SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 28

Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (20 mins)
Race: 20:40 (26 laps)

Cars allowed: Ferrari 250 Testarossa Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_ferrari_250tr), Jaguar D-Type (1957 only) Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_jag_dtype), Maserati 450S Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_maserati_450s), Aston Martin DBR2 (includes GTC-65 class fix) Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_aston_dbr2), Ferrari 375 Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54518#post_ferrari_375plus)

Drivers are reminded that they are restricted to three drives per make. Check your status here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuS59xI7-YTLdGNxQzBYb3JDV3J4d0NLWTNzM1NDR2c&usp=sharing)

Track: Reims Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg187122#post_reims)

Time of Day Setting: 17:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: Normal
Fuel consumption: x2

Server: simracing.org.uk Mondays
Password: see above (#post_event_password)

Notes:
(1) It's best if all drivers can make sure they are connected before the Qualifying session as drivers on track during qualifying will not see cars that join after they are on track until they go back to the garage.
(2) Please make sure you are fully aware of the SimRacing.org.uk Rules.
(3) The AI control should be turned off so that you have control of the car at all times, including pitting. Your player file should therefore read
Autopit="0"
Force Autopit Off="1" // Forces autopit always off
No AI Control="1" // AI never has control over car
If you still finding pitting problematic, experience tells us that its less to do with positioning and more to do with approach speed. A slow approach to pit crew chief has proved most reliable.

Special Notes: Do not cross into the pit lane during racing or you will get a stop/go penalty.

Likely I'll miss this one as I'll be off for a spontaneous one week holiday  ;D

Well wherever you end up have a good time.

How can it be spontaneous, if you've planned it one week ahead..?  ;D

Cheers,
Erling

 ;D - this week off was not scheduled but I'm forced to take my holidays during legal year (colleagues already planning
their holidays for 2016). And I've not yet decided where to go and when.

During a praccy session last night I found pitting was a real struggle. Had to reverse back and forth several times to get the pit board to show. I'll have another go tonight to see if I can find out how best to approach the pit chief and report back. If it proves too difficult I'll ask drivers to turn auto pitting on.

Also what is the pit speed,  must be very low....Personally I think your right about going auto,  hard to find the right spot for the board to come up!!!!  Going to try the Maserati and see how far I can go before imploding.  Sure is fast though!!!!!!

Bob M.

LOL!! That's all I need!!! a dodgy pit stop system when I can screw that part of the race up quite comprehensively on my own  :-\

Ran about 4 laps in the D type and then a few in the Mazza just to check that the track etc was working last night. I still cannot get my head around the lack of outright pace in that D type?? I have tried all the tricks I know to extract more raw speed, and yet that car refuses to deliver?

Might get a few minutes tonight to try the Jag again (and maybe check out the pitstop issues  ::) )

D-Type seems to have the same top speed as the Aston Martin DBR2, just take a while to get there.

PIT STOPS

The pit entry has it's own lane before the pit's on the right hand side of track. Enter this lane as soon as possible to avoid being nurfed  :hammer: by fast approaching cars. Begin to slow because by the time you reach the yellow cone on your left you must be doing 50Kph (30Mph). And this track loves to hand out S&G's for pit lane speeding  >:D. Remember the speed limit also applies when leaving the pits. Be on the track (past the yellow cone) before accelerating.

To get the pit chief's attention   :cursing: approach really slowly  :wheelchair: and position your car at least one cars width away from your man, (on his right). This has worked for me most often. Good luck.

Practise it!

Thanks for the info Tony.  Get the clip board every time now.  Really tough on speeding though, better to go slow than have to make a return trip that"s for sure.

Thanks
Bob M.

I have tried the D-Type. It feels quite safe to drive, you can floor the go peddle, but it seems a bit slow. As there are a few long, fast straights I would guess the car to take for a fast lap would-be the big, lethal Massa if you can keep it on the black stuff. If not a trip into the hay bales could be terminal.

I took the Massa 450S 5.7l in a previous race I remember. I could handle it OK for about two thirds of each session until the tyres got tired when it started to reject the tarmac and became attracted the grass areas. Maybe this track is not so hard on tyres.

The Massa would not be the sensible choice for me but….  ::)

Uh oh  :nuke:

Maserati Graveyard

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, Mazza power  ::) oooooooooooooooo :drool: loooooong straights ...............mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.


