GT Academy July 2013!!
- Thread starter PR1VATEJ0KER
- 1,763 comments
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- 1,231
- Dublin, IRL
- PR1VATEJ0KER
- na
- 896
- Carlow, Ireland
- GTP_Dessy
You must've cost the organisers alot of money dude!
3 return flights and no UK guy in the final last year. Yep, I ****ed it up. Sorry man.
- 1,406
- New Zealand
- 340
- Swansea
- Rhodriewilliams
- 9,741
- Las Vegas UTC-8
- Wardez
- Wardez
Very short sprint races on stock tires, if they're different, they may be one step down in grip, that's all.
A lot of Sport Hards. Depending on the track, ~3 laps per "heat," but that also depends on the format as well.
Tire/fuel consumption was off
A lot of Sport Hards. Depending on the track, ~3 laps per "heat," but that also depends on the format as well.
Tire/fuel consumption was off
- 929
- Portugal
- Goruk77
The best way I can interpret this is similar to last year so the regional finals would look like;
UK,
France,
Italy,
Iberia (So Spain & Portugal),
Benelux (Holland, Belguim & Luxemburg),
Central Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary),
Nordic Europe (Sweden, Finland, Denmark & Norway)
So each one from those as listed would have a regional (So Nordic 1 regional for all countries), and then however many winners from each go to the European Final!
I can only assume this though so don't take it as a guarentee as that's just using the written down stuff from Playstation forum and using the Benelux and Iberia ruling from last year! Hopefully though Hager mate I will see you at Silverstone
Just a small correction, Portugal and Spain had separated finals last year,
there were 3 guys from Portugal and 3 from Spain at silverstone, making the Ibéria Team.
Tidgney
Premium
- 3,098
- Southport
- LZR_Tidgney
Ahh apologies, I thought they were together, was just going off memory
. Turns out my memory wasn't that good with that 
.It's usually only those that make it to Silverstone for THE finals (I say THE because the UK national is at Silverstone to
), that can no longer get involved with the competition. The reasoning they used for the 2011 finals was that those that had made it to Silverstone and not won the competition they didn't believe they had what they were looking for, or something along those lines.
- 3,130
- HaylRayzor
It's usually only those that make it to Silverstone for THE finals (I say THE because the UK national is at Silverstone to
I will never remotely qualify for the Academy, but I have gotten orders of magnitude better since I started GT5P. Never played any of the previous GTs.
Being in the finals but not winning doesn't prove they don't have the talent. It proves they DO have the talent. They just didn't win that day. Even the best don't win every time.
To disallow previous competitors simply ignores the possibility that someone can improve, or that someone may have had bad luck at the wrong moment.
- 297
- United States
I was under the impression, for the US at least, that those from 2011 would once again be eligible after a year off. Who knows though. I certainly wouldn't complain if I could have another shot, but in all honesty don't know if I could get past qualifying online since I haven't done any sim racing since GT Academy lol. That and I'm sure it's only going to be tougher this year.
- 247
- NC
- NTGIH
Cut and paste from Tidgney's link:
In order to be eligible to win, contestants must have a valid driver's licence. Those who have an existing competition driving contract, or have previously held a National A or superior MSA racing license or equivalent, or competed in a national level karting, or other motor sport, national championship, are not eligible. Any contestant who made it to Silverstone in any of the previous GT Academy competitions (2008, 2010, 2011 & 2012) will not be able to progress past the Online Qualification stage of the 2013 GT Academy.
But yeah, until the "official rules" are released who knows. Interesting too if an autocross national championship deems you ineligible.
- 35,128
- Addison,Texas
- GTP_RACECAR
Hmmm, interesting. My only guess for this is to keep people who competed before from having an unfair advantage over the new guys that make it, at least that's the only logical reason I see for it otherwise very odd.
Tidgney
Premium
- 3,098
- Southport
- LZR_Tidgney
O I Agree making it to the finals of the competition shows a lot, I didn't mean that they didn't have talent. They just said when they created that ruling a few years ago that the competitors that had made it to Silverstone and not achieved the prize were not what they were looking for, that was just what they said in the past, I don't have the exact quote but it's something along those lines.
In my personal view I believe the ruling is created to make sure that those that have been before don't get the advantage as racecar says but also allows people to be seen, and tested on all levels as to make it to that part of the competition, you have to go through alot to get there. I mean it used to be 2 only from the UK & IRE until last year it was 6. Imagine if it was still 2, would be 3 years before they saw all 6, so it helps them look and test more drivers in the academy!
- 896
- Carlow, Ireland
- GTP_Dessy
Two or three contestants from 2008 managed to get to race camp again in 2010 and the ruling was changed after that. Luca Lorenzi didn't make it in 2008, came back in 2010 and shared the prize with Jordan. Although Jordan would be the eventual winner, Luca still pursued a career in Motorsport, won a championship and is still racing at a professional level today.
