Assetto Corsa Competizione | Season 14 Round 6 | GT3 Endurance @ Watkins Glen

[davejm]

52 minutes ago, Meers said:

I've gone for the 488evo this time. Just absolutely loving it, it feels much more alive than the M4 and it just sounds incredible. Are we allowed to switch cars mid season? Strongly considering swapping it.

 

Yeah you can change cars mate 👍 I was considering changing back to the Macca for the last race.

[milko]

3 hours ago, davejm said:

 

Yeah, I'm having a nightmare on the hairpins!!  I'll try being a bit more patient next practice and go back to some basics with the earlier braking.

 

Gonna claim credit for that!

[SneakyNinja]

8 hours ago, milko said:

Porsche feels quick but dangerous, just for a change. As usual McLeans can be dicey getting power on exit, and the end two hairpins need more patience than I want to have. 

My better laptimes come when I get the braking and turning done in what feels quite early rather than trying to power through most of the bends, dunno if that would help you in the Audi @davejm. I can get back on the power early that way and probably should have done more of this last race too. The old slow down to speed up thing. 

 

One thing that also might help @davejm - is re-framing 'the corner problem'. For ages I obsessed with braking points until I eventually understood that corners are like playing poker. You don't have to win every hand, just have to come out in front at the end of the day. I now see corners as having two aspects - entry and exit, and it's ok to give myself a bit more breathing room by braking early and losing a few hundredths in return for a much better exit and to gain a tenth or two. I know it's in every raceraft book, and a million and one YouTooobs, but it took me ages to accept it. That also scales up to the whole lap - it's ok to sacrifice an individual corner if the setup results in a net gain overall.

 

I won't try and give anyone laptime advice, as my raw pace isn't all that, but I will say that not obsessing over a fast lap time gives me the mental capacity to deal with things in the race like overtaking or defending and coping with changing conditions. If I were at 100% all the time I just wouldn't be able to cope with anything else that came up. 

 

[Valver]

So, I've actually managed a bit of practice this weekend.  A few short sessions here and there.  After the many laps on this track in AMS2 a few weeks back I was feeling pretty confident too.  I put in my best time just now - still not really troubling the top of the leader boards though.

 

Anyhow, I'm pushing and trying a few different lines - to see what works and what doesn't .  And predictably one of my efforts is a huge mess and sees shoots me off into the barrier.  Big crash. 

 

Just then my 16yr old son walks into the games room and all I hear from under my VR-hat is "You cant park there Dad!"

 

 

The humiliation is real! 😆

 

 

[davejm]

15 hours ago, SneakyNinja said:

 

One thing that also might help @davejm - is re-framing 'the corner problem'. For ages I obsessed with braking points until I eventually understood that corners are like playing poker. You don't have to win every hand, just have to come out in front at the end of the day. I now see corners as having two aspects - entry and exit, and it's ok to give myself a bit more breathing room by braking early and losing a few hundredths in return for a much better exit and to gain a tenth or two. I know it's in every raceraft book, and a million and one YouTooobs, but it took me ages to accept it. That also scales up to the whole lap - it's ok to sacrifice an individual corner if the setup results in a net gain overall.

 

I won't try and give anyone laptime advice, as my raw pace isn't all that, but I will say that not obsessing over a fast lap time gives me the mental capacity to deal with things in the race like overtaking or defending and coping with changing conditions. If I were at 100% all the time I just wouldn't be able to cope with anything else that came up. 

 

 

Great advise.  I'm focusing less on lap times these days, partly because I've been off the pace since the break anyway; and I've even had the delta turned off for my practice sessions for the last couple of races.  But I still put too much emphasis on hitting the braking points 'like the aliens do' so perhaps I'll feel more in control if I take a slow entry.  Although my main problem at Donington is the final two corners at the moment; although I did find more grip in the last session.   It just feels sketchy here, but then again the car in general isn't as safe as the McLaren anyway, especially when you're on the limit.

[Meers]

15 hours ago, SneakyNinja said:

One thing that also might help @davejm - is re-framing 'the corner problem'. For ages I obsessed with braking points until I eventually understood that corners are like playing poker. You don't have to win every hand, just have to come out in front at the end of the day. I now see corners as having two aspects - entry and exit, and it's ok to give myself a bit more breathing room by braking early and losing a few hundredths in return for a much better exit and to gain a tenth or two. I know it's in every raceraft book, and a million and one YouTooobs, but it took me ages to accept it. That also scales up to the whole lap - it's ok to sacrifice an individual corner if the setup results in a net gain overall.