But, maybe I need to keep it for another circuit? drat!!!

don't suppose that nice man Tony would let me use the Mazza 5.7 for every race left on the calendar??? ::)

Well that was a waste of time  >:(. The two cars in front didn't move at the start, so went around them & promptly got disqualified for going in the pit lane.  ::)

Congrats to the podium, cya again soon.

Trying to limp back to pits with a puncture - apologies for the accident just by pit entrance trying to slow car down and brakes bit on left front with puncture tried to get back to pit side but was too late.

So sorry Geoffers and Rog. I didn't realise that you received a DQ for that. I thought the penalty was a stop/go.  :(

Someone swapped cars on me between Qualifying and the Race!! :taz:

Either that or I suffered a total brainfart!! :wacko:

Apologies to anyone who suffered convulsions and stomach cramps through excessive laughter at my madly veering Mazza!  If I had swiftly downed 6 double whiskies to celebrate pole position I could not have been any worse!! >:(

Results and replay now posted.

Remember to vote (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=13093.msg236004#msg236004) if you want to see this track in next season's series.

Clive put in a stunning quali performance to grab pole so I was quite chuffed to get P2 on the grid since I could not get anywhere near Clive's time. At the race start I got a flyer and grabbed the lead only to run wide at T2 and lose several places   >:( It took several laps to get back in front 8) and then I settled down to maintain the gap to Hayman. At the pitstop I had to do a bit of a shuffle in order to get the pit menu to appear and in the confusion I forgot to take on fuel. I only realised this when I was exiting the pits so another stop was required at the end of the lap  ::) As I rejoined after the second stop I was very surprised to find myself still in P1 with Bob in P2 ... I was expecting Hayman to be in front ! The final few laps were spent trying to maintain the gap to Bob while avoiding abusing the tyres, fortunately this worked out OK and P1 was mine  :)
Congrats to Bob and Hayman for the podium places and thanks to Tony for the series.

I enjoyed the race. I thought the attrition rate would be high if a lot of people picked the Massa so decided to drive cautiously.  It was all going well for me until I ran out of eyesight on the right-hand bend where the setting sun was full in my eyes, turned too soon, got two wheels on the grass and drifted across the road into the dreaded straw bales. (Should have worn my tinted visor). I wasted time re-joining the track then pitted. Also wasted a little time in the pits because I was prompted to replace suspension and repair body. I decided to reject this action and just refuel and change the tyres. A good decision I think as the car was only slightly harder to drive. However the off may have cost me a chance of a better finish. One of these days I may get it right. Happy to finish fourth though.  First half of the race interesting for me. The second was boring, no one to race.Sorry some had misfortunes.

Congrats to winner, podiums and all.  :clap:

It was kind of an interesting Race for me, Having started from fourth, Had a very good Start and lead the race for a few laps till I did a small mistake on T2 and lost my lead, then on the Start/Finish saw Bill's Car (if I'm not mistaken going sideways in the middle of the track couldn't avoid it so we both flew in the middle of nowhere !!!
Luckily I could rejoin the track and fight back, had a fairly interesting fight with misnoimis till lap 15 when I had to pit from P3, While avoiding a car on the entrance of the pits I missed the Pit Entry so I had to do another lap and unfortunately I ran out of fuel 2 meters from the pit entry !!

Congrats to the podium finishers and thx again Tony for an amazing Race !!

C u on the next track !!

Grats to Bill and the podium and to all finishers.

It has just dawned on me that GTL gives cars punctures???  :scared:
 
How do I check if I had a puncture?  I ran wide at T1 on the 1st lap trying to avoid any possible tangle with Bill and chmichel who were also having slight navigational problems ahead, so maybe i picked up the puncture there which would account for the total lack of control in the subsequent laps.

The car I had in quali could just be launched out of the slower corners and nailed down the straights, braking in a straight line. The car I had in the race wanted to fire off the track as soon as I touched the gas and even got itself into a tank slapper over the crest on the main straight!! as for braking...forget it!! just not possible in a straight line. it would not turn in smoothly, and would suddenly snap to oversteer. All of which sounds like running on a flat tyre??!!

Another lesson from the GTL gods  :-\

Very nice track this  :)

Sorely tempting to take the Maserati, as it was clearly fastest, but I didn't want to use my last drive in it here.  Found the 375 to be working well too; the 2nd fastest option for me and the first time I've enjoyed driving this, ahem.. visually challenged car..  8)

With nearly everyone else in Maseratis, a good result wouldn't come easy.  However, with the notoriety of the Maserati, I could perhaps upstage a couple, if I could avoid mistakes myself.

