corners, which was especially important as it allowed me to save a bit more fuel behind traffic. On Lap 6, the GT-R in 4th place went wobbly through the Coca Cola curve and dropped back upon sliding onto the Turn 4 runoff. It was on the same lap where I finally pulled past the Sega car into Turn 1. A bit forceful by my standards, but a good opportunity to use the extra juice I had saved to rev high and sow up the move. The very next lap, I pull off the same move on the French car with plenty of room to spare. On Lap 9, another Spaniard in front loses a significant chunk of time through the Coca Cola complex, allowing me to sweep around the outside into 3rd. Dipped into the high-1:32s and cranked up the revs towards the end in a bid to catch the remaining Spaniard in 2nd. Think the tyres were starting to lose their edge by the end, likewise my entries into Turn 1 were getting bit sloppier. Still clawed up enough ground to finish four tenths behind the Spaniard with 2% fuel remaining.
View attachment 1017883
Like Laguna Seca on Saturday, everything in this race just clicked. Compared to the GT-R, the RC F felt like it was on rails through tighter sections and worked just as well on the straights with the half-shift approach. Again, I have to wonder how much a better qualifying position would've changed things up, but I'm incredibly thankful to have made the car switch and to follow Ashthebash's advice on shifting and fuel maps before matchmaking. I was doubtful about the half-shift approach after seeing a YouTube streamer attempt it and not get enough pace, but in the end it proved much better than relying purely on leaner mixes and potentially losing positions to faster cars behind.
My best result in the main Nations championship for a very long time (not counting the RBR Gr.1 podium last year which got reassigned to the "Exhibition Stage"). Good job GR33N on making the top 10, too!
So funny, I got 3rd place aswell in the 4th slot and it was worth... 239 points !
(Although it shows 240 on my score list
)I feel a bit lucky though, as the lobby seemed pretty slow in that slot which allowed me to gain 7 positions, 5 of of them being actual overtakes, mainly on the straights in the 2nd half of the race where I gambled on going flat out there and save more in the twisty bits (as you said, it's hard to pass there with the dirty air...).
And also, I ran out of fuel 50m before the line and kept 3rd by 0.02 sec
See you next time!
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- 2,388
- United Kingdom
- Hasnain282
- 2,187
- The failed experiment entitled “California”.
Just got done with the last slot for the European region. Another solid B lobby. Got at least 1 good qualy lap in and managed a 2nd this time. First couple laps we just fell into line. Lap 4, P3 overtakes me for position and I let him have it being that his pace looked like he wasn't fuel saving. Lap 5 I put it in the turf, lost my slip on P2 and got passed by P-4. dAMN
Lap 8 p2 and p4 go in to pit. Lap 8-12 is boring with p1 waaaaay gone. Lap 12.5 I turn up the after burners and start rapidly gaining on first. Ran out of fuel at the checkers with P1 in sight. Whatever.
Its a shame these multipliers really sucked because Fuji lends itself to some really good racing. Like....REALLY GOOD RACING. Even if I was further back in the pack, with clean driver, and had the opportunity to battle, I probably wouldn't. Wouldn't want to spare the fuel. Regardless, I'm a fan of these kind of races where you have to think a bit. In the lower lobbies, if you go for the no stop and you drive clean and don't get punted. Your pretty much guaranteed a goos position. I was gonna jump on my main acct and see what the high lobbies are like but meh...I'm over it
Lap 8 p2 and p4 go in to pit. Lap 8-12 is boring with p1 waaaaay gone. Lap 12.5 I turn up the after burners and start rapidly gaining on first. Ran out of fuel at the checkers with P1 in sight. Whatever.
Its a shame these multipliers really sucked because Fuji lends itself to some really good racing. Like....REALLY GOOD RACING. Even if I was further back in the pack, with clean driver, and had the opportunity to battle, I probably wouldn't. Wouldn't want to spare the fuel. Regardless, I'm a fan of these kind of races where you have to think a bit. In the lower lobbies, if you go for the no stop and you drive clean and don't get punted. Your pretty much guaranteed a goos position. I was gonna jump on my main acct and see what the high lobbies are like but meh...I'm over it
- 1,946
- Bristol, UK
- OJBrit
A good recovery drive tonight.
Qualifying didn't go as well as I'd hope. Didn't get the final sector right and set a time around half a second slower than I know I could get easily.
My second lap seemed to be going o.k. until the last sector again. Coming out of the chicane after Dunlop and the car wanted to go which was strange. I held it but the rest of the lap was filled with equal amounts of understeer and oversteer meaning I lost 1.5 seconds from being 0.4 up.
