SimRacing.org.uk

Grid/server capacity: 22

Track: Albi '62-'80 Download this (https://drive.google.com/open?id=11-13i-IQhKzKMs88km9cR3UjMuj8K6hk)

Cars allowed: Renault 5 GT Turbo Download this (http://www.mediafire.com/file/zrhmdj6sts5ii2o/GameData.zip/file)


RACE ONE

Practice: ~19:20 (60 mins)
Qualifying: 20:20 (10 mins)
Race: 20:30 (16 laps)

Time of Day Setting: 14:00
Start: STANDING
Tyre wear: Normal
Fuel consumption: Normal

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: None

CAR OWNERS

#14 - WT
#15 - Geoffers
#2 - SpecialKS
#3 - Bob M.
#13 - phspok
#44 - roguk
#11 - Dominick
#25 - Erling G-P
#9 - EvilClive
#27 - F Policardi
#10 - S.Cargo
#43 - DULICHKI
#21 - Misnoimis
#16 - Hristo Itchov

I can see some debate arising around use of the advanced setup option at this track. With the long straights, the rear wing setting makes quite a difference to laptimes here. My opinion is, with no policing of its use available, everyone installs it & sets rear wing to '1'.

Agreed

Tony, is there a link to download it for anyone who does not have it? The link we had for the Procar series a few seasons ago no longer works.

Yep, http://www.mediafire.com/file/s5ezvayy6xuyvc4/Advanced_Setup.zip/file

Sorry guys, this is a new one on me so excuse my ignorance....

Where does this advanced folder/file get installed? I am presuming it only works on cars that have it and does not affect anything else.....

Also, there is a list above of car owners, do you nominate a skin?

Instructions.txt:

Copy these files into your UIData folder

Game.dic
GTLOptions1.gtl
gtlui.mnu


Then you get two pages of setup stuff

Yep, choose a skin that no one else already has, and post here which you would like  8)

Hmm, should have read those shouldn't I....cheers Mr.Phspok

Car 21 for me please.

Err, car 21 already taken Daz.  ::)

Just d/loaded this and, on my PC, the files don't appear exactly as this?
 I get Game.dic.bak etc, should I rename as per Matt's list?

Is there not a Game.dic in your folder?

I have just run the 7-zip extract from the d/load folder again, and I get the following list :-

Credits                         (notepad file)
Game                          (notepad file)
Game.dic.bak
GTLOptions1                 (notepad file)
GTLOptions1.gtl.bac
GTLOptions2                (notepad file)
gtlui.mnu
gtl.mnu.bak
instructions                  (notepad file)
legal                             (BMP file )
UIAssets                      (notepad file)

Looks Ok, have you tried running GTL to see if you get two pages of setup screens? Some file extensions may not show if you haven't told Windows to show them.

Just tried running the GTL install for the Renault Turbos, after copying over the 3 files.   But, I get CTD after initial GTL splash pages???? so I will delete all of the newly downloaded files and start again

I was contemplating making my return to GTL with the Albi race ( and a GPL race this evening )  just to see how it all feels, quite prepared to bail out of these early races if things feel a little too strenuous.

SO, I had previously installed this on another machine with no issues.
I just installed it on this one, and again no issues.
You need to say yes to overwrite. Not sure how, but it has created some .bak files
the new game.dic just shows up as game in the windows file mangler as it doesn't
know about .dic file extensions.

Pop this into your UI Data folder http://www.mediafire.com/file/hvapwyjfepsp9ar/UIData.zip/file

Can you check the server's track, cause i cant join. It sais: Track not instaled. Everything is ok in Practise session though.

I just joined ok. I've reset the server anyway.

It is ok now. Thanks, Tony.

It's May, 20th and we're already hitting 27°C again. Insane.
Nevertheless this year I'm going to try to soldier on. Morituri te salutant  :wacko:

thanks Tony. In the end I had to create a whole new install for this series as, despite copying your UI  files across it just would not boot??!!

