2021 FIA Series Race Discussion

[RacingGrandpa]

I thought of something today. Instead of telling you all how my race went (very well, thank you) I would like to ask all experienced and/or helpful drivers to just pick a random lap/minute from my race and make one, I only ask for one, comment on something you see me do that could use improving. Could even be Interlagos, the one before. Place it in the comments, send via inbox, put it here... whatever you want.


I’m just C rated and there is so much to learn: better braking, smarter driving, left or failed to see opportunities, no trail breaking where I should... a lot. But at some point it gets harder to see improvements by yourself if you don't know what it is you should look for.


The reason I'm asking this was actually inspired by James Dilley's latest stream in which he spends the better half of five hours explaining all kinds of details about the races he was in. It made me look back at my last races and wonder... "just how often do I lift without purpose" and "why does my car understeer at that particular part of the track or... "how come I think "I feel" that going in 5th gear in the esses is the best way to build up speed, but I don't actually have proof that it helps".

There is so, so, so much to learn. The curve is soooo steep.

Thank you for your help and interest.

btw I'm sorry the video is without comment and unedited... that's yet another thing I want to learn

Cheers,

Seth

I have only wstched on the cell phone so can't go in depth bit I see one thing rihht up front that you can use.
You brake too early. I bet it feels like tou cant brake later but when you brake you brake 100% and especially ay the Larini curve (you come down in full speed turn in and brske before the sharp left) I brake where the grass turns to sand. Same car, but I brake maybe 70% and modulate ny brake pressure to keep the red as small as possible on the white. The red is the ABS reducing brake force so your brake distance is bigger.

 

[MCL1974]

You’ll have nothing to worry about in the race. You’re wayyy faster than I am on this track so far!!

View attachment 997300

it is not me, it is the car. Wish it was my driving abilities, but it mostly thanks to the Peugeot.
Normally I am behind you in the free practice session....

The Peugeot is very fast at this track and normally I could hope for a good result . But is fast for a few laps only. As you all know the Peugeot is bad regarding tyrewear. I don't think I can do 25 laps on the medium tyres and keep on doing competitive times. had it been last series with the old pitstop times then this track would surely be a good race for FF cars....

But my two cents regarding the Bop saga: for drivers like me, being average at best, it is still nice if you have a better chance sometimes at certain tracks because you have the right car for it.

 

[Seth_Logan]

The red is the ABS reducing brake force so your brake distance is bigger.

So THAT'S why it's red on white! It's the ABS! Never in a million years... see that's why this is helpful. Please feel free (everyone) to comment more. I'm sure others can use these tips as well!

Thank you so much Grandpa! I'll make a video on my training for Sardegna. And try to improve breaking. Show an tell from now on. Let's get that learning curve down a bit.

The Peugeot is very fast at this track and normally I could hope for a good result . But is fast for a few laps only. As you all know the Peugeot is bad regarding tyrewear. I don't think I can do 25 laps on the medium tyres and keep on doing competitive times. had it been last series with the old pitstop times then this track would surely be a good race for FF cars.....

I believe both softs and meds are required. I was wondering many rounds I wanted to race on both. Maybe later tonight I'll do some laps. Care to join?

 

[MCL1974]

I believe both softs and meds are required. I was wondering many rounds I wanted to race on both. Maybe later tonight I'll do some laps. Care to join?

absolutely would like to join... but I am at work now, I am doing seven night shifts in a row, tomorrow night is the last one. (thank god)
Hope I can share a track with you soon!!

Think only mediums are required?
if so, then the pit stop time should be taken into account, it is likely faster to do 25 laps on mediums, even when worn, then do both softs and mediums?

 

[05XR8]

I can only speak on behalf of DS4 but it really is loose in the rear especially thru 2nd gear, from the other FR cars similar that I tested that didn't seem to be the case. Jaguar, Corvette, Viper etc.. most of those cars all hook up really well out of the low speed corners but with the GT4 Mustang I can feel the difference.

