2021 FIA Series Race Discussion

[FastOldHippy]

Lets go again in slot 3. Oceania A/B S room with a single 'A' driver in the mix. Door #16 Qualified 16th. Not a good qualifying session, got blocked on both laps and p16. 4 or 5 WRX's , about 8 Trophy's, 2 Meganes, 1 scirocco, 1 GT-R, 1 M4 , 1 4C.

Off to a good start in the Rexy, went inside turn 1 to avoid carnage and emerged in p10. Had a clean scrap for 8/9/10 th place for ther next 8 laps or so. A couple of others got penalties and made it easier for me. Before I knew it , I was in 6th behind a train of trophy's and polesitter in his scirocco. Lap 11 and I finally got past all the trophy's into 3rd place until 1st hairpin on lap 11 when p3 and p4 pushed past and then both of them proceeded to run wide leaving me clear. I almost run wide at final hairpin and p4 gets inside me but I J-hook it like a champ and rocket past him on exit to pit straight thanks to the WRX's superior corner acceleration. WRX's in 1-2-3 followed by about 5 trophys. Best result this season so far, 118 points put me into the AU top 100. I have gone from 19th to 5th at a wet Red Bull Ring before but to go from 16th to 3rd was just mindblowing for me. I needed a cider and a cone afterwards.

 

[Raptor013]

@RX8 Racer That Mr Scrappy as you call him must have a different mindset when it comes to FIA races. I've seen him in Dailies a couple of times in the past and never had an issue with him.

@FastOldHippy was the VW driver in the #2 Bullydog car as wild in your Slot 3 race with the late dives into T1 as he was in my Slot 2 race?

 

[Trone_Colby]

Set my best lap at Big Willow but seconds later....

 

[KosmoKazi]

Looking through the other people's accounting of their races at Autopolis, I feel like even though I was screwed by the start, the racing after that was relatively clean, save for the times I saw someone coming in my mirror and avoided being dive-bombed or punted. Maybe being in the TT amongst a field of Trophies meant that I wasn't susceptible to bully tactics in the turns, but I can't complain about things that happened on the track, after that nonsense as the lights went out.

The TT was a poor choice... while I was fast in it, and could qualify more up front, it was so slow off the corners compared to the Renaults that it wasn't easy to maintain a small enough gap to them at the start of the straights. I had expected to be able to pull them on the straights and outbreak them into the turns, but I started out with such a disadvantage coming off the turns that taking care of business at the end of the straights wasn't even really an opportunity in most cases.

I would love to have tried the Alfa, which I had never driven until @C_Raccoon23 suggested it during practice. I was immediately fast in it, but chickened out, having only driven it for five laps before the first race slot. But I guess I should have just stuck with the Trophy like the rest, and considered it a Megane Trophy Cup race.

And I don't like the late start for these races... I can jump in the first slot, but the later ones really aren't an option for me now, so it's one-and-done and no time to run them on the alt in most cases. Wish they started earlier.

 

[GTWolverine]

It's ****ing impossible to have good racing anymore. Everyone divebombs anything they can. Push you wide into the sand, who cares. Try to leave a little space because 3 cars are stacking up into the corner, tough ****, divebomb, push you wide. At what dr lever do you get good racing?? It must not exist.

Unfortunately the last 2 combos in Nation's haven't been conducive to clean racing. The Mini race at Miyabi only had 1braking zone, but the cars were so slow that even there you didn't need much braking, so making passes stick was hard. They were also so slow that it was extremely easy to lose the slipstream, so no one wanted to give space for fear of losing the draft to the car in front either. Last night's race was incredibly short, on a very narrow track, so people were desperate to make up spots. Both of those rounds were also standing starts which bunched everyone up even more. Next race probably won't be much better, again with slow cars around a track that's mostly flat-out for them, with a grid start. The only thing that might keep this from turning into a punt-fest is how easy it'll be to ruin your own race by yourself, and most people ending up literally miles apart from each other once they make their way through the desert and back onto the track...

 

[GR33N]

I had even less time than usual to prepare for this race, so I didn't watch any video guide or anything but I have a general question:

Why is the WRX considered a better car than the Lancer in Gr. 4 ?

