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T
What were the top times in Blue Room last night?

@CarCzar ?



Just wanted to give you a congratulations and pat on the back, you've gotten so much faster these days man. Well done.
Thanks I believe I could be faster if I put more time in but I'm happy with what I'm doing.but I'm glad I got friends on here that stayed with me and taught me so much
 
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@zer05ive

This weeks banners. A little rushed, so they may be a little sloppy.

VK3eCzs.jpg

photo by: @Michelin

Vpbr7Fr.jpg

Photo by: @shmibal_GT

Thanks everyone who submitted photos this week!

Love how the mini looks going down Druids!
 
1VFAIur.png

Race Date - Sun May 04 2014
Penalty Rate 53%
Banner by dabneyd

Below are the results of the 9 incidents the stewards reviewed, of the 15 incidents filed. Most of the other 6 were not reviewed for lack of replays, the others were invalidated for inaccurate data.

Division 2 - 1 incident on file
Kgffy28
  • Round 1 - Race 2 - Level 1 - 2 points halved to 1 for self report. 1 week probation.

Division 3 - 1 incident on file
Unleashed159
  • Round 2 - Race 2 - Level 4 - 15 points. 4 weeks probation

Division 4 - 4 incidents on file.
Schmiggz
  • Round 3 - Race 2 - Level 1 - 3 points. 1 week probation.
SCREAMING_CHIEF
  • Round 2 - Race 2 - Level 1 - 1 points. 1 week probation
Munch2487
  • Round 1 - Race 2 - Level 2 - 5 points. 2 weeks probation

Division 5 - 1 incident on file
HandlebarMustash
  • Round 2 - Race 2 - Level 1 - 4 points halved to 2 for self report. 1 week probation.

Division 6 - 2 incidents on file.
CoachMK21
  • Round 1 - Race 2 - Level 1 - 4 points halved to 2 for self report.
  • Round 2 - Race 2 - Level 3 - 10 points halved to 5 for self report.
  • 7 points total and 4 weeks probation.

These results can be viewed on the SNAIL Steward Review Sheet.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks to Handlebar-Man and tezgm99 for their reviews this week.
Don't forget to claim your $hells for completing reviews.
:cheers:

* * * * * * * * * * * * *​

These changes affect the final standings.
Full final results can be found here. @zer05ive & @JLBowler, these adjustments have been made in the director's and results sheets.
***If you were penalized and would like further explanation regarding the incident, PM your Division Steward and they will let you know what the stewards saw and our opinions on it.***​
 
You might have, if the data you had provided would have been accurate. The stewards do not have time to hunt down incidents when the information given is incorrect.

I feel bad right now. :( I tried to give the best data possible, but since I didn't save a replay (dumb me :banghead::banghead:) and had to write from what I had saved on my brain, it was quite hard. Sorry to the stewards, gonna do it the best way next time.
 
Super easy rule of thumb - save ALL REPLAYS SUNDAY. Everyone. Official uploader or not.


If you do not want to keep the replays, and by the following Friday nobody else asks about needing the replays, go ahead and delete 'em if you want.

Just.... Save them on Sunday. Six for six. Keep them, Four, five days.
 
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PitBoard.png



BReIyUPCEAEFkRE.jpg

Over the past two months I have been focusing a great deal on just driving. I found that I was taking things entirely too serious and began to bring the wrong set of emotions to the track. It only took the right catalyst and it all went wrong. I put myself and other members of the League in a very uncomfortable position. I still feel pretty bad about it. I also have to thank everyone that had to deal with it for making all the right decisions and following the rules we all live by.

Penalties have a huge impact on those that must file, those that get filed against and the Team that has the responsibility to sort it all out. There is a pretty dark cloud that hovers over the whole program. First and most important is that the rules are there to keep order. Without them, we are just another lawless public lobby. The SNAIL OLR is the foundation of everything we do.

It can be a little intimidating. Maybe we should think about it another way. While the rules and the Stewards Corps shall always be respected, penalties are a part of every single form of competition and should be embraced instead of feared. It is not a video game, it is a driving simulator. We go to great lengths to "simulate" every aspect of racing we can muster up. We have full racing cockpits, Buttkicker subs, surround sound and triple screens to immerse ourselves as deeply as we can into the experience.

