SimRacing.org.uk

Season 26 Amateurs Trophy - Round 7 - Clermont Ferrand

NOTE THE CHANGE OF SERVER

Welcome back to the Amateurs Trophy. The Easter break is over and we are in France. Clermont Ferrand. Tough. Released specifically for the 65 mod it is a tough circuit where survival may be more important than raw speed. It was summed up for the Pros in Season 25 as: "Twists; turns; twists; more turns... twists - ooh a straight"

Our race will be run under INT rules and only ONE reset is allowed. Entrants must complete 50% of the race distance to score. ANY Shift-R MUST be followed within TWO laps by a Stop 'n' Go.

All drivers have free choice of chassis although the faster drivers (you know who you are!) should avoid the BT11 and Lotus. There is currently no handicap for this series.

Race List = IGOR
Server = UKGPL3
IP address = ukgpl3.dyndns.org
Race date = 29-04-2013
Race Time = race starts at 21:30 UK time
Qualifying Time = Between 30 and 60 minutes, starting no later than 21:00 UK time
Track = Clermont Ferrand (ftp://ukgpl3.dyndns.org/tracks/clermont1965/)
Race length = 11 Laps
Variant = 65
Damage Model = INT
Race length = 40 minutes (laps 11)
Password: see above (#post_event_password)

65 Patch: The 2.02 Release of the 65mod can and should be used. You need a working installation of the 65 mod to install the 2.02 Update. All the 65 Mod files can be found here (ftp://ukgpl3.dyndns.org/Mods/1965)

Replays Available here (http://ukgpl3.dyndns.org/inc_replaysS26_js.aspx)

Driver lists and rules can be found on the championship standings page (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R&group=431&theme=6)

The full time drivers can start to practice as soon as the server is available.  Reserve drivers can also join as soon as the server becomes available but must leave the server with 35 minutes of qualifying left, for a total of 5 minutes; this will allow any remaining full timers to join.  If there is enough space on the grid, the reserve drivers will be able to rejoin when there are 30 mins of qualifying left.  

Please restrict chat to pit messages including at the end of the race until ALL drivers still racing have crossed the line.

Moderation: Full moderation of lap one red zone which runs to the exit of the first hairpin (La Belvedere).

Other moderation will be on reported incidents only.  However any incidents that occur in the red zone that are not reported by the drivers will be reported by the moderator.  This will allow all affected drivers the opportunity to present their case before the incident is moderated.  This should ensure there are no surprises when the moderator's report is published and hence appeals will be less likely.  If you haven't received a PM about an incident before the link below the results table is removed, you can be sure that you will not appear in the moderator's report.

Password: see above (#post_event_password)

 :thumbup2: I'm looking forward to this track. It should be fun to drive and challenging. I only wish that I had more time to practice.

Practice?  Erm,  isn't that the bit just before the flags drops?!
(it is tonight anyway!)

Totally outclassed tonight;  good going all!

Could have sworn I'd managed to damage the car more than the damage report suggests;   but thought I was adapting to the damage & tried to hold on as long as possible in case I needed the reset later...!

Whilst I was circulating with that blooming Honda;  we had some exchanges where we politely took it in turns to run off the track.  But too many events later I was just stranded further & further behind.

Still,  seem to have managed to make up a couple of places come the end due to more misfortune elsewhere.  Unlucky chaps.

However, didn't come anywhere near the target time.   3.5 seconds off from a couple of seasons back;   maybe would have done better if I'd have had a visible opponent in the distance to aim for/be towed around by.

Cheers,
Dave.

Wondered where you went Dave - I was a few seconds off S23 as well (about 13!).

I had to stop after one spin too many - got motion sick.... also managed to crash on Lap 1 somewhere I never have before. It was like driving a bar of soap. The Honda is NOT great here.

Ah well. I ALWAYS go well at Imola - NOT!

wd all.

Internet disco near the end of lap 6. Had kept pretty much on the tarmac & was expecting to finish.
As an experiment I tried a few laps on the old set-up & was getting below 3.30 (just). Now why didn't I try that before.