It would be an unfair advantage for anyone who was through race camp to get the chance to do it again. To put people who have been through it all up against first timers would be unfair, but I think it's more to do with making room for new contestants and giving everyone an equal chance. If half the class of 2012 were back in 2013 it just increases the likelihood that new talent won't get far enough in the competition to prove themselves.
At the end of the day, everyone has their chance when they make it to Silverstone and if you don't win you just have to move on and be grateful for the opportunity. No one should really be entitled to a second shot, although I wouldn't mind one myself
It would be an unfair advantage for anyone who was through race camp to get the chance to do it again. To put people who have been through it all up against first timers would be unfair, but I think it's more to do with making room for new contestants and giving everyone an equal chance. If half the class of 2012 were back in 2013 it just increases the likelihood that new talent won't get far enough in the competition to prove themselves.
At the end of the day, everyone has their chance when they make it to Silverstone and if you don't win you just have to move on and be grateful for the opportunity. No one should really be entitled to a second shot, although I wouldn't mind one myself
- 3,130
- HaylRayzor
I guess it depends on what their goal is.
GT Academy is a fantastic way to discover those with racing talent that otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity due to the high cost and lack of a feeder system. It's not like you can choose racing as your sport in high school and then advance to college racing as a way to get to the professional level.
I see the rule as simply throwing away most of the great talent that's being discovered.
It's like holding the first round of the NFL draft and then telling all the remaining players to go home.
But their goal may be something other than just finding the best talent. It must be.
If I had the money to start a racing team I'd certainly be looking at the academy "losers" for a driver.
GT Academy is a fantastic way to discover those with racing talent that otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity due to the high cost and lack of a feeder system. It's not like you can choose racing as your sport in high school and then advance to college racing as a way to get to the professional level.
I see the rule as simply throwing away most of the great talent that's being discovered.
It's like holding the first round of the NFL draft and then telling all the remaining players to go home.
But their goal may be something other than just finding the best talent. It must be.
If I had the money to start a racing team I'd certainly be looking at the academy "losers" for a driver.
- 101
- Phoenix, AZ
- EpicGonzago3
- EpicGonzago
Im kind of split on allowing Silverstone finalist to compete again. If they did allow that, and they made it back to Silverstone. They would have a huge advantage over a first timer since they would already know the track, breaking points, and be familiar with how the 370s an GT-Rs handle.
- 896
- Carlow, Ireland
- GTP_Dessy
It will never be 100% fair for everyone though. Experience levels varied a lot between competitors. I had done a few track days to be in the best shape possible before race camp, yet some of the guys had never sat in a car on a track before. And then there were a few in their late 20's, early 30's who would have more experience and more life experience than some of the younger guys. And finally we have Wolfgang who had quite a bit of track time under his belt. He didn't break any rules, but had karted for a while and tested a lot of race cars including formula BMW and a LMP2 car.
So with that in mind, why not open the competition to anyone who doesn't have an international racing license and let previous competitors enter again?
The reason this probably wont happen is because they need to sell the 'gamer to racer' idea. But I think once the contestants aren't actual pro drivers then it could work. It's also important to note, any real racer who tries to enter without having a few years of playing sims under their belt would probably struggle to even qualify for the nationals, let alone make race camp.
- 297
- United States
Yeah, there's already quite a bit of disparity at race camp depending on what people do outside sim racing. Sure, sim racing helps unveil natural talent, but you still need some actual seat time to connect the dots. I had no track time, but my handful of autocrosses made ALL the difference. Without autocross I wouldn't have translated virtual to real world, wouldn't have learned just how fast those corners fly up (and to not brake miles early), etc. It very well could have been the difference between early elimination and making it as far as I did. Then again, that's the name of the game. Any one making it to race camp should be preparing themselves any way possible. It's only one week and you gotta make it count.
...doh...
...doh...
- 340
- Swansea
- Rhodriewilliams
I agree so much talent many drivers would be great given the right opportunity If there was the money to give 50 people a chance worldwide rather than 4 that would be great:tup:
- 340
- Swansea
- Rhodriewilliams
dessy and scooty what experience did you have in real cars which cars and tracks?
What type of cars do you use in autocross bike engine buggies or something along the lines of Renault 5 / fiesta /nova that had been max powered and were they mid engine or fwd
Also in the 370z and gtr were you left foot braking or right foot with heel toe?
do they knock the abs off on the track?
and finally what tyres did you run on road semi slick or slicks??
What type of cars do you use in autocross bike engine buggies or something along the lines of Renault 5 / fiesta /nova that had been max powered and were they mid engine or fwd
Also in the 370z and gtr were you left foot braking or right foot with heel toe?
do they knock the abs off on the track?
and finally what tyres did you run on road semi slick or slicks??
