SimRacing.org.uk

UKGPL Season 18 - Inter-League Race - Sebring

This circuit is another first for UKGPL, it is a flat airfield circuit which will suit the karting fraternity.  There are plenty of long straights and hard braking zones so there should be ample opportunity to overtake.

Our guests are GPFun.  They won by a small margin last time out in a thrilling race at Silverstone.  The race was memorable for it's hard fought but very fair racing.  Let's hope for another superb race this time!

We will be using the 67 cars for this race.  Each league is to field nine cars, and there are no chassis handicaps, drivers will be racing to complete the distance and score points for their team.  We will be using all the chassis with an extra Cooper and an extra BRM to make the teams up to nine each.  Let's have an extra special UKGPL welcome for GPFun.

Please be in IGOR UKGPL chatroom by 20:25 UK London time (20:25GMT), (You will need to set up a channel called #ukgpl if you haven't already done so)
Chat and Race passwords: see above (#post_event_password)

Server GPFun.NET
IP address  gpfun67.dyndns.org

Race date = 20-12-2009
Time = 20:30 UK London time (20:30GMT)
Track = Sebring - down load from here (http://dixierunners.speedgeezers.net/smogbike/sebring.html)
Variant = 67
Damage Model = PRO
Qually time = 35 minutes.
Race length = 21 laps (complete 19 laps to score points as a finisher)

UKGPL Chassis assignments: (Captain to advise)

Brabham BT24 - TBD
Brabham BT24 - TBD
BRM P83 - TBD
Cooper T81B - TBD
Eagle T1G - TBD
Ferrari 312 - TBD
Ferrari 312 - TBD
Honda RA300 - TBD
Lotus 49 - TBD

If you'd like to represent UKGPL in this race please post on the thread and advise what chassis you'd prefer.  Driver lists and points scored can be found on the championship standings page (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?action=LM2R&group=226&theme=6)

Please Note: The logistics involved in organizing an Inter League race are more complicated than for a regular league race.  Particularly when different time zones are involved.  Consequently the details above are liable to change.  Please will all drivers check this thread regularly to make sure they don't miss any important updates.

Right you 'orrible lot, I have these cars allocated if you want them. ;) If you're totally unhappy, tell me which you'd prefer.


Lotus: Jethro Walters
Honda: Hristo Itchov
Eagle: evilclive
Brabham: Al Heller
Brabham: Clive Loynes?
Ferrari: Tim Muttram
Ferrari: VACANT
Cooper: VACANT
BRM: VACANT

4 cars left to fill. If Messers Loynes, Enge, and Heller fancy this one, shout! ;D

As mentioned, if you want to change cars, let me know, if you think somebody would like a crack on this wonderful track, buzz them in! :D

Reminder: this race is in 2 weeks. :)

:)

Thanks for the invite Jethro. Never driven Sebring before but quite fancy a go - would like the other Cooper if poss? As before, am happy to be a reserve in case you get flooded with offers.

I could be up for a drive in the country again if your truly desperate for someone  ::)

Unlikely to be flooded with offers Al, so consider the Cooper yours for now. :)

Luca Varani of GPFun has kindly offered to host the race and do the liveries (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=5692.msg99152#msg99152) for us.  Their server is set up to do liveries and it will alleviate our recent server problems.  MANY THANKS LUCA!!! :thumbup2:

We'll be having a slightly different chassis mix for this race.  Instead of an extra Cooper and BRM, we'll be having an extra Ferrari and an extra Brabham.

Finally, I won't be around for this race (I'm off to Austria for a week skiing as of Saturday).  So good luck UKGPL, you will need to be on your toes, these guys are fast ;)

For those of us who haven't used liveries before, these are the instructions Luca provided for us last time:

Car Liveries

- backup your "cars67" directory in the gpl/cars/ folder.  Just name it cars67_backup , for instance
- download the gpfun/ukgpl carset at
http://www.gpfun.net/public/downloads/Files/Carset/carset_ukgpl.rar
- on race day we will enter the server in a particular order; do not join unless instructed to do so !
  Everybody from ukgpl will join the server, then everybody from gpfun will get in. At this stage we will start the practice session.
- All the GPFun drivers will have #67, all the ukgpl ones #90

After the race you can simply restore your backed up "cars67" folder, if you want.
Similarly, should you experience any problem simply restore your old "cars" folder.

========

What's in the download?
The standard gplea cars (not hi-res) plus the GPFun and UKGPL liveries

What if I don't want to install them?
No problem. You will just see the standard gpl liveries (red Ferrari, white honda etc) with no numbers

Will I see the liveries any time I use gpl?
No. GPL online uses numbers from 1 to 22 to allocate liveries; we use numbers above those so that our skins are displayed only on aptly set servers.

