*Complete* SNAIL Michelin Pilot Challenge, "PS5 Users ONLY",GS/GT4 Monthly Series, Congrat's to Rauljimenez76 for the Championship!!Finished 

  • Thread starter llNovall
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Just wanted to thank everyone for some great racing. I had a blast. Most of all I’m glad to have made some new friends that all share this passion. Sim racing is demanding and it takes hard work to have success. But the main thing is that we all have fun doing it. I forgot that side of things and walked away. Don’t be that guy. I regret the time I lost, the good times I missed. Just be sure to keep a balance in life. That’s where I went wrong. Anyhow I’m going to jump off my soap box now. Much respect to everyone. This is a great series.
 
Confirming for Rd. 3

I just found out I was wrong for the dates I was out of town that weekend. I will be gone on Friday and won't be able to attend.
 
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Sent you FR on PSN. Your GTP account doesn’t accept messages.

You were talking in voice chat about being down on power on the straights. Well I watched the replay and you are 6-7mph faster than me at the end of the back straight. So be glad you have the secret sauce recipe for this car :) I think a lot has to do with some special transmission settings beyond the basic adjustment of top speed. Your car is always in the sweet spot as far as shift points, rpm and speed. I should probably start experimenting with tranny settings. Your gears are totally different than mine. Good work.

Pretty lonely race after being shown my way off the track on lap 1 in Race 1 and Lap 2 in Race 2.

More room at Laguna…maybe that will help.
 
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R1600 left a few packets of secret sauce at the track while I was studying replays ;) The party after the celebration must have been huge but I could barely make out some ingredients printed on a couple of leftover packets.

Finally figured out how he got another 800rpm redline which led me to emulate his transmission settings.

This helped tremendously as the car seems to be in the sweet spot of the powerband much more often, and the powerband goes on longer. I was able to match his top speed.

Speaking of top speed and aero settings. In chat R1600 was talking about being down on power and speed in the straights and everyone said the aero was too high. Well I did some experimenting last night and dropped the aero to minimum and it didn’t affect top speed measurably…I mean maybe 1-2mph. But low aero definitely affected the handling at speed. So there is no huge downside (on the Z) to having aero up besides taking the PP hit.

It’s also the first time I really noticed that ride height settings are definitely visible in the game replays and photos. So you can see fairly closely where people are set.
 
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R1600 left a few packets of secret sauce at the track while I was studying replays ;) The party after the celebration must have been huge but I could barely make out some ingredients printed on a couple of leftover packets.

Finally figured out how he got another 800rpm redline which led me to emulate his transmission settings.

This helped tremendously as the car seems to be in the sweet spot of the powerband much more often, and the powerband goes on longer. I was able to match his top speed.

Speaking of top speed and aero settings. In chat R1600 was talking about being down on power and speed in the straights and everyone said the aero was too high. Well I did some experimenting last night and dropped the aero to minimum and it didn’t affect top speed measurably…I mean maybe 1-2mph. But low aero definitely affected the handling at speed. So there is no huge downside (on the Z) to having aero up besides taking the PP hit.

It’s also the first time I really noticed that ride height settings are definitely visible in the game replays and photos. So you can see fairly closely where people are set.
Be careful not to get too caught up in straight away speed. Keep in mind that the sooner you can get back to the throttle off the apex, the more speed you’re going to make at the end of the straight. Your goal is to make as much of the curve before the straight part of it. That’s going to come from handling. Not saying that what you’ve found isn’t something tangible, it’s just only part of the puzzle. I always focus on those points of the track more so than others. The reason is, that’s where someone else is going to try to beat you. It’s an easy pass. You both roll off the apex and you’re having to baby it because of a handling issue. The guy behind you gets back to the throttle quickly. He gets a pull off the slip stream and then beats you down into the braking zone. That’s road racing. If you go back and look at the tape, that’s what I set up for. I was really good through the two right handers before the long straight. And I was able to get to the throttle quicker coming up the hill leading up to the front straight.
 
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Of course. But 6-7mph was significant and I was getting reeled in everywhere. Now I’m picking up time everywhere due to proper gearing and power mods…which keeps me in the sweet spot more often.

I have some experience with real track driving so I’m aware of all the other stuff and how it all works. But GT7 does not mimic real world track setup strategies at ALL. So it doesn’t really interest me learning the secret ways to beat the GT7 physics engine when it doesn’t jive with real world setup strategies.

I’ve looked up some of these weird setup gurus setups…like Priano…and they slam the front, hike the rear etc and none of it mimics real world.
 
