2021 FIA Series Race Discussion

[afc5150]

My second attempt in slot 4 went a little better.

In a mixed A/S and B/S lobby, I qualified 11th with door #1. By the time we got to turn 2, I was in 4th place, but had a 2 second contact penalty although again I'm not sure what or who I contacted.

Served the penalty and fell to 6th and just put in the laps from there. Pitting for hards and a splash of fuel after 8 laps. Almost missed the pit entry and lost time so I couldn't challenge for more on the last stint. Picked up a position as someone didn't use the hards.

A decent result in what should be a great race, if not for the penalties. Neutral SR -92, +600 DR ~35K

 

[GTWolverine]

Slot 4: Started and finished 10th. I probably could've had 7th or 8th but my strategy of starting on Hards and pitting on Lap 5 for Mediums put me back in traffic and probably cost me those spots. Other than being punted into someone at T2, lap 1, and a couple overtakes on the straights after my pit stop, it was a fairly quiet race where I didn't make any mistakes (for once), and I even got a CRB, but also didn't have any real pace. 164 points is way short of where I wanted to finish, but I clearly don't have the pace for much more, and would need to rely on mistakes and misfortune from others to do much better. Since the final slot is probably not gonna be worth anywhere near as many points anyway, I think I'll call it a night here. I was hoping for much better considering how I did in the last Manufacturer's race.

 

[HaydenFan69]

2 second penalty for this. Hmmm... he did go into the outer limits, but not much I could do. Was 2 on the inside. The car inside was making up for his bad start.

Note: I was TC2 all race. Felt off a few corners I was able to get a jump out of.

 

[Groundfish]

I made it home just before the last slot at 20 after. I practiced some laps early this week but not much since then.
I did manage some q before getting matched. I managed to qualify top ten, held my own.
The start was decent but the cold tires and heavy car threw me off after running only a light car pre race. I lost a spot running wide at Griffins Bend but gained it back on Conrod lap 1 when a car ahead served their pen. All in all an uneventful race except last lap...
Last lap I was under pressure up mountain straight so I stayed to track inside approaching Griffins Bend.
The guy behind was. going. to. have. HIS. inside, even if it required dipping wheels into the grass to get alongside, there wasn’t a cars width inside, since I was defending. This guy was desperate though and he ran into me, losing controL and PIT maneuvering himself half on the grass culminating in smashing his SF into the outside wall quite hard. It was a foolish blunder on his part. This gave me a sweet two second penalty I was glad to have since when in sixth last lap I always enjoy getting penalized and having a car get by when I slow on Conrod serving a penalty so I drop a spot to seventh at the finish. It’s what I waited all race for and made me happy.
I started meds, came in lap 8 for RH. I managed to mostly avoid other cars during the race.
When I was around other cars several committed suicide trying to pass around the outside at the Chase when I had inside into the left hander, or at Hells corner also .I was lucky to get as good of a qual as I did. In this case I came out aggressively on outlap in qualifying to get one decent lap in ASAP.
Many cars were dilly dallying on the out lap then pre race chat there was talk of a pile up on the out lap lol. I just feel safer staying away from other cars as much as possible. Both in qualifying and in race... Anyways seventh overall. 176. It was very pleasurable to get handed a penalty last lap, I loved it.

Congratulations @Pigems! When I saw your q early this week I was certain you would do well!

 

[Geauxgreddy]

Slot 1, DR A/S Lobby.
When the lobby opened up and I was very excited to see @Master Weasel , @afc5150 and @KosmoKazi in the paddock. Unfortunately for Kosmo and AFC, qualifying went like hell. Really wanted to see them up front. I qualified P2 behind a guy that literally and figuratively destroyed the field.

At the start, I knew corner 1 was going to suck, so I just tried to get through without ending up in the sand. Like Racoon, I'm not sure exactly how the two drivers on the inside to me earned their penalties, but I'm guessing at least one of them got 1 second was from bumping into me. I came out the other side in p4. I really hate starting on the outside to turn 1.

As we raced to the mountain, I made an inside pass on P3 at the cutting and set my sights on P2. Caught up to him a lap later on the downhill and after he served his penalty I was in P2. The rest of the race was managing gap, tires, and fuel. After all was said and done, I managed a big DR haul as I finished 2nd. Half or more of the field got hammered on SR. Looked rough. When I watched the replay, most of them looked pretty benign as far as contact, but were brutal in enforcement.

