2021 FIA Series Race Discussion

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What. A. Debacle.

I was due for a bad race... it's been going way too well. Something was going to balance it out soon.

Today was the day. Brands.

Matched with @C_Raccoon23 again, which was cool. We've had a few good runs together so I was hoping for another good TPC showing.

But screwed up my first flying lap, after being careful not to wear my tires too much on the out lap, and to keep space... but I think I let them get too cool and I ended up going off at Surtees onto the long back straight... so reset and had to scramble to get one good lap in. Botched it on the last turn, though, so was going to start 17th.

Then... the best part: my TV SHUT OFF ON ME right as I took the green at the start/finish line! I understandably got punted into the gravel at Paddock, and watched helplessly as the field put a 10 second gap on me. What a disaster.

Though seriously about quitting, but that's not my style, and I knew there was usually a lot of attrition at this track, and it was a long race without many good chances to pass... so gutted it out.

Ended up working my way up to finish 13th (!) after spotting the whole field the first sector. Minimized the damage to my DR with that run up to 13th. I'm sticking with my one-and-done philosophy.

Wasted opportunity for a decent top-10, based on my practice speed and my usual MO to keep it on the track, but a lot of that was out of my control, with that darn (Sony) TV shutting off on me, at the worst possible time.

Oh well, looking ahead to the Nations race in the Miata TC cars... at that fun track in Japan.
 
Yay... back in the game, but Brands Hatch... (only ever raced Brands properly on my NA account in its first week of levelling up)

Ferrari is great around here and I seem to be pretty quick as long as I stay off the grass. Entered the 4th slot (7pm), and found myself scraping into a very weak top split

This ain't good (for points scoring)!

Set an ok qualy time of a 21.3 despite a mistake through Westfields on my first run, reset and went for a second and although I was on a good lap, someone had removed the marker board on the entry to Stirlings and I lost a couple of tenths through there. Q8

Now - I have a problem. I usually struggle on the first lap or two with the tyres, there's often no temperature, no grip, and as a result I'll go deep into a corner or someone will think I'm dead slow and get impatient. I need to figure this out! But today was one of those days, and Brands isn't a great track to get mugged on. So after getting swamped while I was struggling on tyres and others (seemingly) weren't I was down to 13th. Then it settled down. I toyed with running a 2 stop but decided to just pit early to try to jump some of the queue ahead and do a single stop. So came in on L9, and only managed to jump the Aston directly ahead of me that reacted to my pit stop by pitting a lap later.

From there I think we had one guy pointing the wrong way and a YouTuber that had made a mistake to allow me past, not much 'proper' racing, but I came in in 10th for 226pts. I could really have pushed the podium places on sheer pace, but my race was compromised too much early on (really need to sort out this cold tyre thing).

The points won't count and I'd have liked to have gone again - would have just about been in 2nd split if I had done - but although it feels like an opportunity for a big score wasted it also feels like a solid drive that's just reinforcing that I can compete with a lot of these quicker guys

Unfortunately it's the end of my Gr.3 campaign for the official season. Can't complain! Two wins and lots of points, but I'm able to do both remaining Gr.4 races so hopefully end on a high note 👍
 
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I dunno. Tonight in Manufacturer FIA at Brands was a mix of 'OK' and 'not OK'

Ran the first slot on the main as I usually do. Had a terrible qualy as I was taken out on my only real flying lap by an Argentinian who comes into play in the race, and lined up in 15th.

Had good pace throughout, and through attrition and some good passes came home in 5th. A decent haul of points and 800 DR.

Unfortunately I was called out post race as a dirty🤬 by the Argentinian from qualy because he wasn't pleased about me passing him as he turned in on me while I was along side him, and he went off. I'm not sure why he was turning right with a car next to him with 30 feet or more of race track to his left.

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I then ran slot 2 using my alt, also a lower A/S lobby. To my surprise I got pole, but lined up just in front of a known dirty player. Of course he punts me off on turn 2 lap 1. I tried for some revenge, but it didn't work out so well. I finished P10 to his P7. Players like him need to be banned for good. Over and over again. The same players doing the same stuff. It's sad.

 
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Brands Hatch has never been a track I've been particularly good at, but since I only had 1 score over 200 points from the first half of this season, I figured I might as well attempt to race and hope to get a good result just from staying on track.

Slot 1: I had to go pick up my car from the shop and it took longer than expected, so I had to rush to get my game connected to my phone's hotspot and my PS4 took its sweet time figuring out how to connect, so I ended up disconnecting during matching...

