SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 22

RACE ONE (1960's)

Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (10 mins)
Race: 20:30 (24 laps)

Track: Watkins Glen 60's Download this (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3358.msg203765#post_watkins67)

Cars allowed: 1960's
Chevrolet Chevelle, Chevrolet Impala, Ford Falcon Sprint, Pontiac GTO
                  
Car restrictions: Three drives maximum per make. Check your car allowance here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kJnYnxQnWw8NFb81UkmGwag4_M4M6p9-xaGduhdXkbE/edit?usp=sharing)

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

Server: simracing.org.uk Wednesday
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: Note early race start.

IMPORTANT

As we have a 60's and a 70's version of Watkins Glen, we shall use them both for these events.

Download link for the non-60's version can be found in the race announcement here https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=15285.msg278271#msg278271

I'll be away for this one. But I will make sure that the correct track is running before I go out and I will do the results on my return.

Server now set with race password (usual one).

After first race please vote for "Next Event" to advance on to next track.

Who is Pete Greendike?

He is in the result file for Race 1 (not checked Race 2 yet) and he is in the replay for race 1. But as far as I can ascertain he is not a member of SROUK.

I will have to put him in the results as "unknown".

Results and replay now posted.

He is a friend of Dan.

Ah, Ok. Well I hope he joins us again but he does need to register if he wishes to continue racing with us.

Peter G. already participated in one of the NoGrip Legacy TC70 races  8) .

Grats to the podiums and finishers....of which I was not one   :-\ I have made no secret of the fact that I really enjoy these cars and look forward to racing in them.

I have had issues with my shifter in the past, but I thought a strip down and clean had sorted that. However, during the pre-race practice on the server last night things started to feel very wrong.
 It started when on a couple of occasions I could not engage 1st gear as I tried to leave the paddock and gradually got worse with missed upshifts and downshifts and the dreaded double downshifts into corners, which does nothing to help one's driving!!

As the race progressed things got more unpredictable. Ironically, the start worked fine and I got off the grid quickly and worked perfectly up through the gears to lead the first lap...and some of the second lap too. But then things started to unravel with missed gear changes exiting corners and the
"beginning of the end" when entering the final corner and chasing a very quick Geoffers the gearbox went from 4th- 1st sending the car flying off the track  :-\.
I recovered almost last and chased after Bob, who was the next car up the road, but the gremlins continually interrupted my progress. It could be said that my problems might represent real life racing where a driver struggles with a dodgy gearbox. All I can say is that there is not much fun in that!!
I did hook together a couple of laps and catch Bob, eventually getting past at The Loop, for a brief period I wondered if the bits in the shifter had sorted themselves out as I had a couple of clean laps.
Then things got very bad and every gearchange was a problem until the entry to The Loop the intended drop to 3rd became a big hollow neutral and sent the car straight on into the haybales!!!

So I quit and decided that taking part in the 2nd race was a pointless exercise. Today's mission is to dismantle the f***+## shifter and see if I can find a solution, or I shall have to try and repair the paddle shifters as an alternative. Either way, my racing might be curtailed until I can find a solution. It may even force me to convert to "H" shifter if that works, but I worry that the same microswitches are going to be involved in that option.

Hope you guys had more fun that I did and I hope to be back on the grid asap.

@ Clive - might be worth a trawl of eBay?

First of all sorry to hear about your troubles Clive; hope you get them sorted soon.

Race 1 quite unremarkable.  For once got a good start, jumping Roger off the line.  Staying ahead wasn't going to be easy, with his quicker car, and only lasted a couple of laps.  Got elevated to 3rd again, when Clive's double downshift sent him spinning off.  Rest of the race, Roger pulled away, while first Dom & later Matt kept station behind me.  Grats to Geoffers & Roger.

Race 2 a strange affair.  Started out normally enough, with Geoffers on the obligatory pole, and me a more unlikely 2nd.  

Kept the place on L1. Geoffers soon moved away. He's really in a different league, so I didn't consider my race to be with him. Real one was with Matt & the rest of the pack behind me. Pushing hard, I built a gap of 4+ secs, and started thinking about sparing my tyres. Tried being smooth, but then the gap dropped below 4 secs, so obviously I couldn't relax!  

Pushing again, I got the gap restored to 5 secs. Just as I was minding my own business, doing this, my race suddenly became with Geoffers after all.  Found him recovering at the chicane, and couldn't help passing him.  He very much wanted his old position back, and I very much was in his way..  Really only driving the lines I had for the whole race, which was necessary to maintain my pace.  On worn tyres, with Geoffers snapping at my heels, I was now overdriving the car. Got a cut warning when we entered the chicane side by side. If I kept this up, I would surely get s S/G!  When later on that lap, I got a bump from Geoffers under braking, I decided enough was enough, and slowed to let him past. Except he didn't overtake! Maybe I should have flashed my lights?

Matt however had no reservations, and seized a golden opportunity. I hadn't realized he was that close, and when I did and floored it, it was too late. He overtook us both, grabbing the lead. With the ensuing red mist, I lost focus and now Geoff easily got past too. Escape key was mighty tempting at this point, but ever conscious of Championship points, I forced myself to continue. Proved fortunate, with a bizarre turn of events.  First Matt suddenly dived for the pits - S/G? maybe? Then on the following lap, Geoffers drifted wide in a curve, sliding onto the grass, and most unexpected, I was back in the lead, only having to keep it together for another lap.

