Catalunya!

[Biggles]

Decided to spend a WC weekend at Catalunya. Was able to post a 1.13xxx to grab pole position. But then spent the next 3 hours trying to run a 30% race. I never did manage to finish one! Sooner or later I always ended up spinning off & wrecking the car.

There are just so many tricky corners at Catalunya & I haven't been able to find a comfortable, consistent rhythm for handling them. Anybody else had more success with this track?

 

[Alltidxx]

Not me. Crashed out Catalunya in my career too.

 

[orimarc]

Don't accelerate too soon. Do a practice run, taking the corners slowly in the first lap then each lap go just a little bit faster until you reach the limit.

 

[Biggles]

Don't accelerate too soon. Do a practice run, taking the corners slowly in the first lap then each lap go just a little bit faster until you reach the limit.

Do a "practice" run?! Yeah, right! I've probably done hundreds of "practice" runs! The problem with Catalunya is the AI runs pretty fast. In order to run that fast, I find I have to push fairly hard. For example on the last downhill, off-camber corner sequence - I'll take it fine 9 times out of 10, but sooner or later... It just seems to me there are a lot of danger zones on the Catalunya course.

Of course: it's easy for you, you live there!

 

[HEMIata]

Do a "practice" run?! Yeah, right! I've probably done hundreds of "practice" runs! The problem with Catalunya is the AI runs pretty fast. In order to run that fast, I find I have to push fairly hard. For example on the last downhill, off-camber corner sequence - I'll take it fine 9 times out of 10, but sooner or later... It just seems to me there are a lot of danger zones on the Catalunya course.

Of course: it's easy for you, you live there!

Hey Biggles! I too have problems at Catalunya. I use to have problems at Monaco also (GT3) but after running over a thousand laps I got pretty good at it. when I got F1CE about a year ago the only tracks I knew were Monaco and Suzuka so I'm still learning the other tracks. As in all tracks repetition is key to getting that braking and turn in point. Some of the guys that I race on line are very fast but they can turn that lap out time after time so I would say they have the tracks down pat

 

[Alltidxx]

Do a "practice" run?! Yeah, right! I've probably done hundreds of "practice" runs! The problem with Catalunya is the AI runs pretty fast. In order to run that fast, I find I have to push fairly hard. For example on the last downhill, off-camber corner sequence - I'll take it fine 9 times out of 10, but sooner or later... It just seems to me there are a lot of danger zones on the Catalunya course.

I agree with all above. Catalunya has been the only track so far where I had to push really hard to try and get ahead of teammate Monteiro. Our laptimes were really close and in the end I was a whisker away, just behind, in qualifying. In testdriving it was like "oh, Catalunya coming up... hopeless..." *clicks quit to next event*

It was fun though to fight it out with Monterio for once

 

[MajinOLesedi]

After exiting turn 2, immidiately swing your car to the left so that you can have a better entry and exit on turn 3. It might buy you some few tenths.

 

[Biggles]

After exiting turn 2, immidiately swing your car to the left so that you can have a better entry and exit on turn 3. It might buy you some few tenths.

Yes, as a matter of fact I do that, & it is one of the places on the course where I can gain significantly on the AI, without much risk. There are other corners where I can gain time also, but they generally involve pushing pretty hard. This is easy enough in qualifying, but much harder to pull off consistently in a race without eventually wrecking the car.

 

[Ardius]

Yeah, I don't bother trying to beat the AI at this track, I just can't keep up the consistencey, so I just run my own pace and defend as well as I can without being punted off or t-boned.
I can put in the fast laps to qualify well and pass test sessions when needed but thats like any other track. Its just the AI race pace I can't keep up with in specific corners, as Biggles said, without making a mistake somewhere down the line.

There are a couple of tracks like this, not just Catalunya though, Suzuka and Monaco are also tough consistencey tracks and the AI fly around these too.

 

[Biggles]

Just spent another 3 hours trying to complete a 30% race at Catalunya...

never succeeded!

I'm starting in 4th & able to keep up, & even pass, Massa, Alonso & Fisichella in the early laps. I'm able to run 1.14.5 - 1.15.5 consistently, & occasionally faster laps - meaning I am setting the fastest lap times in each race, but sooner or later - I spin out. Just to further frustrate me, the game seems to throw oil slicks at me on a regular basis.

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one having this problem. Yes, Suzuka & Monaco are pretty tricky too. It would be nice to see the AI spinning out occasionally...

 

[Shaggy Alonso]

Just spent another 3 hours trying to complete a 30% race at Catalunya...

never succeeded!

I'm starting in 4th & able to keep up, & even pass, Massa, Alonso & Fisichella in the early laps. I'm able to run 1.14.5 - 1.15.5 consistently, & occasionally faster laps - meaning I am setting the fastest lap times in each race, but sooner or later - I spin out. Just to further frustrate me, the game seems to throw oil slicks at me on a regular basis.

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one having this problem. Yes, Suzuka & Monaco are pretty tricky too. It would be nice to see the AI spinning out occasionally...

I know I'm a bit late in posting this, but the simple trick is to slap on a lot of downforce. You would think with that monstrous pit straight that you don't want to compromise your top speed too much, but try running it 80%/85% front and rear wings and tell me your results. If that's more than enough downforce, turn it down until you find the optimal balance. That should definitely sort out your final corner woes 👍 The Renault seems to be the best car for this track, you could perhaps afford to run on less downforce with it than the Ferrari, it's all pretty marginal though.

 

[Biggles]

I'll give that a try. In fact, I did successfully complete a race in WC with NO restarts I started on pole (in a Ferrari) & finished in 4th after spinning out (inevitably) a couple of times. As with anything, practice, practice, practice!