 

[KosmoKazi]

Yep. I got smoked in qualy, too and started right behind you in last. I got 3 contact penalties for not actually contacting anyone and came home 11th, but lost 24 SR in the process.

A 2nd place in the C race has most of my SR back, so I'm jumping in to slot 4 hoping for a better qualy and result.

Pray for me.

That’s the thing. I got penalties when I didn’t even know I had touched someone. It’s a joke. And if people do anything dumb in front of you while you are racing them, you get the SR hit. Or if you get divebombed from over a second behind, and then hit inter the car in front of you, you also get the penalty. It’s so unfair.

Slot 1, DR A/S Lobby.
When the lobby opened up and I was very excited to see @Master Weasel , @afc5150 and @KosmoKazi in the paddock. Unfortunately for Kosmo and AFC, qualifying went like hell. Really wanted to see them up front. I qualified P2 behind a guy that literally and figuratively destroyed the field.

At the start, I knew corner 1 was going to suck, so I just tried to get through without ending up in the sand. Like Racoon, I'm not sure exactly how the two drivers on the inside to me earned their penalties, but I'm guessing at least one of them got 1 second was from bumping into me. I came out the other side in p4. I really hate starting on the outside to turn 1.

As we raced to the mountain, I made an inside pass on P3 at the cutting and set my sights on P2. Caught up to him a lap later on the downhill and after he served his penalty I was in P2. The rest of the race was managing gap, tires, and fuel. After all was said and done, I managed a big DR haul as I finished 2nd. Half or more of the field got hammered on SR. Looked rough. When I watched the replay, most of them looked pretty benign as far as contact, but were brutal in enforcement.

well done. That was one of the kicks in the groin because it was fun to see that @afc5150 @Master Weasel you and I were all on a grid together. Thought it was going to be a fun race.
The guy who won, and started my death spiral by hitting me in qualifying after using me for a tow, appears to be some alien in a fresh alt account, by the way.

 

[GTWolverine]

Some photos from last Wednesday's Manufacturer's race.

The lead pack after just 1 lap:

The result at the finish. I've now finished 2nd for the last 3 FIA races at the BMB oval...

 

[zavisic_]

Super Formula at Mount Panorama was a fun combo when practising but not when racing on saturday. So many unbelievable penalties, I got literaly ruined my first 2 races and potentially also my third one because my SR got down so I had to do a low rated lobby race.
Luckily, my fourth round went great, I finished 2nd in top split, collecting solid 334 points! Enjoy the race, thanks!

 

[crusselz]

Could just be me. But generally enjoying the manufacturers races. Good combos that suit me. Maybe not the strongest for the car, but they've been fun.

Nations, on the other hand, I just haven't come to grips with any of the combos, cars I can't drive or tracks I'm terrible at, or a combination of both. Plus it seems drivers are a heck of a lot more aggressive.

Will give Catalunya a shot and see how that goes, but not likely to achieve much.

Interlagos should be fun. But the penalty system could very well ruin it, depending on the lobby you're in and the drivers around you.

 

[Norrin Radd]

OOPs wrong thread

 

[tankuroded]

Red SRs and penalties of deserved and undeserved kind are the norm, but this is my SF19 Bathurst race in a nutshell:


Given how narrow the track is, imagine a Monaco/Cote d'Azur FIA race already.

 

[T_702_Balone]

any idea how I lost 2600 DR in one race?
BMB, door #13, qualified last, finnished P17
no penalities or SR downs, no contact
lobby split 2-3 i estimate
SR 99 to start and finnish
baffled

 

[roamingbard13]

any idea how I lost 2600 DR in one race?
BMB, door #13, qualified last, finnished P17
no penalities or SR downs, no contact
lobby split 2-3 i estimate
SR 99 to start and finnish
baffled

I'm going to guess you went in between the DR levels, like A to B or B to C. 1100 DR loss for finishing in the back, and then a bonus 1500 DR for leaving the higher DR.