I used a fresh copy of my "virgin GTL" added the Renault Turbo download and your files ( testing a boot between each change  ;) ) and then finally the Albi track. The previous install worked fine at Rouen, so I cannot understand why it should crash and burn now?? ???
Anyhoo, I fired it up and joined the server without problems....other than the insanity of these cars!! Struggling a little to hold the steering lock with my left arm whilst I select gears. Of course there are far more right handers, requiring me to push the wheel with my left arm and just the one left hand bend  :-\

For me tonight's race/s will be a try out and if I feel there is too much load going into my shoulder I shall quit. Hoping to do a little practice this pm to get a handle on the car, I know the track from GPL, but the cornering speeds of these buzz boxes is something I have to get used to!!

Will have to miss tonight's races as I'm leaving earlier than expected for celebrating
my mother's 85th birthday this weekend.

Results to be posted Sunday night after my return.

Have fun guys.

I'm done with this series.  Apologies to Tony for race 2; got too close to you in the corner.

My dear chap, think no more about it. All the fun of the fair, and all that  :balloon:

Sorry Erling, it all started to go wrong when I made a stupid attempt to pass you but lacked the skill for a clean pass.. Apologies. You have been a very unlucky target lately :cursing:. Can understand are done but reconsider. I promise I'll do less hitting and nudging in the future.

Cheers, Dan :notworthy:

Results and replay now posted.

FWD not really my thing, so this wasn't something I was massively looking forward to in all honesty, but the track choice made it interesting with the chance for slipstream etc....car lost lots of pace when damage was picked up though, and my car suffered in my hands.

Apologies from race 1 to Clive, totally misjudged the closing speed as I tried to rejoin the track after a waltzer episode and put you off bigtime, and roguk for the attempted pass that wasn't very good at all at the end of the straight. Also think it was me that killed you car off Tony, it landed at the apex of the final corner as I arrived and I had no way to avoid it, apologies for that one.

Race 2 a little better, but span it just as I selected 5th onto the straight whilst leading, and got stuck in the ditch. Wanted to leave the car where I felt it belonged, but soldiered on, getting passed by Geoff easily due to no grip or top speed, passing Dom after he had a moment, and catching Dimitar to give some pressure towards the end of the race.

Midpack finish for both, and lots of action, so all good really.

Thanks for the organisation Tony.

Sort of enjoyed the races but my gearing was hopeless. ::) I blame the mechanics. I guess I should sack them and employ a new team for the next race :hang: (or try someone else’s settings who knows how to set up a race car). I seem to struggle. :whistling: However there were a few enjoyable moments of racing for me in both races. :)

Grats to the winners and the podiums. :clap: :clap: :clap:

Sorry for buggering of so quickly after the race but I had been beginning to feel unwell from the heat halfway the second race and when I reached for a drink I dropped the glass and my floor, including the pedals, was all glass and Coca-Cola. I needed to sort that out asap after the race. All fine now.

Not pleased with my races. I really should do better with cars such as these. What's a misspent youth worth if you can't even imitate real life with hot hatches in the 80's on a sim rig, aye. Or were all of you yobbo's too?  ;D

Right now I barely remember a thing about the races except that in race 1 Tony literally dropped out of the sky on top of my poor Renault. I was giggling for at least two laps after that.

Congratulations to the podia and judging from the results I think they put a turbo into Clive rather than a pacemaker.

Thank goodness, it’s not just me then who throws liquids over electrics. :sweatdrop: Hope you soon feel fit.

As expected these two events were very close. 5-6 drivers had pace for the win, and basicaly the track had two great places for slipstream and overtake with just 3-4 corners where you need to use the braking pedal. It was very fun but hearthbreaking for me.

Race 1 was a little boring in P3 than i just started making some mistakes. Sorry to Daz who hited me as i was returning to the track.

Race 2 was much more emotional. I made terible qualy and started 5th but make a great start and won 3 positions. I maded some setup changes that turned out to be good but i still missed some pace on the straights. After that i saw that Daz was a little bit faster but he made a mistake so i was in the lead for some laps. I had similar to Clive's pace and was very strong in P1 until the car went a little bit on the grass in sector 1 at 200 km/h witch caused a slip and hit to the bariers. The most idiotic way to lose a chanse of a win...

Congrats to the winners and podium guys.