Ceratinly. I use a DS4 as well. It's not loose like an M4. Mustang front end, gets pointed off-throttle. I say again, the suspesnsion is too stiff. Mixed with its grunt in 2nd, the rear isn't as stable as the cars you mentioned. Soften it to the Genesis(springs are all the same except ride height - according to specs, the Mustang sights higher in the rear and lower in the front, than the Genesis specs). However PD dialled in the FR cars, they all have unique handling characteristics.

 

[OJBrit]

So THAT'S why it's red on white! It's the ABS! Never in a million years... see that's why this is helpful. Please feel free (everyone) to comment more. I'm sure others can use these tips as well!

Thank you so much Grandpa! I'll make a video on my training for Sardegna. And try to improve breaking. Show an tell from now on. Let's get that learning curve down a bit.



I believe both softs and meds are required. I was wondering many rounds I wanted to race on both. Maybe later tonight I'll do some laps. Care to join?

Only mediums are required. I can see many people in lower lobbies not switching from Softs between qualy and the race and will have to stop. I can see lots of 1 min penalties in the first slot.

 

[Ashthebash]

Just to chime in on the BoP chat, I think they've got Gr.3 really good, most cars can compete at almost every track which is what they're after. Gr.4 is very track/multiplier dependent, which is fine in my book. You don't want one car dominant everywhere and I'd rather have combos that make cars stronger at certain tracks and weaker at others than a track specific BoP that levelled out every car at every track

 

[Pigems]

Just to chime in on the BoP chat, I think they've got Gr.3 really good, most cars can compete at almost every track which is what they're after. Gr.4 is very track/multiplier dependent, which is fine in my book. You don't want one car dominant everywhere and I'd rather have combos that make cars stronger at certain tracks and weaker at others than a track specific BoP that levelled out every car at every track

But why would you ever want your car to be inferior in a race? It’s a competition(FIA Races), why would you not want to have a competitive car every single race?

I just can’t wrap my brain around why anyone would ever want the car they are stuck driving to be anything less than 100% Equal(or as close as is humanly possible to that) to every other car on the track?

 

[foolsgold74]

So THAT'S why it's red on white! It's the ABS!

I find it quite tricky to modulate brake pressure properly with the G29 pedals, the difference between full brakes (and ABS kicking in) and the optimum pressure seems like a really fine line.

For example, race B dailies this week I'm struggling to find that balance at turn 1, seaside hairpin and Larini (it's DTS reverse of course)

 

[LeGeNd-1]

After 2 races, what's the impression of Oceania drivers of combining the regions? On the first race the NSX was woeful and I couldn't really compete and get a clear picture, but in the DTS race I qualified 7th, but dropped to 15th by the end. It seems like every single JP driver was out for blood. Pretty surprising actually for a country known for its politeness. Maybe they just have a much younger playerbase in general, and after seeing Miyazono do a clean sweep last year everyone thinks they're the next hotshot. I got pushed out wide on corner exits 3 times, despite giving space to the other car all round the corner. Nobody got penalties either. With PD it's either too sensitive, or non working penalties. I give up on them ever making a functional penalty system.

Another reason why I liked FIA, is because you see the same drivers (mostly) every race, unlike the dailies. It feels like a proper racing season and you get to form rivalries and camaraderie with certain drivers. The races mean something. But in 2 races I only see maybe 2-3 same drivers, and because of the closer points overlap no one has any ideas of the proper driver rank. It's just a matter of finding a DR sweetspot where you can finish as high as possible. The actual on track position or how well you drive doesn't matter.

I'll still see out the season but unless they revert back to 5 regions for Manu I think I'll just stick with Nations for the future.

Oh, and the NSX Gr.4 is in dire need of weight reduction. It basically weighs the same as the GT-R with almost 40 less HP. Handles well, but you're just a sitting duck on the straights

 

[Ashthebash]

But why would you ever want your car to be inferior in a race? It’s a competition(FIA Races), why would you not want to have a competitive car every single race?

I just can’t wrap my brain around why anyone would ever want the car they are stuck driving to be anything less than 100% Equal(or as close as is humanly possible to that) to every other car on the track?