In the end I managed 14th on the grid.
Plenty of people were revving on the grid and for the last slot that seemed a little silly. Hadn't they learned?
Managed to hold position into TGR as the guys behind obviously were not short shifting. One guy spun coming out of the corner and everyone else seemed to be very slow so by Coca Cola I was 10th. However into Dunlop and I think about 10 cars tried to occupy the same space all the way up the hill. I tried to stay out of trouble but I nudged and was nudged in equal measure. Somehow I picked up a 2 second penalty in a moment I wasn't next to anybody. After I served that lap 2 I was back in 16th. That's when I went into full fuel saving mode. I pretty much held station then with the guys about 2 seconds ahead and pulled a gap to behind. Eventually guys start to pit and towards the end I find myself P8. However a few begin to charge back through so I let them go when they are close. A couple of guys who were ahead do not and a Belgian gets a penalty for going wide at Coca Cola because he fought. I get past them easily on after the PZ. I am 10th after this and a Brit has a penalty ahead. I managed to pick up a 1 second penalty when a Spaniard who is going very slow (white flag stuff from the marshals) just unghosts before GR Supra and I must just clip them. I still manage to hold it ahead of the Brit who has to serve theirs and I grab P8 at the line.
Just by being on here I knew it was fuel saving and the right strategy brought me the result.
Qualifying didn't go as well as I'd hope. Didn't get the final sector right and set a time around half a second slower than I know I could get easily.
My second lap seemed to be going o.k. until the last sector again. Coming out of the chicane after Dunlop and the car wanted to go which was strange. I held it but the rest of the lap was filled with equal amounts of understeer and oversteer meaning I lost 1.5 seconds from being 0.4 up.
In the end I managed 14th on the grid.
Plenty of people were revving on the grid and for the last slot that seemed a little silly. Hadn't they learned?
Managed to hold position into TGR as the guys behind obviously were not short shifting. One guy spun coming out of the corner and everyone else seemed to be very slow so by Coca Cola I was 10th. However into Dunlop and I think about 10 cars tried to occupy the same space all the way up the hill. I tried to stay out of trouble but I nudged and was nudged in equal measure. Somehow I picked up a 2 second penalty in a moment I wasn't next to anybody.
After I served that lap 2 I was back in 16th. That's when I went into full fuel saving mode. I pretty much held station then with the guys about 2 seconds ahead and pulled a gap to behind. Eventually guys start to pit and towards the end I find myself P8. However a few begin to charge back through so I let them go when they are close. A couple of guys who were ahead do not and a Belgian gets a penalty for going wide at Coca Cola because he fought. I get past them easily on after the PZ. I am 10th after this and a Brit has a penalty ahead. I managed to pick up a 1 second penalty when a Spaniard who is going very slow (white flag stuff from the marshals) just unghosts before GR Supra and I must just clip them. I still manage to hold it ahead of the Brit who has to serve theirs and I grab P8 at the line.Just by being on here I knew it was fuel saving and the right strategy brought me the result.
Did have faith in getting a good result after completing some promising test lobbies in the '16 GT-R, but this was before last night when I found the Lexus to be more stable and @Ashthebash suggested that the half-shift technique would be a more optimal way of saving fuel. Prior to that, I had relied on the leaner maps plus higher revs to get me through and, as @MetaBrain put it, 'obliterate' some of the test races I had been in.
After completing the 18:20 EMEA slot with @GR33N, I am happy to say that taking Ash's advice on board made a massive difference to the way that my real race turned out...
18:20 Nations
Two turbo RC Fs against 18 turbo GT-Rs. It would be easy to assume just from reading that that it would be a Nissan whitewash, but even in later tests I knew there was a chance to upset the status quo. Followed one GT-R around to set a 1:31.727 on brake balance -2, all while avoiding an incident involving a separate driver at the first corner. Got a good slipstream down the straight, but had to back out of my second lap when I realised too late that I would end up compromising the GT-R's run if I committed to the apex. Apologised to him straight after, but still wound up 7th on the grid. The other RC F snatched pole by a whopping four tenths (1:31.080) which did make me wonder how things would've been different if I matched the 1:31.2 I managed in testing.