Is there any risk, crashes etc?
Not really, we have been using personalized skins since 2003 and never had problems.
There is one important exception, however: the skins are designed for specific versions of the cars. If you use a Ferrari36V, for instance, with a livery made for the Ferrari48v , then your computer may crash.
That's why we prepared a download with all the cars, not just the additional liveries.

How does gpl know which livery to assign me?
Online liveries are called by specific 3do. If a Brabham driver is assigned #44, then he will use the brab44.3do
We can edit the 3do so that it calls the #44 mips, where we stored the desired livery.
Drivers are assigned numbers in accordance to the driver.ini and their order of entrance in the server. The first driver to enter the server will have the number of driver 19 in the driver.ini , the 2nd to enter will be driver18 and so forth.
By having drivers entering the server in a specific order we can ensure that they get assigned the numbers, hence the liveries, that we want.

Can I drive my personalized livery offline?
GPL uses number 4 for the offline driver. There is a utility that you can use to change this number to anything you wish. Then it is simply a matter of storing the desired livery in the appropriate 3do file.

Great news Phil! Enjoy your holiday, my parents booked a skiing holiday to Canada this year. Lucky sods.

The race starts at 2030 (8.30pm) GMT gents. ;)

Al, since your Cooper becomes a Brabham or Ferrari, would you like to choose another car? :)

Ah, in that case can I take the Brabham? Unless JR wants it - in which case I'm happy to swap for the Cooper.

Hello Everybody,

the GPFun server is cycling on Sebring, pro damage, no password.

I will let you know our drivers lineup as soon as we know it. Our thread is at
http://www.gpfun.net/public/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1863


The start can be tricky, with three difficult corners in close succession.
The hairpin is problematic, as well, if people are not careful.
Let's hope everything goes well.


Bye,
Luca

Sorry Jethro, I'm not available next Sunday, neither for GPFun :)
Ciao

Blimey!! this is next Sunday and I have never driven Sebring before!!??? This could be bad :-\

Not to put you under any pressure, but I'm in the same boat (although I have the track installed, and only *roughly* know the layout) and it's THIS Sunday.

We're still short of drivers for this. I'll attempt to send PMs to prospective drivers, although I shall heed Bernie's wishes about not being roped in unless absolutely necessary for fear of detaching his ageing limbs. ;)

At least Sebring shouldn't be to hard physically, lots of hard braking and tight turns though - just plenty of straights to relax on in-between  :)

I need to re-aquaint myself with the 67 layout again, I suspect the modern day varient has added 'go slower' parts that'll confuse me.....

You certainly can. It's yours until somebody objects.

I believe it's the 1959 layout, once used for the US Grand Prix. Main difference between this and the modern version is the back straight(s).

i've only just noticed that i've been volunteered for this race ... and to be honest i hate the track in any of the configurations , so i will not take part in this race .

john

Ah dammit John, fair enough.

I need a contingency plan. :(

Phil, can you do an edit of the first page to show the GPFun server / IP address for those unable to connect.

Also, are we using iGOR or VROC for congregation / server connection?

The server is on VROC.
Nobody from GPFun has igor, sorry !

From past experience it wuold probably be better if everybody to join the chat "italiani"  (no quotes).
Gathering in the UKGPL chatroom in the past we always had several people that would not join our races, complicating the pre-race procedure (counting people, liveries etc).

The server IP is:

gpfun67.dyndns.org


Please try to connect well before the race and let me know if there are any problems (it's cycling on Sebring with no password).

Thanks,
Luca

That sounds perfect Luca, there will likely be some UKGPL people in our chat room that I may be able to poach if they're willing and we're short. Cheers! :)

I just tried to join the server via VROC but it won't let me connect. I'm getting the red square next to the GPFUN server yet I am able to join other servers that are listed there. Anyone else getting this problem - or know how to solve it?

If it's red, check how many players are on it and what state it's in. It won't let you join a running race.

if it's red and shows a minus before the name as in -sebring check it's installed in your season ini , 2nd thoughts don't bother it's a shite track al :)

john

It's red for me too but I can join via IP from the GPL Multiplayer window.  You have to type the URL name (gpfun67.dyndns.org) and join that way.

Done  ;)

Chatroom is common so I suggest our drivers use IGOR and join via IP.  Not worth installing VROC just for this race and if you did it may not work anyway (might get a red square against the server as discussed in posts above).

There is a link to the version we are using on the Race Anouncement post (https://www.simracing.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=6974.msg121574#msg121574) (i.e. the first one in this thread)

Thanks for the advice gents. The server has an orange square now & I can join via VROC but I have that same problem as last time where I can't load any car setup but the default. Think I'll give up on VROC & try joining via IP as suggested.