Dunno!

I guess it's like following a football team. You have sides you expect to beat, sides you don't, when you beat the big sides it's more memorable, when you lose to the lesser sides you try to forget it asap. When I finally get a win in this bloody Ferrari I'm having a party!

I don't want perfectly equal machinery, if we had that then we're just picking a badge. Have the pros and the cons, have the variation, tie yourself in to a car for 30 races and accept that some are going to be hard work, some are going to lean your way and some will just depend on being the best driver on the day. Go into a race thinking top ten is a great result, come out annoyed you've only managed 7th.

I think if all things are equal, there's more pressure and you don't appreciate the experience as much. Ups and downs, ride the waves, endure the lows, some days will be better than others.

All points towards? That win being all the sweeter

 

[Seth_Logan]

absolutely would like to join... but I am at work now, I am doing seven night shifts in a row, tomorrow night is the last one. (thank god)
Hope I can share a track with you soon!!

Think only mediums are required?
if so, then the pit stop time should be taken into account, it is likely faster to do 25 laps on mediums, even when worn, then do both softs and mediums?

Tried it and it works that way. Top 5 never pitted and drove on mediums. I was nr. 5

 

[Pigems]

Dunno!

I guess it's like following a football team. You have sides you expect to beat, sides you don't, when you beat the big sides it's more memorable, when you lose to the lesser sides you try to forget it asap. When I finally get a win in this bloody Ferrari I'm having a party!

I don't want perfectly equal machinery, if we had that then we're just picking a badge. Have the pros and the cons, have the variation, tie yourself in to a car for 30 races and accept that some are going to be hard work, some are going to lean your way and some will just depend on being the best driver on the day. Go into a race thinking top ten is a great result, come out annoyed you've only managed 7th.

I think if all things are equal, there's more pressure and you don't appreciate the experience as much. Ups and downs, ride the waves, endure the lows, some days will be better than others.

All points towards? That win being all the sweeter

Thank you very much for the thorough explanation, I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

 

[MCL1974]

Tried it and it works that way. Top 5 never pitted and drove on mediums. I was nr. 5

How where your tyres after 25 laps and which car did you drove? how were your laptimes?

 

[05XR8]

After 2 races, what's the impression of Oceania drivers of combining the regions? On the first race the NSX was woeful and I couldn't really compete and get a clear picture, but in the DTS race I qualified 7th, but dropped to 15th by the end. It seems like every single JP driver was out for blood. Pretty surprising actually for a country known for its politeness. Maybe they just have a much younger playerbase in general, and after seeing Miyazono do a clean sweep last year everyone thinks they're the next hotshot. I got pushed out wide on corner exits 3 times, despite giving space to the other car all round the corner. Nobody got penalties either. With PD it's either too sensitive, or non working penalties. I give up on them ever making a functional penalty system.

Another reason why I liked FIA, is because you see the same drivers (mostly) every race, unlike the dailies. It feels like a proper racing season and you get to form rivalries and camaraderie with certain drivers. The races mean something. But in 2 races I only see maybe 2-3 same drivers, and because of the closer points overlap no one has any ideas of the proper driver rank. It's just a matter of finding a DR sweetspot where you can finish as high as possible. The actual on track position or how well you drive doesn't matter.

I'll still see out the season but unless they revert back to 5 regions for Manu I think I'll just stick with Nations for the future.

Oh, and the NSX Gr.4 is in dire need of weight reduction. It basically weighs the same as the GT-R with almost 40 less HP. Handles well, but you're just a sitting duck on the straights

Yeah, did seem to have more aggressive drivers in my race. Like you said, normally, we race against players we see nearly from Dailies through FIA. Today, it's the luck of the draw.

 

[05XR8]

Tyre branding in the kart. Seriously..