Slot 2: Qualified only 0.7s off pole, but still down in P14. I got punted and nearly spun at Druids on Lap 3, costing me 3 spots and a couple seconds. Eventually other cars had misfortunes and I got back up to P13 when pitstops began. I pitted on Lap 11, and leapfrogged several cars due to not taking fuel, coming out of the pits in 10th, which became 11th a few corners later as a much faster Aston Martin passed me. Most of my 2nd stint was done in 11th place, until I caught and passed a Hyundai that suddenly lost pace, then passed 2 cars that went off track near each other, and finally on the last lap I passed the Aston that had passed me at the beginning of the stint as it had to back off to save fuel. A Mercedes further ahead in 6th ran out of fuel and was coasting to the finish, but was too far ahead for me to pass, so I had to settle for 7th and 210 points, which becomes my 2nd-best score so far this season, and only my 2nd score of over 200 points for the season as well. All of the remaining tracks should be better ones for both me and the Corvette, so hopefully I won't have to fall back on this score, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it.
 
I followed up my 1st slot disaster with a second slot start. It was better, but still not great. At least this time most of the trouble was down to my driving instead of others punting me. Finished p10 but should have been on the podium.

Tried slot 4 but got disconnected between matching and practice. Thankfully retained my points.
 
Manufacturers Round 6 Brands Hatch
Slot 1
Door number 6
A+A/S Lobby
Aston Martin DBR9 - aka .... the Bus

I expected absolutely NO points this race. The DBR9 has a front end that only a mother could love. 5th gear is its jewel and I'm not sure I touched it once. But, I'm not one to complain, I'd rather just figure out how to get it around the track and enjoy a race.

Qualifying went without a hitch. I was able to put down a 1:22.7xx. Not my best but not bad either. It was good for p8. Now it was time for practice to pay off. I learned that no-stopping the DBR9 was a no go. And saving fuel saved my a whopping 6 litres and not even 1 second compared to revving it to the optimal shift point. So, 1 stopper and revving it out it was.

After 4 Greddy Passes and a very clean race, I managed to move up 4 spots to p4. But, I got jumped by a faster driver saving fuel in his Mazada during the pit stops. The second half of the race was uneventful and I was able to finish p5! I was very happy with that. Even pulled in a Manu points increase.

This track is so stressful, LOL. Can't say I'll miss it. I was sweating like a school bus driver with no A/C in south Louisiana. Fun race though. Enjoyed it.

 
NA/CSA Slot 1, A/S Lobby, 201 points, Door #1

Finally got to dust off and use my Ford GT, which I hadn't driven since the final round of the pervious season. I was put in a lobby with @KosmoKazi and a few other drivers I was familiar with, so I was relatively comfortable. I qualified 13th and decided to not hold back and pull a one stop.

Things started popping off as soon as the race started. An RX-V two positions ahead gets punted off at turn 1 and this was just the beginning. Several cars just started dropping like flies left and right, and I found myself in 8th by lap 2. Pretty nuts. Next, I got 7th on lap 6 when I passed a struggling Corvette, and then 6th on lap 8 from a Lexus that went off on T1. Some laps later I get overtaken by a Viper and pit on lap 11.

I emerge out of the pits in 12th. A number of cars pit next, and I'm in 7th on lap 14. No cars are anywhere near me at this point, front or back. But next thing I know, a car in the distance ahead of me gets DC'd, immediately promoting me to 6th place. With 8 laps left, all I had to do was not bite it, which I almost did a couple times by now.

The only obstacle I had to deal with was a Corvette that was about 1-2 seconds behind me most of the time. I just drove as consistently as I possibly could, which was enough to keep the Corvette at bay by the end.

full




Never had a race before where simply being careful payed off so much. I also got a nice 600 point DR increase from this. Glad my first Manufacturer round this season was decent.
 
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This week’s daily race C was profoundly educational for me.

Circuit de Sainte-Croix A II.

The lap guide makers, like Tidgney, remarked how unfamiliar they were with this particular track.

I have driven this track hundreds of times, in Campaign Mode. In the Raptor Survival event.

The Raptor has been a favorite of mine from the day I started playing this game, and I drove the Raptor Survival tracks every day, just to get my marathon miles in. As a sort of warm-up. For at least a year. And this track is the best paved track for the Raptor series, in my opinion.

I didn’t realize just how familiar with this track I had become until I started racing it with human opponents.

It was weird. I was able to exploit the subtle mistakes of much faster cars. In real time. I have more fingers on one hand than I need to count the times I was punted. And even then, I was able to maintain control of my car.

My familiarity with the track on Race C allowed me to acquire and sustain a B Driver Rating for a full week. We shall see how long that lasts.

Edit: The lesson I learned was that track familiarity alone can shave seconds off your lap time.

Did I mention that I did all of this faster driving in a Mustang Gr3?
 
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I'd love to attend the Gr.4 race at Monza for the Manufacturers Series this next Saturday, but I'm actually gonna be a bridesman at my cousin's wedding that's gonna be held outside Washington DC, so I'll have to skip it. I'm also going to steer very clear of the Gr.3 race at Tsukuba, pun intended. So that leaves the last two Manufacturers Series rounds for me, meaning I don't exactly have a large margin for error since I'll be ultimately be doing only four rounds for this season. I would've done far more, especially in the first half of the races, but I had a real bad summer cold.