Of course. But 6-7mph was significant and I was getting reeled in everywhere. Now I’m picking up time everywhere due to proper gearing and power mods…which keeps me in the sweet spot more often.

I have some experience with real track driving so I’m aware of all the other stuff and how it all works. But GT7 does not mimic real world track setup strategies at ALL. So it doesn’t really interest me learning the secret ways to beat the GT7 physics engine when it doesn’t jive with real world setup strategies.

I’ve looked up some of these weird setup gurus setups…like Priano…and they slam the front, hike the rear etc and none of it mimics real world.
Yeah, that’s called wedging it up. I stay away from that. It has to do with the diff, gearing, suspension, and the powerband. If the car is gagged out, then you’ll push. If it’s to low coming off, then the powerband hits you with all that torque. That’s when you snap loose. You have to put the ratio in the sweet spot where it’s just wound up enough it won’t spin but you still get that rotation. You can look at the tape and see I burned more fuel than ever one else. That’s because I was on the throttle longer and kept the car reving higher, longer. I used less tire than everyone else. Because I had less wheel cranked into it. And kept as much weight off the front end as I possibly could. So I used less LF tire. Then when I started to feel the weight shifting to the front a little more due to fuel burn, I the rotated the brake bias to the rear. That’s the way I could save what tire I had left and could still keep the pace I needed. Now, something I slipped on and probably cost me race one was my launch. I reved the engine too high. Then spun the tires off the line. Nova launched at 4 grand. I launched at 6. He got me because he hooked up and I didn’t. Then he did a great job of noticing my strengths early. He knew where I was better and didn’t allow me to utilize it. He done his job and got the win. All of that is just a cat and mouse game. He knew the longer he could keep me in dirty air, the more of my car I’d use up. And it worked. The man did his job. Now before race 2 I got to thinking real quick about what I was wanting to do. Get a better launch and if he got in front of me again I wasn’t going to get played. I knew I would have to use traffic if I could to make my move. It just so happened the opportunity came and I was able to capitalize on it. Once I figured that out and shook the nerves a little I was a different driver. You can literally see the difference in myself from race one to race two. Once I got to Sand I had learned from my mistakes and I knew I was really good coming up the hill to the finish line. I just had to have the coconuts stick it on the outside. I had done it to a few guys earlier in the run. I made up my mind that it was the only way. I worked and worked him through that same section and eventually it paid off. But that all starts with the very concept I’m telling you. I was able to get back to the throttle faster than my opponents.
 
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Full tuning series is definitely a completely different animal.

I can see the appeal of finding ways to gain advantages through tuning. It takes hours of research, patience, trial and error, and practice.

I think that’s why I’ve always been more attracted to Spec racing. I definitely know why GT Academy was built on it. Usually I only have time for the occasional practice session…. I just can’t dive into that world like that :)

I respect the tuner specialists but “that’s not my bag baby” :)
 
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Full tuning series is definitely a completely different animal.

I can see the appeal of finding ways to gain advantages through tuning. It takes hours of research, patience, trial and error, and practice.

I think that’s why I’ve always been more attracted to Spec racing. I definitely know why GT Academy was built on it. Usually I only have time for the occasional practice session…. I just can’t dive into that world like that :)

I respect the tuner specialists but “that’s not my bag baby” :)
It’s one of those things where if you stick with it, it just becomes second nature to you. You can’t really rush it and I’ve saw ppl who just never figured it out. The thing is that it doesn’t matter if how you do things is realistic or not. As long as you know what to do with what you’re working with to get what you need. Because we all are dealing with the same thing.
 
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It’s like they always say about GT7 tuning physics…

Feelings Pants GIF
 
Here is a blast from the past and one insane battle at the end of Race 2 at St Croix in Season 3 of the Porsche Cup Challenge when we were still on GTSport. Feel free to watch in its entirety, but slide to the final 5 minutes for the final 2 lap battle among 6 cars for 1st place. Some great races, and glad to see our MPC series this season is delivering on this kind of racing.


And, our first season doing the Michelin Pilot Challenge, but as a multi-class series...that was a good time. Ashame, PD can't give us 24 car lobbies...this would be making a comeback.


Scoring, post race report, and race broadcasts will be out over the weekend. I should next event details posted this afternoon, and next event regulations are posted in the 2nd post of the thread. Already looking forward to the next race night at Laguna Seca.
 