We all need to remember that penalties are part of racing. We all make mistakes and we all get a little aggressive from time to time. Sometimes we need to file a report and are hesitant because of what may come of it. Sometimes we get a report filed against us and it leads to bad feelings. We are looking at it the wrong way. Penalties are nothing personal. It is no different than pulling the Go Directly To Jail card in Monopoly. Bummer yes, but just part of the experience. I guess the point of it all is to remember that the process is for our benefit and not to take it too seriously.

I started out by saying that I had been spending more time just driving. Once I got my mind right and started getting back to why I am here, things started to change. Two months in a row, I have come in second place in points for the monthly championships. Had the pleasure of being a part of 2 Race of Champions. Doubled my wins and collected a couple of Sunday night overalls. All things I had never done in over 2 years with SNAIL.

Most likely the coolest first for me was to choose prize A. While still a difficult task, I enjoyed it much more knowing that I wasn't going to get chastised before the combo was ever run. I am pretty proud of everyone for the respect that you all have been giving the prize winners. Even when they pick a one and done. My whole mindset changed because I went through the penalty process, saw what I was doing and learned from my mistakes. MY mistakes. Seems I am having a pretty damn good time these days!

I have enjoyed watching the League grow and mature over the years and one of the things I enjoy most is the level of sportsmanship that our League shows. I could go on for hours showing examples but by now most of you have scrolled down to the next post! :lol: The one attribute that has been with us since the beginning is the availability of drivers that are willing to spend time and teach others what they know.

This phenomenon seems to be growing at an amazing rate. There is a river of knowledge flowing on the thread and on the track. There is almost always someone around to answer questions or help out with technique and racecraft. This is such a positive for our community the League as a whole. We are all becoming better drivers every week. A huge SNAIL thank you to all that share what you know.

Keeping with that spirit, I want to introduce this weeks co-writer @VrapPlus . :cheers: This may be old for some but new for others. Sometimes we need to start from the beginning.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Basic Driving Theory

Since posting my reply @rob1nh00d, I have asked to contribute to the Pit Board by @ ExoSphere64. Like I stated before I in no way, shape or form claim to be the fastest driver, I have limited experience with autocross back when I was young fella. One thing that I do have though is a passion for motorsports and this community, also a keen eye for breaking things down, and a solid mind for explaining them in laymen’s terms. So with high hopes and an empty stomach ( so hungry right now) I’ll kick this first edition of what will hopefully become a good source of information and reference for our community, I’m a firm believer that if you combine practice and study you will improve yourself in anything that you apply time and effort into.

Today I’ll tackle the subject of slow in/fast out, out-in-out, as well as late braking, early braking ; and we’ll delve into fast-in-fast out as well, another valid and useful driving technique.
rmmera.jpg
What is slow in/fast out? Slow in/fast out is a term used to describe the most basic technique taught around the world on how to tackle a corner effectively, promoting both car control and speed. Rumor has it this term was first used to describe the way early day Porsche’s had to be driven, given the rear engine rear wheel drive cars tendency to want to spin out under braking and turn in. I personally believe it’s a follow on mantra of the slow is smooth and smooth is fast mentality; whatever the case may be, we know it works and its results cannot be disputed.

On to the Meat and Vegies: As I’ve touched on earlier the whole concept revolves around car control and speed, slowing the car down sufficiently in order to take the turn in the most effective manner; while clipping the apex, explains the first part of the mantra. While accelerating early on the apex while keeping that control and gaining valuable speed, covers the second part. Let’s refer to the picture in order to get a clear visualization of what the concept means and how it is applied.

As you can see, there are 2 points of interest illustrated here. We’ll start off with the braking point, it’s early, and it’s precise and controlled. The braking begins at the point at which you find yourself the most comfortable, and can effectively slow down while maintaining control and speed. If you find yourself making your tires squeal for life and lock up while braking, you are doing it wrong! Slowing down for a turn should be done with as little fanfare as possible, finding your braking point is a pretty straight forward process. The easiest way to do this is to use visual cues to determine when to start braking, relatively to your current speed; remember the faster you are, the longer you have to brake to slow down. Find yourself a corner, find yourself a marker or visual cue, and begin playing around with when to brake early, as well as when to brake late.