Knocked over a ½ sec off my pb in qualy, but still far down the field.  Predictably swapped a few places with faster drivers going off on the first couple of laps.  Later passed Flash rejoining after an off. That was the start of a duel extending over several laps.  What he gained on the straights, I would reclaim through corners and when he went off.  All ended however, when he hit my car while passing in the fastest part of the track. Not a hard hit, but sent me off course, straight into a building.   Car finished and game over!  :censored:

Grats to the podium and all who made it to the finish.

Clive, regarding punctures. I've never experienced them unless you hit something really hard.  Usually you will be drawing a black line behind you too - and not be in any doubt something is wrong!  Do believe XD shows it as a grey tyre too (or is that only if the wheel is completely missing ?)  I think tyre pressure is visible in XD too, so at least it should indicate if a tyre is deflated.

Cheers,
Erling

Hi Bill

I had to do a second pitstop too........................too fast in pitlane at pitout it showed. I think I was too fast after entry pitlane, some car crusing around there, had to do some manouvers, to get my pitboy. maybe there a little over 50km/h.................that´s why I could not grab  P1

greets hayman

No worries Tony, I think it was the car in front of you that had taken root! Reason for the DQ was leaving the pits when the red pit exit light was on  ::). Guess that the light is on until the last car has passed the pit exit, or something, & exiting the pits is forbidden until then.  ::)

I'm still puzzled by this  ???

The replay shows Michel clearly in the pit area but he received no penalty. The only difference is that You and Roger crossed the yellow line before the pit entry lights and Michel crossed it after.

Fairly un-interesting race for me interupted by my own unforced errors. One off had me skidding for miles across the french countryside on my roof for what seemed like an eternity. Last of the finishers but I'll take that. Spa next  :yes: :drool:

The results board shows that I retired with "Suspension" issues, so maybe it was not a puncture?...But the result was the same!!

That could most likely be from the blow that killed your car - did you hit anything before that (and before the car got wobbly) ?

Cheers,
Erling

I ran very wide on the grass at T1 after the start, but did not hit anything ( well nothing that registered!  ::) ) That was the first time I had to turn the car and I had allowed the car to run wide because Bill G was kicking up the grass ahead and I was playing safe in case he got it all sideways..(there being no way to stop a Mazza in an emergency) then I could roll around him on the grass.

Maybe I did some damage at that point because when I got to T2 things were definitely wrong and the car just did not turn in like I expected. Although I recovered and got back on track I was in last place and T3 and T4 were equally impossible as the car just did not behave.
The next few laps were a huge disappointment as I was hoping that as the tyres warmed up the car might "come good"..............but it only got worse!!

A wasted race for my last Mazza . I almost took the D type, maybe it would have been a better option? but hey it's only a game and all for fun........................isn't it?????

I guess I chalk this one up to experience and forget it.  ::)

Does sound weird Clive.  When you run on to grass or gravel, the tyres do become dirty and lose grip, but that effect should wear off again pretty quickly.  Also, if you should have damaged anything, I definitely think it would be from something you'd notice.  Could you possibly have loaded another setup than you think ?

Cheers,
Erling

Aha ... I wondered what happened to you  :o     Thanks for the update  :)

Most unexpected podium for me thats for sure.  Big sorry to Tony who I tapped in the rear on lap 2 in the second right sweeper, put you in the grass....The sun was in my eyes, thats the excuse I'm going to use and going to stick with it.  Put us back in the tail of the pack.  Got back up to around 7th or so and followed misnoimis and I think chmichel for quite a few laps.  Then they went into the Total service station corner together and I thought a wreck was about to happen so I braked too hard and hit the wall.  Was going slow enough just lost my headlights it seems.  After that just drove the track till pit time.  Practiced pitting a lot offline and thought I had it down no problem.  Wrong! Was too close to the crew guy so had to jockey around to get the board up.  After that I just drove the track again, saw a few dust plumes of drivers going off and watched the message board say, XXXX just left the race.  Thats how I ended up on the podium. Good fun and thanks Tony for a great track for these old crocks.  Gets my vote for next year...........

Bob M.

Yes sorry about that, I ought to have given a second "pits in" warning and braked earlier and lighter but I was hurrying too much.