Good race all, and congrats to Johnny and Rog! This is a super road course. I had a grin from ear to ear today. As for the race, I did not expect to be a front runner, but as luck would have it, I took the lead at the race start. I could see Johnny very close in my rear view mirror from turn six all the way to turn nine. I eventually made a small mistake that dropped me back to second. I was able to find a little more speed from turn six to turn nine, and I was able to apply some pressure to Johnny in the last few laps. Unfortunately, I had accelerated hard in the apex of a corner, and spun. I did not recover from the spin properly, and I was stuck against a wall. I do not have reverse gear because I use GPL Shift. So I reluctantly used a shift-R, and stop-n-go penalty. I am still happy with the result, and I'm looking forward to the next race.

 EDIT: In my description, I had forgotten just how many corners there were! I meant to say from Les Jumeaux to Champeaux.

(http://a.sidepodcast.com/content/2011/02/clermont_ferrand.png)

Grats to Johnny on win

Had raced here in a previous series and got a 1.34 in the BRM, so when in qually did a 1.30 in the Fez was quite pleased, BUT in race 3 drivers outclassed me with some great lap times Walter Maddog and Johnny, trailed along in 4th place catching the odd glimpse of Maddog, then last few laps was gifted 2 places Maddog and Walter doing there stop and go.

I sat on the grid realising I hadn't done a practice start with my setup and hoped I would be ok- I got away quite well and settled into second hoping to follow the leader until my temps were up. I thought it was Rog who was leading at this point until I read Walters post after the race. Not in the script was the BT7 buzzing all over me for the first few laps- prib said it was Rog, then Walter then Dave then Martin...I settled on Martin and not having raced much with him was unsure if there would be any banzai manoeuvres but I think either my extra horse power gave me the edge when heading up hill or some mishap enabled me to escape. I followed the Ferrari as best I could tying to be a nuisance but he was driving cleanly- he ran a little wide somewhere giving me an opportunity to pass..I slowed he slowed 'you first no you first' so I went first and soon had a gap of about 5 or 6 seconds which I tried to maintain by driving a little slower than race pace to try and survive without incident. 5 laps to go 5 seconds in front..going well..3 laps to go 2 seconds in front...not too well.. the Ferrari appeared in my mirrors and was gaining fast so I had to quickly try and get back to qualifying pace which I maintained for a couple of laps and just enough to keep ahead with Walter spinning. I was so glad to see the flag. A great drive by Walter and well done to Rog for 2nd. Good racing all see you next time.

Unfortunately, my G27 steering wheel stopped working yesterday! It is a little over three years old. I'm sure that the warranty is expired, but I will contact Logitech anyway to see what they say.

The symtoms are that I can not steer. The pedals, shifter and buttons all work. The power light is flashing. The LED shift lights are lit up all the time. I have tried disconnecting every cable, uninstalling software, reinstalling, but the problem still remains.

I am wondering what to do if Logitech does not send me a replacement. I will probably open the cover to reveal the broken bits. I was wondering if I should buy a DFGT for donor parts. I'll need to give it more thought. What do you guys think? 

If it can be built, it can be repaired, and if Logi won't help, there's nothing to lose in trying. Could just be a broken connection somewhere inside. Good luck with it.

Sorry to hear about your wheel trouble Walter- I came across this site which shows a stripped G27.  http://www.jlvrh.de/G27_UK.htm

Thanks for the link, I had a look at it, and that website is well done. Here's an update of my wheel. I might find out today or tomorrow if it is still under warranty. If it is not, I am hopeful that I can fix it. The power light and LED lights have returned to normal, and I am able to steer with the wheel again. I suspect that I had not disconnected the power cord on the first troubleshooting attempt? However, The steering wheel calibration has lost its center. It is like driving with a damaged suspension. From what I have read, it is likely the optical sensor (rotation angle sensor). If that is the problem, I just need to locate a replacement part and install it. I have heard that a company in Taiwan makes one out brass for about $35, but that it takes three weeks for shipping. I also read that I might be able to use an optical sensor from an older ball style computer mouse if it is an exact match. So we'll see.  

Seems a common problem with G27...

I found:

If its a hardware problem like I had it myself -> look here (http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/11012-G27-losing-its-centering-position-%28hardware-fix%29)

The good news, I bought a replacement for the Optical Encoder Disc. The bad news is that the estimated shipping time is three weeks. I found a nice guide to fixing the problem. http://mikeschmeee.com/wordpress/?tag=logitech-g27-optical-encoder-disc (http://mikeschmeee.com/wordpress/?tag=logitech-g27-optical-encoder-disc)

As for our upcoming race at Imola, I have an xbox 360 controller that I might try. I do not expect to be competitive, but I might enjoy participating anyway. 

"Moderation" published