Reefer Madness! Saturday Classic Racing 10pm GMTOpen

[Venari]

That's a shame.

For Monza, I thought the Golf was going to be worth it (I decided to spend a bit of time making it go faster, which worked) but then I drove a couple of other things again. There's certainly some oddballs for Monza - all the cars which were not so bad are suddenly tricky, the Golf is fun but unfortunately not quite as quick as I'd like, one car is so astonishly quick I had to check I hadn't gone over 450PP, and one which started slower than the Golf suddenly became a doddle to drive two seconds quicker a lap.

Bogey time is low 1m59s. I'm hoping to improve a bit, Monza is not a track I drive often. Very enjoyable though.

 

[reefer]

Venari, thanks for posting your GTO set up! I'll give it a try later along with the other ones you've put up. You're adding a lot to this community which very much appreciated.

Those sub 2 min lap times you posted, are they with tyre wear set at Very Fast?

No I couldn't see tom in race 2, I assume he didn't clear cache before coming back.

Thanks for that bbb. Tom did clean his cache before entering the room and before re-entering. These things are always gonna happen I suppose. Did he show up on your replay? That would be interesting to know.

I haven't been able to race in the last two but like Paul I might join for Monza.

Yes, hopefully we'll see you, Paul and some of the others on the starting grid at Monza!

 

[reefer]

Is there any interest in running mandatory pit stops and a tyre compound change for Monza? And/or what about switching up the endurance element to 30 min and 10 min or something?

 

[IfAndOr]

Is there any interest in running mandatory pit stops and a tyre compound change for Monza?

I certainly don't mind, it adds a bit of spice.

The only thing I'd say is that Monza seemed to be a track that had high incidents of the "stuck in the pits" bug in previous races I've been in. SickCylinder stopped pit stops because of it.
But saying that, I haven't seen anyone stuck anywhere recently, so maybe it's fixed. Might be worth a few test runs to make sure. Shame to spoil the race for anyone.

 

[buybon355]

Yeah the pit bug is a scunner. If we can confidently say it works then I have no issues with it, but your heart sinks for those who are stuck in the pits lap after lap as you drive round

 

[Venari]

Venari, thanks for posting your GTO set up! I'll give it a try later along with the other ones you've put up. You're adding a lot to this community which very much appreciated.

Those sub 2 min lap times you posted, are they with tyre wear set at Very Fast?

Cheers, no problem.

As for tyre wear, yes, very fast. Also, Monza doesn't seem that tough on tyres even with the heavy cars, adding a pitstop might be contrived. Although, I don't think I've done a full ten laps with a car yet, so I could well be wrong.

I'm taking a fair bit of kerb through the Double-Rettifilo Chicane. Roggia is better than 60mph on a good lap. I find Lesmo 1 is a tricky entry in all the cars, Lesmo 2 should be flat with a good setup at well over 100mph. I'm coming down to 80mph on the entry to the Parabolica. If you take it a little quick and run wide, a good setup should allow you to hang on off the racing line just enough to stay on the track and keep going. You don't want understeer there!

 

[buybon355]

I did a ten lap run in the merc, tyres not an issue really. Lefts take more wear than the rights but still had grip on the final lap, although the times were starting to tumble. Haven't tried any other cars yet, quite fancied using the R30 for this one. If time allows, I'll get some testing in through the week.

 

[IfAndOr]

I forgot...

I think there are enough here from north of the border to say - Happy St. Andrews Day.

 

[buybon355]

Nice one if! Wid bring a tear tae a gless ee...

 

[reefer]

For the second time this week I took myself off to Monza, anticipating, with all its history, something special. I've been on the 80s circuit twice or three times before (very briefly) but don't have any strong memories of it. Anyway, for the second time this week I found myself getting bored. The Lesmos are good fun; the first one is kinda blind and has slight braking. At the second one it's very important to get the turn in right to get a good exit. A mistake at one of these corners will result either in a spin into the gravel or an overtaking move into Variante Ascari.

However, except those two corners, I left feeling disappointed.
I wonder, is it because we've just finished Spa?

The drive looks exciting in the video below, though. At 25 seconds, is Cheever altering the suspension on the hoof?

 

[Venari]

*cough* rear view mirror *cough*

I dunno. In big sedans, we used to have epic battles through Ascari and into Parabolica. Rettifilo is also kinder to race through than the sharper modern version, I think.

 

[gerber]

I tried few laps and cars yesterday offline(I like learning a track first offline, because the ghost is very useful), and I think I was around 2:01-2. How much did you guys go below 2min? 1:59? 1:58?

