◆ SNAIL [Spec] Racing - Currently Recruiting for GT7 - JOIN TODAY!!Open

[CoachMK21]

So a buddy of mine races on forza and i want to race his lap times, to see who is faster any good combos that you guys know of that are on both games? i have never played forza before and hes never played gt, but he swears no matter what he will beat my times. I can not let that happen.

Of course he'll beat your times. He'll just rewind.

 

[fizzer]

At that point, would the juice be worth the squeeze? Our current tire standards work, and work well...

I think they work, for the most part. But there are exceptions. The RedBull is one as many are complaining about. I think we're just a notch gripper than realistic for most combos.

I just did some testing. On the only car I've personally done extensive datalogging on, the SS equate to a Hoosier A-6 Dot slick in lateral G on a flat track at 60mph. That would be an RX-8 in stock class SCCA Solo II (AutoX).

As anyone who has run A-6s at a track day will tell you, unless its really cold out, its not something you would make a habit of doing. If you even made it through a few sessions without ruining a set, you surely wouldn't bring them to a second track day.

So, my point is that you wouldn't really be running track days with SS levels of grip, and most race tires for production-based cars are going to be a little lower on the grip side for longevity purposes.

I'm perfectly fine with the way the rules are for now, as for the most part they work. But, when people start complaining about the racability of certain combos, I will continue the gentle reminder that its in part due to the fact that the tires we run are a little too sticky

Wanna know how to improve F1 overtaking IRL without resorting to silly DRS shenanigans? Regulate the tires so that they only get one set for qualy and race. I'd bet good money you'd see a whole lot more passing.

 

[Zii1993]

Of course he'll beat your times. He'll just rewind.

I was more worried about the slight driving aid I was told that forza supposedly has on all the time.

 

[dabneyd]

Seen in the Omni parking lot near my office.

 

[Rallywagon]

I think they work, for the most part. But there are exceptions. The RedBull is one as many are complaining about. I think we're just a notch gripper than realistic for most combos.

I just did some testing. On the only car I've personally done extensive datalogging on, the SS equate to a Hoosier A-6 Dot slick in lateral G on a flat track at 60mph. That would be an RX-8 in stock class SCCA Solo II (AutoX).

As anyone who has run A-6s at a track day will tell you, unless its really cold out, its not something you would make a habit of doing. If you even made it through a few sessions without ruining a set, you surely wouldn't bring them to a second track day.

So, my point is that you wouldn't really be running track days with SS levels of grip, and most race tires for production-based cars are going to be a little lower on the grip side for longevity purposes.

I'm perfectly fine with the way the rules are for now, as for the most part they work. But, when people start complaining about the racability of certain combos, I will continue the gentle reminder that its in part due to the fact that the tires we run are a little too sticky

Wanna know how to improve F1 overtaking IRL without resorting to silly DRS shenanigans? Regulate the tires so that they only get one set for qualy and race. I'd bet good money you'd see a whole lot more passing.

I have no idea about hoosier, especially that particular model, but if its supposed to be a dot-r, and you dont want to run it at a track day or autox, then it sounds like its failing at its purpose. I do however have experience with Yoko ADVANs on a crossfire, autoxing that. And as anyone who has ran them will tell you, they are AWESOME! And I know that they grip like SS. However, my real life xfire, and my in game xfire drive absolutely nothing alike even slightly.

 

[Mirado_7]

The way I treat accidentally cutting the track is:
You can tell as soon as you turn in that you have made an error and will cut the corner. So I just coast through it and along the next straight some if necessary. Treat it like the leaving the track situation it is, and rejoin the race when it is safe to do so.
If it's safe to rejoin immediately I do so, Ive already lost at least a tenth coasting through the turn, so I don't do any extra lift on the next straight.

Would this be penalized by the stewards?

 

[JLBowler]

I think I just tree'd you for the second time today @JLBowler . You gonna call another technical?

I will not call a technical on this one. I will just say I took the time to find my post answering the question yesterday (it was three pages back, thread moves quick), and you were able to exercise your ninja skills before I could find my post.

The way I treat accidentally cutting the track is:
You can tell as soon as you turn in that you have made an error and will cut the corner. So I just coast through it and along the next straight some if necessary. Treat it like the leaving the track situation it is, and rejoin the race when it is safe to do so.
If it's safe to rejoin immediately I do so, Ive already lost at least a tenth coasting through the turn, so I don't do any extra lift on the next straight.
Would this be penalized by the stewards?