There should be a dead zone, between both areas; whereas the application of your brakes is the most consistent, provides the most control and is comfortable. The beginning of this zone is usually right at or slightly before your visual marker. Your late braking zone is; anywhere from 10-25 feet depending on the type of turn, past your initial brake zone. Later braking should be accomplished with more brake input while still minimizing tire squeal and lock up, as well as still maintaining positive control of your car. Late braking is used for over taking, as it can be a hindrance if not applied properly. Remember to always settle your car before initiating a turn; all weight transfer should be stabilized before the apex of a turn.
Now, on to the apex; basically the straightest way around a turn, this is where out-in-out comes into play:

rt3k15.jpg

Dozens of hours are spent every week by us, memorizing new combos, improving times and such. One constant item that I find myself repeating to some of the junior guys is to enter a turn wide, initiate your turn in, clip the apex and use the whole race track on exit. That my friends is called out-in-out; it’s pretty straight-forward, and if you combine it with the braking techniques we talked about earlier, makes tackling any turn a breeze! Now there are two techniques we’ll touch on regarding the apex and the utilization of out-in-out.
First, there’s clipping the normal apex; sounds simple enough, and there’s no catch. When approaching a turn, position your car so as to be as far away on the opposite side of the track of the direction of the turn, use your braking point and initiate your turn in. Your wheels on the side of the car that is closest to the turn, should always aim to clip the apex; now once you have touched the apex, it is time to begin accelerating, while at the same time gradually straightening out your wheel and moving the car once again to the opposite side of the track, thus minimizing friction against the wheels and obtaining speed. Thus improving your exit speed out of a turn; which, as we all now is key to maximizing straight-line speed of a vehicle while coming into a straightway.

Second, we transform a turn into a late apex turn. This is accomplished by using the late braking techniques to; in theory, change the angle of the arc. You initiate your late brake at your safe zone (10-25 feet,) push the car deeper into the turn, rotate the car tightly once weight transfer has been settled, and get on the throttle and aim the inside wheels towards the curb. Once again clip your new apex, and then proceed to use the whole width of the track while coming out of an apex to maximize exit speed. This method is good for over taking on the outside as well as tackling longer turns.
DUN DUN DUN! What the hell is fast-in-fast-out? Glad you asked! I didn’t know about it either until recently, but I’ve always noticed; especially when watching the faster guys’ race, that they did something, let’s say different. Fast-in-fast-out is accomplished by carrying more speed into a corner, by riding the brakes and gradually letting them off up to the apex, at which point acceleration is immediately resumed. It takes a lot of car and brake control in order to accomplish this, as you are settling the car, while still on the brakes. The car settles gradually and by the time the apex is reached it is pretty closed to being neutral, once the apex is hit the weight transfer is kicked to the rear and the car’s weight is thrown back off center. If done correctly and consistently, you should see yourself improve drastically, due to the fact that you maintain momentum through a corner. The downside is if you have not mastered slow-in-fast-out and have pretty good car control you’ll end up spinning out or going wide, end result of losing time.

That’s it for this edition! Hope you all learned something new, or reinforced existing skills!


Thank You Vrap!


Race Clean, Race Hard, Race S.N.A.I.L.
 
So it seems like my wrist is pretty ****-ed even though there's only discomfort left and no pain left, will need a surgery for a full recovery, one of those ligaments and cartilage problems. fml. But at least now that I know what's going on with it, I found a way to stop it from popping out as easily. ( I wrapped my wrist with duct tape so the tendon couldn't pop out on to the carpal bone. Duct tape fixes everything right?)

Therefore I will be racing here Sunday night. I do hope it gets well enough that it doesn't hinder my GT Academy progress.

Sorry to hear that Neovre- I have been dealing with the same issue for the past 6 months. I tore a ligament in my thumb- had surgery in January and it has a 4-6 month recovery time with alot of therapy. By the time the last round starts I should be cleared. Any questions about it, let me know.

Also, I wont be racing atleast the next two weeks. sorry guys.
 
Over the past two months I have been focusing a great deal on just driving. I found that I was taking things entirely too serious and began to bring the wrong set of emotions to the track. It only took the right catalyst and it all went wrong. I put myself and other members of the League in a very uncomfortable position. I still feel pretty bad about it. I also have to thank everyone that had to deal with it for making all the right decisions and following the rules we all live by.

Penalties have a huge impact on those that must file, those that get filed against and the Team that has the responsibility to sort it all out. There is a pretty dark cloud that hovers over the whole program. First and most important is that the rules are there to keep order. Without them, we are just another lawless public lobby. The SNAIL OLR is the foundation of everything we do.

