SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 22

Practice/Car change: ~16:00
No qualifying (random grid) Be online by at least 20:30
Race: 20:40 (1 lap)

Track: Targa Florio (Regular) Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg241329#post_targa_florio)

Cars allowed: All cars included in this pack Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg54520#post_lemansclassics)

CLASS P+2.0

Ferrari 330 P3/4
Ferrari 330 P4
Ferrari 412P

CLASS P3.0

Ford Mk.IV
Porsche 907K
Porsche 907LH
Porsche 908K
Porsche 908LH

CLASS S5.0

Porsche 917K
Porsche 917LH

Car restrictions: Three drives maximum per class. Check your status here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Tl-HdpSeXk40LZtdbnMeXBpTOn_wlo7i-U4Huou9oc/edit?usp=sharing)

Time of Day Setting: 14:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: 2x
Fuel consumption: 2x
Pit stops: Not required

Server: simracing.org.uk Monday
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: A long track so please use this https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=12160.0. Cuts will be off for this event. Note early race start time. You will need the in-game start countdown to be turned on.

Tony, Installed the car pack but I'm unable to access the cars.  ??? I checked in GameData/Teams/LM_Classics and all the cars are there. How to I get into these cars please, am I missing something?

Also my Xd is not working, I seem to remember there's a Zip file that is un-Zipped into GTL. Advice please.

Someone didn't read the Car pack install instruction did they  ::)

That's ok as I forgot about this as well. Look here (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=14717.msg268098#msg268098) for specific instructions regarding the car pack install.

Get XD here http://www.vitumo.de/ and drop the downloaded files in to your GTL main folder.

Thanks Tony.

Well I guess it was only a matter of time before Targa appeared on a race schedule. I have to admit I've never completed a lap here, anyone want to buy a very 2nd hand Porsche?

After several attempts in the past week I think I know more about the surrounding Sicilian countryside than the track itself.

I guess I should say thanks for putting this on the schedule Tony. But for now I'll just continue taking your name in vain every time I take an excursion through the shrubbery.

Probably pretty academic in my case but can we have cuts off for this one?

TTFN
John.

Yep, cuts of is probably a good idea John.

BTW did I mention it's a night race ?

All  Series are GO with working Xd! :jumpjoy: :rockon:

Am I alone in thinking that Tony has a dark side to his personality....Targa + night = pain and suffering  :-\???

We have had Targa in GPL for a few years and I have to confess that I have never taken the time to try and learn this mammoth challenge. But there are some who have, and they are posting some ridiculous times. Perhaps I'll bring in a ringer for this one? ::)

My Christmas card list gets shorter every day. ;)

TTFN
John.

It's not reflected in the race description - cruel joke or missing update ?  ;)

(Can't believe Tony's actually arranged a race here; believe I jokingly suggested it in the past, but never thought he would be mad enough..  :o)

Just kidding Erling. I have tested a night race here and it's fun up to a point. However at various parts of the circuit there a large areas where the graphics suffer due to flicker etc.

IMPORTANT

I have decided to change the track version from Regular to Historical. This provides a 10sec approx staggered start. So you may start out in the Sicilian countryside with no other cars in site and no start lights. You will need to have the in-game countdown turned on.

How will this work result-wise Tony - is it still a regular race, or more like a rally stage, with individual timing ?    Would be a bit of a bummer to have to start over a minute after the first car, if it's still a normal race where the winner is the first finisher (assuming anyone makes it to the finish..  ;))

WIP  :blink:

We had some hillclimbs over at NG last year which were run as a time-trial in 'Qualifying' mode:

http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1936562&postcount=470 (http://www.nogripracing.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1936562&postcount=470)

Over at UKGPL, 90% of the time we run this as a time trial, simply because the track is so narrow. Plus, in order to have a grid you have to have a qualifying session? How long a qualifying period are we going to have?

When we have actually started a grid type race, experience shows that the front row gains an enormous advantage by having a clear road.

If ( or should I say when?) a second or third row car gets it "wrong", or gets too physical whilst exchanging paint samples early in the race, the resultant crashfest holds up everyone behind for a long, long time. The leading few cars are then gifted a 20-30 second lead which given that they are at the front because they are proven to be quicker in qualifying, releases them from any pressure from behind and allows them to drive away.