Most likely, no, as long as you give up enough ground to fully negate any advantage gained by cutting the track.

 

[Chiochan]

Seen in the Omni parking lot near my office.

look at it's little baby bumper.

 

[IceWarden]

I think they work, for the most part. But there are exceptions. The RedBull is one as many are complaining about. I think we're just a notch gripper than realistic for most combos.

I just did some testing. On the only car I've personally done extensive datalogging on, the SS equate to a Hoosier A-6 Dot slick in lateral G on a flat track at 60mph. That would be an RX-8 in stock class SCCA Solo II (AutoX).

As anyone who has run A-6s at a track day will tell you, unless its really cold out, its not something you would make a habit of doing. If you even made it through a few sessions without ruining a set, you surely wouldn't bring them to a second track day.

So, my point is that you wouldn't really be running track days with SS levels of grip, and most race tires for production-based cars are going to be a little lower on the grip side for longevity purposes.

I'm perfectly fine with the way the rules are for now, as for the most part they work. But, when people start complaining about the racability of certain combos, I will continue the gentle reminder that its in part due to the fact that the tires we run are a little too sticky

Wanna know how to improve F1 overtaking IRL without resorting to silly DRS shenanigans? Regulate the tires so that they only get one set for qualy and race. I'd bet good money you'd see a whole lot more passing.

I will say that tire equivalent is pretty spot on.

SS tires in the game are basically cut slicks (like the A-6) but DOT legal (barely).

MOST people on a budget who DRIVE their street cars to track days (not Auto-x) are using the equivalent of SH or maybe CS tires. I would drive my old 911 to the track (about 1.5 hours away), throw the magnetic numbers on the doors and away I went.

Some guys who had slightly larger cars would throw an extra set of wheels/tires in their car (or tow a very tiny trailer on their car) and change them at the track. But only the guys running race prepped cars would run the cut slicks. Slicks weren't used at all. Hell even guys who towed their cars to the track weren't using slicks. Maybe a few were on DOT R but not many. They are just not cost effective for track days.

Today's P Zeros that come on high performance street cars like a GT3 Porsche are probably very close to a SM or SH. They are designed to last a few thousand miles but are nowhere near a cut slick designed to last a race day.

 

[fizzer]

I have no idea about hoosier, especially that particular model, but if its supposed to be a dot-r, and you dont want to run it at a track day or autox, then it sounds like its failing at its purpose. I do however have experience with Yoko ADVANs on a crossfire, autoxing that. And as anyone who has ran them will tell you, they are AWESOME! And I know that they grip like SS. However, my real life xfire, and my in game xfire drive absolutely nothing alike even slightly.

My RX-8 actually did handle somewhat similar to the in game model, so I feel its a fair comparison.

I brought up the A-6s because they are ultra sticky DOT slicks specifically for autocross and they generated Gs around what the SS does in game. Being specifically an AutoX compound though, they're super soft and generate tons of grip while warming up quickly. There's a lot of compromises in that compound to get that grip level and they're only good for about 80 AutoX runs before they're toast (depending on car and setup). They mostly only see use at track days when AutoXers have used them up and run them for a session or two until they're down to the cords.

Hoosier has an R-6 compound in the same construction that will last a lot longer for track use, but they don't generate quite the same peak grip and take a while to bring up to optimum temp.

 

[zer05ive]

Ok. I've been working on this, off and on for most of the day. It's pretty much an unashamed mashup of zer0's and JLBowler's posts, with a few embellisments. There is also an attached text file. It looks like crap in notepad. I've tested it a couple of times. Don't try to edit it until you've pasted it in to an edit post screen. It should come out looking right in the GTPlanet edit mode, and hopefully, in the first post, should you choose to use it.

Congratulations to Nick McMillen..
From Virtual to Reality..
From S.N.A.I.L. to GT Academy Champion!!

From left to right:Christopher Hill (Runner-Up), Nick McMillen (Champion), Brian Marsteller (3rd Place)

Congrats to all the SNAILs who advanced to the GT Academy Silverstone finals!

From left to right:
Martin Sprau, Dan Reude, Brian Marsteller, Joey Barbato, Nick McMillen, Doug Hawkins, Christopher Hill

Currently Sponsored by;
Click the logo below for details on the Allen Berg Racing Schools Challenge!!