First lap and we already have two GT-Rs (one dark grey, the other in Sega colours) running wide out of Coca Cola curve. Enough of a hindrance to allow the stock-liveried GT-R (driven by the same person who treated the V8 Vantage like a battering ram last week) to squeeze past. Said GT-R proceeds to lunge and punt the dark grey car past the Sega car, earning a 2-second penalty. The dark grey car got out onto the kerb and spun into my path as a result, allowing a Spanish GT-R to pass as I briefly backed out in avoidance. The Spaniard and the Sega car proceed to trade paint all the way up to Turn 1, where the Spaniard is punted wide and spins out on the outer kerb. One place gained out of all of this, and a combination of gentler braking and the Lexus' more stable character allow me to easily catch up to the Sega car plus the 4th and 5th-placed runners.
Throughout the race, I maintained my initial approach of using higher fuel maps into and through corners, which was especially important as it allowed me to save a bit more fuel behind traffic. On Lap 6, the GT-R in 4th place went wobbly through the Coca Cola curve and dropped back upon sliding onto the Turn 4 runoff. It was on the same lap where I finally pulled past the Sega car into Turn 1. A bit forceful by my standards, but a good opportunity to use the extra juice I had saved to rev high and sow up the move. The very next lap, I pull off the same move on the French car with plenty of room to spare. On Lap 9, another Spaniard in front loses a significant chunk of time through the Coca Cola complex, allowing me to sweep around the outside into 3rd. Dipped into the high-1:32s and cranked up the revs towards the end in a bid to catch the remaining Spaniard in 2nd. Think the tyres were starting to lose their edge by the end, likewise my entries into Turn 1 were getting bit sloppier. Still clawed up enough ground to finish four tenths behind the Spaniard with 2% fuel remaining.
View attachment 1017883
Like Laguna Seca on Saturday, everything in this race just clicked. Compared to the GT-R, the RC F felt like it was on rails through tighter sections and worked just as well on the straights with the half-shift approach. Again, I have to wonder how much a better qualifying position would've changed things up, but I'm incredibly thankful to have made the car switch and to follow Ashthebash's advice on shifting and fuel maps before matchmaking. I was doubtful about the half-shift approach after seeing a YouTube streamer attempt it and not get enough pace, but in the end it proved much better than relying purely on leaner mixes and potentially losing positions to faster cars behind.
My best result in the main Nations championship for a very long time (not counting the RBR Gr.1 podium last year which got reassigned to the "Exhibition Stage"). Good job GR33N on making the top 10, too!
Reminds me of the Renault Laguna in TOCA2 for the PSX.. But the lettering in the hood was yellow IIRC
- 819
- United Kingdom
I love reporting good news!!
...however
I'd barely driven the Lexus before last week, but decided to give it a try and after setting an FP time inside five laps that took me twenty to beat with the Nissan, I tried racing it, was instantly smitten, and after showing really good pace in practice (as @VulcanSpirit may testify!) I went into the race with very high hopes.
Entered slot 3, 2nd split, and qualified 6th with a decent lap. A glitch at the start bunched the field up, I lost a couple of spots to a short shift but made them back on the exit of T1. Got overtaken into the first hairpin but wasn't too concerned, wanted the race to settle first and just as I was turning into the chicane I noticed a Brit (well known for dodgy moves) flying up the inside, to give you an idea of just how far back he was... (I'm in 7th!)
I tried to evade him at the last, didn't quite manage it, got knocked off line, he went through and as I was trying to recover I just got swamped. After dropping to 10th it seemed I'd finally got back on line - fending off an Indian - only for an Italian (also known for dodgy moves) to perform a pleb move into the left hand hairpin, punting me wide, allowing him and the Indian through. Two laps later lining up the Italian into the chicane, he got a wheel on the grass, speared across between me and the Indian, clipping us both and as we both readjusted our lines into the corner we made slight contact, he went into a half spin, I got hit with a 2s penalty, mugged out of the chicane again as I recovered from the touch and after serving the penalty I was 19th out of 19. I didn't finish there, but I can't tell you where I finished! Just that it was very slow, and the race was won in a time that was slower than the majority of my practice runs
So being somewhat annoyed I went again
Still 2nd split but not as strong, I qualified 5th, and we all got around to the chicane again without incident. Then inexplicably both the Frenchman in 4th and I cut the chicane! I'd literally not cut it all week, we both got a 1.5s penalty (somewhat harsh for a slight cut at 45mph but it is what it is!), serving it on the straight we dropped to 8th and 9th, being behind actually helped though and I got a good tow off him to go ahead into T1. From there we were in a train of four cars to the finish, where (as can happen in high downforce), the slowest driver was at the front, the three behind all struggling in dirty air but because of a tow down the straight any opportunities were few and far between, let alone good ones. We had a good, clean race though. Without the stupid penalty I would have probably been able to take a podium but at least that was down to me, can't blame anyone else for my troubles. Overall it was another night of frustration, with 8th for 213 (I think) being the end result.