I ask this because I jumped in the 3rd slot yesterday and won the race (216 pts) and both other Mitsus got a pretty good result in my split, whereas the 3 WRX finished further back. I never took the time to compare both...

 

[D_Dragline]

The next Nations round is likely to be an absolute lottery. High downforce, reduced tyre grip and very little (actually none at all) heavy braking will see plenty of cars making sandcastles. Cars are also going to be vulnerable to small nudges being destabilizing into turns and plenty of long recovery times as a result.

Bring your Valium and brown undies people.

 

[MIE1992]

I'd like a recommendation for what BB I should use for this Saturday's round of the Manufacturers Series. I'm thinking -3 or maybe even -4, considering how most of the braking zones on this course are quite large. I also heard tire wear won't be as much of a concern as fuel consumption, so I suppose that if my tires are really starting to wear out - especially since we'll all be using RS tires - I could just swap them out at the same time I refuel.

 

[MidnightRun85]

I'd like a recommendation for what BB I should use for this Saturday's round of the Manufacturers Series. I'm thinking -3 or maybe even -4, considering how most of the braking zones on this course are quite large. I also heard tire wear won't be as much of a concern as fuel consumption, so I suppose that if my tires are really starting to wear out - especially since we'll all be using RS tires - I could just swap them out at the same time I refuel.

That would depend on what car you're driving. I'd only go as far as -3 or -4 on one of the hybrids or twitchy MR cars, personally.

 

[barak181]

I'd like a recommendation for what BB I should use for this Saturday's round of the Manufacturers Series. I'm thinking -3 or maybe even -4, considering how most of the braking zones on this course are quite large. I also heard tire wear won't be as much of a concern as fuel consumption, so I suppose that if my tires are really starting to wear out - especially since we'll all be using RS tires - I could just swap them out at the same time I refuel.

If you can manage your tires to the end of the race, not swapping tires is going to save your 4-5 sec. Which potentially could be several positions, depending on your race. BB is also going to be dependent on your car, what manufacturer are you driving?

 

[MIE1992]

If you can manage your tires to the end of the race, not swapping tires is going to save your 4-5 sec. Which potentially could be several positions, depending on your race. BB is also going to be dependent on your car, what manufacturer are you driving?

Hyundai. I feel like the BB could be closer to the center since I don’t feel unstable under braking.

 

[barak181]

Hyundai. I feel like the BB could be closer to the center since I don’t feel unstable under braking.

Pushing it +1 or +2 will probably allow you to not change tires in your pitstop. -1 will likely give you better braking power but wear out the fronts to the point that you may need to swap tires. Up to you really, whatever is your preferred driving style and whether or not losing the time for the tire change bugs you or not.

 

[rhcpeppers]

Hyundai. I feel like the BB could be closer to the center since I don’t feel unstable under braking.

I've been using Hyundai for the past few months in FIA and I always keep the BB between 0 and +2 for both the Gr3 and Gr4 cars. The Hyundai's are so stable that I haven't found that I really need to fiddle with the BB (one of the reasons I like them - keeps it simple!). I typically use BB 0 for qualifying and BB +2 for the race for tire wear. I think for the Blue Moon Speedway and Monza No Chicane races a while back I kept the BB at 0 because the rear tires were wearing as much as the front, but usually BB +2 does the trick for me in race trim.

 

[GTWolverine]

The next Nations round is likely to be an absolute lottery. High downforce, reduced tyre grip and very little (actually none at all) heavy braking will see plenty of cars making sandcastles. Cars are also going to be vulnerable to small nudges being destabilizing into turns and plenty of long recovery times as a result.

Bring your Valium and brown undies people.

Honestly this seems like the kind of race I'll enjoy driving. I normally don't like low grip cars, but that's only because I don't like cars that stop like trains. The RB Jr's still have good brakes (not that it'll be necessary with this track) even with much less grippy tires. Of course that's not factoring in having to avoid other people's mistakes...