In general starting at 10-20 second intervals means that cars will catch each other and not have a lonely drive, but between 2 drivers common sense usually prevails and an obviously faster car will be allowed to pass.

Just my view............

We can go without a qualy session in GTL. This then produces a random grid.

Like it states in the race announcement

Well, if you are going to fall back on that old chestnut about reading the original post Tony.................... ::) :whistling:

Does anyone have a laptime - just a rough one perhaps ?  Like John, I've never managed to set a time here.  Played around with a DBR1 here a couple of years ago, but never completed a lap.  Spent around 4 hours last night trying to do so, but never made it more than appr. 20 minutes into a lap, before wrecking the car terminally.   Unless the course opens up considerably in the remainder of the lap, I doubt the average speed will be much more than 72 km/h, meaning a lap would take about an hour ?? (And the race then about 2 hours ?)  :o

I let the AI do the driving and I think a lap takes about 30mins. The route along the coast is just one big long straight so you need to set your car up with the longest gearing. I can do further testing today and I'll post a more accurate time once I have one. I'm not using my racing PC at the mo but I think I can get some times from that once I'm on it.
TBH I'm still dithering about which version of this track to use  ???

When I played around with a DBR1, I started out with the Historical version, but later switched to the Regular.  As I recall, they were very similar - at least in the parts I have seen; never made it to that long straight, so if the difference is mainly in the 2nd half of the track, I can't comment on it.

If you study the map on the load screen you can clearly see the straight part of the course.

My time in the Por 908k is 44:26 for a lap.  This is very cautious driving on the Regular track to make it to the end.  I tried a couple of starts with AI on the Historic track, but they are so crazy that they will "boot" you off the track when they come up behind you.  Tried to check over on Bude for lap times but have forgotten were you go to get them, I know they have raced over there I'm sure. 

Should be fun.  Put me in for  starting at the back please!!!!
Bob M.

In the Ferrari 412P a lap should take around 35mins, but that was with autopilot on. Fuel is about 30litres per lap

looking at the Altbierbude times maybe 45mins per lap is more realistic?

I may have to reduce this event to one lap  :(

http://www.altbierbude.de/component/option,com_gtlreporter/Itemid,53/Mode,bestlaps/lang,en/?country=

Well I finally finished a lap with only a moderately bent Porsche 907K My time is 38:46. 95% spent mostly in 2nd gear ran out of steam down the long straight so need to up the ratio a bit.

I still have no memory of where the track goes and was slowing way too early everytime I saw any arrows on the armco ahead.

TTFN
John.

We had a one lapper on NoGrip a year or so ago. Most of use drove 1000cc Cars the Mini970, Fiat Abarth, Alpine etc but one Alien was brave enough to win event in the 250 GTO!

IMPORTANT

We will use the Regular version and the race is now 1 lap long.

Completing a single lap here all on my own, is harder than all my hardest GTL races put together.  After one more entire evening, and countless reloads of saved progress, I finally got a time yesterday:  A very very disappointing 48 minutes for the Historical Version.  That was in a Ferrari 330 P3/4, with lowest possible gearing. All wrong for the long straight of course, but since I'm in 2nd gear for 95% of the rest of the track, I figured better responsiveness here possibly would make up for it.   Am still very, very, very far away from just jumping into a car and doing a lap without terminally wrecking it, and not sure I'll ever get there.  :-\

I abandoned my usual practice mode and instead started a quick race with just myself, so that I could have my first lap timed, instead of having to do two laps.  At the start, I was dumped seemingly in the middle of nowhere on track, literally half a lap away from the start/finish line.  Among much else, I had to do the long straight twice.  Anyone know what that is about  ???

Come to think of it, in practice, you start a short distance before the start/finish line.  Anyone know if that means your first lap in practice is also timed ?

All this of course relating to the Historical Version, so maybe not relevant for the Regular one ?

Erling:
In the practice mode in Historic, the clock starts for me as I cross the S/F line right at the pit enterance.  Can't tell you how many times I have started the race and put it in the Armco or stone wall.  Very frustrating thats for sure.  Was a lot more fun in the Mini that Bill mentioned over on the NoGrip race.  At least you could pay attention to the corner signs, but I am going to stick with it, and give it my best shot on race day.  Just don't  wait up for my finish!!!!!