- 297
- United States
I had only autocross in my Miata. Two or three on blown out stock suspension with grippy tires then another couple on coilovers (that was a relief ). I right foot brake, even in autocross, so just stuck to what I know. Assists vary, can't really say what they'll do for any given camp.
). I right foot brake, even in autocross, so just stuck to what I know. Assists vary, can't really say what they'll do for any given camp.
- 124
- Salinas, CA.
- Jett_Racer
Truthfully they never really covered any of that, whether you right or left foot braked and if you did use heel toe. They talked about heel toe a little bit when we drove the open wheel cars, but they never tried to enforce any of us to drive a specific way. Basically said if you can do it, great, if not you can still make it work. Most of the cars were semi-auto anyways.
The only time we didn't have ABS was for the braking challenge, the open wheel cars, and for the final race, which I enjoyed, since I purposely took my ABS off my car the day I got it.
I can't tell you what tires they were exactly, but I know they were a high grade street tire of some sort. All the cars we would use I'm pretty sure all used the same tire and these tires actually gave faster times cold. When they'd heat up, they would get kinda greasy and slide more.
- 896
- Carlow, Ireland
- GTP_Dessy
I always used my right foot to brake in the GTR and flappy paddle 370 even though there was no clutch. I just felt more in control doing what I was used to.
As for heel toe, like Jett said, very little was said about this and they told us to do it if we could but if not, forget about it.
For the final race in the wet, if you didn't heel toe in that car it would just try spin every time under heavy braking. A couple of the guys like Wolfie and Hugo seemed to know what they were doing with the technique, while I found myself trying to learn how to do it during qualifying and in the race itself, which inevitably lead to me struggling to be smooth under braking. It's not the easiest thing to just 'get' and several instructors mentioned it can take years to master, so the fact that I managed to do it all was a big achievement for me. Having to do that and shift with my right hand made it pretty much impossible to keep up the guys ahead. #racingdriverexcuses
With that said I got through most of the competition without it and had never tried it before race camp, so my advice would be to just learn about it as much as you can and practice in a safe environment. From what I can remember you could break it down to 4 steps - (1) Brake, (2) Clutch in (3) Blip throttle as you shift (4) Clutch out. Apologies if there are any heel toe veterans here but that's what I was doing and it sort of worked 50% of the time..
You could use your sim rig to practice but only for the actual motions into your muscle memory. You would need to be in a real car to really understand what's going on. And of course the car needs to be rear wheel drive and have an actual throttle, not an electronic one like some cars today.
As for heel toe, like Jett said, very little was said about this and they told us to do it if we could but if not, forget about it.
For the final race in the wet, if you didn't heel toe in that car it would just try spin every time under heavy braking. A couple of the guys like Wolfie and Hugo seemed to know what they were doing with the technique, while I found myself trying to learn how to do it during qualifying and in the race itself, which inevitably lead to me struggling to be smooth under braking. It's not the easiest thing to just 'get' and several instructors mentioned it can take years to master, so the fact that I managed to do it all was a big achievement for me. Having to do that and shift with my right hand made it pretty much impossible to keep up the guys ahead. #racingdriverexcuses
With that said I got through most of the competition without it and had never tried it before race camp, so my advice would be to just learn about it as much as you can and practice in a safe environment. From what I can remember you could break it down to 4 steps - (1) Brake, (2) Clutch in (3) Blip throttle as you shift (4) Clutch out. Apologies if there are any heel toe veterans here but that's what I was doing and it sort of worked 50% of the time..
You could use your sim rig to practice but only for the actual motions into your muscle memory. You would need to be in a real car to really understand what's going on. And of course the car needs to be rear wheel drive and have an actual throttle, not an electronic one like some cars today.
- 297
- United States
I would definitely work on heel n' toe downshifting. Took about a week to get decent at it in daily driving. Now I do it fairly smoothly by habit. Once it's muscle memory it's actually much easier at autox/track because you're not trying to modulate light braking while blipping...you're just laying into the brake, within reason, which also makes blipping easier as the brake pedal is depressed further down. It took a while to make it muscle memory and I'm still working on it (owned my Miata about 1 1/2 years now), but had no issues in the full manual 370Z. I may have actually been over revving it, but no one said any thing so I assumed I was good to go?
If you even think you have a chance of making it, start giving yourself every advantage you can now. Don't wait until it's set in stone and you're rushing to learn skills that need to be second nature.
If you even think you have a chance of making it, start giving yourself every advantage you can now. Don't wait until it's set in stone and you're rushing to learn skills that need to be second nature.
- 3,531
- London, Ontario
- Starky513
Good luck this year man!
- 297
- United States
I'm not eligible. Just sharing my 2 cents as an 'almost'
inb4 F&F quote
inb4 F&F quote
- 3,531
- London, Ontario
- Starky513
I'm not eligible. Just sharing my 2 cents as an 'almost'
inb4 F&F quote
Oh that's right, totally forgot.... Sorry