It has supposed to have an orange square, it's just because ping is disabled.

It should be red only if you don't have the track installed or if it is currently in a race.


Please do not post the ip address online (edit the post with it, please), it's within a company.

Use the address
gpfun67.dyndns.org

It worked fine in our previous two races.

Thanks,
Luca

you can find the IP using standard lookup network tool on gpfun67.dyndns.org , it really doesn't make a difference . if you think this makes the server safer you are very much mistaken .

i have however edited the post .

john

I was asked to do so by the guy who gives us the server, it seems just fair to stick to his request :)

BTW, the main reason for the dynamic address is that the IP changes sometimes, or so I am told.

Thanks a lot for editing!

Luca

In light of your recent problems with connecting to a passworded server, are you OK with doing so in VROC? I can set one up tonight to go to test your connection if it'll help. :)

I'd like you to participate if you're up for the challenge Bernie, as we're a bit short. MikeB and Numpty are both unavailable, so I'm gonna ping a few others who may be able to get the car to the finish.

LOL

What did you do to these people last time out that prompted their selecting such a place for the re-run?

I'm probably still earmarked for a taxi run tonight but I have tried to learn the track just in case I can make it.

2:58 is my best effort in the Brabham and its far from fun.

I would have thought a flat circuit like this was just right for you Clive ::) ? But it is new to me too and seems to consist of dead slow corners, followed by a blast down a straight, before throwing all the anchors on again and tip toing around a corner with zero grip??  or is that just me ??  lol

BTW, happened across their server during a spare hour on Friday eve and Paolo is doing 2:39's.. but that was in a Lotus not a Brabham  ::). So, I won't be causing him any bother during the race :-\

I don't even know the track, do you think it's possible to learn it during Qualifying or does it have too many corners?

it's not hard to learn and you can do it in qually , just not fun to race on imho.

john

Part on the track is on cement (or so it seems) with little grip.
The corners seem very slow but you can actually go through them rather quickly once you get the line right.
Brake early and pay attention to corner exit, so that you can carry as much speed as possible onto the long straights.

The first three corners are insidious: aim for the apex and watch the cones, they are granitic and will damage your car.
BTW: you are not supposed to run over the distance marker on the outside (they are outside the track boundaries), at least not on purpose.

Hristo:
You had two races at Sebring last july, oAo. 42.6 and 42.1 in Honda


Bye,
Luca

I beg to differ.
Wide track with long straights and hard braking, plus a few really fast corners requiring precise control.
You may not like driving it (matter of taste) but it is great for racing, with plenty of room for fighting.

Bye,
Luca

Clive, I love this place. Granted those cones and bails are absolutely magnetic, but it's a great track to drive. Not sure on the racing. On a start of GPFun's server, I got clobbered by somebody broadsiding into me into T1 after I pulled alongside. I was going quite quickly at the time!

The percentage of metres of straight vs linear metreage of corners is around 90%. Therefore, Arnold and Mabel have decided ( in the short amount of time available to learn this circuit ) that I should concentrate on learning the straights and ignore the corners as this will be a more productive use of my time.  ;D
I'm sure there is a flaw in their logic, but I cannot quite get my head around it....................

The flaw is the following: on the exits of the corners there are many many traps to befall your precious automobile. One of which will definitely have your head off if you 'it it the wrong way. ;D

Guys, we're congregating in chat room italiani, the race starts in 10 minutes.

Yup practice starts at 8:30 London time  :)

Meh  :-\

Hit a Polo, fishtaled 3 or 4 times and then lost a wheel in the 'hedge'

Was doing well till I lost concentration running with Jethro  :(

Not the best of races, but just as I was getting into the swing of things I got cocky into T1 and clobbered a cone rather hard. The car had something out of line as every time I tried to rejoin the Lotus to the track it span again. In the course of me discovering what was broken on Chapman's creation Al H overtook while I was in the middle of a wobble towards the hairpin and went straight on. When I span it after the hairpin under braking, I'd had enough. It was undriveable. Other than that, having a good race.

Somewhat disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm for this track. Both John and Clive L declined participation, Bartosz was rather reluctant despite my efforts to shove him in some car or another.

The next round is at Nivelles on 5th January in 66 mod cars. I'd hope for more participants for that one, as Luca did seem disappointed we couldn't muster a full grid when they could (I know it's happened vice versa, but I see his point). The round after that is at Mexico, and the one after that at Rouen, so I expect a full complement of drivers, them both being Papy tracks.

Rather annoyed with myself. Was being very careful with the engine & with nobody else near me had settled into a nice rhythm. Saw a recovering Jethro having a bit of a wobble ahead so went offline, sailed past him & being an unfamiliar track I just momentarily forgot where I was.. suddenly realised I'd missed the braking point for the hairpin & ploughed straight on into the hedge. Really silly way to end my race. Thanks to Luca for the server & congrats to the GPfun guys for a very strong performance.