 

[T_702_Balone]

I'm going to guess you went in between the DR levels, like A to B or B to C. 1100 DR loss for finishing in the back, and then a bonus 1500 DR for leaving the higher DR.

makes sense, A+ to A
thanks

 

[SpeedStarGTS]

What happen when you combine Super Formula with Bathurst, grid start and were unfortunate to have your qualifying ruin and start in the back of the grid in the first time slot well...Enjoy the madness.

 

[cactus0]

Did a few practice laps at Barcelona tonight, tried out the Lexus '17, what a weapon! Almost makes that track fun to drive!



Almost...

 

[rhcpeppers]

Mt. Panorama was stressful but fun. I qualified 11th, immediately dropped to 18th on the first lap and worked back to a 10th place finish with 49 points, which is my highest Nations point total so far this season. This is the first online race that I've entered at Mt. Panorama and with it being the Super Formula car I was a bit nervous. So I reminded myself to think about the 5 priorities I always have in mind for the FIA races and then just see what happens:

1) Don't ruin anyone else's race - Mission accomplished, only had one 1-second penalty from a little side-by-side contact early in the race.

2) Stay on the track - I went into the gravel at T1 thanks to the grid start chaos, and I brushed the outside wall in T2 on the first lap ("cold tires, brake early!" forgot that again), but kept the car on the road the rest of the race. I used TCS 3 and BB -3 which helped me keep control of the car.

3) Be smooth and consistent - I struggled with The Cutting all day. Some laps I did great, others I was super-slow, others I had to hit brakes hard because I went in too fast. If I can get this turn figured out it will really help me on this track. I got into a nice rhythm with the rest of the track as the race went on.
4) Finish higher than you start (and Top 10 is even better) - I barely accomplished this, but after my lap 1 difficulties, I'll take it .

5) Learn something - One thing that struck me with this race that I hadn't thought about before, is that in these Super Formula cars you come around the corner and come up so fast on cars that are ghosted, that you have NO idea how LONG they've been ghosted and therefore have no idea when they will unghost. So I really concentrated on avoiding ALL ghosted cars just to be safe. Also, while I haven't figured it out yet, as mentioned above, I know that The Cutting is a turn where I need to spend some time before the next Mt. Panorama race, regardless of what type of car is used.

 

[SpecMiata-JSW]

Did a few practice laps at Barcelona tonight, tried out the Lexus '17, what a weapon! Almost makes that track fun to drive!



Almost...

I have a love/hate relationship with that track too, so get what you're saying.

 

[Timm Sheehan]

It isn't a meta car but the BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) '11 is by far the fastest and smoothest at Barcelona for me. Is anyone using anything other than the meta?

Side note: I believe the meta for NA servers (a few RC-F '17 but more of a variety) is not the same for the EMEA servers (RC-F '17). I guess the different regional driving styles dictate a different meta cars?

 

[barak181]

It isn't a meta car but the BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) '11 is by far the fastest and smoothest at Barcelona for me. Is anyone using anything other than the meta?

Side note: I believe the meta for NA servers (a few RC-F '17 but more of a variety) is not the same for the EMEA servers (RC-F '17). I guess the different regional driving styles dictate a different meta cars?

I need to do more testing and practice today but in the little bit I did yesterday, the Corvette was the fastest for me followed closely by the Audi R8.

Which means absolutely nothing, really. I'm signed with Chevy this season and was with Audi last season. They're just the cars I'm most used to driving.

 

[Zorz]

It isn't a meta car but the BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) '11 is by far the fastest and smoothest at Barcelona for me. Is anyone using anything other than the meta?

Side note: I believe the meta for NA servers (a few RC-F '17 but more of a variety) is not the same for the EMEA servers (RC-F '17). I guess the different regional driving styles dictate a different meta cars?

The Viper is always on my list for Nations Gr.3 with grid starts simply because of how absurd it is off the line. I still remember grinning like a madman when I first used it at Dragon Trail Seaside when the Peugeot VGT was the meta because it rocketed straight past them. In this case though, I'm not sure. Catalunya's a track I struggle with a bit, and my consistency with the Viper there isn't where I would want it to be. Still time for more practice though.