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Anyone have any preliminary times for laguna?
Mid to hi 1:27's being reported. My fastest so far during a test session at my newly acquired 635pp regulation is a 1:28.1 in online lobby. Conditions are noted in the first post if you open a room. Let us know what you're putting down.
 
Driver Win Record
Acknowledgments

Alright fellas,
This idea was sprung from @Chris Kelley and I was totally onboard with idea. Retroactively and moving forward, we will be acknowledging single race wins, overall event wins, and Championship with decaling on our cars. See the notes below:
All decals will be applied on the driver side quarter window, or if no room, on the rear glass down the drivers side next to the C-pillar.

Each single race win will be acknowledged by applying a Checkered flag. If a driver wins both races, he will apply 2 of these checkered flags, facing opposite directions with the posts crossing each other.
Screenshot_20230526_125317_Samsung Internet.jpg

Can be found by searching: checkered

For an overall event win, the driver will apply a track map silhouette in white below the right facing flag. (If 2 flags are present, facing opposite, the track decal will be placed below the flag on the right)
Screenshot_20230526_123720_Samsung Internet.jpg

Simply search the track name.

For the overall Championship, I will be rendering a Championship tag to be placed on your car, and whatever car bei g chosen for later seasons.

Up to this point, the following drivers can apply the following:
@Bologna_Duc
-1 Flag
-Watkins Glen Track Map

@Phlano099
-1 Flag

@Chris Kelley
-1 Flag
-Road Atlanta Track Map

Myself
-1 Flag

Drivers will be tagged and noted as to what to add after each event in the post race and scoring report after final scoring is completed and posted.
I would ask drivers to re-submit their driver side profile over a white background when the edits are complete and I will keep the driver profile page and Spotters Guide up to date. This will be a fun way to note and display a driver's accolades throughout the season.
NOVA-0479 / @llNovall (#4)
2. Sand_68 / @socalnatv (#68)
3. tyro_2004_2004 / @Tyro (#40)
4. Ice Warden / @IceWarden (#22)
5. Harry_Rowley_10 / @Harry Rowley (#10)
6. DucatiRobb / @Bologna_Duc (#88)
7. Phlano_099 / @Phlano099 (#99)
8. Rauljimenez76 / @Noob01_lmdead (#12)
9. Nyati_Jumapili / @Nyati_Jumapil (#31)
10. AKZL298 / @Akzl298 (#298)
11. saber_stance / @Saber_stance (#25)
12. kgffty / @Kgffy (#84)
13. IforceV8 / @IforceV8 (#36)
14. SRT_Guido / @GTP_Guido (#69)
15. Sandite5 / @Sandite5 (#19)
16. TooBadIts_A_KIA / @johnnypaws (#76)
17. fudman420 / @Fudman420 (#42)
18. rsrgse / @rsrgse (#7)
19. R1600Turbo / @R1600Turbo (#62)
20. MrDonovan / @MrDonovan (#27)
21. xWARMACHINE84x/ @Chris Kelley (#3)
22. Dioready / @AColon (#21)
 
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Driver Win Record
Acknowledgments

Alright fellas,
This idea was sprung from @Chris Kelley and I was totally onboard with idea. Retroactively and moving forward, we will be acknowledging single race wins, overall event wins, and Championship with decaling on our cars. See the notes below:
All decals will be applied on the driver side quarter window, or if no room, on the rear glass down the drivers side next to the C-pillar.

Each single race win will be acknowledged by applying a Checkered flag. If a driver wins both races, he will apply 2 of these checkered flags, facing opposite directions with the posts crossing each other.
View attachment 1259823
Can be found by searching: checkered

For an overall event win, the driver will apply a track map silhouette in white below the right facing flag. (If 2 flags are present, facing opposite, the track decal will be placed below the flag on the right)
View attachment 1259825
Simply search the track name.

For the overall Championship, I will be rendering a Championship tag to be placed on your car, and whatever car bei g chosen for later seasons.

