Racing Sim Thread, Part II

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:08 pm

Adam, the site is down for me as well at the moment.

Gurantsu wrote: What other track should I grab for when we race together, so I can get the volume discount? May as well grab them all at once.

I would say you should definitely get Indy if you don't already have it. I also love VIR, Barber Motorsports Park and Sebring. However, I just saw a post in the iRacing forums from Steve Meyers that states we will only have a selection of tracks to choose from each week for Hosted Racing. I guess not too big of a deal, but obviously it would be nice to be able to pick any track and configuration we want. Actually, maybe it will be a nice way to force some variety. Anyway here are the details below:

Attached you will find a document that lists the track configurations that are available in a given week for use in Hosted iRacing. You will need to create your schedules based on what is loaded each week if you want to run a “private league”.

The way our system works is that a specific track configuration needs to be loaded into memory by our race servers to be available in Hosted iRacing. It is not possible to load every track and configuration into memory on these machines due to the massive amount of data this would represent. If the community is looking for a core group of tracks that should be present at all times for Hosted iRacing we can try and make some changes to provide this. We also have a much longer term project on our plate that would allow us to expand our track offering.

Hosted Racing service says it is currently down for maintenance.

Link for full schedule (must be logged into iRacing forums to access):

http://members.iracing.com/iforum/servl ... hedule.htm

Week 1:

Atlanta oval RC
Barber
Daytona
Daytona RC
Homestead
Infineon Long
Lime Rock
Lowe's legends
NHMS Road
Phoenix
Road America
Sebring
Silverstone GP
South Boston
Stafford
Summit Long
USA
VIR Full

Week 2:

Atlanta
Daytona RC
Homestead
Indy
Irwindale
Laguna Seca
Lanier
Lime Rock
Lowes
Oxford Plains
Road America
Sebring
Summit
VIR Full
VIR long
Watkins Glen boot

pk500 wrote:I feel like Derek Smalls in "This is Spinal Tap" when Tap's new album arrives at rehearsal and he says, "David ... 'Smell the Glove' is here."

"None, none more black"..."What's wrong with being sexy"......"Well, she should be made to smell it"...Classic

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:08 pm

pk500 wrote:I was REALLY struggling at Summit in an SRF, but the combination of Ian Lake's setup, the above two threads and video and plenty of practice helped me drop to 1:25.395.

The speed is there to be had, fellas. It's all about momentum with these cars and this track. I'm no expert, though: I'm sure Adam could drop into the 24s with ease!

Yup, no problem, assuming when you said 24s you meant 30s. You cannot begin to imagine how far out to sea I am with that car on that track.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:12 pm

Don, member site is back up now, by the looks of it.

pk500 wrote:I feel like Derek Smalls in "This is Spinal Tap" when Tap's new album arrives at rehearsal and he says, "David ... 'Smell the Glove' is here."

So when you're driving you feel like a preserved moose in the car?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:21 pm

Gurantsu wrote:Did a quick race this afternoon, and again wrecked when someone spun in front of me and I couldn't get out of the way. But damage was light and I was able to finish the race (this was SRF's at Lime Rock btw) and actually kept up well after letting the leaders by.

I still need to find all the speed there, but I was about 3 seconds off the leaders pace.

And now my rating is at 3.94, once I hit 4 and get my D I'm going to grab the Skip Barber car and all the tracks I need for that series. What other track should I grab for when we race together, so I can get the volume discount? May as well grab them all at once.

Jesus H, Grant: You're already at 3.94? You must be squeaky clean! Good for you, man!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:23 pm

GB_Simo wrote:Don, member site is back up now, by the looks of it.

pk500 wrote:I feel like Derek Smalls in "This is Spinal Tap" when Tap's new album arrives at rehearsal and he says, "David ... 'Smell the Glove' is here."
So when you're driving you feel like a preserved moose in the car?

Like a greased woman on all fours wearing a dog collar, actually.

Love,
Bobbi Flekman

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:31 pm

My faves from the track list the first two weeks, all road courses:

Week 1:

Infineon Long
Lime Rock
Road America
Silverstone GP
Summit Long
USA
VIR Full

Week 2:

Indy
Laguna Seca
Lime Rock
Road America
Summit
VIR Full
VIR long
Watkins Glen boot

I DETEST Sebring. What a sh*t track. Just a flat piece of unimaginative, bumpy concrete.

I could run Lime Rock all night, any night.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 7:51 pm

Oh, baby: I had no idea these races were coming this week as part of the Week 13 fun!

>>>And the moment they’re suitable for prime time, we’ll add Bad Boys in Canada (the Corvette C6.R at Mosport International Raceway) and the Indianapolis 100 (the Dallara Indy car at the Brickyard) to what already promises to be a great Week 13.<<<

Vettes at Mosport? IndyCars at Indy? If there was an emoticon at the left for a rigid penis, I'd press it!