​

​

Index:

Operational

2014 Calendar / Current Sunday Lineup Post #2 / Drivers List
Weekly Events Schedule Post #1261 / Points System Post #4421
Host and Driver Responsibilities on Race Night Post #50856​

Race Regulations and Settings

Race Settings / Race Length(Laps) / Time & Weather
Tire Requirements Post #1 under settings
Car Classification-Race or Street Post #11961​

Data and Statistics

Team S.N.A.I.L.
Sunday Night Results Spreadsheet
Color and Number Information Post #1213​

Incidents and Penalties

S.N.A.I.L. OLR / Good Race Craft Guide
Incident Filing Instructions / S.N.A.I.L. Penalty Guidelines​

Driver Status Policy - Full or Part Time

West Coast Division Inception Post #42317

S.N.A.I.L. Marketplace​

​

Welcome to S.N.A.I.L.​

Our mission is to provide our members with the cleanest and most competitive racing experience possible with minimal prep time required. No matter what your skill level is, we will provide you with a full grid of similarly-skilled drivers to compete against. It's our belief that close racing is not only exciting, but is also the best way to improve your skill and refine your racecraft! We have our official league night every Sunday night at 9:30pm Eastern / 6:30pm Pacific (we also have a new West Coast time slot starting at 9pm Pacific!!), but we also have a full schedule of events held on every night of the week. If this sounds like something you'd like to be a part of, please keep reading to learn more about our league and how to join us.

What Makes Us Different​

There are five things that we offer that you won't find anywhere else. First of all, we provide our members with the most evenly-matched competition possible. In fact, the intense level of competition that we produce has established S.N.A.I.L. as an ideal place to prepare for GT Academy. And if you like to keep track of your improvement, you'll be glad to know that we keep the most comprehensive race data available on GTPlanet. On top of that, if you like to have a say in what cars and tracks you race, we feature an interactive process that allows your voice to be heard. And finally, we're the only league where our members win valuable prizes just for showing up to race! What more could you ask for?!

Evenly-Matched Competition​

Have you ever watched a professional race where drivers with completely different skill levels were competing on the same track? Of course not! That wouldn't be fun to watch, let alone fun to participate in. Unfortunately, that disparity of pace is something you'll often find in organized online racing. When this happens, you'll be lucky to just a few drivers that you're truly competitive with. Everyone else will usually either be faster or slower than you. We prevent that from happening in S.N.A.I.L. by dividing our drivers into eight separate divisions based on speed and skill. This results in full grids of evenly-matched competition and creates the closest and most intense sim racing experience around!

Preparation for GT Academy​

If you have your eye on competing in GT Academy one day, there is no better place than S.N.A.I.L. to hone your skills to the elite levels necessary to make it to the finals. You need to be the best of the best to make it to Silverstone, and that's exactly what the drivers in our top division are. Half of this year's GT Academy Silverstone Finalists race in S.N.A.I.L. (click here if you want advice directly from one of them). However, even if you don't aspire to win GT Academy someday, it's still great to be able to get tips and advice from many of the best drivers around. Regardless if you're a professional racer or a casual gamer, we can provide you with the perfect environment to learn and get faster!

Win Valuable Prizes​

Have you ever wished you could win free stuff just for having fun? If so, then you might want to know that our members win valuable real-world prizes just for racing with us! These prize are based on participation and not on race results. Some examples of prizes our members have won include a GranStand Cockpit, a ButtKicker Gamer2, a GranStand Wheel Stand, and a Wireless ButtKicker Kit. And if you want to help organize our league, you can join TEAM S.N.A.I.L. and earn even more prizes such as shirts (e.g. S.N.A.I.L. shirt, F1 shirt, GT Academy shirt), electronic/gaming hardware (e.g. Hauppauge PVR), sim racing equipment (e.g. Playseat Evolution), and other Gran Turismo related items (e.g. GTPEDIA).

Spec Racing​

S.N.A.I.L. was the first GTPlanet league to prohibit tuning in all of our races. This combined with the fact that we race in the same cars produces a type of racing called "spec" racing. Spec racing ensures that success is determined solely by driving skill and not by differences in car power, gearing, suspension, weight, or aerodynamics. Because variables in the car are eliminated, spec racing is the truest measure of driver skill! It also produces intense battles for position because all of the cars are equally strong or weak in the same areas of the track. Another benefit of spec racing is that you'll never spend time tuning cars or wondering if someone is truly faster than you or if they just have a better tune.

