FIA Race Discussion [Archive]

[Lost Sheltie]

I've never been a fan of either of the tracks from this weekend, so I didn't put much practice into them.

Nations actually went ok. Qualified in the top 10 after 10 mins practice in the Lexus, and then just tried to do the most important thing at Dragon Trail Seaside, and that is avoid killing yourself at the chicane. Managed to do this for most of the race but made one mistake that dropped me back into the clutches of a hard charging GT86 that must have been driven by a proper driver. Managed to hold him off for a few laps by basically stopping the car on the apex of every corner, but eventually he pulled a great move coming out of the death chicane with much more speed and managed to get his nose up the inside going in to the next corner so I backed off and let him past (I was quite happy that I didn't make a mistake and end up pounding him into the wall). With everyone else crashing out I managed to get 4th, so I just took the points and ran.

Manufacturers in the Gr.3 Lambo was always going to be a challenge as the car actively tries to kill you on every corner from lap 6 on. As such I tried a 2 stop that just didn't work for me as I got traffic after the 1st pit on lap 5 and that was that. I dislike the chicane used at the track (I hate just bouncing over kerbs like they are not there) and I hate the follow the leader effect that Nurburgring GP has. Think I had 1 attempt at overtaking in the whole race, and that was a failure. Anyway, started 9th(was surprised I was that close tbh), finished 12th so accepted it and moved on. Maybe I could have gotten a better result if I had practiced quali a bit more but just couldn't be bothered. Back to the Gr.4 car this week

 

[KepleroGT]

Just your typical 7 player FIA split!

 

[stpatty]

Just your typical 7 player FIA split!

Great fun racing with you! I've never had such easy points.

 

[Ashthebash]

Well Sunday morning and practice is up for the next one. Spa, GR1, it would be extremely rude not to as it should be a strong combo for me. Yep, 10 laps in and barely breaking the 2 minute barrier, 4s off the early quickest times (quickest guy is regularly up there so a good barometer). Go and watch a replay... and realise that this dumbass here has been lapping on hard tyres . Change the tyres, charge the battery...

Let's try not to bottle this one when the time comes! Though may have to splash out on a Peugeot

 

[Famine]

In my two races last night I got:
*5s penalties at Dragon Trail from a Ferrari losing control at the final chicane and spearing into me despite my being in the middle of the track giving him a wide berth (1s), a nob in an Aston Martin with no internet connection trying to go around the outside at the downhill esses despite my console detecting no contact whatsoever (3s), and a brakecheck in the same esses by the guy who had the fastest lap but was down in the cheap seats (1s).
*5s penalties at Nurburgring GP from a 911 who didn't care who was alongside him because he was taking the apex and that was an end of it (3s), an Audi who had no idea how to brake at any of the hairpins (1s), and a Mercedes who didn't like being outbraked into the final chicane and turned in on the left so he could hit me and run through the right off track (1s).

And now I need to run some Daily Races to get my SR back up. Still, 11th for my manufacturer.

 

[05XR8]

Took a chance on DTS with the 86. Last time we raced there(manufacturers?), I used the RC F. Was one other 86 on the grid.

Qualified mid-pack on RH. HAving the other 86 about one tenth ahead of me on RMs. STarted the race on RH as well. Followed the 86 all the way until pit stops. We both made it up to about 3rd/4th place. It pit lap 7. I went around two more laps and let the leaders, just exiting, pass at the PZ. I then pitted for RM, emerging in 6th.

Moved up to about 4th, catching a Scirocco and I think a McLaren or NSX. I think I was too kind by not forcing a pass. An SLS was gaining from way back as I was losing pace on the straights. LAst lap, the SLS goes wide at T1, I get the inside line and we go side by side under the tunnel, I feather the throttle to let the SLS pass and as I'm slotting behind it, yup, chicane of death.

Damage and having to reverse, turn around, etc. Dropped to 14th. Good thing "it doesn't count". Fun race though. Oh, I did get FL at one point. Surprised with that, in that room.

 

[ddm]

Took part in my first pair of FIA races: and I had a lot more fun and did a lot better than I originally expected, to be honest.
(My DR/SR is C/B, so don't expect too much from me, lol.)

Focusing on Manufacturers', so I basically used the Nations race just as practice in the Scirocco (I chose VW).
Only goal was to try and finish top half.

Started out with a load of fuel burning after I messed up my first 2 attempts at an okay banker lap before I really pushed: only to find that my tyres were destroyed by then, and I didn't have time to change them. Ah well, this is practice after all, and I now know "you're not good enough for fuel burning to matter lmao". Qualified in P9 (though my time was 3.4 seconds away from pole). I suppose that just highlights that it was a DR C split.