Take care,
PK

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:41 pm

pk500 wrote:I DETEST Sebring. What a sh*t track. Just a flat piece of unimaginative, bumpy concrete.

I hear ya. I always felt like that at Sebring in most sims until iRacing. Somehow it clicked for me while I was doing Time Trials there. Not quite like Summit (beautiful flow and feel to that that track, and never experienced in any sim until iRacing), but still good once it sunk in. That's not to say I am any good. I still suck and make up close to last place in the TT at most tracks in iRacing, but oh well, someone has to be the Dennis Vitolo or Milka Duno of iRacing.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:47 pm

Quick one for PK and Grant - how are you finding the Spec Racer Ford with the new build?

Just now at Summit Point I was running the Ian Lake setup, eventually squeezing down into the high 1:27 region and not finding much more than that. I made a few tweaks (no - what I did was completely swap around the camber settings front to rear) and found the car more to my liking but I still couldn't break 1:27. Feeling I had too much understeer in the car, I went to the death-dealing oversteer of the default setup to see how that felt, and there wasn't any death-dealing oversteer.

In fact, it pushed like a swine. Same deal at Lime Rock, where I can't break 1:01.5. It's easier to drive - much easier, in fact - but I'm certain that it's a good chunk slower too, at least with the setups we have now, and that seems to be the consensus on the forums too.

Edit: While I'm here...I love Sebring. For some reason I always have done. Something about the layout makes me feel that I can really attack it, and a good lap there always feels satisfying. I'm slowly starting to warm to Summit Point too.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:09 am

pk500 wrote:Jesus H, Grant: You're already at 3.94? You must be squeaky clean! Good for you, man!

You know me, I'm an endurance racer. Can't win a race if I can't bring the car home in one piece, or at least in as few pieces as I can.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:16 am

GB_Simo wrote:Quick one for PK and Grant - how are you finding the Spec Racer Ford with the new build?

I haven't noticed too much, since I'm still learning the car and trying to get my speed up. My times seem to have stayed consistent, but I'm probably not the best judge at this point.

As far as tracks, now that the week 13 season is running, they no longer show the list of tracks that the Barber cars run in their season! I know Infineon was one of them, and I think Barber was as well. Do they change the tracks each season?

As it is I'll definitely be grabbing Indy, Infineon and Barber, and the Barber car as well as the Dallara. I may throw in Watkins Glen and Sebring (which I've always liked for some reason), and possibly Mosport. I just wish I knew exactly what tracks they'll be using for the next Skip Barber season.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:37 am

GB_Simo wrote:Quick one for PK and Grant - how are you finding the Spec Racer Ford with the new build?

Haven't touched it yet. To be honest, I've been obsessed with PES 2010 for the PC all week.

Tonight is "Prayer Night" with my buddies at the local bar, so I'll probably get to the new build Thursday night.

Take care,
PK

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:16 pm

Gurantsu wrote:As far as tracks, now that the week 13 season is running, they no longer show the list of tracks that the Barber cars run in their season! I know Infineon was one of them, and I think Barber was as well. Do they change the tracks each season?

As it is I'll definitely be grabbing Indy, Infineon and Barber, and the Barber car as well as the Dallara. I may throw in Watkins Glen and Sebring (which I've always liked for some reason), and possibly Mosport. I just wish I knew exactly what tracks they'll be using for the next Skip Barber season.

Except for the rookie series, the track schedule changes from season to season for each series.

The official iRacing 2009 Season 4 schedule is posted here but it is not a very readable format:

http://members.iracing.com/iforum/threa ... 7&tstart=0

However, iRacer Jamie Wilson has nicely formatted the schedule in Excel and PDF for easier viewing and printing in several different configurations:

http://members.iracing.com/iforum/threa ... &tstart=15

The 2009 Season 4 Skip Barber schedule is as follows:

Week 1: Infineon Raceway Long 16 laps
Week 2: Virginia International Raceway Full Course 14 Laps
Week 3: Summit Point Raceway Long 22 Laps
Week 4: Lime Rock Park Full Course 31 Laps
Week 5: Lowe's Motor Speedway Road 22 Laps
Week 6: Sebring International Raceway International 14 Laps
Week 7: Road Atlanta Full Course 18 Laps
Week 8: New Hampshire Motor Speedway Road w/South Oval 22 Laps
Week 9: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 18 Laps
Week 10: Road America Full Course 14 Laps
Week 11: Watkins Glen International Boot 14 Laps
Week 12: Mosport International Raceway 14 Laps

PS - This PDF below that Jamie created is particularly helpful for purchasing decisions as it has the road and oval series divided up and listed in order of class, and shows all tracks with the total number of times it is used in the 2009 Season 4. For example, Watkins Glen is used 10 times next season across all series. Talladega is only used once, and its the Truck series.

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/790534/Track ... 2009S4.pdf

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:30 pm

Awesome, thanks Don! I'll add what I need to my shopping cart.