 

[Pigems]

The Viper is always on my list for Nations Gr.3 with grid starts simply because of how absurd it is off the line. I still remember grinning like a madman when I first used it at Dragon Trail Seaside when the Peugeot VGT was the meta because it rocketed straight past them. In this case though, I'm not sure. Catalunya's a track I struggle with a bit, and my consistency with the Viper there isn't where I would want it to be. Still time for more practice though.

The Ford GT is also a rocket off the line, give it a try. It’s nice around Catalunya too. 👍

 

[stpatty]

The last time Gr.3 came up at Catalunya was in Manufacturers. An M3 won my (~166 point) race by 11 seconds.

 

[cactus0]

I've tried a few today and I'm most consistent/fast in the Atenza, i can repeatedly get to within a tenth of my best time in the Lexus. It's a dog off the line but super quick through the right hander before the back straight, Hopefully i can not lose too many places at the start and then reel them back in, though the way my racing has gone up to now this season I'll probably get spun off first corner

 

[Zorz]

After some more testing, I think I'm taking the V12 Vantage out. That's not meta, I think? Of all the cars I've tried today, that seems to be the one I'm most consistent and confident with in this combo.

I'll take anything that resists the way Catalunya makes the back end slide around and the Vantage feels quite well planted. Getting the impression it's decent from a standing start too. 👍

 

[Kermit_2142]

It isn't a meta car but the BMW M3 GT (BMW Motorsport) '11 is by far the fastest and smoothest at Barcelona for me. Is anyone using anything other than the meta?

Side note: I believe the meta for NA servers (a few RC-F '17 but more of a variety) is not the same for the EMEA servers (RC-F '17). I guess the different regional driving styles dictate a different meta cars?

Im using the Porsche 👍. Use what you feel most comfortable with. The high tyre wear means any mistakes are going to hurt you more than usual. Good luck!

I’m looking forward to this one. Should be a good race!

 

[HaydenFan69]

I’m back on the Mazda bandwagon. Logged nearly 300 miles in the Lexus over last 3 days, and beat that time with the Mazda in under 10.

Yes, I know it’ll bog down at the start, but I don’t think that’s going to be a major factor for the finish unless you get a jump start.

 

[05XR8]

The total race is going to be interesting. I think I lost out to the Lexus '16, when I used the Lexus '17. It seemed to have better tyre wear a while ago.

Surprised noone are big upping the Huracan. As mentioned in the above post, thought I'd hear more about the RSR and R8. Plus, the AMG GT3.

Did a Custom Race starting for 11th. Of course the AI are on RH. So, no pit for them. Still managed to get turned around by an AI car. Hurt my RMs, but managed a fastest of 46.9 before I pit on Lap8.

The lead M6 was 26 seconds ahead and I was able to chop it down to 3 seconds at the finish. Passed the other M6 for 2nd before the final chicane.

Versus humans, traffic is going to be the biggest factor. I don't think anyone will give an inch. No matter who is on what tyre, tyre wear and who you are.

Also surprised the Citroen hasn't been mentioned. Thought that is a good race car on twisty tracks and high tyre wear.

 

[05XR8]

Oof...

One lap for me. Was catching a car ahead even though there was a big enough gap. ABorted the next lap.

Edit:

Rookie mistake. When I pit, I was too hasty in thinking I moved the stick to the right to select RM. It stayed on RS! Just messed myself up. Had it planned to run 6RS/1RM/6RS. The RM are a waste of time. They only work if someone runs long on the RS. Barely.

Anyway, got myself help up by an RSR(plus, it ran me wide when I was battling to pass out of T1). Wasn't a thought to push past like some were doing. Just ruins the whole flow for everyone.BUT I did get a bit of mongrel because that RSR was on worn tyres. Made no sense for it to hold me and the cars behind up like that.
I made it easy for some on fast tyres to pass. Didn't lose time. However, those that don't understand that concept, it holds everyone up, allows cars behind to catch up and it messes up their own result. AFter my second pit, I was dead last 19/19. Only moved up because two cars ahead had penalties and one car spun at the final corner.

RX-V performed flawlessly. Really strong acceleration out of turns. Messed up my race with running the RS back to back. Needed those for the second half of the race. Going again with 6RS/1RM/6RS.

 

[ShiftingGears]

Finished second in third split. Probably one of my best races in Group 3 considering how difficult I find slow corners and tyre management in Group 3.