 

[Raptor013]

After 2 races, what's the impression of Oceania drivers of combining the regions? On the first race the NSX was woeful and I couldn't really compete and get a clear picture, but in the DTS race I qualified 7th, but dropped to 15th by the end. It seems like every single JP driver was out for blood. Pretty surprising actually for a country known for its politeness. Maybe they just have a much younger playerbase in general, and after seeing Miyazono do a clean sweep last year everyone thinks they're the next hotshot. I got pushed out wide on corner exits 3 times, despite giving space to the other car all round the corner. Nobody got penalties either. With PD it's either too sensitive, or non working penalties. I give up on them ever making a functional penalty system.

Another reason why I liked FIA, is because you see the same drivers (mostly) every race, unlike the dailies. It feels like a proper racing season and you get to form rivalries and camaraderie with certain drivers. The races mean something. But in 2 races I only see maybe 2-3 same drivers, and because of the closer points overlap no one has any ideas of the proper driver rank. It's just a matter of finding a DR sweetspot where you can finish as high as possible. The actual on track position or how well you drive doesn't matter.

I'll still see out the season but unless they revert back to 5 regions for Manu I think I'll just stick with Nations for the future.

Oh, and the NSX Gr.4 is in dire need of weight reduction. It basically weighs the same as the GT-R with almost 40 less HP. Handles well, but you're just a sitting duck on the straights

So far, I like it. Had some great battles in the opening races with the Asian player base I've been grouped against.

 

[05XR8]

20 minutes. One and done. Started 8/19. Got held up in qualy. Wasn't a waste of time, but maybe there should have been heats. Only one knucklehead in my race. Tried to side bump me into the pit wall on the front straight.... Lap 3!!!! I was gaining after having an off, at the middle of the first ess. Figured I'm not allowed to pass. The bump.backfired and that player went off. They DNFd, of course.


Anyway, my qualy was 55.1 or something. All alone, after coming up from 14th, my FL was 54.4, on my last lap. Oh well. Finished 9th.

Oh, yeah, the rolling start is silly.

 

[Redneckchef]

Normally a 1 and done, but I embarrased myself so badly in first slot it might be worth going again. Screwed up qualifying to start p18 of 19. Wiggled a bit and got passed when they pushed me wide through turn 1. Spent a lot of laps clawing back up to a 4 way battle for p15 and then promptly overcorrected for a wiggle and went off. Lose over 10 seconds and now lapping for pride. Managed to go off twice more before I got lapped on lap 16.

Still finished p18 as the guy who tapped me wide quit when I passed him. Should have stayed in there, he would have beat me easy.
P17 even pulled into the pits on the last lap since I was lapped and couldn't pass them.

Havent been that embarrassed about my driving mistakes in a long long while. And pretty much all on me. Good luck to the rest of you.

 

[Seth_Logan]

How where your tyres after 25 laps and which car did you drove? how were your laptimes?

Well, I built my race around tyre saving, practicing braking (@RacingGrandpa) and overtaking people during their pitstops.

The lobby was 2/3 A drivers and the rest lower. I'm C so I decided not to qualify to not get in the way of all the faster drivers (during quali and race) and start at the back to check 3 things:

* Can I do a no-stop race on mediums with a Jaguar?

Yes, you can (easily). Fuel is a non-issue the tyres were great at least until lap 21-22 but never "fell off" even towards the end. I do think - however - that my relative low speed has something to do with that. The A driver behind me managed to win back 7-8 seconds from 9 to 1 and a bit.

* How many (faster) people (A drivers) could I potentially overtake when they do pit and I don't? And can I keep that position?

8! from 13th to 5th apparently... go figure. And I was never challenged during the race. The gap was sufficient.

* Will consistent driving be more helpful then pushing it?

I drove as consistently as possible sacrificing risk and faster time for even times and no crashes. I drove between 57,500 and 58,500 from start to finish. Which - as said - was enough to finish 5th in this lobby.

To save the tyres and make the finish line I focused heavily on extending my breaking and not shifting gears down if you don't have to (both tips from @Tidgney). All those efforts all work very well at the expense of speed and high qualifying (but saving your SR probably with less punting/shoving).