Race replay with commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_0Fd4fJ9bA

TBH I was not looking forward to these races as a comeback test. Front wheel drive and slick tyres with enormous grip are not my ideal mix  :-\

After resurrecting my GTL Install for this series during the afternoon I did a few laps around Albi to be sure that it was the same circuit that I knew from GPL. The answer I found, was that it is the same track, but in GPL the corners are much slower, especially Double D at the end of the straight.

Race 1
I had the basics of a setup from the Rouen race, which had not been perfect but, it was driveable. So I tweaked it a little in the gear department and it seemed OK. Quite surprised to get a decent grid spot as I did not feel entirely comfortable with the car ( or my shoulder ). A dreadful start ruined all the effort in quali and I was where I had expected to be pre-race by the end of lap 1.
I picked up odd places through others misfortunes, until I was clipped by a car that was bouncing back onto the track. I thought that I had just squeezed through...then I thought that I had saved the wild tank slapper....then I thought that I might just stop the car in a straight line. I achieved none of that and was onto the grass and ended up in last place  :(.
Actually not too bothered, because this was all about testing my physical state ( I never realised before how much effort I put into simracing!!). Anyway I was able to settle into a steady pace and reeled in the cars ahead. Through a series of incidents and accidents ahead I found myself easing up onto the tail of Fulvio and a multi lap battle for 4th? place. In the last 2 laps my rear tyres were shot and I had to relax and just bring it home.
So, Race 1 in the comeback was OK for me. My left arm and shoulder ( the PM is stuffed into a hole just below my collar bone, with a 75mm scar) feel a little bruised and weak after the surgery and that is improving daily.

Race 2
TBH I had been prepared to abort the 2nd event if I felt that I had abused my body too much in Race 1. But despite the battle with Fulvio, I did not feel too bad. So I thought that I would start, but quit if things got too heavy. I made a tweak to my 2nd and 3rd gears before the race as I had noticed Fulvio was outdragging me from the slower corners in Race 1.
Now!!!....I am 50/50 that you guys are winding me up about this race??   ???
Another poor start and although the car was a little quicker I was still running in 5th/6th in the early laps. With the threat of Hristo and Geoffers romping through from the back, I was not anticipating a podium place at best.
I cannot recall overtaking a single car that was still on the tarmac throughout the whole race  :-\ And yet!! I slowly progressed up the leaderboard as cars threw themselves at the scenery or each other. Even cars that were chasing me opted to go grass cutting rather than hunt me down???

Also Hristo and Geoffers chose not to chase me down in the later laps, as I had fully expected them to.

So guys, how else do you explain how someone whose best lap time was 6th? or 7th? fastest and driving with a dodgy left arm, cruised to an easy win in a car that I don't like?? Unless the result was contrived by you lot???

Thanks anyway, I'm desperate enough for some success in these front wheel drive buzz boxes that I'll accept the gift.  ;)
 ;)

@ Erling.
I can understand your frustration at a series of races where you came off badly in contact with other cars. I think the that the very nature of this class of racing, with a single marque of car and mere tenths between adjacent drivers, inevitably results in dented doors, broken mirrors etc.
To make a pass stick is very difficult, even with the slipstream, and unless the car ahead makes a mistake, people are sucked into making 50/50 moves when they would not attempt such a move in any other races? Maybe the other car in such an incident could/should have been more careful/waited/etc. But, that is probably similar to real life in cars like these?? and adds to the immersion...except when you get punted off and the red mist descends? That does not suit your normal controlled and calculated racing style and I understand that.
Generally, I find that the gentlemanly standards in UKGTL are very good, occasionally people are unaware of the mayhem they have caused, and drive on oblivious. But, unlike other online sims ( and even going back to my slot racing days!! ) I have tried over the years, no-one appears to deliberately "nerf" opponents off the track.
I hope that you reconsider Erling, purchase a couple of new mirrors and a can of spray paint, to mask the scratches, then throw yourself back into the fray. ;)

I always liked Albi back from my GPL days, but I was surprised how much different the track feels in these high-grip low-power Renaults. Taking T1 and T2 flat out felt weird at first, though the braking for the hairpin was still just as tricky. I mostly struggled getting the last two turns right though, as it is so easy to go wide there and potentially spin on the grass.