Anyway, after last night's round at Brands Hatch, I moved up in ranking among the other Hyundai drivers. Now I'm 50th, so that's nice.
 
05XR8
As much as I dig the MX-5 TC(probably top five best cars in the franchise), going to give this event a pass.
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I may as well. I don't think I've ever run this track before, my throttle is playing up and I just shudder at the thought of extreme tyre management in the Roadster TC. I'll see how I feel a bit closer to the time.
 
Well that was mostly a waste of my time. Managed to get a full lap and 1 turn in for warm up and practice before matchmaking. Got into a lobby I should have been fine with, invclusing lots of GTP drivers. But it was obvious I was missing something in a couple of corners.

Managed to wreck on my first qualifying lap, earning a penalty that I had to serve on my second. Starting p17 of 18. Managed to move up 2 spots in the first few corners due to others mistakes, but then I was super nice and didnt push past the driver in front to stay in slipstream. Then made a mistake, crash, penalty and lap alone at the rear, including another crash and an additional 0.5 and 1.5 second penalties to rub it in.

It was pretty obvious I didnt have pace anyway. Glad to see some others did ok, but it seems slipstream really is important, and knowing the lines helps. I never figured out turn 1 as 1 example. Oh well. That's what you get going in cold. At least I didnt wreck anyone.

Edit: I know I sound a bit defeated, but it was definitely a thrashing and the other drivers just beat the doors off me on nothing but pace, all credit to them, I just have to do better and get faster.

As long as it doesnt involve practice
 
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Yeah, should have gone with my gut feeling and skipped this.

Did some practice which and felt comfortable so opted to run.

Qualified P15 by myself. We all got through T1 cleanly and I was making up positions as others spun out or ran off at the bottom of the Esses over the next 5 laps to find myself up into 8th. Then someone who clearly lacks the required intelligence to know that trying to go 2 wide down through the Esses will never work (especially when you are only just at the car in fronts rear bumper).

Needless to say I got put into the wall and dropped way down to 17th where I remained.
 
Door 16 in the same lobby as @Redneckchef and @ShiftingGears at a track I don’t know in a car I usually enjoy but haven’t driven for a while.

Qualifying was weird. I expected to be at the back, but found myself getting held up by slower cars on both laps. I also accidentally ran into the back of the car in front in the esses on my second lap because he braked?!? Q12 when all was said and done.

Race started well and I made my way past a few who made errors early. By lap 2 I was P8 and at second last in a train that started at p4. For a couple of laps just kept it neat and stayed in the slipstream until I got it all sorts of wrong out of turn 3 and found myself trying to countersteer out of a 4 wheel drift only to be hit from behind and spun. Felt bad for the car that hit me as I’m pretty sure he was doing all he could to avoid contact.

The next couple of laps I plummeted to p15 as I got track limit penalties at the esses. From there, the car in p16 had better pace and when he caught me at turn 1 on lap 11 I let him go and resigned myself to p16.

The points won’t count for me, but I’m not going again. I honestly didn’t enjoy this combo. There’s something unsatisfying about the track/car combo for me. Predominantly, I think the track is a bad design in this direction and the chicane at the bottom of the hill is the worst corner in the game.
 
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So I stupidly decided to run again. Get door 19 in the second slot top split lobby. Yikes. But the few laps I ran between races helps. I'm a lot faster, but mistakes on both my laps cost me spots, Q18 when I was on for Q15 until my final turn.

Move up a few spots with some good racing and others wrecking, holding the line and pushing others to go faster as well, within shot of a good finish. Even pressuring and pushing to challenge for p15.
Until lap 8 when a guy following me decides to stick his nose in entering the Esses. He backs out mid first turn, but the damage was done as my line is all screwed trying to leave room. End result is a bobble transitionin to the right hander and a wonderful wall collision at high speed. I am now 5 seconds behind the field, with damage and shredded tires. Blah.

Finished p17 as 2 people quit. And that concludes my FIA season. I'm getting to annoyed and over it with the way things are going. Combos I'm not interested in, time slots that dont suit my personal life and crappy driving standards. I'll take a break and refresh and see how I feel in a different season. No need to do races I'm not going to like, and I cant be bothered putting in hours of practice. But I did actually have good pace this second round, so it wasnt totally bad, just a crap finish to show for it again anyway.

Good luck to those of you heading on and dont let my whining put you off. I'm just a bit burnt out and not finding it fun, I hope you all are and I'll see you on track in the dailies.
 
Well I forgot all about this and haven't done loads of practice so I'll win easily. My times are reasonable, well I think so we'll see soon. Well my practice time were OK, but quali was bad and no one to blame but me. 13/18, but fastest was about what I expected so still got a chance of doing well. Got pushed wide and was 17th, making my way back up was hard even with better pace and then a couple of mistakes and a stupid pen meant I could only grab 9th. Still it was a fun race so no complaints.
Several people pitted??? Can't see how they thought that was a good idea.
 

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