It can be a little intimidating. Maybe we should think about it another way. While the rules and the Stewards Corps shall always be respected, penalties are a part of every single form of competition and should be embraced instead of feared. It is not a video game, it is a driving simulator. We go to great lengths to "simulate" every aspect of racing we can muster up. We have full racing cockpits, Buttkicker subs, surround sound and triple screens to immerse ourselves as deeply as we can into the experience.

We all need to remember that penalties are part of racing. We all make mistakes and we all get a little aggressive from time to time. Sometimes we need to file a report and are hesitant because of what may come of it. Sometimes we get a report filed against us and it leads to bad feelings. We are looking at it the wrong way. Penalties are nothing personal. It is no different than pulling the Go Directly To Jail card in Monopoly. Bummer yes, but just part of the experience. I guess the point of it all is to remember that the process is for our benefit and not to take it too seriously.

I started out by saying that I had been spending more time just driving. Once I got my mind right and started getting back to why I am here, things started to change. Two months in a row, I have come in second place in points for the monthly championships. Had the pleasure of being a part of 2 Race of Champions. Doubled my wins and collected a couple of Sunday night overalls. All things I had never done in over 2 years with SNAIL.

Most likely the coolest first for me was to choose prize A. While still a difficult task, I enjoyed it much more knowing that I wasn't going to get chastised before the combo was ever run. I am pretty proud of everyone for the respect that you all have been giving the prize winners. Even when they pick a one and done. My whole mindset changed because I went through the penalty process, saw what I was doing and learned from my mistakes. MY mistakes. Seems I am having a pretty damn good time these days!

I have enjoyed watching the League grow and mature over the years and one of the things I enjoy most is the level of sportsmanship that our League shows. I could go on for hours showing examples but by now most of you have scrolled down to the next post! :lol: The one attribute that has been with us since the beginning is the availability of drivers that are willing to spend time and teach others what they know.

This phenomenon seems to be growing at an amazing rate. There is a river of knowledge flowing on the thread and on the track. There is almost always someone around to answer questions or help out with technique and racecraft. This is such a positive for our community the League as a whole. We are all becoming better drivers every week. A huge SNAIL thank you to all that share what you know.

Keeping with that spirit, I want to introduce this weeks co-writer @VrapPlus . :cheers: This may be old for some but new for others. Sometimes we need to start from the beginning.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Basic Driving Theory

Since posting my reply @rob1nh00d, I have asked to contribute to the Pit Board by @ ExoSphere64. Like I stated before I in no way, shape or form claim to be the fastest driver, I have limited experience with autocross back when I was young fella. One thing that I do have though is a passion for motorsports and this community, also a keen eye for breaking things down, and a solid mind for explaining them in laymen’s terms. So with high hopes and an empty stomach ( so hungry right now) I’ll kick this first edition of what will hopefully become a good source of information and reference for our community, I’m a firm believer that if you combine practice and study you will improve yourself in anything that you apply time and effort into.

Today I’ll tackle the subject of slow in/fast out, out-in-out, as well as late braking, early braking ; and we’ll delve into fast-in-fast out as well, another valid and useful driving technique.
rmmera.jpg
What is slow in/fast out? Slow in/fast out is a term used to describe the most basic technique taught around the world on how to tackle a corner effectively, promoting both car control and speed. Rumor has it this term was first used to describe the way early day Porsche’s had to be driven, given the rear engine rear wheel drive cars tendency to want to spin out under braking and turn in. I personally believe it’s a follow on mantra of the slow is smooth and smooth is fast mentality; whatever the case may be, we know it works and its results cannot be disputed.

On to the Meat and Vegies: As I’ve touched on earlier the whole concept revolves around car control and speed, slowing the car down sufficiently in order to take the turn in the most effective manner; while clipping the apex, explains the first part of the mantra. While accelerating early on the apex while keeping that control and gaining valuable speed, covers the second part. Let’s refer to the picture in order to get a clear visualization of what the concept means and how it is applied.

As you can see, there are 2 points of interest illustrated here. We’ll start off with the braking point, it’s early, and it’s precise and controlled. The braking begins at the point at which you find yourself the most comfortable, and can effectively slow down while maintaining control and speed. If you find yourself making your tires squeal for life and lock up while braking, you are doing it wrong! Slowing down for a turn should be done with as little fanfare as possible, finding your braking point is a pretty straight forward process. The easiest way to do this is to use visual cues to determine when to start braking, relatively to your current speed; remember the faster you are, the longer you have to brake to slow down. Find yourself a corner, find yourself a marker or visual cue, and begin playing around with when to brake early, as well as when to brake late.