On to Spa
(Fingers crossed)
...however
I'd barely driven the Lexus before last week, but decided to give it a try and after setting an FP time inside five laps that took me twenty to beat with the Nissan, I tried racing it, was instantly smitten, and after showing really good pace in practice (as @VulcanSpirit may testify!) I went into the race with very high hopes.
Entered slot 3, 2nd split, and qualified 6th with a decent lap. A glitch at the start bunched the field up, I lost a couple of spots to a short shift but made them back on the exit of T1. Got overtaken into the first hairpin but wasn't too concerned, wanted the race to settle first and just as I was turning into the chicane I noticed a Brit (well known for dodgy moves) flying up the inside, to give you an idea of just how far back he was... (I'm in 7th!)
I tried to evade him at the last, didn't quite manage it, got knocked off line, he went through and as I was trying to recover I just got swamped. After dropping to 10th it seemed I'd finally got back on line - fending off an Indian - only for an Italian (also known for dodgy moves) to perform a pleb move into the left hand hairpin, punting me wide, allowing him and the Indian through. Two laps later lining up the Italian into the chicane, he got a wheel on the grass, speared across between me and the Indian, clipping us both and as we both readjusted our lines into the corner we made slight contact, he went into a half spin, I got hit with a 2s penalty, mugged out of the chicane again as I recovered from the touch and after serving the penalty I was 19th out of 19. I didn't finish there, but I can't tell you where I finished! Just that it was very slow, and the race was won in a time that was slower than the majority of my practice runs
So being somewhat annoyed I went again
Still 2nd split but not as strong, I qualified 5th, and we all got around to the chicane again without incident. Then inexplicably both the Frenchman in 4th and I cut the chicane! I'd literally not cut it all week, we both got a 1.5s penalty (somewhat harsh for a slight cut at 45mph but it is what it is!), serving it on the straight we dropped to 8th and 9th, being behind actually helped though and I got a good tow off him to go ahead into T1. From there we were in a train of four cars to the finish, where (as can happen in high downforce), the slowest driver was at the front, the three behind all struggling in dirty air but because of a tow down the straight any opportunities were few and far between, let alone good ones. We had a good, clean race though. Without the stupid penalty I would have probably been able to take a podium but at least that was down to me, can't blame anyone else for my troubles. Overall it was another night of frustration, with 8th for 213 (I think) being the end result.
On to Spa
(Fingers crossed)
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- 108
- United States
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Race Report: 2000 Americas C/S 48 Point Lobby Door 20
Qualifying. I did my normal wait 30-40 seconds before leaving, went at a gentle pace for the first half of the outlap and then pushed it to warm up the tires. Thought i had left enough room in front of me and caught traffic in front of me at the hairpin. Followed him through the lap, hoped he would pull off at the main straight as he was going slow, I'm talking Hadn't practiced, couldn't drive a GT-R slow. He didn't let me by and I was up on him through 100R when he inexplicably braked. I didn't mean to tap him, apologized later, but come on.... ended up Q6, still off the pace I set in practice.
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Race: Going for #TeamNoStop. Mostly short shifting but a few laps on Fuel Map 3, just in case. Turn one Madness was exactly that, madness. A Canadian went wide and saved it. I get passed but pass someone so I'm in P6. I get bumped at the hairpin but not bad enough to mess me up, help the position. That was the race. I held P5 or P6 until pitstops happened. Moved up to P3 in the cycle, neither P1 or P2 stopped so thats that.
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The guy who started P20 due to poor qualifying (but was Door 1) had a faster pace than me, i couldn't have held him off for 7 laps. He finished P2. Something odd in the chat though. Someone was talking to the guy who was on the pole (and went wire to wire) in the chat and he wasn't the guy they thought he was, that multiple drivers use that account. I thought that was really, really weird.
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Held on for the podium, P4 made a hard charge and caught me at the final corner but couldn't pass me, I had stopped fuel saving at that point and kept him just out of slipstream range. Most points I've in any race (44) and the highest my DR has ever been. I can see B rank!
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Race Report: 2000 Americas C/S 48 Point Lobby Door 20
Qualifying. I did my normal wait 30-40 seconds before leaving, went at a gentle pace for the first half of the outlap and then pushed it to warm up the tires. Thought i had left enough room in front of me and caught traffic in front of me at the hairpin. Followed him through the lap, hoped he would pull off at the main straight as he was going slow, I'm talking Hadn't practiced, couldn't drive a GT-R slow. He didn't let me by and I was up on him through 100R when he inexplicably braked. I didn't mean to tap him, apologized later, but come on.... ended up Q6, still off the pace I set in practice.
