UKGPL Season 15 Clubmans - Zandvoort (1967) - May 25

[EvilClive]

I wouldnt recommend changing track position when being lapped , the best method is to keep on the "usual" line and perhaps slow (lift off the gas ) a little , but avoid sudden and unusual manouvers , hard braking,  etc.

If your losing control when lifting the throttle It would suggest you are using a set up designed more for an alien than a humanoid. Also the Honda is known to be tail happy which wont help your cause , as Kruger says a diffent car should help. Cooper, Ferrari , or Eagle are very pleasant to drive as they are much more forgiving to drive  , esp the Cooper 

What differential ratio and clutches do you currently using ? The correct choice of diff is vital for smooth car control. as are suspension rates and heights , bump rubber settings and front/rear roll bar ratio's.

Why not post your current settings here and we can perhaps make suggestions 
which would hopefully help you to better drivng .

Having said all that Monaco , Zandvoort and the coming soon  Nurburgring are not the tracks of choice for learning about GPL car physics and car control.

We all want you to improve so you can better enjoy the GPL experience .

 
 
 

As a recovering Honda driver from last season ( the therapy works...sort of, with the odd relapse) I would say that there are far more friendly cars to use.
The Honda is an awesome beast when tamed ( I never did!!) but is very tail heavy and prone to melt the rubbery round things on the corners when pushed, unless you have alien DNA.

As others have suggested the Ferrari or Cooper, although not necessarily the outright quickest in the stable, will perhaps give you more predictable control and less time off track. Bear in mind that each excursion costs you about 20 secs, sooo...if you are only a second a lap slower but do not leave the tarmac you might gain a lot of time :O))) easier said than done i know but infinitely more possible in a cooper of Fez than in the Honda.
If you really want to suffer the pain and anguish of the Honda and its foibles, I can maybe offer some advice and setups for you to try.
Let us know what causes your loss of control...understeering straight on under braking?  back end coming around under acceleration? sudden spinning or snapping from understeer to oversteer mid corner? Whilst there are not abolute cures for these probs there are tweaks that will lessen the tendancies.
Don't give up, all it takes is practice...and a good psychiatrist!!  :0))
evil

[b_1_rd]

I know where your coming from Dennis.  You stuck with it longer than me.  I was having a bad day from the start (and not just on GPL  :'().

understeering straight on under braking?  back end coming around under acceleration? sudden spinning or snapping from understeer to oversteer mid corner?

Yep, I just about get all of those in on 1 lap.

I think my next step will be to concentrate on the Cooper and stick with that for a while, I just think I'm getting somewhere and zap, that'll be the barrier again.  Can't say as I'm relishing the thought of the Nurburgring, but maybe I wont get lapped at that one, but wouldn't count on it.

Anyway, just to say your not alone.

[Kruger Enge]

Just a small observation from me: as I watch replays, I noticed from many drivers, particularly the newer ones, that they release the throttle entirely during braking.

This causes rear wheels to lock out during braking and the car starts to wiggle causing you to lose control.

Leaving some throttle on, blipping the throttle or managing your downshifts in a better way will keep the rear wheels spinning and you will have better control under braking. Once perfected, this technique will provide for better and later braking and will inevitably give more confidence to the driver.

Just something to keep on your mind

[bindonblood]

Ive been downloading settings off the internet and taking it from there ,but some setups just don't feel right ,i think most of them are how the driver drives and what feels right to the driver. Ive only been playing gpl for 6 months and from other Sim racing games manly motor bikes,iom tt,motogp 3, gp500it is a differant kettle of fish .iam getting used to braking with a bit off throttle to take the pressure off the clutch to prevent the back end from locking up [just like on a bike]and turning it in before the bend and getting the power on but it is a very fine line to get it right and crashing .so iam going to try the cooper next to see how i get on with that,and thanks for all the support guys i realise its my first season learning new tracks so i will perceiver learn the tracks learn to drive and be consistent thanks for the input guys

[Steven Foster]

Leaving some throttle on, blipping the throttle or managing your downshifts in a better way will keep the rear wheels spinning and you will have better control under braking. Once perfected, this technique will provide for better and later braking and will inevitably give more confidence to the driver.

Doing this is key to getting more control and better laptimes - it was a revelation when I started dailing in some throttle under braking. It also allows you to push the brake balance back towards the rear, which helped me too (it allows you to brake harder).

[Art]

Ive been downloading settings off the internet and taking it from there ,but some setups just don't feel right ,i think most of them are how the driver drives and what feels right to the driver. Ive only been playing gpl for 6 months and from other Sim racing games manly motor bikes,iom tt,motogp 3, gp500it is a differant kettle of fish .iam getting used to braking with a bit off throttle to take the pressure off the clutch to prevent the back end from locking up [just like on a bike]and turning it in before the bend and getting the power on but it is a very fine line to get it right and crashing .so iam going to try the cooper next to see how i get on with that,and thanks for all the support guys i realise its my first season learning new tracks so i will perceiver learn the tracks learn to drive and be consistent thanks for the input guys

Not a problem Dennis.

Glad to hear it. 

[bernie]

Left foot trail braking is for aliens and hot lappers 

A sound solid set up is what you require, to do steady fast'ish laps .

I would suggest you try 85/30 diff with 3 or 4 clutches to begin with , ride height at 2.75 or 3.00 with 1.25 to 2.00 bump stops.

Set the brake balance forward to 56 0r 57

High roll bar setting gives stability , but too high and you slide around too much ,make sure the front roll bar is set higher than rear by 20% or so

Make sure you use positive toe in on the rear wheels (higher number helps the car to steer straight going too high slows the car down )

Using these settings gives you a car which naturally pushes (understeer) which means its stable and easy to drive , when you get better and more confident then you can try looser settings .     

[b_1_rd]

Thanks for this input guys it's all useful stuff.  I think I need to turn back to basics and stop trying to run before I can walk, so to speak.  Get better on track time then look at pushing for more speed.  It just gets frustrating being at the back and whatever you try seems to get you nowhere.

Now, if I could lose 2 wheels, drop in a 800cc engine and pop on a couple of knee sliders I might just get around quicker 

[Steven Foster]

Thanks for this input guys it's all useful stuff.  I think I need to turn back to basics and stop trying to run before I can walk, so to speak.  Get better on track time then look at pushing for more speed.  It just gets frustrating being at the back and whatever you try seems to get you nowhere.

One more thought - the old adage "slow in, fast out" makes a massive difference: perversely, you feel like you are going slower and you end up with faster lap times! Focus on your exit speed, not your entry: late braking is where the last of the time is made (and I can't do it anyway). Watch the Alien replays for the line too: that also helps (just ignore where they brake ).

[Burtoner]

Hi guys, qualifying went well, was looking good for 3rd on grid, when last minute i was down to 5th, so still wasnt too bad in the cooper anyways.
I got up to 4th at start when someone went off at 1st corner from then on really i was trying to keep up with leaders but this was proving very tough, in the cooper vs the eagles up front, even worse when Will was doing 1:24s perhaps he should be in masters

I had one coming together at 1st corner defending the inside line and went off, so i did a reset there but decided to carry on thinking it wasnt my fault. Finshed the race 4th, maybe i could of got 3rd but it was tough to try and overtake. In all not bad race.

[Kruger Enge]

The race report is now published.

Kruger