Came up with strategy on the fly. Kept the Mediums on for as long as I thought possible (down to about half on the fronts), then changed to Hards. If I thought the Mediums were bad after 4 laps, it was only because I hadn't yet seen the Hards after 7 laps. Was super slow through the last lap, couldn't even stay on track through Sector 2 on lap 14 (and got a 0.5 second penalty), and finally managed to just hang on to P7. Totally okay with that when I only got 3 laps of practice in and wasn't too sure of the limits through the chicane.

On to Manufacturers. I had actually practiced this for 40 minutes, so I kinda knew what to do.
My car was #1 (and for DR C, the numbering does work correctly), so based on that I thought I'd try and finish top 5.
Did pretty well on my first flying lap of qualy, was in P2 at that point. Guy on provisional pole after the first run was already a second ahead, and he was doing the full "fuel burn, banker lap, tyre change, qualy lap" routine in the Nissan. Knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with him then. Kinda wondering why his DR was so low compared to his skill (he got FL and won the race too).
Kept wanting to push and find more time out on track, only to burn my tyres by lap 4 and not have time to change them. Treated the rest of the session as just a bit more practice, seen as there was no-one on track near me by then. Ended up qualifying in P3.

Race start, into Turn 1, and rammed off by the guy starting P6 or so.
Ah well. I pulled back in to P8, the rammer ended up P10 out of that with a 3 second penalty too. Hope he's learnt his lesson. Angry pack of cars got behind me, then started fighting amongst themselves when they couldn't get past, so I got a decent gap to them.
At the very end of the stint an M6 got behind me, and I decided he must be trying to undercut me and went super defensive. Not too sure what the point of that was, to be honest. It just lead to the Porsche behind him catching up as well. (And neither of them tried to undercut, lol.)
Heading into the pits, I was just behind the M6. But afterwards, I was right behind him until he braked too late into T10 (and by now it was into P5).
The Porsche had no such issues. We fought for the rest of the race. Not too cleanly (definitely a lot of doorbanging), but we had no ill intent and didn't take each other out, so for a C-B lobby it was a good hard race. He overtook out of a few faster corners, but every time I quickly got cutbacks through the slower ones.
By the last lap, he was still right behind heading into the chicane, and I totally overcomplicated things. Trying to go too defensive, I hit the brakes too early. He drew much closer on the radar, and I let go of the brakes. Then I hit them again, but it was too late. Went way too narrow into the left, he overtook me around the outside (not the wisest choice, but whatever) and with a few knocks I ended up behind after the right.
I didn't get the best exit out of the last corner, but even if I did, someone had lost it and the yellows were out.
Finished in P6, with no penalties iirc (but all those bumps messed my SR up the same).

Kinda frustrating to lose it on the last lap (and annoying to finish outside the top 5 as the #1), but for a recovery drive it was fine. I've got a better idea of what I'm doing for the next races, and my Driver Points went up from 6500 to 7700. Overall, a great experience with good racing.

Oh, and fun fact: I use TCS 2 when in Gr.3.
I think others with lower DRs who are spinning and gifting me free places should probably learn that the lap time they gain from TCS 0 is absolutely not worth sliding into the undergrowth or losing half a second while you catch the car in the slow corners.

 

[VulcanSpirit]

While I have yet to commit to Manufacturers this season, I decided last night to attempt the 19:40 Nations race in the Viper. No practice lobbies, no strategy, no idea on fuel/tyre usage - just wanted to jump in and hope for the best.

Came into qualifying as the 15th seed and in the company of eleven Lexuses. Soon found the Gr.4 Viper to work just as well around DTS II as it did in Manufacturers last season. Quietly set a 1:48.068 on Mediums to go sixth; would have probably dipped into the high-1:47s if it weren't for tyre wear and having to avoid an incident on my last flying lap.

Started on Mediums, dropped down a few places on the opening laps as I tried to save fuel and stay out of trouble. On Lap 2, the silver Megane Trophy dips a wheel on the outside of the second hairpin and spins into my path; I get squeezed between the Megane and one of the Lexuses who also tries to go up the inside, but somehow we all manage to survive without penalties. It was a hectic start, but not enough to faze me as I slowly worked back up the order. Followed a Lexus through as two cars spun out at the exit of the final S's, eventually finding myself back in 7th and having a fairly tidy run before pitting for Hards on Lap 7. Now, as I hadn't decided to enter the race until the very last minute, there was no time to get any decent runs on the mandatory compound, but ended up being very pleased with how the second half went.

