How About a GT race.............a long GT race

[EvilClive]

 Just wondering if there is enough interest to consider running a really long GT race over the Christmas Period when we might all have a little more time??

Initial thoughts are that we can find out what the "reliability factor" is all about and maybe do something like a 2 hour race at Le Mans?? Even I am not crazy enough to suggest a 24hr race!!!!!

So far most of the races that I have seen on Igor have been "sprint" events as everyone tries out these new cars, but they were designed for endurance racing and maybe we should test that out??

Drop your thoughts here and we can judge the interest and maybe set something up...maybe even some teams?

[vosblod]

I'd be up for it, just depends when. The only thing with Le Mans, and I might be talking out of my posterior, is it would leave the slower chassis standing. That said if you are talking about a spec run then not an issue plus I guess it's your choice what to take.

[Hristo Itchov]

Please not Le Mans! That's the most boring, most car (engine) dependent track ever! I can't even bare to run it for 30 minutes, let alone 2 hours... Choose something varied and entertaining like Schottenring. 

[maddog]

Well, if you're going to cut a GT race down to 2 hours, I'd still be interested, but enthusiasm would be dependent on the track chosen.  On the one side, you have Le Mans, with it's tradition, and relative simplicity, and towards the opposite extreme, there's Schottenring, with it's sinews and challenges of various sorts.  So, which of these 2 is likely to produce the larger number of participants?  And which, the larger number of racing laps?  It may depend on your clientele, or drivers even!

There are plenty of other tracks of similar ilkliness (just made that up!) to both suggested, but of the 2, I'd head to France.  It's easy to learn, has fewer corners for those less skilled, and enough history to attract some far-flung talent, if advertised beforehand.  Schottenring would be a tremendous challenge, but with emphasis on endurance, it could quickly become a hard core event.

If regular 2 hour events are going to be run, then each cars reliability would be good to gauge, specifically in this way, but would the event be run under pro-rules?  And if not, is a tally to be made of every reset, so we know what failed?  And would it be a shame to handicap the faster cars with a slow track, simply to allow an equal education in Porsche.

All right, I'll leave off now . . . mumble, mumble! 

[Hristo Itchov]

I was joking about Schottenring, lol, was thinking of a track opposite to the extreme to Le Mans. 

Some decent varied track though, so there would be some racing for the whole distance instead of flooring down an endless straight alone, especially if we don't get a full grid of drivers...

Well, I won't mind if it's Schottenring, but that's probably just me... 

[john roberts]

i won't be racing ... but might i say (possibly racing but i guess not)

for power Spa

or normal Rouen

if you run spec 910 try something like silverstone or slower

[miner2049er]

I agree, Spa or Rouen would get my vote or possibly Kyalami.

Incidentally I am trying to think up a format for a Porsche Super Cup for next season. Obviously it would not be handicapped but I think if we have a good enough spread of skill we will end up with battles throughout the field, so people like me would enter knowing they have no hope of winning but I could end up in a battle with somebody of similar ability which would make the race enjoyable anyway.

I may start a thread for it.

[EvilClive]

I tried a quick blast around Le Mans in the GT 40 the other day and despite a setup that was miles off, the Ford felt absolutely at home on the Mulsanne and using all that grunt out of the slow corners.

I found the difference between the GT's and what I have tried before in 67's at Le Sarthe miles apart and somehow "right" with the new mod. Especially the braking at the end of the straight!!!

I think that we will struggle to find a balanced circuit, where the top speed of the brutes can be made up by the agility of the Porsche to give an even playing field. There are a couple of pappy tracks that might be worth looking at along with a selection of more exotic locations. 

I don't know as we have had very little experience with these, but Spa would seem to favour the big cars, and the Porsche might just be out gunned. I would hope that we can have every type of car running at least at the start of the race and for the first race Shift-R would be allowed possibly with  SnG's to mimic  pitstops for repairs?. 

So, I am thinking of putting together some 3 car teams where there is a fair cross section of chassis, so that if there is a Ferrari as the No 1 car there would also be a GT40 Mk 1 maybe and a Porsche. The Porshe might be common to all teams, but with a mixture of other cars in there as well.

[Hristo Itchov]

One way to equalize the field would be through mandatory pitstops, to simulate refueling. The bigger cars could be forced to pit and shift-r 2-3 times while the less powerful cars could go along with 1 mandatory stop.

As for a track that produces similar laptimes for all cars, anything that doesn't have too long straights should do. Le Mans, Spa, Monza and the likes would definitely favour the beasts and even mandatory pitstops won't compensate for that. Rouen and Kya sound like a good choice, if you want to stick to Papy tracks, otherwise there are plenty of tracks to chose from. What about Brands or is that too much of a drivers track?

[Geoff65]

Hi chaps!! I most likely won't be racing, unless a miracle occurs between now and then. But might Clermont-Ferrand or even Dundrod give these beasts a thorough workout? C-F has long enough WOT sections to not disadvantage the big thumpers too much.......And Dundrod, although a bit narrow perhaps, would test the reliability question I would think, whilst having enough tight sections to give the slower chassis some hope.
Food for thought. Cya all again soon I hope, these no-racing DT's just won't subside. 
Cheers all
Geoff.

[maddog]

For those interested in trying Le Mans offline, I read about a recent discovery at SRMZ.  The Ai have been trying to pass each other on the grass, all these years.  They fail!   It's very noticeable with the GTs, so someones found the solution.  Open the bsarthe track folder, and swop the names of pass1 & pass2, so they're pass2 & pass1.  Job done.

[BadBlood]

Obviously it would not be handicapped...

and why not? You could handicap by fuel load. I, of course, would get the extra boost of using the Ford GT as well

As for a track how about the Stunt Track lol

[blito]

i think i would be up for a 2 hour GT race. I would suggest somewhere easy though as 2 hours of GPL aint good for the eyes so i will be doing driver swap with the OH. Silverstone or monza (original) so that Kaz can at least keep the car on the road!

[Clive Loynes]

Isn't Sebring another classic long race track?

Don't know what the GT version is like and I don't think that I would be up for it anyway. 

It is probably caused by not having a decent setup but the best way that I can describe driving these cars is as unpleasant.

[EvilClive]

Sebring is indeed a classic GT track Clive, and might be one of the circuits in contention.

 But, does it kind of favour the cars with outright horsepower on those long straights, or are there enough twisty bits to give the Porsche a chance to make up the difference with its superior handling and reliability. The biggest prob will be that is a "new" track to great many drivers and there is a certain reluctance to commit to learning a new track. Although one would have thought that "if you ain't nailed the circuit in 2 hrs of racing you ain't never gonna learn it sonny!!"


I guess I should confess here, that I am intrigued by the "reliability factor" that has allegedly been fed into the DNA of these cars and I am interested to see if it is possible to:-

a)  nurse one of the fragile cars to the end of a long race by short shifting and monitoring oil temps etc.
b) see if the unbreakable Porsche wins out through sheer reliability as the beasts up front go lame.
c)  stay awake for long enough to find out!!!