Race Format​

Our league night lasts for two hours and is split into three rounds. Each round consists of two races that last 10 to 12 minutes on a predetermined car and track combo. At the beginning of each round, a brief qualifying session determines the order of the starting grid. The first race is set to 'Fastest First' to reward the best qualifiers and the second race is set to 'Reverse Grid' in order to promote on-track action. Points are awarded based on our "perfect" points system. After a round is completed, we move on to the next round and repeat the same process with the next car and track combination. Once all three rounds are complete, we tally up the points and then let our interactive format kick in.

Interactive Process​

Our unique format allows everyone to have a say on which cars and tracks we race. It is also used to strike a balance between familiarity and variety of cars and tracks. In other words, the progression of cars and tracks that we race is slow enough for us to learn them well, but fast enough that they don't get "old". At the end of league night, everyone votes on which car and track combo they enjoyed the least. The combo that receives the most "elimination votes" is dropped from the lineup entirely. The combo that receives the second most votes is also dropped, but only partially. This is where our prizes play an important role in our interactive format.

Prizes​

A prize is awarded to the divisions winners with the three highest scores*. The division winner with the highest score gets Prize A. The division winner with the second highest score gets Prize B. The division winner with the third highest score gets Prize C: (NOTE: The three prize winners' votes do not count towards the car/track elimination vote)
Prize A: The right to select the new car and track combo to replace the combo that was voted off
Prize B: The right to replace either the car or the track of the combo that received the second most votes
Prize C: The tie-breaking vote if the elimination vote results in a tie

Promotion and Relegation​

Although we split our drivers into separate divisions based on performance and skill level, we realize that our drivers are constantly improving and deserve a chance to climb the ladder of success. That's why we promote and relegate drivers before every season based on the results and data compiled during the previous season. This is also done to ensure that our races are as competitive as possible for all of our league members, top to bottom. Regardless of which division you're in, you will almost always be fighting to gain or defend a position on the track. Simply put, no other Gran Turismo league in the world can offer this much competitive racing to so many different skill levels.

Comprehensive Race Data​

It's not always accurate to promote and relegate drivers based on championship points alone. That's why the massive amounts of data we track are invaluable to our league. You'd be hard-pressed to find a sim racing league anywhere in the world that tracks driver data and race results more comprehensively than we do. In fact, our S.N.A.I.L. Results document contains so much information that we have to archive old data to avoid exceeding the GoogleDoc's maximum capacity! You can use this data to track the points championship for each season and compare yourself to other drivers in categories such as fast laps, total race pace, total points, average points per race, and power rankings.

Rules​

We expect all drivers to follow our OLR Rules and pursue good racecraft at all times. If you're not sure what good racecraft is, watch this video. It can be summed up in one simple 'Golden Rule' of motorsports: It is the responsibility of the overtaking driver, meaning the car that is attempting to execute the pass, to make sure that the pass is made cleanly and incident free. If you don't agree with this rule or don't think it applies to you, this is not the league for you. If you ever feel like a driver is not following the rules, please wait until league night is over, then file a Racing Incident Report. Our Stewards will review the incident and enforce the appropriate penalty on the driver in question.

Settings​

All league Race Settings are default unless noted below (Course Settings are listed here)
Boost: Off
Penalty: Weak (and Effective for Free Run) in Divisions 2-8. (Penalties OFF for D1 only)
Race Finish Delay: 90sec
Visible Damage: Off
Mechanical Damage: Light
Slipstream Strength: Real
Tire Wear/Fuel Consumption: Normal
Grip Reduction: Real
Vehicle Tuning: Prohibited
Driving Aids: Only ABS allowed in Divisions 1-7. (ABS, TCS, and Driving Line are allowed in Division 8 only)
Tire Restrictions: (based on Dealership PP)

Street Cars
below 450 PP -> Sports Hards
450-499 PP ---> Sports Mediums
500 PP & up --> Sports Softs
Race Cars
below 600 PP -> Racing Hards
600 PP & up --> Racing Mediums
Tuner Cars
Classified as either Street or Race cars based on this list

How To Join Us​

Step 1: Post a request to join (do not PM me, just post your request on this thread)
Step 2: Watch the thread for a reply to your post (it will include detailed Time Trial instructions)
Step 3: Purchase the three cars listed in the latest lineup below
Step 4: Get an oil change on each car, but do not do anything else to the car (e.g. add parts or reduce weight)
Step 5: On Sunday night, join the room number of the division you're are assigned to. It will be posted on this thread 15 minutes before the races start.
If you are not sure which division you are assigned to, please check the Offical Driver List

For a list of helpful links and FAQ's, please click here.​

I swear to all the gods of the internet I'm gonna choke whoever coded the indent tags to move around after going from BB code edit mode to rich text. Every time I do that it screws up the indents.