Continued to stick with the Lexus until he pulled over for a two-stopper, and held on to 6th until the penultimate lap. Throughout the stint, a trio of Lexuses - including another two-stopper - closed in on the Viper, taking advantage of their softer Medium rubber. Let the first of these (silver) go as soon as he made a run down the straight leading to the death chicane, but ended up getting two taps from the second (orange) on the final lap - one at the first corner, the other when he snapped left into my passenger side door while braking for the third hairpin. Thankfully, I survived both without any further repercussions, and a strong drive out of the final S-bend ensured that I had enough breathing space to cross the line 7th and with 11% fuel remaining.

That finish was good enough for a score of 177 points, as well as provisional rankings of 73rd in the UK and 500th in EMEA. While I have yet to decide which other FIA rounds I will be doing this season, the revised points system has the potential for even greater results if I can get consistent finishes like this.

 

[adokeeffe]

Well that was largely uneventful. A bit disappointed there was no tire requirement this round, although the braking zones of the Nurburgring GP will murder a set of hard tires - anything softer would have required more pitstops. I was curious to test out the rate of tire wear with a steering wheel, as I managed to borrow a wheel and rig from a friend, however plans went awry and I had only a brief practice before the race. Qualifying ended up a complete disaster; the Audi in front of me, on a single red bar connection, danced around the whole track which blocked anyone attempting an overtake. I tried backing off but was stuck in traffic, and had to settle for 10th. As the race began I tried to take it easy into T1, but found myself over on the opposite side of the track to my usual line, and missed the braking point. I avoided ramming anyone, but did force the Nissan GTR behind me to go wide, which ended up being a stroke of genius. The Audi with the terrible connection was forced wide into the barrier by the Nissan, putting the Audi to the back of the pack and out of harms way.

The rest of the race was straightforward; I climbed as high as 6th, before needing to pit, although given the gap between drivers at this point I only lost one place. Heading towards the NGK Schikane, I was rammed by the same GTR from earlier and ran wide into the turn. I figured that was fair enough payback from earlier, and pitted to let them pass by. Naturally they pitted later than me, and I gained the position back, but some sloppy driving from me on the final few laps meant I wasn’t able to do any better.

Not a bad result though for a race with no practice, and on a new setup. Looking forward to the Red Bull Ring this week; a full spectrum of required tires should make for a very interesting race indeed.

 

[Jeanr]

Hi, guys! A doubt: on the next FIA Manufacters race (Red Bull Ring), there is mandatory use for the 3 types of tires (soft, medium and hard). If I start the race with medium on the front and hard in the back, and change to soft mid race, will the game accept it as all tires use during race?

 

[CurbHog]

Hi, guys! A doubt: on the next FIA Manufacters race (Red Bull Ring), there is mandatory use for the 3 types of tires (soft, medium and hard). If I start the race with medium on the front and hard in the back, and change to soft mid race, will the game accept it as all tires use during race?

Yes - that is my experience from previous races. I dont know if this is a loop hole that will be closed without announcement. I dont think it is realistic that this should be possible.

 

[Jeanr]

Yes - that is my experience from previous races. I dont know if this is a loop hole that will be closed without announcement. I dont think it is realistic that this should be possible.

cool, tnx!

 

[KaiB]

This exhibition first races got me just frustated..., not much good things to say about the races themself but the only thing i can say is that was a complete garbage not only i couldn´t put 3 steady laps whitout making a mistake neither other drivers where "helping" in the quality of the race itself.

First i don´t know if it was visual bug but in both nations/Manu there where S/S ranked guys in a B/S lobby, than one thing i´ve learned is that when you are pissed of it´s better to not enter the races cause things will go ugly.

Even after i predicted bad races i made the bad decision of entering, was sit at 28k DR and 99 SR before the races,entered just to see the outcome and i was raging even before the races started.

1st try on nations got DC after qualyfication the thing was promising already.

After manufacturer...,the bad vibrations where all over "the place" again qualy was like espected..bad, i started in 13rd but since in my head i though was a technical track mistakes from others could give me a chance to end in top 10, oh boy i was right mistakes do happen and i did a big one just right after count down in the kurb before the straight, after count down finish i was near the apex with 1/5 acelerator on to prevent wheel spin and well they spined anyway and i smahed in pit entrance and got a huge penalty, so taking account that you lose time cause people must be very carefull errors to happen while better qualy people can start flat out..., i got frustated has hell but when until the end chasing a gap of 15s to all the other drivers ended up in 18th of 20th drivers lobby, i got a penalty in the way cause the last guy smahed into me while i was overtaking and then whent off the track, and in the straight when i was overtaking the 18th guy he was making S´s all over the track trying to make me hiting him beatiful race indeed.