Bob M.

Thanks Bob.

Dunno if the Regular Version is shorter, but just did a 34:54 in a 330 P4, with 2nd tallest gearing.  Still with numerous restarts and reloads, so real life time was around 2 hours...  ;)

Those of you in Porkers; have you noticed if they brake as awfully as the Ferraris ?   The latter seems to confirm the myth that Enzo supposedly said his cars were meant to go, not stop, so he didn't care how they braked!!.  The versions here definitely are much better at accumulating speed, than shedding it again when you realize you're approaching the next, concrete lined corner much too fast  :o

From Wikipedia: ".... Porsche, on the other hand, did not race its big Porsche 917,......"

A grave omission someone stupid brave enough can now remedy... ;D

I have decided against making this more like a rally stage. The winner will be first past the line as usual.

I'm relying on all drivers demonstrating high levels of common sense at this event. It's a random grid so the usual faster guy's may initially be behind slower drivers. You will not win this race by being first into the first turn, so let us all take it easy. If the guy behind you is becoming impatient to pass it's probably best to let them through when it is safe to do so. If you do not want to let a driver pass then don't. It is the following drivers responsibility to pass safely and to show high levels of patience.

Presuming you still have working headlamps, you could flash the following driver to let him know that you are willing to let them pass.

Please all read the first post for the most up to date details.

I...I...I'm moved  :'(. This is the first time I've been called an Alien.
I'm anything but actually. I just knew the Targa way better than anyone else in that race. That's possibly because I spent half of my simracing life on it.

Which makes me wonder:
Is it OK to join this race for a one-off or is this a 'closed' championship? Mondays are usually not suitable for me but for the Targa I'm eager to make a reschedule.

Please join us  :thumbup1:

Will be good to see you on track at Targa Dom. In fact you could pretend to be me if you want, lol.  :laugh:

Haven't driven the track since our 63WSC event last year so will have to get reaquainted with it some time before the race, although my chances of completing the race will probably be very slim!  ::)

The difficult tract is between Cerda and Castelbuono and It s here that one build his time. I did one lap with Pirin Abarth 1000 TCR  time 38min56sec but I think to do 36 minutes with setting better pressure tyre and with little more practice

Pirin Abarth 1000 TCR wont be the right car for this one  ::) ;D 8)

Best laptime at Altbierbude is 32.58 in a 917K!

I've got everything installed according to the instructions and all's working fine. I had a first test with a GT40 Mk. IV (what else  ;D) and yeah, unless one of my quaint medical quirks plays up, I'm definitely in. Lots of practice ahead because I want to test every single one of these -unknown to me- cars. As such, it's way too early to mention times.

IMHO a random grid without qualification shouldn't be a problem. The Targa isn't *that* narrow and there are plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Even with random qualy you can blag yourself a front grid slot if you set a time in praccy  ;)

Would that be considered dedication or cheating... ?  :whistling:

To endure a quali lap with all the pressure of avoiding other drivers and their misfortunes and making no mistakes, just to get a front row slot sounds like a particular form of masochism!!! :scared:................but we know there are some very serious contenders out there  ::)

In UKGPL we have a coupe of members who have dedicated themselves to learning this track and setting WR times in the 67 GT cars that we have, which includes the Ferrari P4 and the Ford GT MK's 1,2 and 4 ( and the Gulf Mirage ). The only Porker in GPL is the 908 which is a pussycat compared to what Tony has lined up here for us.
Needless to say, I am not amongst those who have memorised the Targa Florio and I am more of a point and squirt tactician for this event.

Have just had our Coach Tour for this week confirmed and our tickets etc received today. Have a good race all, probably will miss the following weeks race as well.

Extremely unfavourable conditions for my comeback  :angel: - I never was able to complete more than a quarter lap on this track  ::).
But the actual problem is a slow internet connection when returning from my holidays with only about half speed (will be repaired tomorrow - hopefully  :P)

But I'll try my best  :D

Not turned a wheel here yet. so tonight will be a rally stage without the navigator for me  :o

I have to say I find it very, very dull.

If I have the car pack already installed from previous, do I need to do anything else other than instll the track
(which I have)

You're not going fast enough...  ;)

No. but read the special notes in the OP just in case you haven't done this yet.

Will miss this one also.  Wife is supposed to be released later in the week. Therapy is going well.  Pobably  just as well as I would never make the distance in these cars....Barely can do a lap in a Mini.

Bob M.

Server now running in Practice mode using usual race password for those wishing to set a practice time.

Most of the sharp bends have signposts or chevrons, so you do have some warning, but there are one or two which aren't signed which can catch you out.

So far I have attempted 6 laps, but have yet to finish one! So not looking too promising for a good result tonight.  ::)

A bit off topic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSeuaoZ-mI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHSeuaoZ-mI)

 ;D

Damn, damn shame but I won't be able to participate in the race. My steering wheel loses its calibration from about 20 minutes onwards. This has been getting worse over time so I suppose a thourough cleaning is in order. I can somewhat adjust to it but once it's off by 60° or so it's just too awkward. Not to mention asking for trouble in an actual race.
Good luck all.
 :surrender:  :wacko:

Hard luck Dominick.

Joined server ok, vote taken to pass to next session, waited, next session race came up and i was instantly discoed.

Hope you all have a good race and see you on track next week.

You just beat me to the bar Rog :-\. I had told myself " take it steady...no heroics!"  So what did I do??

Chased Matt for the first kilometre and when he braked for a sharp left, I didn't and ran off into the grass. Managed to recover to the tarmac but something was bent, so I parked it on top of the next concrete wall and ripped the sump off before I walked back  ???

Results and replay posted.

But they don't look right to me  ???

Can everyone confirm that I have you in the right place please.

Won't deny that this was the one race I wanted to win this season.  Started practicing back in January and it immediately became an obsession - I WANTED to complete a lap, but kept wrecking the car and starting over again and again and again. While I repeatedly wrecked my virtual car, I also slowly but surely wrecked my very real life back. I suffer from RMI (Repetitive Motion Injury), and all the hours spent tensed over the steering wheel wrecked havoc with my condition.  Original plan was to get to a level where I could complete a lap with reasonable certainty, and then do a couple of laps each week until the race, to maintain the gained knowledge of the track.  Had to drop that, due to my back problem.  Back has only slowly gotten better over several months after my much too intensive practice.

Picked up practice last week, to discover I had become exactly as rusty as I feared.  Numerous tries again before I finally completed a (slow) lap. Had done a 34:30 lap in a 412P back in January.  Tried the 330 P4 instead, which should be faster, but initially (again) couldn't even complete a lap.  With practice this changed though, and it did prove faster, with my alltime best being a 33:54 offline.

With Dominick joining us, winning suddenly seemed a far off possibility - it would have been hard enough against our regular bunch, but a Targa expert, how could I hope to beat him ?  But then fate intervenes in a cruel way, by sabotaging his steering wheel (No, I didn't stick needles into a Voodoo doll representation of it..  ;))  Real shame Dominick  :(  Out of curiosity, what sort of laptimes would you have been likely to post, just to know how impossible a task winning would have been, with you present  :)

With Dominick neutralized and Ziu conspicuously absent, things did look considerably easier.  Posted a laptime in praccy as the only one, but the game didn't care and put me 3rd on the grid. Jumped Tony at the start and set off after Geoffers.  Tried slipping past after a few corners, when he had the rear kick out, but got a nudge as his car straightened itself, sending me up on the grassy shoulder, fortunately without hitting anything. Got a new chance when he entered the next corner too wide (may have been on purpose - thanks if it was!).  Got past and could start to open a gap.  Watched with sadness as one message after the other announced people dropping out.  Hats off to Matt for getting so far on a first attempt; I needed countless ones, but then my driving may have been more rash..  ;D   Eventually only Tony and me left, and then Tony ran out of fuel.   Grats though to him and Matt for filling the podium and commiserations to all the victims of either track or technical issues.