Thanks for the race.

Results are here:

http://www.gpfun.net/public/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1868

Server replay avaialble at:

http://www.gpfun.net/public/?p=/public/scripts/files.asp&path=/Replays/Extras


Not sure if I am supposed to post the full result here or if you have a separated section.

Thanks,
Luca

GPFun: 90 points
UKGPL: 15

Please double check the result, but I think it's fine.
Only Hristo scored for UKGPL, I believe.


Luca

Results will be imported when available. I don't have the know-how to do it. ;) Thanks again for the server Luca. :)

Grats to all at GP Fun for giving us a lesson in driving  :-\ and to Hristo for at least finishing fo Ukgpl.

Until Friday evening I had never even seen this circuit before, and at first I must confess I did not like it!! I quickly got my times down to 2:47 and thought with more practice I might get somewhere around the 2:43??. Real life intervened and i was not able to look at the track again until I joined the server ( I was late, sorry Luca and the rest of you but things got in the way here!! ) just before the race.

At the start I had to throw myself onto the grass when Al braked  for T3 much harder and earlier than I was expecting  :-\, that dropped me to last place. From then on I was learning the circuit and gradually adding faster sectors on Prib as I began to understand the correct lines through some of the critical corners. I picked up places as cars retired, unfortunately they were all UKGPL cars!!!

Just as I was beginning to feel confident, having made no mistakes or contact with those wicked concrete cones, and with about 9 laps to go, I somehow blew the engine  >:(

Many thanks to Luca and the guys at GP Fun, maybe Sebring is not too bad after all..it just needs a little understanding like the rest of us.

Merry Christmas to all at GPFun :punk:

Not guilty Clive 8) Just watched the replay & it was A Tendas who braked early in front of you at the start. When you mentioned it in chat I naturally assumed it was me as I do brake earlier than most but later I realised I started behind you on the grid so was wondering how on earth I managed to be braking in front of you. The only time you were behind me in the race was on lap 1 & I let you past without incident at the esses.

Apolgies Al, in all the excitement at the start I thought it was you. So I will put it down to some early brake testing by the opposition   ::) lol. , but it might have been just the number of cars filtering into T3  ;)
I was just relieved that I managed to avoid any contact that might have ended anyone's race prematurely.

That seems to be correct Luca, congrats to GPFun (again, we'll 'ave ya next time, swear to gods ;D) on a dominant win. Hopefully somewhere more popular for the rematch.

I didn't want to get on the subject, but the "more popular" problem could have been raised when we picked the track, not on race day   :)
Personally I also don't agree with the idea of not racing on a track "because I don't like it", but everybody is different (luckily!).

You (UKGPL) had no training while we were familiar with the track. The result could only be one-sided, unfortunately.
Clearly I misunderstood the approach behind these races, but at least we can adjust for the future.  :)

Bye,
Luca

At this stage, it's more pertinent to say that I wasn't involved with organising the track or date for it, Phil Thornton was doing all that. I just advised on cars and tried to get as many suckers into them.

Just outta curiosity, when was the circuit/date decided upon?

It turned out I knew the track from our last outing there in oAo, but I didn't remember the braking and turn-in points well. It turned out I was late for the race too, in fact joined when Qualifying was just over. Those earlier starts really catch me off-guard.

Anyway, I had a good start and was up a few spots immediately, and some more after people were going left and right off the track for whatever reason.

It took longer than expected to remember where I have to brake and what gear to take some corners at, and that resulted in a couple of poles clipped and a few spins.

Apart from that I was progressing well up the grid and it appeared I was the fastest among our group, around 6th position. My mistakes were costly though and that allowed the front runners to build up a huge gap. Otherwise I think I might've had a pace to challenge for victory.

On the second to last lap I noticed my fuel pressure was dropping and despite short-shifting it began to splutter on the final lap and so I had to give up 3rd place. JUST managed to hold onto 4th though and ran out of fuel as we crossed the line. Not bad after all the troubles. It's funny though, because I ran out of fuel in my oAo race on this track as well, lol.  ::)

Grats to GPFun on a dominant victory and rather disappointed to see our team in half and retiring early on. Personally I really like the track and the racing it provides. Although the track has long straights, it really is a driver's track too, so chassis handicap isn't that great.

Cheers,

-=Hristo=-

Although the track was new to me , I cannot say that I was at a greater disadvantage. It was posted some time ago and if things in real life had not conspired to occupy my time I might have been better prepared.
I think different tracks add extra interest and challenge, but i know there are some who prefer to race on papyrus tracks only..which is a shame when there are so many circuits out there.
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