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Race: Going for #TeamNoStop. Mostly short shifting but a few laps on Fuel Map 3, just in case. Turn one Madness was exactly that, madness. A Canadian went wide and saved it. I get passed but pass someone so I'm in P6. I get bumped at the hairpin but not bad enough to mess me up, help the position. That was the race. I held P5 or P6 until pitstops happened. Moved up to P3 in the cycle, neither P1 or P2 stopped so thats that.
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The guy who started P20 due to poor qualifying (but was Door 1) had a faster pace than me, i couldn't have held him off for 7 laps. He finished P2. Something odd in the chat though. Someone was talking to the guy who was on the pole (and went wire to wire) in the chat and he wasn't the guy they thought he was, that multiple drivers use that account. I thought that was really, really weird.
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Held on for the podium, P4 made a hard charge and caught me at the final corner but couldn't pass me, I had stopped fuel saving at that point and kept him just out of slipstream range. Most points I've in any race (44) and the highest my DR has ever been. I can see B rank!
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- 1,049
- Grand Rapids,MI
- HaydenFan69
DFL
That is all.
That is all.
- 1,230
- Michigan
- KosmoKazi
I guess thus just how Jimmie Johnson must feel in an Indy car!
My worst track and cars that make the worst of my worst habits. Didn’t expect much. Ran one on Alt for practice, finished in second half of field, had little hope for anything all race. Was going to bail on the idea of even running it on the main account. But did the math and had an outside chance of improving my FIA score. So I did.
qualified 11th. Finished 9th for positive DR and useful FIA points. With door 2. Total success.
My worst track and cars that make the worst of my worst habits. Didn’t expect much. Ran one on Alt for practice, finished in second half of field, had little hope for anything all race. Was going to bail on the idea of even running it on the main account. But did the math and had an outside chance of improving my FIA score. So I did.
qualified 11th. Finished 9th for positive DR and useful FIA points. With door 2. Total success.
- 1,416
- United States
- equus_ferrum
Slot 1: Other GTP racers were @The359 and @Roman_GT23. I Qualified 9th. I was half a second (!) up on my previous lap before I went too deep into the chicane and threw off my rhythm. Ended the lap only 0.06 quicker than my first flyer. If I'd kept it together I'd have started in the Top 5. I spent most of the race in a slipstream train that stretched from 4th or 5th down to 10th or 11th. I couldn't get by anyone despite feeling like I had better pace, and ultimately finished 10th.
Slot 2: Didn't get great laps in, but still qualified 6th, beating @Razgriz18 by a hair. Somehow whenever there's a Gr.2 FIA race, we always manage to end up in the same slot and start right next to each other. This is at least the 3rd time this has happened, despite not having been in the same split as each other in a long, long time. Anyway, 5th place went too deep into the chicane on Lap 1 and got a corner cutting penalty taking evasive action to avoid punting the car in front of us, so that gave me a freebie at the end of Lap 1 when they served their penalty. After that, the leader checked out, leaving me in a train from 2nd to 5th, with @Razgriz18 just outside my slipstream. Everyone in front of me was saving waaaaaaay too much fuel. I'd gain massively on them braking for T1, then again on the run to T2, but it took most of the race before I was close enough to make a move. Eventually I was close enough however, and one-by-one, I picked each of them off on the front straight or at T1 until I was in 2nd. The leader was long gone, so I just focused on staying out of the slipstream of everyone behind and not making mistakes. This ended up being my 3rd-best score of the season. It's also my final Nation's score of the season since I'm definitely not doing Gr.3 at Nurb GP...
Slot 2: Didn't get great laps in, but still qualified 6th, beating @Razgriz18 by a hair. Somehow whenever there's a Gr.2 FIA race, we always manage to end up in the same slot and start right next to each other
. This is at least the 3rd time this has happened, despite not having been in the same split as each other in a long, long time. Anyway, 5th place went too deep into the chicane on Lap 1 and got a corner cutting penalty taking evasive action to avoid punting the car in front of us, so that gave me a freebie at the end of Lap 1 when they served their penalty. After that, the leader checked out, leaving me in a train from 2nd to 5th, with @Razgriz18 just outside my slipstream. Everyone in front of me was saving waaaaaaay too much fuel. I'd gain massively on them braking for T1, then again on the run to T2, but it took most of the race before I was close enough to make a move. Eventually I was close enough however, and one-by-one, I picked each of them off on the front straight or at T1 until I was in 2nd. The leader was long gone, so I just focused on staying out of the slipstream of everyone behind and not making mistakes. This ended up being my 3rd-best score of the season. It's also my final Nation's score of the season since I'm definitely not doing Gr.3 at Nurb GP...