There should be a dead zone, between both areas; whereas the application of your brakes is the most consistent, provides the most control and is comfortable. The beginning of this zone is usually right at or slightly before your visual marker. Your late braking zone is; anywhere from 10-25 feet depending on the type of turn, past your initial brake zone. Later braking should be accomplished with more brake input while still minimizing tire squeal and lock up, as well as still maintaining positive control of your car. Late braking is used for over taking, as it can be a hindrance if not applied properly. Remember to always settle your car before initiating a turn; all weight transfer should be stabilized before the apex of a turn.
Now, on to the apex; basically the straightest way around a turn, this is where out-in-out comes into play:

rt3k15.jpg

Dozens of hours are spent every week by us, memorizing new combos, improving times and such. One constant item that I find myself repeating to some of the junior guys is to enter a turn wide, initiate your turn in, clip the apex and use the whole race track on exit. That my friends is called out-in-out; it’s pretty straight-forward, and if you combine it with the braking techniques we talked about earlier, makes tackling any turn a breeze! Now there are two techniques we’ll touch on regarding the apex and the utilization of out-in-out.
First, there’s clipping the normal apex; sounds simple enough, and there’s no catch. When approaching a turn, position your car so as to be as far away on the opposite side of the track of the direction of the turn, use your braking point and initiate your turn in. Your wheels on the side of the car that is closest to the turn, should always aim to clip the apex; now once you have touched the apex, it is time to begin accelerating, while at the same time gradually straightening out your wheel and moving the car once again to the opposite side of the track, thus minimizing friction against the wheels and obtaining speed. Thus improving your exit speed out of a turn; which, as we all now is key to maximizing straight-line speed of a vehicle while coming into a straightway.

Second, we transform a turn into a late apex turn. This is accomplished by using the late braking techniques to; in theory, change the angle of the arc. You initiate your late brake at your safe zone (10-25 feet,) push the car deeper into the turn, rotate the car tightly once weight transfer has been settled, and get on the throttle and aim the inside wheels towards the curb. Once again clip your new apex, and then proceed to use the whole width of the track while coming out of an apex to maximize exit speed. This method is good for over taking on the outside as well as tackling longer turns.
DUN DUN DUN! What the hell is fast-in-fast-out? Glad you asked! I didn’t know about it either until recently, but I’ve always noticed; especially when watching the faster guys’ race, that they did something, let’s say different. Fast-in-fast-out is accomplished by carrying more speed into a corner, by riding the brakes and gradually letting them off up to the apex, at which point acceleration is immediately resumed. It takes a lot of car and brake control in order to accomplish this, as you are settling the car, while still on the brakes. The car settles gradually and by the time the apex is reached it is pretty closed to being neutral, once the apex is hit the weight transfer is kicked to the rear and the car’s weight is thrown back off center. If done correctly and consistently, you should see yourself improve drastically, due to the fact that you maintain momentum through a corner. The downside is if you have not mastered slow-in-fast-out and have pretty good car control you’ll end up spinning out or going wide, end result of losing time.

That’s it for this edition! Hope you all learned something new, or reinforced existing skills!


Thank You Vrap!


Race Clean, Race Hard, Race S.N.A.I.L.

Thanks @ExoSphere64 and @VrapPlus for your information. Could you talk more about settling the car. This is a term that is stuck into detailed explanations of racing, but I have never really heard it expounded upon itself. I caught the sentence above about all weight transfer being completed, but it still doesn't really click for me in context. For instance, if you are making a right hand turn, when breaking at all after the straight part of your braking the car is obviously going to be pitched left during the small part or large part of your trail braking. Then when you get to the point where you let completely off the brake and start to apply throttle, since you are still turning right, the car is still going to be pitched to the left. SO WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO SETTLE THE CAR when the attitude of the car is still leaning to the left?? If you coast between braking and throttle, but are still turning right during the coast, the car, also, will still be pitched to the left. So, again, what is setting the car and why does it make a difference??????? Iow, how could all weight transfer be completed when the weight is still transferred in the same direction?

