I just wanted to post and just say I had a really great time last night. I was a bit nervous with this being my Snail debut, and I hope I did alright.
On that note I would also like to ask for feedback or input, from anyone who raced last night, on my performance last night. Did anything stick out to anyone that I can concentrate on improving(braking points, cornering, etc), or did I interfere with anyone's lines?
Any feedback, good or bad, is welcome.
Thanks,
Trina.
It is exactly one year ago I first raced in SNAIL. You did waaayy better in your debut than I did in mine. Your car control was good. You dealt with traffic well. And you turned consistent lap times. Everything that makes a good racer. Were you fast? No. (Big lol there). I was initially slow (read "moving pylon"), but I have improved. It's taken time and I work at it. I can now occasionally hang with the pack for a bit. I'm a mid-field kind of guy trying for the front.
Here's what I saw in the replays, from my rookie point of view:
- Your basics are great.
- Areas where you can improve: braking ( braking point? how much? how long?), conferring ( gear? apex early/late/mid?), when to accelerate/exit point. I actually just cut and pasted my "to-do" list here.
What I do to improve:
- I get as much track time as possible for each combo.
- My biggest gains have been from talking to fellow racers on track and getting critiques (not to be confused with criticisms) about my driving. Thanks @the_jw1010
@SAMHAIN85 @Fudman420 @Neutty @llNovall I know there are others. Thanks. I especially enjoyed one lobby, attended by many, where Sam described his approach to Barcelona in a Gr 3 car (I think). He did a track walk of the circuit pointing out things; brake points, cameras, poles, lines. My "Aha moment" was when I learned turn 9 involved a tap of the brakes, not my enthusiastic squeeze.
- I revisit the "Track Experiences" where applicable. Try to beat my new friends times.
- I have watched online guides of tracks and instructional videos
- I watch replays of SNAIL races. They can be found by searching for replays using the format YYYYMMDDDxRxRx (year, month, date, div, round, race, redundant? lol). So div 3's first race on Sunday is found searching for "20210110d3r1r1". It's kind of after the fact, but there is still much for me to learn about tracks and one combo is a repeat, like the BMW at Spa. I've even gone so far as to video a lap of interest, then in my photos I have much more control over slo-mo, which I use to locate brake points, lines, how much brake, what gear, hit gas mark. There's lots of leeway in there and often (always) I just can't brake as late as the div 1 guys.
- I pay attention to the characteristics of each car re" hp curve and rpm drop during shifts. Doesn't often figure in the grand scheme of things, but it does affect where I decide to shift. And there are exceptions. The Toyota Mr2 this week was one. It's peak hp is at 6000 rpm, below the HUD bar (is there a name for that thing?). Once the bar starts to move across the HUD your hp is dropping and after 1/4 HUD it's dropping like a stone. Short shifting and low rpms are your friend. Much more so last week when this car was at The Nurburgring GP and low rpms up the hill paid off in spades, just
@FooleyCooley and
@JamCar0ne . People were actually checking their hp. But this exercise is mostly for my amusement.
I'll close with the usual platitudes:
"Slow in, fast out."
"Focus down the track."
"Keep your eyes up."
"Squeeze the brakes (gas)"
"No substitute for seat time"
Every last one of them is true. I should make it my warm up mantra....I think I will.
In the words of some famous racer that I'm about to misquote: "Sports car racing is just a series of drag races, interspersed by corners." Hope this wasn't too long. OK. It was. Welcome and I'm looking forward to some good racing with you.