 

[Venari]

I found many cars could get me under 2m. Only four of my remaining choices get under 1m59, but I imagine the Esprit and Fairlady could do it too, possibly the Isuzu and (older) Skyline also.

The Europa works well here, it needs gentle guidance to be fast although it doesn't feel it and is a bit lairy through Rettifilo. I used a Stage 3/Mid-range turbo to get a broader slug of power, but only 198hp of it. The car is slow at terminal speeds, but great for Lesmo and Ascari. I'm not sure if it's going to be one of my pair this race though.

 

[buybon355]

Michael I was in the 1.57s offline in the merc. Haven't tried any others yet, but like venari says, I expect the fair lady to be fast here. Give it a go

 

[gerber]

Ok thanks. My driving and (especially) tuning skills are not solid enough to test various cars objectively so thanks for the suggestions, I'll check the Fairlady, Isuzu and Skyline. I'm trying to use different car each week so I'd rather not use Esprit again.

 

[reefer]

The pit stop bug doesn't sound like fun! What about some weather then? I'm thinking of adding a good dollop of weather to spice things up, unless there are any objections of course?

 

[reefer]

...the first one [Lesmo] is kinda blind and has slight braking

No, no braking, just a lift! That'll be why I was running slow then. Ran a few laps tonight and I'm starting to get to grips with the track. I still fancy doing one race in the rain (which I'm hopeless in) just to mix it up a bit. If it's not a good idea, for whatever reason, or you just don't fancy it, please say. I'd just like to know what you guys want and don't want....?

Some photos from Spa

 

[Malcolm Tucker]

Monza is definitely boring when you're just hotlapping but races can be fun. I don't think I've driven the 80s circuit yet so I hope I can find some time before Saturday to give it a go. I wouldn't object to bad weather although I can't remember the last time I drove in the wet on GT6

 

[IfAndOr]

Instead of constantly hotlapping, try a race against the AI at Monza in arcade mode @reefer. While they are not the best opponents and you can't have any tyre wear, it'll at least give you a bit of traffic to negotiate around. I think you can have rain though - to try it out.

 

[Venari]

Good lap - Lesmo 1 is 90mph minimum on tyres all the way down to 6. Lesmo 2 off that, powering all the way, not touching the kerb on the left beforehand should be at least 105 if not 108 and even 110mph held through the bend, and not even touching the kerbs on exit. It really is a corner that can win you time if you nail it.

I'm taking a fair bit of the initial left inside kerb at Ascari, start at 80mph and power through it, trying to avoid the rest of the kerbs. You can ride them if you're carrying too much speed, but they will slow you down, so it's better to get the line right.

Rettifilo is a sod to perfect. You have to either slow down for the first and smoothly accelerate through, or deal with the aftermath of a fast messy entry and get the car all squared away for powering through the second part. Get it wrong and you're effectively straightlining the final right by jumping the inside kerb, not very big or clever.

I've seen 1m57s in both my cars, and they hold on to tyres reasonably well, I think an 11 lap race could be on the cards. That mucked up one of my cars because it ran out of fuel about 30s into lap 11! Some hasty rejigging of weight and power sorted it out - cars don't seem that sensitive to weight distribution for handling here - and tyre wear isn't too bad. Worst cases I'm seeing are 3s on the heavy end, but not a huge performance/grip disadvantage - maybe a five-to-six second spread of laptimes from start to end?

 

[buybon355]

That was some close action into the bus stop on the last lap! Whose line is it anyway!?! Great pics though.

As for Monza, not fussed about weather, but will go with the majority.

My Rettifilio, brake at 150m board for the first few laps when grip is good, trail braking into the first kerb on the left, run to half the track width on exit, moving over to the right to allow full power through next part of chicane, clipping the right kerb on the way through. Track limits can be exploited, but I think we are all gentlemanly enough to lift if any advantage is gained by cutting the track. Penalties is perhaps an option if needed? Noticed I was having to brake earlier and earlier as the run went on, much more than I had to at Spa. One to watch out for as the race progresses.

 

[gerber]

Rain sounds fun, even though I'll be most likely spinning all over the place.

I tried Isuzu and were in the 2:01s with tire wear off. I must step up my game till saturday

 

[gerber]

I'm taking a fair bit of the initial left inside kerb at Ascari,

I did that and dropper to 2:00s. With chicanes I never know how much of a kerb it is acceptable to take. For Monza I guess I'll just follow the dark pattern on the road

 

[IfAndOr]

My approach for any track is to normally just press the stop & go peddles here and there and hope for the best.