Is this possibly something to do with forward and rearward pitch??? If so are you supposed to wait until the car rocks back to level? Wouldn't the car go through this position anyway when you step in the throttle and why would letting the car do it only by the springs make a difference?

The only real thing I have ever gleaned out of someone saying settle the car is 'WAIT' a moment before doing anything or worse yet, sometimes I just stop everything I'm doing for a split second and then start up again (which feels kind of not fast and awkward). And this is dissatisfying since I don't really understand what I am really doing and what is really happening, don't have the ability to fine tune it to be faster, and don't know how to use it in more advanced maneuvers. And maybe there might be times where you actually don't use it. Are you supposed to be doing anything special with the steering wheel at this time (like have it straight)?

Thanks ahead of time.
 
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Sorry to hear that Neovre- I have been dealing with the same issue for the past 6 months. I tore a ligament in my thumb- had surgery in January and it has a 4-6 month recovery time with alot of therapy. By the time the last round starts I should be cleared. Any questions about it, let me know.

Also, I wont be racing atleast the next two weeks. sorry guys.

Gonna do a few experiments after a week or 2 and see how the tolerance is on my wrist. Doc told me to stay away from sports for 3 months. :lol:
1:35.222 just now :cheers: My heart was about to thump through my ribs and forced me into an error in the final S complex. Stupid adrenaline. :banghead: Squeezed my a** back in 10th US though.
 
Thanks @ExoSphere64 and @VrapPlus for your information. Could you talk more about settling the car. This is a term that is stuck into detailed explanations of racing, but never really expounded on itself. I caught the sentence above about all weight transfer being completed, but it still doesn't really click for me in context. For instance, if you are making a right hand turn, when breaking at all after the straight part of your braking the car is obviously going to be pitched left during the small part or large part of your trail braking. Then when you get to the point where you let completely off the brake and start to apply throttle, since you are still turning right, the car is still going to be pitched to the left. SO WHY WOULD YOU NEED TO SETTLE THE CAR when the attitude of the car is still leaning to the left?? If you coast between braking and throttle, but are still turning right during the coast, the car, also, will still be pitched to the left. So, again, what is setting the car and why does it make a difference??????? Is this possibly something to do with forward and rearward pitch??? Thanks ahead of time. The only real thing I have ever gleaned out of someone saying settle the car is 'WAIT' a moment before doing anything. But this is dissatisfying since I don't really understand what I am really doing and what is really happening, maybe have the ability to fine tune it to be faster, and hopefully how to use it in more advanced maneuvers.
It has to do with minimizing the sudden shift of weight transfer, you have to be progressive and smooth, if you're jerky while the weight is centered on one suspension, you'll get over/understeer. Like when you lift off on a fwd car to use lift off over steer, you're unsettling the car to your advantage, but at the same time if you get back on the throttle too early, you'll have understeer because once again you're unsettling the car. Find a happy medium bro, just be aware that weight is constantly moving around, and it's undeniably the reason why you either spin out or go wide.
 
It has to do with minimizing the sudden shift of weight transfer, you have to be progressive and smooth, if you're jerky while the weight is centered on one suspension, you'll get over/understeer. Like when you lift off on a fwd car to use lift off over steer, you're unsettling the car to your advantage, but at the same time if you get back on the throttle too early, you'll have understeer because once again you're unsettling the car. Find a happy medium bro, just be aware that weight is constantly moving around, and it's undeniably the reason why you either spin out or go wide.

Thanks @VrapPlus. Is there a way, other than to be smooth, instead of jerky, to know when the weight has transferred and you can do the next input, or does it just boil down to being more patient?
 
Thanks @VrapPlus. Is there a way, other than to be smooth, instead of jerky, to know when the weight has transferred and you can do the next input, or does it just boil down to being more patient?

I found on the Mini Cooper that I was driving it the wrong way, as you know @rob1nh000d, we are close to the same speed therefore we drive cars a similar way. When I tried driving the Mini fast that way I was struggling with understeer bad. Then I realized that the smoother I drive it and the more patient I am its actually quicker. I shaved off almost 2 secs just cahnging how I drive it. Just a small tip that may help.
 
It's like when the clutch is fully engaged? you just feel for it?