Thanks for putting that together. Can you please PM or email me the BB code for that? I'll post the index on the first post until we have snailracing.org ready.

 

[Handlebar]

@zer05ive - I think you just "reply" and take out the quote sections, no?

Copy that... And you are off.
I am usually a little off, so no guarantees...

 

[rob1nh000d]

I see you're hard at work

Ya, I was just thinking about that. I guess I am trying to find some way to have an edge on Sunday and I think it takes a long time to learn how to gain a new level of driving. I feel a little guilty about it, but it is racing, so I guess its ok to work hard and try to find that difference on the track overall, but it sure is a hard goal. Sorry if you were not actually talking to me...

 

[Boosted22g]

Please someone tell me where I can find the Clio

 

[Pifachu]

Please someone tell me where I can find the Clio

Renault sport dealership

 

[LoganMichael]

Banners look great! Hey, @Schmiggz you're (more) famous now.

OH NO! I tried to change it up hahal. sorry. I didnt even think of the cars in the banners more or less of the photographers.

Your cut off from next weeks banners @Schmiggz !! messin.

Of course he'll beat your times. He'll just rewind.

HAHAHA! Nice. Forza.. SMH

 

[Handlebar]

Please someone tell me where I can find the Clio

In the Seasonal description, it tells you that the Clio may be acquired for free if you get all the stars in Novice (24 of them).

 

[JLBowler]

In the Seasonal description, it tells you that the Clio may be acquired for free if you get all the stars in Novice (24 of them).

Wrong Clio. That is the front wheel drive Clio R.S. '11. We are using the Clio V6 24V '00 that is a MR car. It is available in the Renault Sport dealer.

 

[covan2306]

closed

 

[Handlebar]

Wrong Clio. That is the front wheel drive Clio R.S. '11. We are using the Clio V6 24V '00 that is a MR car. It is available in the Renault Sport dealer.

My apologies, I was thinking of the Seasonal that came out today.

I will be unlikely to make practice tonight, my son needs some fine-tuning advice and consultation for a big project/competition this weekend. It would be faster if I just did some of it, but I figger he would not learn as much. Is it wrong that I am enjoying the redrafting and reprinting this much? Not quite schadenfreude...

 

[Dragonwhisky]

Thanks for putting that together. Can you please PM or email me the BB code for that? I'll post the index on the first post until we have snailracing.org ready.

The bbcode is in that attached .txt file. Click it, download it, open it in notepad or other simple text editor.

 

[Wolfsatz]

THE PRACTICE ROOMS ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN ! If you are assigned to D1, D2, D3, or D4 please join, with your best racecraft, the BLUE ROOM:
1472-6118-3787-3251-3777

If you are assigned to D5, D6, D7, or D8 please join, with your best racecraft, the RED ROOM:

1472-6118-3744-3755-0647
Sunday March 9th Results
Sunday March 16th Lineup

NOTE: Please close all other practice rooms to ensure maximum participation.

Banners Courtesy of @BladeRunner1144

 

[JLBowler]

THE PRACTICE ROOMS ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN ! If you are assigned to D1, D2, D3, or D4 please join, with your best racecraft, the BLUE ROOM:
1472-6118-3787-3251-3777

If you are assigned to D5, D6, D7, or D8 please join, with your best racecraft, the RED ROOM:

1472-6118-3744-3755-0647
Sunday March 9th Results
Sunday March 16th Lineup

Banners Courtesy of @BladeRunner1144

Practice hosts. Please remind all in attendance that the grass is completely off limits in the chicanes at Ascari. The beige concrete is in bounds and the grass is out of bound for any part of the tire. This is different from the normal S.N.A.I.L. rules that state you must have two tires on the racing surface. In these specific spots, you must not put any part of any tire on the grass.

 

[zer05ive]

The correct PP for the Junior is 736. The HP is 258.

Ahh, I see what happened.. I had the PP and the HP reversed! I knew that couldn't have been right lol

Oh, @zer05ive , whether you use the edit I posted for post one or not, you might want to change the Prizes paragraph to reflect the current experiment in Sunday Night prize distribution.