I think I'm opting for the Merc (especially if you have a wet race) because it's a smooth drive. And the Stratos because it's so much fun.
Offline, high 1.56's in the Lancia. A bit slower in the SL, 1.58's
I've done a little online testing this evening and of course it's a bit slower with each car around a second slower - when I get a good lap in!

Regarding the kerbs and chicanes, online I set the penalties to light. The penalties (if used) at Monza are quite harsh but having them on keeps you consistent with the track limits - for testing anyway.

I'm loving the Stratos, I'd never really tried it much beforehand. Thanks for (re)introducing it to me. 👍

 

[reefer]

Monza is definitely boring when you're just hotlapping but races can be fun. I don't think I've driven the 80s circuit yet so I hope I can find some time before Saturday to give it a go. I wouldn't object to bad weather although I can't remember the last time I drove in the wet on GT6

Thanks for that Malcolm. I guess you're right about races being more fun than just hotlapping. I also think that Spa was always going to be a hard act to follow. I've only been in the wet twice before so a big learning curve for me too. Good to hear you're up for it though.

Instead of constantly hotlapping, try a race against the AI at Monza in arcade mode @reefer. While they are not the best opponents and you can't have any tyre wear, it'll at least give you a bit of traffic to negotiate around. I think you can have rain though - to try it out.

Great advice If. It would also help with avoiding contact and the braking points on a track I've yet to nail.

Penalties is perhaps an option if needed?

I think we'll use them for this race. I don't really want to as sometimes it penalises the wrong car when contact is made, however, it may be good maybe for one race (in this series) only. The pit stop bug is a real scunner so I think we'll chuck in some weather and see how that goes. Trial and error in this first series I think. So, get booted up with some inters and wets beforehand as we'll probably run with weather on in race 1. I don't want to use penalties for the weather race as I think contact and going off will be the order of the day and I don't want to compound this.

I tried Isuzu and were in the 2:01s with tire wear off. I must step up my game till saturday

We can keep each other company then Michael.

My approach for any track is to normally just press the stop & go peddles here and there and hope for the best.

Snap! I have one strategy which usually involves something about pressing pedals and turning a roundish looking thing that sits in front of me for X amount of something called laps. No idea what they're on about, but it's good fun anyway.

Regarding the kerbs and chicanes, online I set the penalties to light. The penalties (if used) at Monza are quite harsh but having them on keeps you consistent with the track limits

Will try later and advise of the strength of the penalties.

I've seen 1m57s in both my cars...

I'm way off that and will need to practice more on my round thing and pressy things more

 

[Venari]

TAKE YOUR RACERS TO THE MATTERHORN!

This fortnight's seasonals include a 450PP run for classics. How fabulous is that?

I just had a blast with my Stratos there and put in a 1m52.235 without even changing a setting. I now want to get down into the 1m50s. I'm sure other eligible cars in our stables are as fast as heck here.

 

[gerber]

I'm loving the Stratos, I'd never really tried it much beforehand.

I have never really tried Stratos, I'll give it a try today. Perhaps this car will help me bend time and space and go below 2:00. BTW great idea with testing with penalty on and AI!

TAKE YOUR RACERS TO THE MATTERHORN!

This fortnight's seasonals include a 450PP run for classics. How fabulous is that?

That sounds fun, I'll definitely check it out. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[IfAndOr]

I have never really tried Stratos, I'll give it a try today.

It's a bit of a handful when you first "jump in it".

Perhaps this car will help me bend time and space

👍
You'll need that laser powered Chapaaral VGT for that.

 

[gerber]

Ok I tried few laps in Stratos (after skillful setup with the method: click stuff until pp = 450) and it does bend time and space. Most of the times it takes me to the grass dimension but once it took me to late 1:58. It's a bit of a wild ride (Stratos in the rain must be sick) but maybe I will go with it for the dry race. I have to test first how it behaves after tire wear, though.

I also did a quick money grab with new seasonals. (Chaparral 2J makes high PP seasonals so easy )

EDIT: off topic question, but now I race at pc desk and use 22 inch pc screen. I am soon going to buy a TV 42 to 50 inch and would be nice to also use it for racing, so I wonder is 50 not too big for Gran Turismo. How big screens do you guys have?

 

[IfAndOr]

How big screens do you guys have?

I too have a (sturdy) desk setup with a good 27 inch monitor about a metre away from me. Which to me is ideal.

I suppose bigger the better - up to a point. It'll really depends on how far away you are going to be from it. A large screen that is very close probably is not very good for your eyes. Plus you'd end up having to move your head around.


Glad you liked the Stratos. Try adding some weight and moving it nearer/up to the 50:50 position. It'll be a bit easier on the tyres.

Try this one it might help.