I just got done running the next Week 13 Spec Racer Ford Race, at the Lowes Motor Speedway road course. I hate the track! It's fun to open it up on the oval part, but the infield section didn't have a good flow at all for me.

It certainly led to an interesting race though! There was a lot of carnage of which I was a small part. Gradually I got the hang of the place and kept chugging along, and finished 6th of 16 after starting 10th. And my safety rating jumped up to 4.43. It still says Rookie so I guess the fast track stuff doesn't start until next week, but it's nice to have passed that milestone and realize I don't suck as bad as I think I do!

OK, time to do a little downloading...

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:58 pm

OK, I've removed all other video game distractions from my hard drive. It's all iRacing, all the time, baby!

Eager to try the new build and to run some private races with you cats!

Take care,
PK

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 7:09 pm

Somewhere the iRacing gods are very happy

, and my wallet is very sad...

Barber cars are cool, and feel more stable to me than the SRF's, although it did seem to lock up a lot.

And Mosport is awesome! Feels a lot like the Osterreichring we raced in rFactor.

One question for PK about the Indy GP circuit. Did they change the Mickey Mouse corners? They don't seem as extreme as they were before.

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:35 pm

Grant, they did. I think it was for the Moto Gp event, or certainly coincided with it at any rate, but the main man will know that better than me.

The only other time I've raced Mosport in a sim was with GPL, and going around the same circuit in a Radical was an experience. My mental map of the place had a bundle of 2nd gear stuff in it, but in the little sportscar I think I use that gear once all lap, maybe twice depending on how I feel. Much quicker than I realised, and it flows beautifully.

Smurfy · Post by **Smurfy** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:31 pm

I know I'm flogging a nearly dead horse here, but is anyone up for a little NASCAR 2003 or rFactor some time?

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Wed Oct 28, 2009 9:44 pm

Smurfy wrote:I know I'm flogging a nearly dead horse here, but is anyone up for a little NASCAR 2003 or rFactor some time?

You know I was still happy to race, and that still stands even if it's only you and I, mate.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:32 am

Gurantsu wrote:One question for PK about the Indy GP circuit. Did they change the Mickey Mouse corners? They don't seem as extreme as they were before.

Yes, sir! The double hairpin behind the Museum was changed into a more gentle right-left-right complex. It's used for both the bike course and the GP course.

Take care,
PK

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:11 pm

Two exciting new cars -- the Dallara IndyCar and the Corvette C6.R GT1 -- join the iRacing service today.

Long the pinnacle of American motorsports and racing technology, the Indy car is synonymous with American racing. And, for the past decade, Dallara has been the car to beat in Indy car racing as drivers like Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe, Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Sam Hornish, Jr. have driven Dallaras to fame and fortune from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to Infineon Raceway. At long last, you too can experience the challenge of mastering a 230 mph open wheel car in the Dallara IndyCar, now available for $11.95.

Five straight American Le Mans Series GT1 titles and eight class wins at Sebring and Le Mans? That’s the stuff of legends; the stuff of the Corvette C6.R, one of the most successful sports cars in racing history. It’s the stuff that helped Johnny O’Connell overtake no less than Phil Hill as Sebring’s winningest driver and enabled Olivier Beretta to become the winningest driver in ALMS history. It’s the right stuff and it’s now available in the Corvette C6.R for $11.95.

Of course, my PC picked last night as the day it would bite the bullet for good. I don't know if its the motherboard, a heat issue, or hard drive, but it boots into XP, I see the desktop, and then immediate lock-up. Does not matter if I am in safe mode, or normal boot, it does the same in each. Trying to get my hard drive into another machine now to at least salvage the data. I was really hoping we could try a hosted DSP Indy race this weekend.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 2:27 pm

Wheeeee!!!!!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 4:46 pm

I've been out the last two nights: Holy sh*t, had no idea the IndyCar and Corvette were released!

I'm downloading tonight, after a Halloween party the Frau and I are attending.

Take care,
PK

GB_Simo · Post by **GB_Simo** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:22 pm

Two big surprises for me with the new cars:

1) How nice the Corvette is. I was expecting a snapping, snarling brute of a car but it's very compliant, a bit lively at the rear but only enough to get the car pointed into a corner, not enough to be scary.

2) How front-limited the IndyCar is. While I'm sure some very clever folk are working on more neutral setups as we speak, the defaults have a bit more understeer than I was expecting. Watkins Glen was fine, but I couldn't get through a turn safely at Indy going any faster than about 203-204. Then I tried a run at Infineon, and the incident counter tells no lies. This was the first time I hadn't been travelling in broadly the right direction, though...:

Um...yes.

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:30 pm

Yeah I thought the long oval setup was not good for Indy, but then IMS is certainly a unique track. No doubt there will be Indy specific setups soon.

I did take the long oval setup to Lowes, and that was a blast as you can hang it wide open all the way around.

I saw that the Indycars will be a road series with a few ovals thrown in. That will be cool!

I'm still a long way from driving them officially though.