Nations 2nd try since i got DC in 1st, qualy 5th not bad and was looking like a promising race, not..., in the first lap while all seemed smooth the guy in front of me lose control i whent for the overtake he smashed me and whent of track geting me a penalty, 2nd lap in dead chicane a guy smahed the brake i could avoid the incident but losed speed so one guy catched up puted his front near my back forced me to give up my position in track and after he touch me he touched the barriers another penalty, and in the end of the lap he dived bumped me in the back making me spin and that was enough i just quited.., or raged quited to be more precise.

Ended up losing arround 3k DR and whent from S sr to A.

Conclusion never play or go race when things are feeling wrong and you can´t seem to get the pace, there are just bad days and i hope that´s just it but lately i feel i´m getting worsth let´s see what next races bring.

 

[Ashthebash]

First i don´t know if it was visual bug but in both nations/Manu there where S/S ranked guys in a B/S lobby, than one thing i´ve learned is that when you are pissed of it´s better to not enter the races cause things will go ugly.

You don't need high DR to have a 'S' rating. So they were more than likely similar DR to everyone else in the race but had done well in previous FIAs and/or chosen an unpopular manufacturer which got the S rank awarded to them. Someone on my friends list, MILES slower than me, never race against him in sport mode because he's never at a high enough DR, but he's S/S, basically because he chose Mitsubishi for his manufacturer and nobody else does

 

[jyri]

Had very good race at Nations with Lamborghini. Qualified second after another Lambo. Went for no stop with hard tyres, and it worked. Minumal fuel saving with short shifting. Made a mess of the chicane on one lap and lost postion there, then managed to run one of esses too much inside and got penalty. Those cost me around 6 second in total and made an interesting last lap

 

[watto79]

Had very good race at Nations with Lamborghini. Qualified second after another Lambo. Went for no stop with hard tyres, and it worked. Minumal fuel saving with short shifting. Made a mess of the chicane on one lap and lost postion there, then managed to run one of esses too much inside and got penalty. Those cost me around 6 second in total and made an interesting last lap

Very nice last lap battle. Great stuff.

 

[Pfei]

So, I have seen confirmation from many people here that mixing tire compounds before the race start ends up satisfying both compound requirements. However all of those I have seen were with a harder compound on the rear. Can this also be done the other way? Medium front and Soft rear will satisfy both M and S requirement?

I haven't bothered "gaming" this system yet but this Red Bull Gr. 4 race... a lot of time is lost in the pits.

I would like to do a one-stop with my WRX: seven laps on M/S and ten on H/H.

 

[Ashthebash]

So, I have seen confirmation from many people here that mixing tire compounds before the race start ends up satisfying both compound requirements. However all of those I have seen were with a harder compound on the rear. Can this also be done the other way? Medium front and Soft rear will satisfy both M and S requirement?

I haven't bothered "gaming" this system yet but this Red Bull Gr. 4 race... a lot of time is lost in the pits.

I would like to do a one-stop with my WRX: seven laps on M/S and ten on H/H.

It can but it seems it's slower with the harder tyres on the front.

This from @pantherjag gives an insight into the time differences with hybrid tyres. I've never tried it myself but might for the upcoming Manufacturers race if I bother taking the GT86 around RBR!

A look at strategy for round 2 of nations.

Hybrid tyres, chicane of death and a close run thing between 1 stop and 2 stops.



Interesting race in store

 

[Pfei]

It can but it seems it's slower with the harder tyres on the front.

Thanks for the info, but remember I am using the AWD WRX which is a front tire eater, hence my "odd" question of putting the harder compound on the front.

 

[Jeanr]

So, I have seen confirmation from many people here that mixing tire compounds before the race start ends up satisfying both compound requirements. However all of those I have seen were with a harder compound on the rear. Can this also be done the other way? Medium front and Soft rear will satisfy both M and S requirement?

I haven't bothered "gaming" this system yet but this Red Bull Gr. 4 race... a lot of time is lost in the pits.

I would like to do a one-stop with my WRX: seven laps on M/S and ten on H/H.

Yes, I just had the confirmation: I've watched the replay of the Tokyo Gr.4 Manufacturers race, where I've started with RH in the front and RM in the back. Another player started the other way, RM in the front and RH in the back. We both changed to RM/RM in the pits, and none of us got the 20s penalty.

 

[Pfei]

Yes, I just had the confirmation: I've watched the replay of the Tokyo Gr.4 Manufacturers race, where I've started with RH in the front and RM in the back. Another player started the other way, RM in the front and RH in the back. We both changed to RM/RM in the pits, and none of us got the 20s penalty.

Thanks so much for confirming this!