Up to this point, the following drivers can apply the following:
@Bologna_Duc
-1 Flag
-Watkins Glen Track Map

@Phlano099
-1 Flag

@Chris Kelley
-1 Flag
-Road Atlanta Track Map

Myself
-1 Flag

Drivers will be tagged and noted as to what to add after each event in the post race and scoring report after final scoring is completed and posted.
I would ask drivers to re-submit their driver side profile over a white background when the edits are complete and I will keep the driver profile page and Spotters Guide up to date. This will be a fun way to note and display a driver's accolades throughout the season.
NOVA-0479 / @llNovall (#4)
2. Sand_68 / @socalnatv (#68)
3. tyro_2004_2004 / @Tyro (#40)
4. Ice Warden / @IceWarden (#22)
5. Harry_Rowley_10 / @Harry Rowley (#10)
6. DucatiRobb / @Bologna_Duc (#88)
7. Phlano_099 / @Phlano099 (#99)
8. Rauljimenez76 / @Noob01_lmdead (#12)
9. Nyati_Jumapili / @Nyati_Jumapil (#31)
10. AKZL298 / @Akzl298 (#298)
11. saber_stance / @Saber_stance (#25)
12. kgffty / @Kgffy (#84)
13. IforceV8 / @IforceV8 (#36)
14. SRT_Guido / @GTP_Guido (#69)
15. Sandite5 / @Sandite5 (#19)
16. TooBadIts_A_KIA / @johnnypaws (#76)
17. fudman420 / @Fudman420 (#42)
18. rsrgse / @rsrgse (#7)
19. R1600Turbo / @R1600Turbo (#62)
20. MrDonovan / @MrDonovan (#27)
21. xWARMACHINE84x/ @Chris Kelley (#3)
22. Dioready / @AColon (#21)
I love this.

I also think there should be a mark of shame when you cause a caution... maybe a yellow flag on the opposite window or back bumper.

/s
 
It’s like they always say about GT7 tuning
It’s like they always say about GT7 tuning physics…
Driver Win Record
Acknowledgments

Alright fellas,
This idea was sprung from @Chris Kelley and I was totally onboard with idea. Retroactively and moving forward, we will be acknowledging single race wins, overall event wins, and Championship with decaling on our cars. See the notes below:
All decals will be applied on the driver side quarter window, or if no room, on the rear glass down the drivers side next to the C-pillar.

Each single race win will be acknowledged by applying a Checkered flag. If a driver wins both races, he will apply 2 of these checkered flags, facing opposite directions with the posts crossing each other.
View attachment 1259823
Can be found by searching: checkered

For an overall event win, the driver will apply a track map silhouette in white below the right facing flag. (If 2 flags are present, facing opposite, the track decal will be placed below the flag on the right)
View attachment 1259825
Simply search the track name.

For the overall Championship, I will be rendering a Championship tag to be placed on your car, and whatever car bei g chosen for later seasons.

Up to this point, the following drivers can apply the following:
@Bologna_Duc
-1 Flag
-Watkins Glen Track Map

@Phlano099
-1 Flag

@Chris Kelley
-1 Flag
-Road Atlanta Track Map

Myself
-1 Flag

Drivers will be tagged and noted as to what to add after each event in the post race and scoring report after final scoring is completed and posted.
I would ask drivers to re-submit their driver side profile over a white background when the edits are complete and I will keep the driver profile page and Spotters Guide up to date. This will be a fun way to note and display a driver's accolades throughout the season.
NOVA-0479 / @llNovall (#4)
2. Sand_68 / @socalnatv (#68)
3. tyro_2004_2004 / @Tyro (#40)
4. Ice Warden / @IceWarden (#22)
5. Harry_Rowley_10 / @Harry Rowley (#10)
6. DucatiRobb / @Bologna_Duc (#88)
7. Phlano_099 / @Phlano099 (#99)
8. Rauljimenez76 / @Noob01_lmdead (#12)
9. Nyati_Jumapili / @Nyati_Jumapil (#31)
10. AKZL298 / @Akzl298 (#298)
11. saber_stance / @Saber_stance (#25)
12. kgffty / @Kgffy (#84)
13. IforceV8 / @IforceV8 (#36)
14. SRT_Guido / @GTP_Guido (#69)
15. Sandite5 / @Sandite5 (#19)
16. TooBadIts_A_KIA / @johnnypaws (#76)
17. fudman420 / @Fudman420 (#42)
18. rsrgse / @rsrgse (#7)
19. R1600Turbo / @R1600Turbo (#62)
20. MrDonovan / @MrDonovan (#27)
21. xWARMACHINE84x/ @Chris Kelley (#3)
22. Dioready / @AColon (#21)
Maybe there is a special number plate like MX uses (gold or red). The defending champion can run it the following season. We used to reserve the #1 on a special plate no one else could use. But then ppl would join and want to take your number. I think a plate of a different color would work better. Just to keep that from happening. Then we would let the Pro and Pro-am champion pick a track for the following season. (From a list of approved tracks of course). Just some different ideas I’m throwing out there. Oops double posted. Oh yeah, and then there is rookie of the year. We let them choose one as well.
 
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