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- 255
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
CSA Slot 3, door #18 on one of the highest-rated FIA lobbies I've been in a long while, 229-point A+/A lobby, sharing it with @praiano63. Poor first lap in qualy, got the second one ruined by someone making a mistake and aborting in front of me and didn't get to open a 3rd one. P16 on the grid. Racing at the back was a mess, with some drivers fuel saving, others fighting and going side-by-side, bumping people, etc. Was P14 at the end. At least, I finished in front of a couple of A+ drivers which meant I didn't lose too much DR.
CSA Slot 4, door #10 on a slightly weaker lobby, with just a few A+ drivers. Better qualy this time, P6 on the grid. First part of the race was good other than for a guy that hit me as he was desperate to pass everyone. It turned out he was on a 1-stop. Still, I managed to save a lot of fuel in the slipstream to attack at the end.
Unfortunately, after many laps fuel saving I decided I had enough fuel to push and went for a move into T1. But the guy I overtook insisted on fighting me and re-overtaking which was a shame, as I think with the fuel I had we could have caught up with P4, but we ended up bringing everyone behind into our slip instead. And then, he forced me a bit wide and ended up falling to P8.
In the last lap, unfortunately I caused contact. Thought a guy had turned in on me as I went tight into the left hander after 100R. But upon inspection of the replay, although I made the apex, I wasn't alongside enough and should have backed out. Luckily, I didn't spin him or anything but I wrote him later to apologize, as I should have given the place back.
P7 at the end, not great points but an enjoyable race, although too much fuel saving was needed for my liking. P5 finished just ahead, which with the fuel I had for the last laps, should have been the result, but it wasn't meant to be.
CSA Slot 4, door #10 on a slightly weaker lobby, with just a few A+ drivers. Better qualy this time, P6 on the grid. First part of the race was good other than for a guy that hit me as he was desperate to pass everyone. It turned out he was on a 1-stop. Still, I managed to save a lot of fuel in the slipstream to attack at the end.
Unfortunately, after many laps fuel saving I decided I had enough fuel to push and went for a move into T1. But the guy I overtook insisted on fighting me and re-overtaking which was a shame, as I think with the fuel I had we could have caught up with P4, but we ended up bringing everyone behind into our slip instead. And then, he forced me a bit wide and ended up falling to P8.
In the last lap, unfortunately I caused contact. Thought a guy had turned in on me as I went tight into the left hander after 100R. But upon inspection of the replay, although I made the apex, I wasn't alongside enough and should have backed out. Luckily, I didn't spin him or anything but I wrote him later to apologize, as I should have given the place back.
P7 at the end, not great points but an enjoyable race, although too much fuel saving was needed for my liking. P5 finished just ahead, which with the fuel I had for the last laps, should have been the result, but it wasn't meant to be.
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- 2,187
- The failed experiment entitled “California”.
As much as I like these races, today's race just really pissed me off. Fuji is such a fun track that promotes good racing with multiple lines through all the sectors. And group 2 is arguably the most fun group to race despite its lack of options. It just really bugged me to unrealistically have to baby this high performance race car around the circuit to get a good finish.
Thinking about some of the recent FIA races lately that have all more or less, left something to be desired (Tokyo, Nurbugring, Laguna Seca, Fuji, Spa this weekend). They've all lacked a variety of plausible winning strategies. We've all been complaining about it. I think the problem is the length of races. There's only so much you can do with a 25 minute race and multipliers to get a variation of races that are "winners" for us. And by "winners", I mean races that require some strategy without being total snooze-fest. These last races, your qualifying position has really had a huge influence on how you finish...especially in the higher lobbies. Not to mention if you get punted or whatever in the beginning...your race is effectively over. I don't think going back to shorter pit stops are the answer because that was just too unrealistic and it too, also lended itself to stale races in terms of strategies.
Not sure how realistic it would be for PD to do this, but I really think the sweet spot for these races need to be in the 30-35 minute time frame. That gives the race enough time where you would really have to think about strategy going into the race and make some on-the-fly strategy adjustments if needed.....depending how your personal race, and the races around you played out. I'm not suggesting that every race get lengthened, but I think some of them could. As an added bonus, if you have a mishap somewhere in the race (wether its self-inflicted or you've fallen victim), you'll have at least a "puncher's chance" at recovering
What say ye'?