Since I am probably barely aware of the concept of settling the car, my feeling of it has got to be even less developed, so could you describe the feeling a little more? To me, it feels like this really nebulous thing that I am trying to be aware of as I drive and it gets lost in the more beginning things that I focus on at my level of driving. And it especially probably gets lost when I am feeling like I have to push harder or maybe I have gotten a little frustrated. I could possibly say it feels like waiting or maybe, like being more patient (the frustration I have with only knowing this feeling is that 'being patient' seems to apply to everything about racing and I seem to lose any useful distinction related to what 'settling the car' means when I try to include it). Is there a more direct or distinct feeling? Maybe one can only feel the result of it when done correctly? If there is no direct feeling maybe there is a way to conceptualize it, or an analogy that would help to make sense of it as a part of the process of either driving or cornering. Then maybe it would not just feel like another let down by ending up feeling like something I am not doing well and maybe not understanding (my lap times are not getting better or are getting worse) and instead become something solid to build upon.

(As I go round and round the tracks, it seems that I have a lot of uncertainty in my techniques. I am striving to become more certain about the basics so that I can become less random and more efficient in my progress. I am hoping for less frustration and less getting caught in that downward spiral of slower and slower lap times that ends up in a kind of burned feeling and the sinking doubt that I don't know at all what is and isn't faster.)

And, on the other hand, 'settling the car' seems like an advanced concept that is complex; for instance, as in the example that @VrapPlus gave above: taking advantage of not letting the weight transfer and getting over-steer and yet knowing how not to get under-steer in how you complete that same technique. As in this example, is it usually kind of a game of compromises? If so, I've noticed that compromise is the kind of thing that is hard to get a handle on (especially to the point of using it to an advantage since that requires understanding and being able to perform each part and then mixing the parts to differing degrees). So maybe this is an understanding that just takes a long time to gain and there is no simple concrete feeling or concept.

If you consider all the different types of corners there are, and the different ways to take a corner (as in early/normal/late apex and slow or fast in/fast or faster out) and then you consider that you might want to utilize over or under steer during either braking or accelerating, and then you think about manipulating weight transfer by adjusting timing of brake and throttle inputs (or momentary absence of inputs - still timed!), and the different responses of cars depending on their drive train, balance and firmness, and somewhere in the middle of all this (and an inextricable part of all this) is settling the car - it kind of seems like it would take a long time to get a solid grip that you could effectively, consistently and aggressively apply.

I think this is why I am hoping for kind of a solid basic understanding of 'setting the car' itself. Even if it becomes a fluid, changing, infinitely variable technique later, for now, maybe someone knows, or could think of, a temporary crutch concept or explanation to help me have it as part of the basics; something that I could know that I am doing and I am not changing too much. THANKS
 
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Since I am probably barely aware of the concept of settling the car, my feeling of it has got to be even less developed, so could you describe the feeling a little more? To me, it feels like this really nebulous thing that I am trying to be aware of as I drive and it gets lost in the more beginning things that I focus on at my level of driving. And it especially probably gets lost when I am feeling like I have to push harder or maybe I have gotten a little frustrated. I could possibly say it feels like waiting or maybe, like being more patient (the frustration I have with only knowing this feeling is that 'being patient' seems to apply to everything about racing and I seem to lose any useful distinction related to what 'settling the car' means when I try to include it). Is there a more direct or distinct feeling? Maybe one can only feel the result of it when done correctly? If there is no direct feeling maybe there is a way to conceptualize it, or an analogy that would help to make sense of it as a part of the process of either driving or cornering. Then maybe it would not just feel like another let down by seeming like something I am not doing well (my lap times are not getting better or are getting worse) and become something solid to build upon.

And, on the other hand, it seems like an advanced concept that is complex; for instance, as in the example that @VrapPlus gave above: taking advantage of not letting the weight transfer and getting over-steer and yet knowing how not to get under-steer in how you complete that same technique. As in this example, is it usually kind of a game of compromises? If so, I've noticed that compromise is the kind of thing that is hard to get a handle on (especially to the point of using it to an advantage). So maybe this is an understanding that just takes a long time to gain and there is no simple concrete feeling or concept.

If you consider all the different types of corners there are, and the different ways to take a corner (as in early/late and slow or fast in/fast or faster out) and then you consider that you might want to utilize over or under steer during either braking or accelerating, and then you think about manipulating weight transfer by adjusting timing of brake and throttle inputs (or momentary absence of inputs - still timed!), and the different responses of cars depending on their drive train, balance and firmness, and somewhere in the middle of all this (and an inextricable part of all this) is settling the car - it kind of seems like it would take a long time to get a solid grip that you could effectively, consistently and aggressively apply.