Weird way to win, and not very satisfactory at all.  Grats to Bob, grats/commiserations to Geoff, and commiserations to Matt, whatever the cause of his terminated race.

I assumed you and Geoff had contact, and were recovering, so nipped past. Then had a S/G for too many
liberties in the chicane, then with worn tyres  I got wobbly and lost it onto the grass which gave me
another S/G, gave up after that.

Peter Greendike.
Apologies to Tony and the others for not introducing him and asking for permission to join us.
Peter is a friend of mine who occassionaly drops in on a racing night and then likes to join us. Normally I ask if anyone minds if he does but I thought everyone knew who he was by now. He isn't around very often so  I wonder if registering is any use but of course that isn't for me to decide. Pete isn't exactly an alien and his skills are mainly limited to saloons and modest GTs (the big Americans were a bit too much for him last night)but he really enjoys the odd visit to UKGTL.

Sorry for the omission Tony

Thanks Tony, I have taken a stroll through some of the offerings on e-bay ( and Amazon), but as expected there are zero NEW G25's on offer. A couple of USED G25's, even one with complete rig included which was tempting, but required a trip to London to collect. My biggest concern about buying a second hand G25 would be "how worn is it?"OK, I could use it as a source of spares, but If it has had as much punishment as mine then my problems are not going to improve much  :-\. Plus how do you check if something like this is worn....only by trying it I guess?

I have got the "H" pattern shifter working this pm ( for both GTL and GPL) and it seems reliable and consistent as far as the gearchanges are concerned, maybe because the microswitches remain depressed when the are selected?? and they cannot flutter on the contacts to give random inputs.

After years ( decades actually!!  :o ) of simracing with paddle shift or sequential shift, it is taxing my single active brain cell to co-ordinate and multi function at a level that is even approaching competitive or reliable  when I am manipulating a gear stick and balancing opp lock alongside brake/gas pedals:-\

I have a 1967 Sports Car race in UKGPL this coming Sunday at Brands Hatch and as my standing in that series is looking good ATM, I might have to get into some serious training and practice with the "H" shifter to see if I can master the extra skill required  ::). If I can convince myself that the stuff I have works and that I am competitive ( or at the very least not a danger to other drivers!) I will probably use the current hardware for a couple of months and then consider a complete upgrade of wheel/pedal/shifter , maybe to Thrustmaster or Fanatec? as my dabble with the new G29 earlier in the year did not go well.

Clive, as far as I can tell, the G25 H-Shifter has a sequential mode (something supposedly omitted on the G27).  If you do have a G25, then maybe you can use the shifter that way, making it a little easier than the H-pattern.

I thought the name was familiar. Sorry, but in future you need to get him registered with this site. Not such a problem for the No-Grip events as they currently do not use our scoring system. But for any future UKGTL races he will need to be registered in advance or he will be booted.

I probably did not make it clear, but I have been using the G25 sequential option for a couple of years, ever since one of the paddle shift levers ceased to function.
So basically, I think I have just worn out all of the components of the G25 except for the "H" pattern option. Even the wheel itself has a distinctly "worn" feel with a large slack spot in the straight ahead position. Only the pedals currently seem OK, but I have already swopped the pots around to use the clutch pedal on the accelerator pedal, so their future might not be that extensive.

Upon reflection it feels like I have squeezed out most of the life expectancy of Logitechs components, so a wholesale replacement seems inevitable.

Always enjoy these, lots of power & very controllable oversteer.

First race went well after overhauling fast starting Clive. Thought he was going to keep up, shame he had shifter problems, not much else to report after that.

Race 2 looked like a repeat of the first until I lost the rear going into the chicane & then made a mess of rejoining letting Erling into the lead. Spent the next 3-4 laps looking for a way past then unfortunately gave him a bump at the final turn, slowed to let him get sorted only to see Matt charge past both of us. Got ahead of Erling a couple of corners later & chased after Matt only for him to peel off into the pits at the end of the lap. Finally inexplicably drifted off track exiting the chicane letting Erling back through & Bob too. So finished 3rd. Sorry if I was a bit too aggressive trying to regain the lead Erling, will try to be a bit calmer in future.

Congrats to Erling for win & podium & to Rog & Bob on their podiums.  :clap: :clap: :clap:

After having destroyed two of the G25 shifters  ::) I switched to a Thrustmaster TH8A Add-On Shifter in combination with my good old G25 which is a bit tricky due to the 7-gears "H" pattern (now I'm a bit more comfortable with it with only a few misconnections left) but much more robust.

Result_Race 1 (https://www.avonrise.co.uk/srou/kurts/Watkins1967_06112019_R1)

 8)

From lap 2 to the finish a very lonely race right in the middle of nowhere, but at least a finish again  ::)

Thanks for both results Kurt  :thumbup1:

No worries Geoffers - I was driving over my abilities and should just have let you past sooner.