 

[Yard_Sale]

Recently just jumped backed into GT sport after a 2 month hiatus. Decided to try out Ferrari for my Manu car after being very impressed with the GR4 488 this week. I think I made a HUGE MISTAKE!!!

Took the Ferrari Gr3 car out for some test laps yesterday. Thing is the most unstable thing I've ever driven outside of an MR2. Anyone got some tips?

 

[Pigems]

Hyundai. I feel like the BB could be closer to the center since I don’t feel unstable under braking.

Always start at 0, and adjust from there as required, based on your driving on the track/tires in question. 👍

 

[RacingGrandpa]

Recently just jumped backed into GT sport after a 2 month hiatus. Decided to try out Ferrari for my Manu car after being very impressed with the GR4 488 this week. I think I made a HUGE MISTAKE!!!

Took the Ferrari Gr3 car out for some test laps yesterday. Thing is the most unstable thing I've ever driven outside of an MR2. Anyone got some tips?

BB -2 and no TCS works best for me. She still looks for any excuse to rip me apart though.

 

[sk1719]

Mid-to-Upper C. D ranks and low C have really sharp elbows.

I dropped 4000 DR tonight.

Slot 1? Disconnect.
Slot 2? 11th, self-inflicted injury.
Slot 3? 9th.
Slot 4? Disconnect.
Slot 5? 7th. Had the pace to win but couldn’t get around 3rd place, dude spun me out. Twice.

It's still just as bad in the 40-50k range.

 

[Photodave219]

It's still just as bad in the 40-50k range.

Well thats no fun....

Speaking of No fun, Here's three minutes of low-lights from my final race last night.

Its frustrating when you're trying to race clean and run across people like this. Bad night all around, i need to learn when to walk away.

 

[rhcpeppers]

My Autopolis race was pretty rough as well. I drove the M4 and I think the Trophys and Sciroccos just assumed that I didn't belong out there so it was okay to drive through me, haha!. Started P11, got a great start off the line and was P6 at T1. Then knocked off track in T2, down to 14th. Lap 2 hairpin was shoved off the track and spun around, down to 18th and several seconds behind 17th. Kept it clean and steady the rest of the way to finish 12th.

My last few laps were my fastest so I managed the tires pretty well, but the first two laps just put me too far behind. This race would have been better with either more laps, or running the full Autopolis course instead of the short version. There was a lot of impatience given the short race...who am I kidding, there is always a lot of impatience .

 

[MidnightRun85]

Just tried a simulation run at Tokyo in my F-Type. Had fuel set to 1, short shifting at 50% ish, lift-and-coast for most of the long braking zone corners, needed a second stop at end of lap 11. Do we think the 2-stop is viable here? Or just fuel save with fuel mix ratio, short shifting, and lift-and-coast techniques to get a 1-stop? Obviously the pit loss is significant, but what's the lap time loss like with so much of a fuel saving combo?? Interested to know what people are thinking on this one...

 

[barak181]

Just tried a simulation run at Tokyo in my F-Type. Had fuel set to 1, short shifting at 50% ish, lift-and-coast for most of the long braking zone corners, needed a second stop at end of lap 11. Do we think the 2-stop is viable here? Or just fuel save with fuel mix ratio, short shifting, and lift-and-coast techniques to get a 1-stop? Obviously the pit loss is significant, but what's the lap time loss like with so much of a fuel saving combo?? Interested to know what people are thinking on this one...

With a 2nd fuel stop in the neighborhood of 30 sec there's no way I'm going to make a 2nd stop. In a B lobby, you know that almost half the field will pit twice. That 30 sec can easily gain 4-5 positions. Fuel map and hope you find a slipstream buddy.

 

[MCL1974]

Just tried a simulation run at Tokyo in my F-Type. Had fuel set to 1, short shifting at 50% ish, lift-and-coast for most of the long braking zone corners, needed a second stop at end of lap 11. Do we think the 2-stop is viable here? Or just fuel save with fuel mix ratio, short shifting, and lift-and-coast techniques to get a 1-stop? Obviously the pit loss is significant, but what's the lap time loss like with so much of a fuel saving combo?? Interested to know what people are thinking on this one...