No need to worry mate, as I've indicated earlier I may be a Targa obsessed individual but that doesn't make me an Alien. On top of that I'm notoriously incompetent when it comes to car setup. In a nutshell: You'd have won as well if I had been present and at my best. In race circumstances I estimate I'd been about 40 seconds to a minute slower. So as far as I'm concerned there's nothing to detract from your win. You've earned bragging rights for all eternity (as my former colleagues at NoGrip experienced to no small avail when I had that win back in the day  >:D)

"Chapeau", Erling - outstanding performance! :thumbup1: :rockon:

 :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:    Grats to Erling on his commitment and well deserved win. Also to anyone who survived for anything like 50% of the distance

We have had Targa in GPL for a few years and to be quite honest, it has never really grabbed my attention. I am happy enough to give it a go whenever it appears as an event, but to commit to 5 months of practice like Erling? ................ it does not exactly grab my attention.  ::)

I did wonder at one time if it would be possible to record some voice notes and play them as rally style pace notes, but I could not work out a way of matching the notes to my speed ( assuming that my pace would gradually improve ;) ) Even then, I suspect that the potential for a screw up still exists  ::)

My 1st attempt ever was practice, and every time someone joined I got kicked off.
Eventually stayed in, and did maybe half a lap. So the race was my 1st proper attempt at a full lap
managed to follow Geoffers for a while surprisingly, I think it's easy to follow someone here
and brake when they do etc. He went up a banking, and I nipped past, then he had a more serious
off somewhere, and I had to try to keep Tony behind. Saw no other cars after that, and went a lot
further than I had ever been, and then found another town to drive through, had bent the steering
slightly bumping off fences, and went a bit wide into a wall and 0% health meant
a retirement. Probably would have enjoyed it more with some practice, but then, like Erling I might
have tried to get a good time, instead of just getting round  :o

Oh, and I believe I was 3rd

Having raced this before at our NG event about 18 months ago (can't remember who won, can you Dom?), I thought I would be able to remember a lot of the track. However when I tried some practice laps last week I could not even remember the first few corners so it was like starting all over again. Coupled with the fact that I had driven a Lotus Elite in the NG race & now was in a much faster 907, I never managed to complete a lap until I went on the server early last night & then succeeded in getting round.

As I was first on the server I thought that would probably put me on pole, which I didn't want, so quit out & rejoined. But on rejoining I found nothing in the game worked  ???. Could not load setup or drive the car or watch anyone else driving, tried a couple more times with the same result. As a last resort I deleted the track 'HAT' file before trying again & heypresto it worked.

At race start I found myself 2nd on the grid, so still at the front! Got a good start as pole man Tony didn't appear to move & led through the first few turns with Erling close behind. Soon got the corners confused & made a mistake which nearly took Erling out so pulled over at the next sharp bend & let him past. Now had Matt behind & with his self- confessed lack of any laps I expected to pull away, but to his credit he stayed close & when I made another mistake he went past. Unlike Matt I found it more difficult to follow another car as I could not clearly see the road signs & chevrons. It didn't take long for me to overdo a corner & hit one of those stone posts which killed the car.

Congrats to Erling, just reward for all that dedicated practice, & well done to Tony & Matt for getting so far round this difficult track.  :clap: :clap: :clap:

Bad luck to Dom  :-[, hope you will continue racing with us on Mondays.

I'm away again for the next two weeks (Le Mans Classic), so see you all again at Crystal Palace on the 16th.  :thumbup1:

Lucky guy. Have fun mate! :)

Typical! I get pole position on the one track where I needed to be last (so I could follow someone).

Actualy quite enjoyed poodling around in the Ford, lovely engine note even in the lower gears.

But I forgot to load my setup before the race so ran out of fuel before the finish but I did manage to almost complete the lap.

Well done Erling on finishing (1st) but really mate, no track is worth damaging your body for  :nono:

Sorry so few managed to see the chequered flag.

Thanks guys, and lol Dominick - alien or not, I would have thought knowing the track well would be enough of an advantage.  I've gotten to know the first part quite well  ::), but many sections later in the track are still 'feel your way forward'.  If only I could remember where you can let loose, and where you can't, I'm sure there would be more time to gain.

Tony, injury wasn't deliberate, but once you realize it, the damage's done.