BUT... it was not appreciated by at least one driver in the lobby (who finished 4th). So you may have to deal with that. He literally said: "NO Crash, No Push, NO, no ... bobo..." and then left before I could ask him why he felt my bourgeois style of driving was so Bohemian to him and could not meet his preference. I little bump in an otherwise finely executed exercise.

Cheers,

Seth

 

[Redneckchef]

Ran the karts again. Got slipstream in qualifying but it didnt help as it was a much stronger lobby. Started p17. Got to p16 when someone binned it on the start, and was just settling in when I wiggled wide in the esses and had to slowly gather it back on track.

Now p19, but even worse, totally out of slipstream. Managed to still run a tidy race, staying very close to the driver ahead, but never making ground enough to get the slipstream. Managed to get a few spots as drivers wrecked, brought it home a fairly stable p16. I'll take it. I raced ok, had solid speed and didnt embarrass myself.

Keep it tidy out there.

 

[MOPARbarrett5]

Here's my fastest lap and tutorial for the Nations Cup race. I am currently ranked fifth in the region


I guess I will race on my alternate account but I doubt I will livestream as the races will probably be more fun doing last to first challenges so there's no point streaming qualifying.

 

[RacingGrandpa]

Well, I built my race around tyre saving, practicing braking (@RacingGrandpa) and overtaking people during their pitstops.

The lobby was 2/3 A drivers and the rest lower. I'm C so I decided not to qualify to not get in the way of all the faster drivers (during quali and race) and start at the back to check 3 things:

* Can I do a no-stop race on mediums with a Jaguar?

Yes, you can (easily). Fuel is a non-issue the tyres were great at least until lap 21-22 but never "fell off" even towards the end. I do think - however - that my relative low speed has something to do with that. The A driver behind me managed to win back 7-8 seconds from 9 to 1 and a bit.

* How many (faster) people (A drivers) could I potentially overtake when they do pit and I don't? And can I keep that position?

8! from 13th to 5th apparently... go figure. And I was never challenged during the race. The gap was sufficient.

* Will consistent driving be more helpful then pushing it?

I drove as consistently as possible sacrificing risk and faster time for even times and no crashes. I drove between 57,500 and 58,500 from start to finish. Which - as said - was enough to finish 5th in this lobby.

To save the tyres and make the finish line I focused heavily on extending my breaking and not shifting gears down if you don't have to (both tips from @Tidgney). All those efforts all work very well at the expense of speed and high qualifying (but saving your SR probably with less punting/shoving).

BUT... it was not appreciated by at least one driver in the lobby (who finished 4th). So you may have to deal with that. He literally said: "NO Crash, No Push, NO, no ... bobo..." and then left before I could ask him why he felt my bourgeois style of driving was so Bohemian to him and could not meet his preference. I little bump in an otherwise finely executed exercise.

Cheers,

Seth

Speaking of braking. (and this is controversial) I drive road cars with ABS weak, and sometimes also gr 4, especially in qualify or setting a FP time for dailies. It requires harder concentration so I don't do it in races where there's a lot of other things to consider, because it becomes a lot more delicate but you can lower your brake distance a lot. Or extend your tire life instead.
But it's also easier to lock the wheels and if you do that your tires are really damaged.

 

[MCL1974]

Well, I built my race around tyre saving, practicing braking (@RacingGrandpa) and overtaking people during their pitstops.

The lobby was 2/3 A drivers and the rest lower. I'm C so I decided not to qualify to not get in the way of all the faster drivers (during quali and race) and start at the back to check 3 things:

* Can I do a no-stop race on mediums with a Jaguar?

Yes, you can (easily). Fuel is a non-issue the tyres were great at least until lap 21-22 but never "fell off" even towards the end. I do think - however - that my relative low speed has something to do with that. The A driver behind me managed to win back 7-8 seconds from 9 to 1 and a bit.

* How many (faster) people (A drivers) could I potentially overtake when they do pit and I don't? And can I keep that position?

8! from 13th to 5th apparently... go figure. And I was never challenged during the race. The gap was sufficient.

* Will consistent driving be more helpful then pushing it?

