What day, and when, works for everybody? I'm assuming we'd have a blend of folks sitting right around GMT, and then EST and PST. So there's an 8h difference between people like, say,
@ImaRobot and
@VXR.
This means we'd likely only run one race a particular day. We could squeeze in two if people prefer, but that'd need to be addressed well in advance.
So, to get it out of the way, I'm GMT -8:00 (PST).
For days, usually anytime on Sunday works for me. Other than that, it's really up in the air.
Usually Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings work for me, but as it stays light later I will be working later on Mondays so that will stop being an option as the year progresses. I also have intermittent social obligations on Tue/Wed/Thur evenings which make those not the best.
Basically, Sunday anytime is the only time that
guarantees my availability. Other times
might work, but I'd probably miss a few races (which is totally fine).
Now, on to some other stuff:
Car Specs:
2015 Mazda Formula Mazda (100,000 Cr)
+ Race Exhaust (+32HP, -13LBS, 2050 Cr)
+ Race Rotors / Compression (+43HP, -1LB, 4800 Cr)
+ Race Flywheel (-4LBS, 2400 Cr)
+ Race Clutch (-3LBS, 2250 Cr)
+ Race Driveline (-10LBS, 2100 Cr)
+ Race Diff (2250 Cr) [Optional]
= 113600 / 115850 Cr
249 HP / 1225 LBS / 785 PI
This is simply what I've done to mine so far, to get it to a semblance of the current 2015 specs (the car seem to be modelled on the old carb'd model). It runs beautifully, and is already a leaderboard car on twisty tracks.
I've shared my current tune (a very slight modification on the one I ran at Lime Rock). Search GTPlanet.
Is there any particular reason not to just do either stock or S700? I have no problem with this build (other than that with the rotor it messes with the shift lights which is mildly irritating) but I'm just curious. If you did it stock, you could even use the "Force Stock Upgrades & Tuning" option, which would also address the question of tuning. Just a thought.
Liveries:
I've shared the GTP Logo and GTP Text layer groups I've made (search for GTPlanet). I've also shared the base version of the livery shown up top without the numbers, for those that might want it.
For now, I'd say anything (within reason) goes. I would like to make a standardized number plate that people can put on the sidepods (probably with GTP being a part of it), but wanted to run that by everybody first. Thoughts?
Seems fine to me. I've never been overly bothered with liveries. Just as an aside (which you probably knew), you can't add decals to a downloaded livery, so having a numberless one shared doesn't really get people anything other than a numberless livery; they can't add numbers to it without erasing the whole design.
Races:
Since this is a first, I didn't want to run it very long. Somewhere between 4-6 races should be all to get things going. Tracks that are looking most likely
- Brands Hatch
- COTA
- Daytona (Sports Car or Short)
- Laguna Seca
- Prague/Rio
- Road Atlanta
- Sonoma
- Watkins Glen
Race length will vary slightly, but I'm aiming for around 40-45min per track. Possibly do a longer 90min stint on the final, but that's not necessary. All-in, the event should take an hour per race, since we'll have some time for practice. I'll have to check how qualifying works in private rooms again...
I like the 4-6 ~45min race plan, it keeps it casual and quick.
Out of curiosity, how did you land on these tracks? It's not really a huge deal, just wondering.
Personally, I really don't find Daytona compelling in this car, other than that it would definitely require a low-downforce tune (if we do tuning). It's kind of a boring track in a car with this much grip/brake vs power, just like Monza. Would definitely prefer something like Spa or Silverstone in that slot. Even Yas Marina would be cool, cause then you could do a night race.
Also, rain at Brands Hatch..?
For the Rio/Prague choice, I despise Prague, so my vote goes to Rio. However, I would also like to say that I hate the full Rio and would vastly prefer Rio National. The full circuit feels super arcadey and unrealistic to me- the tram lines, the stupid cliff by the downhill section, and the general feel of the whole top section make me feel like I'm playing a game, not racing. The National circuit by comparison feels great and I really like it, and I don't feel like you really lose anything (other than unrealistic scenic crap) by using it vs the full layout; it's still very technical and the best part of the track (the downhill & chicanes) is actually a little bit faster than it is on the full layout, which makes it even more challenging.
Just my $0.02 on that.
The only reason I didn't put Lime Rock up there was that I felt it might be an unfair advantage for me, as I've been doing so many laps there. If everybody is fine with it though, I'd definitely like to see a short course like it on the schedule.
I'd be fine with it.
What might be a nice community touch is to make sure our tunes are shared before the race, so that we can all fiddle and try out others' settings. I don't think there's an easy way to enforce limited tuning, so I'd rather just let us all experiment.
I like this idea, but you can't view the settings on shared/downloaded setups. If you try to view the tune, it erases it.
We could all manually post our setups, but that adds a layer to things.
Anyways, that's what I've got for now. If anyone wants to try a few practice runs, I've got my car built and I'm ready whenever. If you see me online, shoot me a message and let's race!