I had a really good setup for qualifying of race 1 and surprised even myself with that mid 18. I knew that my long gearing, including first gear, was going to mean trouble at the start, but it was worse than I expected. People just kept overtaking me left and right all the way until the long straight.

On a side note here, I have to add that I wasn't very pleased of how some drivers relied on nudging and bumping to gain or defend a position, both in race 1 and race 2. I have been criticized for some things in the past, but I saw some very bad driving in this yesterday. And nobody ever waited either.

Anyway, when my car finally picked up speed, I started taking those lost places back, but it was not easy passing people because the braking zones were so short. My main weapon was T2, where I had the perfect 4th gear ratio to slingshot behind someone down the straight. Once I was in 2nd though, Geoffers was some 4 seconds ahead and it took the next 6-7 laps to gradually close in on him. Once I had the slipstream effect, it was easier. The problem was as soon as I was ahead, my rear tyres, particularly the left one, were so worn out and beginning to overheat so much, that Geoffers was quickly back on my tail to counter-attack.

With 3 to go I lost it at the penultimate turn and Geoffers was forced to slam the brakes to avoid me, so apologies for that. Had he managed to pass me there, I don't think I could have challenged him anymore. I lost it once more on the last corner on the last lap, but managed to finish just 1 tenth ahead!

The second race was a different story - I messed around with the setup, which made it worse, then lots of bumping and squeezing again after the start, even though I made a really good one this time. I was amazed how many people threw themselves off the track during the race, including 3 different race leaders. By the time I was closing in on Fulvio, it was only Clive in front of him, but with an over 9 seconds lead.

Fulvio turned out to be really difficult to pass, as he had an incredible top speed. He never really gave in to pressure, so I had to study his driving and prepare my overtaking maneuver properly. I noticed he was braking slightly earlier for the hairpin, so when I finally managed to get a proper slipstream behind him on the long straight, I knew I had to just go for it. It worked out well and after that I just had to bring it home, as Clive was too far ahead and out of reach. Fulvio mentioned I had damage and that cost me some pace, but I'm not sure if it was that or just my setup modifications. Compared to R1, I was a second slower in R2.

Congrats to Clive for an excellent recovery comeback, I see he's lost none of his driving ability from our GPL days! In some ways I predicted it, except the part where I let him through for the win never had to happen  ;D ::)

@Tony, Dan & Clive; thanks for your words of wisdom.  Maybe red mist was still to prevalent when I checked out yesterday, and perhaps I should give it another shot.

On a much more important note; very happy to see you racing again already Clive - hope your recovery proceeds swiftly and according to plan!

Enjoyed both races although they were very different.

Race 1, got a good start from 2nd on the grid & led from Erling for the first few laps. Drove hard & tried to build a gap as I knew from qually that Hristo was very fast & I was sure that as soon as he recovered from his bad start he would be hunting me down. So it proved, & he caught me with around 3 laps left & drafted past on the outward straight. Tried to hang on but he had a clear advantage due to different gearing through the first 3 turns enabling him to open a gap which it took me the rest of the lap to close again. Put in my best lap on the very last one buy was still a tenth behind at the finish.

Race 2 from the back was much more tricky. Gained a few places on the first lap, promptly lost some again when I lost some momentum through the opening turns trying to pass Tony. Then made a couple of mistakes by running into two other cars & lost time waiting, sorry to those involved  :death:. Eventually got my act together & passed one or two cars, but mainly got to 5th at the end due to others errors.

Congrats to Hristo & Clive on their wins & to the others on the podiums.  :clap: :clap: :clap:

Well we need to see some incident reports people. More to issue warnings about driving behavior rather than to penalise anyone.

I am hoping to compile a list of driver's favourite tracks. The twelve most popular are highly likely to appear in a future series.

It would help me enormously if you could take 5 mins to list your most favourite circuits.

Please reply here https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=19941.msg364281#msg364281

Thanks to everyone who has already posted their list  :thumbup1:

Result_Race 1 (https://www.avonrise.co.uk/srou/kurts/_2020/20052020_Albi_R1)

 8)

Thanks for both results Kurt  :thumbup1: