GTP_WRS-Online Event 25 : Mugen Motul Madrid - Jul 12 & 16

[roamer2629]

The race was going pretty bad anyway. I may have forgotten that you can rejoin if it's before the race start, so I was using the wrong setup. Then a laggy crash at the start truely put me out of the race. Imma skip a few weeks before I feel my internet may hold up.

I was at the wrong end of that crash...saw the replay, your car rocketed forward from nowhere, hit me real hard and sent me spinning. I was well clear of anyone at the moment so the contact got me completely by surprise. It looks clearly that something is off with your car so no problem, weird online bad luck I guess...

 

[Strop]

Had to cancel for tonight as the family is doing a movie night at my office. Someone else will have to bounce from wall to wall in my place :-)

 

[GTP_Nail]

Had to cancel for tonight as the family is doing a movie night at my office. Someone else will have to bounce from wall to wall in my place :-)

I resemble that remark....actually Roamer Does

 

[mr_lab_rat]

I might do a last minute appearance. Have not practised at all

 

[roamer2629]

I resemble that remark....actually Roamer Does

Did you see that? Launched straight into the wall by an evil online glitch...

 

[EDK]

Race room is open for practice.

1472-6399-8451-1924-0393

 

[GTP_Patrick1]

I might do a last minute appearance. Have not practised at all

You had plenty of practice in TT . Just come in a little early to get feel of car on worn tires. Braking point will change a lot when tires get used up.

 

[RedPartyhat]

Apparently I pressed the PS button and turned of the console.......idk how that happens

 

[mr_lab_rat]

Sorry to hear that. That was another fun race. I'll try to find time to do more of these.
Thanks for pushing me Patrick. I was taking it easy in 3rd place but once you got on my tail I really had to pickup speed to keep you behind me.
I'm gonna fire my pit crew. I lost over 3s in the pits to Kevin.

 

[Gravitron]

Sorry to hear that. That was another fun race. I'll try to find time to do more of these.
Thanks for pushing me Patrick. I was taking it easy in 3rd place but once you got on my tail I really had to pickup speed to keep you behind me.
I'm gonna fire my pit crew. I lost over 3s in the pits to Kevin.

You are doing amazing on your first few races! 👍 Awesome fastest race lap & podium in the NA race tonight.

I also lost a couple seconds to Patrick in the pits, which meant no more tag-a-long.


Congrats @EDK on finding even more time, very quick NA race win. 👍
I like you sick.

Congrats @Friday_GTRP on the EU win.


Unofficial results (will be posted to the OP when official):

 

[EDK]

Will be interesting to see if the WW race on Saturday before TT completion is now consistently slower than the Wednesday races. @Friday_GTRP and I both beat our Saturday times handily, by about 18 seconds.

I know I found some time between that Saturday race and the TT deadline. And got a few tips and tricks from watching replays as well. Was using Manu's first gear when needed to help me slow in the loop. And was sure to get up on that left side curb when setting up for the exit of T2, it helped the car to rotate and allowed me to carry speed with consistency.

I was fortunate to run most of this race in clean air, and to keep my race relatively mistake free. In my second and third stints, I strung together 4 consecutive laps in the 33's and 2 straight very low 34's from laps 2-7. Those fast, consistent laps definitely made my race pace.

Great battles tonight with @mr_lab_rat and @jtv90069 . And the qualifying battle was one of the closest I've ever seen, with the top 7 drivers covered by 0.323 total.

That pace held up for the race, with the 4th place driver in our race @GTP_Patrick1 (who I see has changed his name 👍 ) having the pace to win either of the other races, and our 5th place driver, @Gravitron having the pace to win the WW race.

Well done by all, was a great time last night, if you could not tell, I liked this combo.


Kevin

 

[roamer2629]

Great races. On the EU one, I was trying not to loose pace with the top drivers and was doing fine until Forcewery car was launched forward by lag and sent me spinning into the walls. Clearly unusual, not his fault as far as I'm concerned. Could get back to 8th after some laps but nearly one minute off the lead. Couldn't resist Johan's (Roezsa) attack and knowing his pace was faster, tried not to get into a battle that would have taken both of us time. From then on I was mostly alone and got kind of distracted, loosing an already slow pace (Went from my planned 1'35 to 1'37-38)
Different story at the NA race, same result. Had a lot of fun watching Lucas and Patrick trying to overtake RedpartyHat while not taking each other out. Great driving folks. Could keep pace with them for 5 or 6 laps, without falling too far behind from the lead. When Lucas got through and Patrick was still being kept close to me due to the battle with RedpartyHat, he disappeared, as did Patrick after that (Not by DC but because of speed). When I lost draft I fell back to my usual lethargic pace. But this time I managed not to crash, and kept a pace as fast as I planned. Straight 1'35s. Took a look at the rearview mirror a couple of times, saw nobody, and relaxed. Big mistake. Two laps to go I had Weinbauer breathing down my neck. We had a wonderful battle the last two laps, overtaking each other a couple of times. In the end I was able to hold the position (8th) but it could have gone either way. Very intense ending even though we were battling for a position in the back.
Great race, my only regret is that it seems to be a big gap at the middle of the pack. There's a lot of Division 1 and 2 drivers, but there's only 3 or 4 of us in Divisions 3 and 4, so the races seem to be split at the middle, and sometimes there's many laps where there is no competition going on for places among us slow racers, and no chance of getting close to the other half, the fast one. Like there are two races folded into one...I think we should try and lure some other WRS TT folks in here...
Question for the administrators and Stewards: Is there a reason why we don't push the online races in the TT thread more actively? In my opinion we could have more racers in here if they knew how much fun this is...

 

[EDK]

Question for the administrators and Stewards: Is there a reason why we don't push the online races in the TT thread more actively? In my opinion we could have more racers in here if they knew how much fun this is...

I think you'd have as much or more luck recruiting the drivers you compete against as we would.

The road blocks tend to be, "I haven't ever raced online", "I'm afraid I would mess everyone up", "I'm so slow I would not have anyone to race against", or "My internet sucks".

I do intend to get more active with promoting the series through the front page blog again, once we've been able to re-open the qualifier. That should also help. Sounds like you had a really good, competitive race last night. That's what we like to see. 👍

 

[roamer2629]

I think you'd have as much or more luck recruiting the drivers you compete against as we would.

The road blocks tend to be, "I haven't ever raced online", "I'm afraid I would mess everyone up", "I'm so slow I would not have anyone to race against", or "My internet sucks".

I do intend to get more active with promoting the series through the front page blog again, once we've been able to re-open the qualifier. That should also help. Sounds like you had a really good, competitive race last night. That's what we like to see. 👍

I understand. I could have used those ones as an excuse too. In fact I think I was rather lucky to start racing the way I did, and have to thank Al for convincing me. I came across the Senna Lotus race by chance browsing the network, saw the familiar names, wasn't even registered, and Al told me I would only take one minute so I couldn't refuse (Or have time enough to come up with a decent excuse).
I was in fact asking for permission to try and lure some more guys into the races. I know how much work goes into making this work as smoothly as it does, and I didn't want to do anything before asking you. Thought maybe there was some reason to keep WRS TTs and online races separated. Will try to get some of the TT division 3 competition in here. The Xelyno, Crowhop, Raffy, Doughboy (sorry if I forgot someone) division 3 competition would be a blast online. We usually are no more than 3 or 4 tenths away from each other at TTs so I can't find any reason not to give it a try.
Yes, the race last night was very good. I learn something new every time I race here. It's a lot of fun racing when you know the other guy is trying to be as careful as you are in keeping this clean and respectful. A bunch of straight arrows as far as I'm concerned...

 

[PASM]

Well, that was great fun. I had an awesome battle with Friday in the first stint. Tuesday was keeping us honest as well. I could attack Friday a couple of times, but I always had to keep half an eye on the rear view for a counter attack from Tuesday. I decided the only way I was going to win, was with another pit stop strategy. So I gambled on the one stop and it almost worked. With 2 laps to go Friday caught me and after that the tires really fell off the cliff. I think I lost 20 seconds in the last two laps

Well done everyone!

 

[EDK]

I understand. I could have used those ones as an excuse too. In fact I think I was rather lucky to start racing the way I did, and have to thank Al for convincing me.

See what I mean about the "Grass Roots" recruiting?

We do make mention of these races in the TT thread from time to time, but if the guys you are always competitive with come to you and tell you how much fun they are having, I don't think there's any better testimonial.

 

[roamer2629]

See what I mean about the "Grass Roots" recruiting?

We do make mention of these races in the TT thread from time to time, but if the guys you are always competitive with come to you and tell you how much fun they are having, I don't think there's any better testimonial.

Probably the best part of your post is suggesting Al and me actually compete
Can I print this and stick it to my bedroom wall, dad? Please?

 

[EDK]

Probably the best part of your post is suggesting Al and me actually compete
Can I print this and stick it to my bedroom wall, dad? Please?

Ahem.

 

[mr_lab_rat]

I think we should try and lure some other WRS TT folks in here...
Question for the administrators and Stewards: Is there a reason why we don't push the online races in the TT thread more actively? In my opinion we could have more racers in here if they knew how much fun this is...

Private messages, talk to guys you are competing with. You have better chance of luring them in that admins do.

I didn't think I had the nerves for online racing. I freak out when I run TT by myself and blue split pops up. Lucas (@Gravitron) assured me it was the same for everyone so I tried it.
Funny thing is that the online experience helped me with my nerves in TT as well.

I could attack Friday a couple of times, but I always had to keep half an eye on the rear view for a counter attack from Tuesday.
Well done everyone!

Stuck between Tuesday and Friday on Wednesday

 

[EDK]

I didn't think I had nerves for online racing. I freak out when I run TT by myself and blue split pops up. Lucas (@Gravitron) assured me it was the same for everyone so I tried it.
Funny thing is that the online experience helped me with my nerves in TT as well.

TT, online, real racing. It's all about maintaining focus and getting in the groove.

As immersive as online racing is, there are still more distractions than there are in a real race car. The phone ringing, the dog or wife walking in the room, those moments of lag or network hiccups, sweat dripping in my eyes with no helmet foam to keep it in place.

I find that having raced online and done things like our 2.4 hour enduro events helps me to sustain and maintain focus when on track in the race car. The guys I race with IRL talk about getting distracted and having their mind wander when they are not around other cars, but I'm out there with my eyes locked on apexes trying to find those last 2 tenths, while knowing I have to preserve the car for the next guy.

 

[PASM]

TT, online, real racing. It's all about maintaining focus and getting in the groove.

As immersive as online racing is, there are still more distractions than there are in a real race car. The phone ringing, the dog or wife walking in the room, those moments of lag or network hiccups, sweat dripping in my eyes with no helmet foam to keep it in place.

I find that having raced online and done things like our 2.4 hour enduro events helps me to sustain and maintain focus when on track in the race car. The guys I race with IRL talk about getting distracted and having their mind wander when they are not around other cars, but I'm out there with my eyes locked on apexes trying to find those last 2 tenths, while knowing I have to preserve the car for the next guy.

Interesting point, something I haven't given much though to. I think you're right in having less distractions when racing in real life. I have a little experience in karting, where I drive in a competition with rental karts at the local karting track. The races are one hour long and you share the kart with 2 others. The regulations state you must do 3 pit stops, so that leaves 4 stints. Therefor, one driver will drive 2 stints of 10 minutes, the other two will drive 20 minutes straight.

We have been working with feeding the driver information during the race with a smartphone walkie talkie app and in ear headphones. I found it very helpful to know which kart number is lapped traffic, or which is for position for example. Lap times or the gap to the next kart are also good to know.

But I found that not all drivers find this useful. There are a few who refuse to try it, because they think it will be too distracting.

 

[RoeszaGT]

This was a week that I will remember its was so much fun to do and the results were good for me and that is very motivating to keep on racing and doing TT's.
Not that I had in mind to stop but it's good to see I have improved over the last few months.

My report from this weeks TT, the WW and EU race can be read here: http://roeszagt.frlk.nl/wp/?p=870

 

[EDK]

We have been working with feeding the driver information during the race with a smartphone walkie talkie app and in ear headphones. I found it very helpful to know which kart number is lapped traffic, or which is for position for example. Lap times or the gap to the next kart are also good to know.

But I found that not all drivers find this useful. There are a few who refuse to try it, because they think it will be too distracting.

Yeah, we have a radio in the race car, with in helmet audio. It's useful for planning pit stops, knowing how you are on pace (when there's no timer in the car or it's not working right), reporting back on fuel levels so you can plan timing of the pit stops.