I think this is why I am hoping for kind of a solid basic understanding of 'setting the car' itself. Even if it becomes a fluid, changing, infinitely variable technique later, for now, maybe there is, or someone could think of, a temporary crutch concept to help me have it as part of the basics; something that I know that I am doing and I am not changing too much. THANKS
You know when you enter a corner too fast and you have to slam on the brakes, you skid a little and the car slides wide? And when you enter a corner and you hit your braking point and you can dictate the cars direction perfectly, and you go so much faster through a corner? It all has to do with settling the car, it's that feeling of entering a corner and knowing the you're on the right spot. I honestly can't think of a better way to explain this, you go in too fast, too much weight in the front, too much momentum, you lock the front brakes, you turn like crap. You brake and slow down sufficiently, you have positive control of the car, you can turn in the way you want and clip the apex, you turn like a champ.
 
SO.... what times were you guys running?

I wasn't in the Blue Room Thursday and I haven't seen many D1 guys when I've been online, but here's the fastest times I've seen:

Tokyo: 1'45.9XX
Brands Hatch: 1'44.5XX

I wouldn't be surprised if some have hit 1'43's at Brands Hatch.
 
You know when you enter a corner too fast and you have to slam on the brakes, you skid a little and the car slides wide? And when you enter a corner and you hit your braking point and you can dictate the cars direction perfectly, and you go so much faster through a corner? It all has to do with settling the car, it's that feeling of entering a corner and knowing the you're on the right spot. I honestly can't think of a better way to explain this, you go in too fast, too much weight in the front, too much momentum, you lock the front brakes, you turn like crap. You brake and slow down sufficiently, you have positive control of the car, you can turn in the way you want and clip the apex, you turn like a champ.


too much weight in the front, too much momentum... That actually helps. I had not thought of these symptoms. I had only thought of this as too fast. By seeing what too fast does to the car I can now begin to see the meaning of the term unsettled. Thank you @VrapPlus.

And, I just now realized that the harder I push, the more unsettled I would be making the car in more and more corners! Wow. And then as my times get slower, the even harder I would push... I mean I heard many times people say to me and others to not push too hard, but since I was trying to go fast, it just made no sense to me. What would be the difference between fast drivers going faster, and me trying to go faster and ending up going slower. Sometimes I would even entertain the thought of the fast drivers smiling as they told me to go slower as they enjoyed going even faster. :boggled: I think I am beginning to see. Maybe there is a reality beyond frustration and confusion!! THANKS.

So when you do step on the throttle or the brake, they just work better.

Maybe for a while I'll go by the name grasshopper.
 
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Ok I wanna give snail racing a try, I want IN
@unsteddie,
Thanks for your interest!
We would love to have you in the league. Here's what you need to know and do in order to join:

We run a clean league by enforcing a strict penalty system based on the S.N.A.I.L. OLR (which is a modified version of the GTP OLR). We also expect all of our drivers to know and follow The Good Racecraft Guide.
Please become versed in both if you aren't already. Once that is complete, please follow the steps below to complete your entry into the league:

1. You take the S.N.A.I.L. OLR and Racecraft Test

2. You run the Time Trial and submit your information by 23:59 EST on Saturday night if you want to race this Sunday.

3. @JLBowler PM's you with your assigned Division that we feel will give you the closest competition. You will be added to the drivers list.

4. The Race Director or Primary Host from the corresponding SNAIL Division will send you a PSN friend request. Sunday night you will need to sort the online lobbies by friends and join the lobby named 'snailracing.org Division_(x) based off your Division placement from JLBowler. That lobby will be where you race Sunday.

5. You drive fast and clean on Sunday 👍

The original post has everything you need to know about what to expect on Sunday night and what you will need to have completed in order to be competitive. If you have any questions, please feel free to post your question on the thread.

If you have a preference for car/wheel colour and racing number, please follow the instruction contained here.


During the week we run a number of different events, we encourage all SNAILs to join as many as possible.

Welcome to S.N.A.I.L. :cheers:
 
Looks good to me! I've updated the lineup post. Thanks!

Will we need to find a backup banner maker for next week though?

I should be able to make the banners up until the week of the Canadian Grand Prix. Probably not a terrible idea to have a backup in mind.

Anyone going to be in Indy today for the Grand Prix?
 
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