UKGPL Season 24 (2013) Extra Trophy (69X) - Daytona - May 3

[Hristo Itchov]

Back to the debate about wings. My thoughts are always that I need a car that is comfortable and predictable first, which usually means I can drive it at 100% if I need to, without getting bitten in the a** by a sudden snap.
 For the 69's I tend to setup the handling WITHOUT wings first...looking for mechanical grip ( if there is such a thing!!). A few laps will set a benchmark time for a wing free car.. Then I make a guess about the max wing angles that a circuit might need and do a few more laps, adjusting the balance of wing angles front/rear to preserve the handling balance. Once I feel I have the ratio front/rear of wing angle about right to dial out under/oversteer and give plenty of traction out of the turns, I then save that setup so that I can go back to that baseline if I need to. I save a second setup where I knock a couple of degrees off both front and rear wings to see if it gains me anything on overall laptimes..especailly at somewhere like Daytona where there are long fast sections. I am not concerned with the max top speed ( although that will help make a pass) but with outright lap times as this will dictate overall race time and position. During each phase I tweak gears to ensure that I am using all of that lovely torque without over revving the engine. Unless I have made some really bizarre guesses en route, I normally have a car that goes well and is driveable.
This method might help some get a handle on the setup of these beasts or it might confuse things even more. I guess everyone has their own methods of achieving their setup but I of all the mods. I think the 69's repay a methodical setup handsomely because of the extra grip/drag factor of the wings and how they relate to each circuit.

Ain't nobody got time fo dat!

I do it the lazy way these days - go onto the server, observe the top speed of the top lap times drivers, then set up the wings accordingly and work on the balance. It usually works out, at least most of the time.

[liveclive]

lol H.

I think it actually took longer to write that it does to do in practice.  I set up the Mclaren from almost default entirely in qually..... actually probably in about the first 15-20 mins. If I had already had a setup in my archives for the Mclaren ,it would have taken only about 10 mins to tweak using the same process.

Incidentally the argument about having circuits that do not need wings does not really hold up does it? I won using 5.5 front and 8.5 rear....maybe not exactly max downforce, but hardly  "no wing"?

[john roberts]

Back to the debate about wings. My thoughts are always that I need a car that is comfortable and predictable first, which usually means I can drive it at 100% if I need to, without getting bitten in the a** by a sudden snap.
 For the 69's I tend to setup the handling WITHOUT wings first...looking for mechanical grip ( if there is such a thing!!). A few laps will set a benchmark time for a wing free car.. Then I make a guess about the max wing angles that a circuit might need and do a few more laps, adjusting the balance of wing angles front/rear to preserve the handling balance. Once I feel I have the ratio front/rear of wing angle about right to dial out under/oversteer and give plenty of traction out of the turns, I then save that setup so that I can go back to that baseline if I need to.

the problem with running a wing free car is the mod also has aero lift so handling in fast turns wont be what your expecting , if i remember rightly a front wing set at 2 will get rid of it . after that i would be best to set the rear wing to the angle that you think will be needed and "trim" the balance by adjusting the front .

john

[Hristo Itchov]

Incidentally the argument about having circuits that do not need wings does not really hold up does it? I won using 5.5 front and 8.5 rear....maybe not exactly max downforce, but hardly  "no wing"?

We're still mostly running fast low-downforce tracks this season though. The mod is much more enjoyable when you take advantage of the high grip by running high downforce, around twisty tracks to get the cars drifting nicely. I'd rather run 67s on tracks like Reims, at least corners are actually challenging and you don't die of boredom.

[Artiglietti]

Well, lets put it another way then, lets say a track which is effectively a long straight interspersed with 4 hairpins you take in 1st or 2nd gear, is not exactly the most suitable to enjoy the high speed/high grip combination which sets this particular mod apart from any other. Combined with the high slipstream effect, this becomes effectively something very close to a drafting race, of which we have already 3 in the season (!). Now, drafting races may well be fun for some, but you can have them with any of the mods, as the slipstream is pretty strong in all of them. It is the medium/high speed corners at full speed you cant have with any other mod, tracks like Interlagos, or even Mexico were a good choice I think, long enough straights to race, interesting corners to actually drive. Still, as I wrote in my post above, the need to time your pass at the exit of the bankings make this a more interesting track for racing than, say, Reims or Hockenheim.

[BadBlood]

We could always put in a twisty track for the last three rounds if people want it. What about....

Fill in the blanks. Clermont? Zandy?

I would be quite happy to replace Reims and I HATE Hockenheim. You can have too much of a straight...

[Hristo Itchov]

Out of the last 3 races remaining, Bridgehampton and Interlagos seem fine, so that leaves Hockenheim, which I wouldn't mind to see replaced. I haven't really thought on possible replacements, but Zandy sounds good.

[Artiglietti]

I would be very much up for it. The ones you said would be fine, theres also Anderstorp which is decent enough and not much used. Also, more racing-friendly tracks like Rouen, Riverside, Zeltweg. Erm...Solitude, anyone.. :'(? We would only need one, as Reims has already been inflicted earlier in the season..

[Hristo Itchov]

If we're to keep with the country-related tracks, how about Schottenring? That would be a blast in the 69s!

[BadBlood]

LOL - Only just saw Reims had gone. I drove it as well!

I thought about the Schottenring - I also wondered about Pacific Raceways but maybe too many American tracks or Preluk or Brno....

The other one I wondered about was Clermont - that WOULD be a challenge

[EvilClive]

How about something a little off the usual list....Neuvilles? some great fast corners around there

[BadBlood]

Don't know it but happy to give it a go - have we raced there?

[Hristo Itchov]

How about something a little off the usual list....Neuvilles? some great fast corners around there

As long as they're not flat out, I don't mind. The track has to be safe in terms of screen freeze as well.

[Artiglietti]

Lol, some places I haven't even heard of are popping up here! I checked youtube for a video of the Shottenring and it does look great, as Clermont does of course. Anything is good to me, I'll leave you guys digging out some good entries from your personal database (but it's Neuville or Nivelles..?). If it has to be a 5 mins, very complex track though, we shouldn't leave it to the last minute as people need some time to learn it.

[Hristo Itchov]

Schottenring would be totally insane in the 69s, that's why I'm asking for it!