I drove as consistently as possible sacrificing risk and faster time for even times and no crashes. I drove between 57,500 and 58,500 from start to finish. Which - as said - was enough to finish 5th in this lobby.

To save the tyres and make the finish line I focused heavily on extending my breaking and not shifting gears down if you don't have to (both tips from @Tidgney). All those efforts all work very well at the expense of speed and high qualifying (but saving your SR probably with less punting/shoving).

BUT... it was not appreciated by at least one driver in the lobby (who finished 4th). So you may have to deal with that. He literally said: "NO Crash, No Push, NO, no ... bobo..." and then left before I could ask him why he felt my bourgeois style of driving was so Bohemian to him and could not meet his preference. I little bump in an otherwise finely executed exercise.

Cheers,

Seth

now I'm worried. Did one test race and my final laps were well into the 59's. I use a pad and drive with automatic transmssion and don't think I can really do much tyre saving...well done by you, doubt you will be C for long.
oh well, will do a bit of testing this afternoon before going to work and see if we can do a bit better.

Edit: did a testrace: 4 A+ drivers, plus some B's a C and an E. quailifed 4th. Could have been a bit better but the guy on pole came on track at my 2nd attempt and started blocking to make sure he would keep pole. (interesting tactics)

finished the race 4th but only because the rest quit the race. This time tried to take care of my tyres, going through corners a bit slower and taking car accelerating but tyrewear still was bad, last few laps the car can not go through a corner anymore because of excessive oversteer. Was way behind the other 3. Pretty sure I will not be competitive this round

 

[D_Dragline]

But why would you ever want your car to be inferior in a race? It’s a competition(FIA Races), why would you not want to have a competitive car every single race?

I just can’t wrap my brain around why anyone would ever want the car they are stuck driving to be anything less than 100% Equal(or as close as is humanly possible to that) to every other car on the track?

My opinion is that BoP for every race would kill the enjoyment of Many for a lot of people (me included). It isn’t that I want my car to be META, but I want it to have a character of its own. I have run a different Manu in every season and they all have their strong and weak combos. For me, the weak combos are sometimes the most satisfying races. Running in the top 5 with a car that you know is inferior on that combo can be more exhilarating than winning in the META.

What I do think is important is that the BOP balances across the season. I’m happy to have up and down rounds as long as I know I’m not always going to be in the weakest car.

 

[Tigerhawk87]

Woof.
Hadn't used karts til I saw this week's race. Tough to get used to and always feel on the edge but kind of fun!
Qualified in 13th and had about 6-7 solid laps out of the 22. Main enemy was myself and my experience with these things. Binned it several times with the second turn being the main culprit.
Going again, feel like if I can restrict my self-binnings to only 2 or 3 I'll get a much better return!

 

[OJBrit]

That was a lot of fun. Required lots of concentration.
Qualified 13th. Wasn't as good as I could do as I was held up a few times despite using a lap or two to fall back. I knew at least I could do a time that could have got me 2nd as per my practice. Top guy was very fast. A Frenchman with the name Snail_Sam (anything but, maybe it's his favourite food.)
Only made a couple of mistakes at turn 1 which gave me a .5 second penalty but other than that kept it consistent and on the track. I capitalised on errors of others and made my way forward. Crossed the line 7th at the end so a very decent race. 1 and done.

 

[Minivan]

That was crazy fun! Managed to get pole position in B/S lobby. Me and the second guy ended up with the exact same time (0:54.852). First 10 laps were super intense, as leader had been changing up to 5-6 times per lap. Little mistakes here and there and I have finished third.
It was such a pleasure to drive! I will race again today for sure. Do not care about results, as this race itself is a pure joy!

sorry for bad english

 

[Pennyb12000]

I have had a couple of try's in the lobbies for next weeks Manu. Being honest with myself I am wondering if its worth giving it a miss.
Absolute carnage.
If I do run, I am considering skipping qualifying, and starting from the back and trying to work my way up via other driver error. The entrance and exit to the straight is going to be a 'mare' for the first few laps.

 

[stpatty]

Done one practice race in the karts and my wrists are killing me already.