Thinking about some of the recent FIA races lately that have all more or less, left something to be desired (Tokyo, Nurbugring, Laguna Seca, Fuji, Spa this weekend). They've all lacked a variety of plausible winning strategies. We've all been complaining about it. I think the problem is the length of races. There's only so much you can do with a 25 minute race and multipliers to get a variation of races that are "winners" for us. And by "winners", I mean races that require some strategy without being total snooze-fest. These last races, your qualifying position has really had a huge influence on how you finish...especially in the higher lobbies. Not to mention if you get punted or whatever in the beginning...your race is effectively over. I don't think going back to shorter pit stops are the answer because that was just too unrealistic and it too, also lended itself to stale races in terms of strategies.
Not sure how realistic it would be for PD to do this, but I really think the sweet spot for these races need to be in the 30-35 minute time frame. That gives the race enough time where you would really have to think about strategy going into the race and make some on-the-fly strategy adjustments if needed.....depending how your personal race, and the races around you played out. I'm not suggesting that every race get lengthened, but I think some of them could. As an added bonus, if you have a mishap somewhere in the race (wether its self-inflicted or you've fallen victim), you'll have at least a "puncher's chance" at recovering
What say ye'?
- 913
- Sacramento
- JoeDaSnow
I entered the four slots of round 9 in the Nations Cup. In the first one I, used the GT-R and started sixth and finished second with 17 points. In the second slot, I switched to the NSX and this time I started second and finished first with 39 points. Instead of going to pit lane to refuel, I used fuel conservation to win that race. I entered the third slot in an attempt to score more points. Using the same car I entered with in the previous slot, I started in eleventh and finished in seventh with 36 points.
Heading to slot 4, I switched back to the GT-R and once again, I realized I need to pit at once. Starting in sixth place, I finished in the same position with 47 points. I then realized I had won twice in this season of the Nations Cup, thus making it the second season in a row I had endured that.
Heading to slot 4, I switched back to the GT-R and once again, I realized I need to pit at once. Starting in sixth place, I finished in the same position with 47 points. I then realized I had won twice in this season of the Nations Cup, thus making it the second season in a row I had endured that.
- 1,416
- United States
- equus_ferrum
I think the main problem is related, but different, and that is the pit length. In typical PD fashion, they massively overcorrected for a previous problem (which I personally didn't think was a big problem anyway...), which was that the pit stop times were often too short, so the obvious strategy was to do only 1 lap on the harder tires, then do multiple stops and change the softer tires as many times as necessary. Any tracks with stop lengths less than 7s encouraged spamming the pit lane (Maggiore and Fuji were some of the shortest at ~5s for a pit stop).
But there were already tracks that had the ideal pit stop length for the typical races we have in the FIA - which was 10s. DTS, Willow Springs, Suzuka, Spa, and RBR all had pit times around this length; and as long as the tire multipliers were set right, making an extra pit stop was often tempting, but the 10s pit time made it JUST difficult enough to close the gap again that you actually had to think about it. Of course, rather than just adjusting all of the pit lengths to be 10s, they decided to make all the pit stops 3x longer than that and occasionally resort to annoying fuel multipliers and mandatory usage of more than 1 tire compound so that the entire season wasn't just a bunch of no-stoppers (but still 75% no-stoppers anyway...).
Just 2 weeks ago we had the RB Jr. cars at Big Willow as proof that 10s is ideal in many situations. Equally viable strategies were a 1-stop of 7S/8M, or a 2-stop of 7S/7S/1M. Being on the Soft tires more would not only make you quicker, but also less likely to make a mistake at a combo where making race-ending mistakes was really easy, but it also left you with 10s to make up and overtake cars that are really sensitive to dirty air.