Occasionally we'll update position and gaps, but with our races typically being 8 hours or longer, that's usually left for the last stint. Chump Car races generally feature a lot of attrition, not to mention wide ranges of driver pace within teams, so gaps at hour 2 tend to be irrelevant.

I like to get on the radio during yellow flag periods, but otherwise don't talk much, unless there's some issue with the car or I am responding to a question. That, and the aforementioned fuel updates. 3/4 tank, 1/2 tank, and frequent updates from 1/4 tank and lower, just to allow the pits to plan.

 

[PASM]

Yeah, we have a radio in the race car, with in helmet audio. It's useful for planning pit stops, knowing how you are on pace (when there's no timer in the car or it's not working right), reporting back on fuel levels so you can plan timing of the pit stops.

Occasionally we'll update position and gaps, but with our races typically being 8 hours or longer, that's usually left for the last stint. Chump Car races generally feature a lot of attrition, not to mention wide ranges of driver pace within teams, so gaps at hour 2 tend to be irrelevant.

I like to get on the radio during yellow flag periods, but otherwise don't talk much, unless there's some issue with the car or I am responding to a question. That, and the aforementioned fuel updates. 3/4 tank, 1/2 tank, and frequent updates from 1/4 tank and lower, just to allow the pits to plan.

That's nice. We can't talk back to the pits with our set up. But that's not really necessary. We can see if the driver is being held up and change our strategy accordingly. The most important thing for our pit stop time is to have a clear track when the driver change is complete. Because the marshals hold off on releasing you from the pits as long as the track isn't clear. Races have been won or lost in the pit lane because of this difference.

 

[GTP_Nail]

Ahem.

the closeness of D1 to D4 comes about in carefully chosen combos. How to do it I do not know but this one was a great example the, Mugen Honda was not..perhaps it took more precise control...bring on more Alpines

Edit: Boy did I learn how to drive tired sneakers...there is a bit of an art to it....useful for the future. I should have done a two stopper and battled with Roamer et co. but I thought I could catch them with the one stop. In the end while they battled and I caught them a bit but I seem to remember 4 on both fronts so all speed was gone. But...I think my overall time was @ 30 seconds faster than EU.

 

[EDK]

Edit: Boy did I learn how to drive tired sneakers...there is a bit of an art to it....useful for the future. I should have done a two stopper and battled with Roamer et co. but I thought I could catch them with the one stop. In the end while they battled and I caught them a bit but I seem to remember 4 on both fronts so all speed was gone. But...I think my overall time was @ 30 seconds faster than EU.

My right front was down to 4 at the end of all 3 of my stints, I was pushing harder than I was in the WW race, and it showed.

I think a lot of it was down to the additional curb riding I was doing in sector 2, I think there was a bit of extra wear when coming off the curb and chirping on the pavement. My approach in the low speed traction zones coming out of turn 1 and the circle at the end were about the same. The only other thing I can think is that I spent less time in the draft this race, and ran about 0.5 faster laps on average, so that might have been the difference.

If I would have tried running to 16 laps, I think I would have suffered @PASM 's fate.

 

[mr_lab_rat]

Concentration is the next thing I need to work on. I found myself not completely focused in the middle of the BRZ at the Ring race. I was all alone, it was dark, I was getting sleepy.
The Alpine was better as Kevin gave me no chance to slack off
This one was again fight with focus and distractions (my kids kept trying to climb on me).

I had one miracle 1'33.1 lap and it was without draft. I was trying to shake off Patrick but I only gained 0.008 as he also set his best lap when I was not slowing him down.

My tires were also holding up, never bellow 4.

 

[EDK]

This one was again fight with focus and distractions (my kids kept trying to climb on me)..

See what I mean about real life racing having fewer distractions?

Would your kids be trying to climb on you when you were in the race car wearing a Helmet, Nomex and a 5 point?

 

[GTP_Patrick1]

@mr_lab_rat I knew you had to be flying as I was doing 33.5s at the end even a few laps(33.1 and 2s with draft), and could never pass you. Once you saw me closing in, you went into another gear. I think me using higher aero than you did not allow me to pass you even in your draft. With the pace of that race, I was more than happy to only be 3 seconds away from Kevin at the end.

 

[mr_lab_rat]

I think you were on my tune, right? It was similar to Kevin's but without the rear toe out.
What downforce did you run? I had 50/55.