Good call out. First post updated. 👍

 

[Nish]

I wanted to give the practice a shot but I won't be on for at least half an hour. I'll join in if the room is still open at that point.

 

[zer05ive]

@zer05ive , you a Vettel fan?

If he doesn't win the championship this year...

Sebastian Vettel - 1 (and 5)
As the reigning world champion, Vettel had the option to continue carrying the prestigious number one on his car, something he duly accepted. Should he fail to claim a fifth consecutive championship title in 2014, however, the German will revert to his chosen career number: five. Vettel had the number five on his Red Bull car in 2010 - the year he won his first championship - and in 2001 when he was racing karts.

Nope, I'm not really a Vettel fan, but I do recall being this close to buying the Vettel hat from the Red Bull booth when I was at Spa in 2010. However, I only wanted it because it had a huge "5" on the side of it! Ultimately, I decided that it wasn't worth paying an F1 price tag for the hat of a driver that I wasn't even a fan of. But now that he's chosen 5 as his career number, I may have to jump on his bandwagon pretty soon and I'm really regretting not buying that hat. Although, it'll be ironic to only start cheering for a driver only when he's no longer a champion (and is "forced" to wear measly #5 instead of the glorious #1 )

EDIT: Quick story on my long-time desire to cheer for any driver with number 5 (or cartoon if you count Speed Racer). Back in college, I brought a Hot Wheels of Gil de Ferran's #5 Valvoline car to one of the CART races I went to in hopes of getting Gil to autograph the blister pack. I was eventually able to track him down I was all excited about getting the autograph of the #5 driver! As I handed him the car to sign, I asked him if the number 5 had any special meaning to him. He looked at me straight in the eyes and said three words I'll never forget.. "No, not really." And with that he handed me back my freshly autographed car and walked off.

 

[Tstockrahm]

3rd and 4th place battle to the finish.

 

[zer05ive]

Hey guys, before I PM the Allen Berg Racing Schools Challenge finalists with the terms and conditions of the contest, I'd like to know if there are any volunteers to help coordinate the picking of numbers tomorrow. I don't have easy access to the thread while I'm working, so if there's anyone who does and is wiling to help, please raise your hand.

All you would need to do is keep an eye on the thread and wait for a finalist to post that he's ready to make his picks. Then simply reply to his post to tell him when it's okay for him to pick. Of course, the main idea is to prevent multiple finalists from making picks at the same time. When that happens, they might end up picking the same numbers and that's when things get all jacked up.

Oh and by the way, I'm offering 5 $hells for help with this.

 

[CoachMK21]

Hey guys, before I PM the Allen Berg Racing Schools Challenge finalists with the terms and conditions of the contest, I'd like to know if there are any volunteers to help coordinate the picking of numbers tomorrow. I don't have easy access to the thread while I'm working, so if there's anyone who does and is wiling to help, please raise your hand.

All you would need to do is keep an eye on the thread and wait for a finalist to post that he's ready to make his picks. Then simply reply to his post to tell him when it's okay for him to pick. Of course, the main idea is to prevent multiple finalists from making picks at the same time. When that happens, they might end up picking the same numbers and that's when things get all jacked up.

Oh and by the way, I'm offering 5 $hells for help with this.

I'm new to the picking game, but I should be able to coordinate it tomorrow if someone with more experience can't. I have access while at work from 9 am to about 5 pm eastern. I wouldn't be able to do it after 5 pm though, as one son has a basketball banquet and the other has a game.

 

[zer05ive]

I'm new to the picking game, but I should be able to coordinate it tomorrow if someone with more experience can't. I have access while at work from 9 am to about 5 pm eastern. I wouldn't be able to do it after 5 pm though, as one son has a basketball banquet and the other has a game.

Awesome, thanks! I'll send the mass PM to the finalists at 9am Eastern. After that, you'll start seeing posts pop onto the thread like this one (read the last line) and the posts following it. Last time, @fastfox400 coordinated the picks and you can see how he announced when a finalist could make his picks or when he had to tell guys that they were taking too long to make their picks and therefore had to give the green light to the next guy up. All you have to do is keep it on a first in first out basis, and just try to make sure only one guy is making picks at a time. If anyone posts picks without waiting for your go-ahead, just kick him to the back of the line any don't allow him to make his picks until everyone else has made theirs. That's the penalty for not following directions. Let me know if you have any questions at all.