 

[KaiB]

Yes, I just had the confirmation: I've watched the replay of the Tokyo Gr.4 Manufacturers race, where I've started with RH in the front and RM in the back. Another player started the other way, RM in the front and RH in the back. We both changed to RM/RM in the pits, and none of us got the 20s penalty.

I though that was not allowed to make that kind of strategy in such competitions, though that was mandatory to use same compound in all wheels...

Any tips for next FIA races?

Spa gr1 seems the better strategy it´s 1 stop starting M/H on back and then M/M

But for manufacturer i only was able to make 2 races and couldn´t compare times, i did 2 stops S/M/H and and had to save fuel using bmw M4.

 

[Wavathar]

Spa gr1 seems the better strategy it´s 1 stop starting M/H on back and then M/M

This seems to be the consensus, but I truly don't get how the car goes faster with M/H instead of H/M, considering that the front tires wear out much faster than the rear ones.

 

[koshmare]

Last round before Monaco break

 

[Jeanr]

I though that was not allowed to make that kind of strategy in such competitions, though that was mandatory to use same compound in all wheels...

Any tips for next FIA races?

Spa gr1 seems the better strategy it´s 1 stop starting M/H on back and then M/M

But for manufacturer i only was able to make 2 races and couldn´t compare times, i did 2 stops S/M/H and and had to save fuel using bmw M4.

Well, that depends in the car. I will try start with M/H and change to S/S around lap 9. Renault is really kind on tires, but since it lacks power I usually don't save fuel.

This seems to be the consensus, but I truly don't get how the car goes faster with M/H instead of H/M, considering that the front tires wear out much faster than the rear ones.

I guess it happens because of the braking point and entrance corner speed are better with M in the front.

 

[Lost Sheltie]

With H/M you just get understeer, and there is nothing you can do except go slower. With M/H you get oversteer, but you can (try to) control this with your accelerator. Yes the medium fronts will wear out faster, but you get the first couple of laps on better tyres and those tend to be the most important.

It's why you tend to see the front few guys in the race on the softest tyres to begin with, they just want to avoid fighting and build up a gap.

 

[stpatty]

If you're mixing up tyres to start, chances are you're putting on the harder compounds to get them out of the way quickly in a short(er) stint. There's no reason not to maximise performance here by putting the softest of the two compounds on the front.

I've been focusing solely on Manufacturer races this season chasing an S rank, but I was planning on dipping into Nations combos that I found interesting. I've just tried a lap of Spa in the R18 and 908. How on earth are people not dying left right and centre here when they're doing laps? That was awful. And what's going on with the colour at Spa? The sky and grass are so over-saturated I thought I was playing the original Super Mario Bros.

 

[Pfei]

If you're mixing up tyres to start, chances are you're putting on the harder compounds to get them out of the way quickly in a short(er) stint. There's no reason not to maximise performance here by putting the softest of the two compounds on the front.

This is true for most cars, but the WRX is useless on softs because of front wear, so I will be doing the opposite. Use the S/M first and then do a stint on H. The WRX has such good traction and acceleration that hards don't hurt pace as much as FR and MR cars. IMO, obviously.

 

[KaiB]

With H/M you just get understeer, and there is nothing you can do except go slower. With M/H you get oversteer, but you can (try to) control this with your accelerator. Yes the medium fronts will wear out faster, but you get the first couple of laps on better tyres and those tend to be the most important.

It's why you tend to see the front few guys in the race on the softest tyres to begin with, they just want to avoid fighting and build up a gap.

It´s very tricky indeed when mixed compounds are used mostly in the 2 first laps with cold tyres, gr1 cars are very sensible to dirt air and with the added factor of mixed compounds with the inicial caos it´s very easy to make a big mistakes, the car it´s just not stable and with the initial pressure it´s better to "pray" for a clean start or things will go wrong for shure.

 

[pantherjag]

A look at the upcoming nations race at in spa in group 1. All you need to know about tyres, fuel and pit stops.



Regarding the discussion on using mixed tyres. If you go into the car setting screen and change the tyres it shows you the effect on cornering braking and stability.

In short going from H/H to M/H improves cornering and braking but reduces stability but it's that reduction in stability that can be used to your advantage if you can manipulate it as you can rotate the car under braking and get on the power earlier.

In some car/track combos using the tyres in this manner wont work as the car becomes to unstable to control. For example the tomahawk at spa with M/H becomes a real handful at the chicane and la source to extent I wouldn't recommend it even though it's ok for most of the rest of the track.

Going from H/H to H/M also improves braking and cornering as well as vastly increasing stability which sounds great but it just makes the car much safer to drive. It is quicker than just hards alone but only by a few tenths.