I did a simulation in my Citroen earlier, in a lobby set up by Seth Logan (thanks to him for doing so!) and also needed a 2 stopper. Although I did all possible to fuel save I could not do a one stopper. Worst thing was that I was bloody slow while attempting to fuel save. But i suck at fuel saving. And imho it is no fun to be so busy with fuel saving....

Most of the others in the lobby did manage though to do a one stopper, among those driving Jaguars, and all finished ahead of those doing a two stopper, so yes it is viable....and likely the best strategy. lap time loss is perhaps a few seconds, but the pit stop time here is a ridiculous plus 20 seconds, which is odd concering that the pit lane is really short...

 

[OJBrit]

but the pit stop time here is a ridiculous plus 20 seconds, which is odd concering that the pit lane is really short...

It's in a car park though. You have to go up all the spiral ramps to find the right level your pit crew are at.

 

[D_Dragline]

Finally got around to working out how to upload video. This is my Nations Cup race at Autopolis featuring @05XR8

 

[Odiesback]

I did two practice races today at Tokyo. Got 1 stop for tires/fuel and 1stop for fue only l... the M4 starts at 5-6 laps at full tank using FM1.
With that math I would have to do al least FM3 and coast as much as I can to finish with fuel....

 

[FastOldHippy]

@RX8 Racer That Mr Scrappy as you call him must have a different mindset when it comes to FIA races. I've seen him in Dailies a couple of times in the past and never had an issue with him.

@FastOldHippy was the VW driver in the #2 Bullydog car as wild in your Slot 3 race with the late dives into T1 as he was in my Slot 2 race?

Yes, he was a bit pushy but I avoided him every time he had a go.

 

[Seth_Logan]

Just tried a simulation run at Tokyo in my F-Type. Had fuel set to 1, short shifting at 50% ish, lift-and-coast for most of the long braking zone corners, needed a second stop at end of lap 11. Do we think the 2-stop is viable here? Or just fuel save with fuel mix ratio, short shifting, and lift-and-coast techniques to get a 1-stop? Obviously the pit loss is significant, but what's the lap time loss like with so much of a fuel saving combo?? Interested to know what people are thinking on this one...

You'll do fine in your Jaaag. 1 stop and use all techniques you mentioned and the rest. Your mid B so would think you'll need to drive an average of maybe 2:06 for a top 5? So there will be a limit to adjusting your map. And make good use of your 7th gear!

And imho it is no fun to be so busy with fuel saving

For me, Im having a blast! Can't get enough of the car, the track and the tactics I'm having to master.

At the beginning of the week I drove a fuel map 6 no stopper, after that a fuel map 2 1 stopper and over the week I've learnt to drive at fm 1 and STILL drive faster... no matter what happens Saturday, the lessons learnt, the racecraft gained is invaluable.
In no small amount this has to do with the actual race pace having to be balanced by all drivers. For once they actually HAVE to work together. Of course many won't this Saturday, but if we drive smart and don't fight them at all, they are easy pickings come lap 6-7

Very enjoyable this eco drive feel.

I wish Viperconcept still ran those Eco challenges...

 

[Canucks_9419]

For me, Im having a blast! Can't get enough of the car, the track and the tactics I'm having to master.

At the beginning of the week I drove a fuel map 6 no stopper, after that a fuel map 2 1 stopper and over the week I've learnt to drive at fm 1 and STILL drive faster... no matter what happens Saturday, the lessons learnt, the racecraft gained is invaluable.
In no small amount this has to do with the actual race pace having to be balanced by all drivers. For once they actually HAVE to work together. Of course many won't this Saturday, but if we drive smart and don't fight them at all, they are easy pickings come lap 6-7

Very enjoyable this eco drive feel.

I wish Viperconcept still ran those Eco challenges...

Is it a constant map adjustment style race, or can you set it and forget it most the way? Also what is the minimum fuel map set you'd need to make it a 1 stop, probably map 2 or 3?

 

[HaydenFan69]

When I think of people running that race in Tokyo.

That’s a big nope. Save fuel? If I could save half a lap of it for the SF @ Suzuka I’d argue it could be a no stop race.