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- 464
- United States
Slot 1 (and done ): So I had a friend that was in top split that had every alien imaginable doing the NA round of Nations. So that left a handful of us in 2nd split for best of the rest honors. I luckily had 5 allies I could rely on in this race, but turned out I was on my own due to my start lol. So qualy was looking bleek. I had a huge bump from a teammate right before the braking corner. I realized I was carrying so much speed I had to brake early and it caused chaos behind me. The first two laps were terrible considering what I was doing in the practice lobbies, but on the 3rd lap and worn tires I managed 5th . So onto the race. I intended on fuel saving right from the start but I saw people were barreling down on me so I had to rev it out to keep the spot. ZeQuartz gave it too much gas and spun it so up to 4th. At this point I was content just settling in and saving fuel. Then 359 and Lordini were battling it out unusually hard. I just sat back with the popcorn and watched while trying to keep closer at bay. Then Lordini just lost control and went off, so we're up to 3rd. I tried to keep up with 359 but I just didn't have the pace. There was a point in the race I looked back and a little behind closer there were a hangry pack of Gr.2's coming. So waited until the 2nd to last lap to open it up and defend. I wasn't great, but I was good enough to hold onto 3rd. 261 points. Gave me the luxury to check out early and catch a new episode of Loki on Disney+
): So I had a friend that was in top split that had every alien imaginable doing the NA round of Nations. So that left a handful of us in 2nd split for best of the rest honors. I luckily had 5 allies I could rely on in this race, but turned out I was on my own due to my start lol. So qualy was looking bleek. I had a huge bump from a teammate right before the braking corner. I realized I was carrying so much speed I had to brake early and it caused chaos behind me. The first two laps were terrible considering what I was doing in the practice lobbies, but on the 3rd lap and worn tires I managed 5th . So onto the race. I intended on fuel saving right from the start but I saw people were barreling down on me so I had to rev it out to keep the spot. ZeQuartz gave it too much gas and spun it so up to 4th. At this point I was content just settling in and saving fuel. Then 359 and Lordini were battling it out unusually hard. I just sat back with the popcorn and watched while trying to keep closer at bay. Then Lordini just lost control and went off, so we're up to 3rd. I tried to keep up with 359 but I just didn't have the pace. There was a point in the race I looked back and a little behind closer there were a hangry pack of Gr.2's coming. So waited until the 2nd to last lap to open it up and defend. I wasn't great, but I was good enough to hold onto 3rd. 261 points. Gave me the luxury to check out early and catch a new episode of Loki on Disney+
- 5,064
- Druids Bend
- Z4E_Midnight85
I think they should make more of the races now have TWO mandatory tyres, so everyone will do at least a stop. Maybe give the choice of three tyres to catch people out if they don't pay attention, but force a pit stop through two tyre compounds and strategy comes back into it. Not just do a no-stop and save 28s by not pitting....
- 176
- Virginia, USA
- redhotcpeppers
Fuji Race - Q17 - P11. I went with the no-stop strategy, but took the rarely used approach of fuel saving using auto transmission. I used the '08 Lexus because I could get 1 more lap out of it than the other Gr2 cars (before fuel mapping) , and in my hands the pace of the car wasn't too much different from the other choices. I used Fuel Map 1 on the main straight and Fuel Map 4 for the rest of the track for laps 2 through 12. I used FM 1 for the entire 1st lap, and had enough fuel to use FM 1 on the entire last 2 laps as well.
Qualifying could have been much better. Someone ahead of me spun off track and then re-joined just in front of me on my flying lap so I lost a lot of time and qualified 17th. In the race, someone knocked me off track on lap 2 so that put me further behind and I needed a few laps to really get my rhythm down. The last 7 laps were faster than my 1st 7, and I got my fastest lap on lap 14!
Overall, I think it was a good strategy, and I could have been close to Top 5 with better qualifying and without the bump on lap 2. It was fun to try something different both with regard to the car choice and the AT fuel mapping strategy.
Qualifying could have been much better. Someone ahead of me spun off track and then re-joined just in front of me on my flying lap so I lost a lot of time and qualified 17th. In the race, someone knocked me off track on lap 2 so that put me further behind and I needed a few laps to really get my rhythm down. The last 7 laps were faster than my 1st 7, and I got my fastest lap on lap 14!
Overall, I think it was a good strategy, and I could have been close to Top 5 with better qualifying and without the bump on lap 2. It was fun to try something different both with regard to the car choice and the AT fuel mapping strategy.
- 48,811
- Australia
That's what I've been saying.
I can see having a tyre multiplier to simulate abrasive surfacing. Maybe also a hot day. When we have these no stop races, may as well make the fuel/tyre multiplier 1x/1x.
A Mandatory stop with a pit window, even make a timed race with a pit window, can help those in traffic. Pit early for an undercut. Pit later for a run on light fuel to the finish.
Why just leave the excitement of racing to the World Tour? All FIA races should be like the World Tour strategic races.
- 1,049
- Grand Rapids,MI
- HaydenFan69
- 48,811
- Australia
What's ironic is, reading this week's Daily Race C versus the FIA nations in the same cars. No matter the track, the mandatory stop adds flavour.
I also get that fuel saving can be a learning tool. Yes, it can help players that aren't that great at managing tyres and fuel. However, being the real race series Super GT is and known for, that series pit every race. Simulate that.