 

I won't try and give anyone laptime advice, as my raw pace isn't all that, but I will say that not obsessing over a fast lap time gives me the mental capacity to deal with things in the race like overtaking or defending and coping with changing conditions. If I were at 100% all the time I just wouldn't be able to cope with anything else that came up. 

 

The first thing the chaps over at Prime Motorsport got out of my head is that not every lap has to be better than its previous. Focus not on speed, but on your lines (ride every kerb, hit every apex) and work on your consistency. If you can manage that, the speed will come automatically.

 

Lo and behold, despite all my efforts I am still slower than them. 😅

[davejm]

I can't race tomorrow  Sods law the one week I've put in a fair amount of practice and I can't make it  

[Meers]

Aww man. 😓

 

House update - current house is sold (for more than the asking price, yay!). If everything goes to plan, we'll be getting the key of our 'new' house in about...

 

.

 

So from next week onwards we'll be packing boxes and other stuff in preparation for the move. Less to no practice for me, but I'm going to try to join the races up until the move (which should be last week of November / 1st week of December).

 

Last thing I'm 'packing' will be the rig, and it'll be installing it first thing as well, 😄.

[davejm]

Might be back in for tomorrow.  My late evening plans have changed again, so it's just a work thing to try and navigate in time for server start.  So more of a chance now!

[Valver]

Well that was fun!  I was even leading the race for a few laps!

 

 

[milko]

Only six this week? Looks like a good bit of battling in there even so. Gutted I couldn’t join in, I’m sure I would’ve been in the mix too even if it almost inevitably would’ve ended in tears.

[Meers]

Yeah we're a bit low on numbers, maybe another recruitment drive would be in order after this one. I have to skip a few of these soon as well but will be back shortly after the move (planned 2nd week of December).

 

First 15 minutes of my race was good. Managed to keep up with the race pace but man the 488 is an unpredictable beast at times. Gonna stick with it though. I lost it in the kink at the bottom of the hill (turn 4) and was on my own for the rest of the race. Here's my entire race from my PoV (HD still being processed as I write this).

 

 

[mrben09]

Chaps. I promise I haven't left although it may seem that way. Once again European competition has got in the way. Probably won't be an issue next season (football not ACC), unless we win the bloody thing.

Also, from the week after next I will be on holibobs for 2 weeks many timezones away, and cannot get the rig on the plane for anything like sensible money. 

 

So,  I guess that all adds up to actually driving next week. Now we are secured top place in the group, I may just have it on the Ipad while I'm driving around wherever. So apologies in advance for any aggressive shouting during the race.  (Come on you irons, you fuckin slaaagggg ,etc)

 

[Meers]

So what if we would move race night to a different day? If that makes more people able to join then I wouldn't be against it.

[SneakyNinja]

Only six of us, but I'll take the win! That's the first time I've been involved in a race long race for a long time. I usually sit around 4th and watch the aliens disappear off into the (nicely rendered) sunset.

 

Sorry about the love tap @davejm, glad you were able to continue undamaged. @Valver replay seems to think there were a lot more overtakes between us, but I'm sure there were only two.

 

Interesting talk about track limit warnings - I think I've only had one. Ever. At that was at stupid COTA. (I know, I know, I need to use more of the track/kerbs)

[SneakyNinja]

7 minutes ago, Meers said:

So what if we would move race night to a different day? If that makes more people able to join then I wouldn't be against it.

 

Thursday is perfect for me, but I'm sure I can flex if it serves the greater good.

[Meers]

9 minutes ago, SneakyNinja said:

 

Thursday is perfect for me, but I'm sure I can flex if it serves the greater good.

 

Yeah I can do mon-thurs almost always.

[Erik]

20 minutes ago, Meers said:

So what if we would move race night to a different day? If that makes more people able to join then I wouldn't be against it.

 

Day is ok to me, better than Friday or Sunday, but start is a bit too late. Timezones are annoying. Also as I hate Donington theres a high chance I'd have skipped this race anyway. 😎

 

My yesterday's racing fix was ~1 hour NASCAR 1987 at old bumpy Michigan. It went green all the way to chequered! Im the brown number 5 Schlitz Buick, finished where I started at p5.

 

Spoiler

 

[davejm]

Disappointing race in the end, with a couple of mistakes and erratic pace costing me  

 

@SneakyNinja no worries on our contact, easily done when the racing is close.

 

@Valver sorry about hitting you as you came through.  I forgot to turn crew chief on after updating it prior to the race, and didn't have the in-game spotter on.  So I was all at sixes and sevens.  Hopefully the contact didn't hurt your pace too much.  You seemed pretty quick last night!

[Meers]

38 minutes ago, Erik said:

 

Day is ok to me, better than Friday or Sunday, but start is a bit too late. Timezones are annoying. Also as I hate Donington theres a high chance I'd have skipped this race anyway. 😎

 

My yesterday's racing fix was ~1 hour NASCAR 1987 at old bumpy Michigan. It went green all the way to chequered! Im the brown number 5 Schlitz Buick, finished where I started at p5.

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Nascar! Now that's something we should do together in an off-week. Seeing as I don't own iRacing, it'll have to be in AC (or AMS2?).

[davejm]

Server is configured for Laguna Seca

[Valver]

@davejm - oh, to follow up on what I was saying last night - the Logitech G-series competition on simracing.gp *does* have weekly random prize awards, so it makes it more worthwhile for the non aliens to compete in.

 

https://www.logitechgchallenge.com/en

 

The Qualifiers are still running now - you have to "complete a Qualifier Race with full distance" (they're only 10 mins, and currently its at Hungaroring) and also "Complete a Qualifier Race with at least 4 clean laps".

 

I just did my 'qualifier race'.  5 drivers entered.  I qualified 3rd.  I got up to 2nd after turn one and probably could've stayed there, but there were some erratic and dive bomb-ey drivers and I figured I'd just let them through, so I could get my clean laps in and Qualify for the next races without grief.   So I pulled to one side and let them through and just tagged on the back of their 4 car train.   

 

But even cruising round in last place I still ended up 4th because of a spinner in front of me on the last lap 😆.

 

edit:  got my qualified badge.  Amusingly the 3 guys in front of me all didn't - too many invalid laps!

[mrben09]

11 hours ago, Meers said:

So what if we would move race night to a different day? If that makes more people able to join then I wouldn't be against it.

Ironically Thursday is probably the best day for me . Just sooo many things to do. 

[Valver]

On 28/10/2022 at 12:06, davejm said:

Server is configured for Laguna Seca

 

Is it a happy server? 

 

It fell over on me yesterday, mid practice, and then didn't seem to come back up for the rest of the day.  Today I saw it was alive again so  I've done a few more laps, but the times aren't showing on the rllmuk practice website.  Have the logs got stuck somehow maybe?

[davejm]

1 hour ago, Valver said:

 

Is it a happy server? 

 

It fell over on me yesterday, mid practice, and then didn't seem to come back up for the rest of the day.  Today I saw it was alive again so  I've done a few more laps, but the times aren't showing on the rllmuk practice website.  Have the logs got stuck somehow maybe?

 

It's happy now

[davejm]

Server is up and down at the moment, broadband issues!

[davejm]

I see you're trying out different cars again @Meers?

 

I can't make it this Thursday so I've been trying out a few other cars at Silverstone.  Quite liking how the Aston feels, so gonna give that a try for the final race of the season.

 

[Meers]

8 hours ago, davejm said:

I see you're trying out different cars again @Meers?

 

I can't make it this Thursday so I've been trying out a few other cars at Silverstone.  Quite liking how the Aston feels, so gonna give that a try for the final race of the season.

 

 

 

Yeah, for the sake of "let's pick something else than the M4" I tried the 488E and 720S but I'm slower with both of them, damnit. 😓

 

The Ferrari wants to kill me when I least expect it and I just can't tune the understeer out of the Macca. I also thried the Porker and the Audi offline. The Poker is even more unpredictable than the Ferrari. I like the Audi but I'm going to need a bit more time with it.

 

So far, M4 will still be my car of choice. Sorry.

 

[milko]

gonna be away in Germany with work for the season finale at Silverstone, sadly. Laguna Seca will be my last race of this league run! And man, I do not feel confident about my chances of surviving an hour of it in the Porsche, even if my hotlap time is apparently reasonably quick. I was about 0.33 up at sector 1 a few times on that too but failed to hold it together properly. Inevitably at some point I will clip an apex sausage or miss my braking point for T6 or ground out around the corkscrew and the whole backwards-inverted-hedge* thing will happen.

 

*palm tree

[Meers]

Pretty good laps, chaps!

 

I've tested the Macca last night, but I still doesn't feel planted enough.