GTP WRS-Online : Event 47 : The Grip Meister

[mohitraina91]

Congrats James for the win and to Tim for the podium.

Situation for NA race:
Earliest I can make it is on the hour, latest I will be 10 - 12 mins late. Depends on when I finish my exam, what bus I get, and traffic, among other things. I shall give a clearer picture of my ETA an hour before race start.

I'd appreciate it if it were possible to wait for 10-12 minutes past the hour. Since there's no quali the finish would be around the same time. If you don't see me online after 12 minutes, then go ahead.

Thanks.

 

[mcfizzle]

My race was a mixed bag ending in bad. Started off well, sticking right on Tim's bumper through the carousel. I put two tires in the grass on the sequence of quick lefts exiting the carousel and spun the car around allowing many cars to pass before I could safely renter the track. Had a couple decent battles with Jon and others but I always seemed to be on the losing end. I didn't have a great pace the first 5 laps for whatever reason. Interesting moment came when Ren must of missed the pits or something, as I came flying in to make my stop and then all of a sudden I see his sideways car trying to enter the pits. Had it been real I think we were both going to the hospital on a spine board Lap 6, I finally ran a good lap, 8'11.x including entering pit road only to get a pass through penalty somehow. I ran the third lap and had the expected results of no tires by about midway through. Then I got the fronzen black screen after the race finished. Oh well. Nice job everyone. Great racing.

 

[snowgt]

Race Report:

First lap I was on gooners like a glove and Scott was on me like a glove. I really didn't want to push that much, but Scott was putting so much pressure on me I had no choice but to pressure Mohit. Mohit made sure to hog the entire road and not let me attempt any passes. Scott made a mistake or fell back and thus I backed off as my tires were toast by this point having pushed and been in dirty air for almost an entire lap. I didn't think I had a shot at Mohit over the long haul so I settled in for a breeze in the park for 3rd place. WRONG! Looming in my mirror and getting ever closer was SnowCrash. I managed to keep him out of my draft for the 2nd lap while babying tires, but I was determined not to kill my fresh tires on lap 3. SnowCrash was pushing more and caught me and attacked non stop and he finally drafted by me. Instead of re-passing, which I had the opportunity to do I just decide to push him and conserve tires for the rest of the race. He took off into the near distance for a while and maybe got out to 5-6 seconds. Then I just paced myself. On lap 2 of stints I was eating well into his lead. After lap 6 I was right with him again, but just out of touch of the draft. I paced and stuck about 2.5 seconds behind... still took running pretty good laps. 8:25 out laps after pits and 8:12 ish 2nd laps pretty consistent -- I don't know the exact numbers without a replay, but neither of us made a single major mistake or got on grass *ever* in the race. Finally on lap 8 I thought I had something for him so halfway through that lap I closed to about 1.5 seconds and hunted. Going into the last half my strategy was to put pressure by being there without actually getting in dirty air. As we approached the final sections I decided I couldn't wait for a mistake and started to push. The last mini carousel I had enough tires to just launch off there and take the next set of rights almost full out and there was nothing to lose so I went for it. I just sniffed his draft coming into the long straight and made the pass too late in the straight for him to repass. He came back at me, but by that time there was no safe place to pass and he drove very clean. A slight bobble by him in the final chicane otherwise it was a drag race to the finish.

Top notch driving Snowcrash. 👍 I think you were in my view in front or my rear view mirror for 6 of the 8 laps if not more -- and I mean the entire lap, not just parts of it.

Nice write-up! I can only agree with everything you wrote. I made up two places on the first lap through the others' mistakes and then I saw you guys up ahead and juuust gradually managed to get into your slipstream. Once I was there I basically looked at you driving for a lap - didn't want to make any ill-advised moves, and you didn't really make any mistakes. The track is so narrow, and the race was still long, so I thought I'd wait for the straight and that's where I passed you (I think at the end of lap 3). You instantly dropped back a bit, and I thought you had maybe made a little mistake, but now we know better.

Unfortunately you can't see how much the people around you are away, or if they are coming closer, but as you say, I always had the feeling you were attacking on the second part of the lap, and that was a huge pressure to keep it together so as not to allow you close enough for the slipstream. I managed fine for 4 laps (although I had a big moment on lap 7 a little after Hohe Acht (that's just after the highest point) when I put my left rear tire on the grass and I went into a pretty big slide), but then on the last lap I knew you would launch one more try, so I also pushed pretty hard. Coming onto Döttinger Höhe my tires weren't in the best of shapes anymore and I had to lift with understeer, so I think that's what made you win those couple of tenths to catch my slipstream. It was too late after to try to pass again - would have most likely ended in a crash, if I had tried.

I'm still happy with the race though for keeping it together without any big mistakes for 65 minutes or so.

I remember looking at the times I did, by the way, and since we basically ran the same laptimes, yours must have been almost the same. I ran about 8:21 or so on lap 1 of the stints and 8:09-8:11 on lap 2 with coming into the pits.

 

[gman1647]

I had a great time racing with traffic but for most of the race I was bored bored bored racing by myself and found it very hard to concentrate. I continue to get faster racing with you guys but it is still impossible to keep up. If it wasn't for some spins I would not have seen anyone for the entire race, so thanks for not being perfect guys!

Al

I should be there tonight, so if you slow down (quite) a bit more you'll have someone to race with. Hopefully I start learning how to go faster. After a few corners you guys are all well off in the distance.

 

[snowgt]

We all could do 3 lap stints if we paraded around for an entire lap during each stint and we all know that none of us will do that, ever.

In the EU practice race that was 3 laps, I think I was the only one to pit on lap 1. It's not a good strategy to pit off sequence with the field because you end up catching slower cars that are on worn tires and it kills your chances of building any gap on the field while they pit.

I tend to disagree. I also pitted after the first lap there and it was the better strategy. Why? Because after you pit, you are 25 seconds behind, but with clean air. Now you can run about 10 seconds faster than the ones ahead of you on lap 2 of their stint. But that means you will not run into them unless they make a mistake. And when they pit, they will be at least 10 seconds behind you, but likely more, since they were battling it out. Now let them try to make up those 10+ seconds - won't be easy for them.

In the other case, when you are somewhere in the back, but could go faster, it's also a good strategy, because you can also run in clean air after the stop, essentially passing your opponents without having to pass them on the track. They will just be behind you after their stop.

 

[GTPorsche]

That strategy only works if you have a 25+ second gap on the car behind you. When I tried it yesterday, I ended up running half the next lap behind multiple cars which slowed me down quite a bit.

 

[WRP001]

I ran about 8:21 or so on lap 1 of the stints and 8:09-8:11 on lap 2 with coming into the pits.

Here are the exact numbers for us and the gaps after each lap

[B]Lap	GTP_WRP001	GTP_SnowCrash	Gap[/B]
1	8:44.950	8:48.347	+03.397
2	8:10.821	8:09.669	+02.245
3	8:26.833	8:23.253	-01.335
4	8:16.744	8:11.099	-06.988
5	8:24.910	8:26.425	-05.465
6	8:05.605	8:08.329	-02.741
7	8:24.947	8:25.499	-02.189
8	8:00.350	8:04.254	+01.715

Laps 3 and 4 I let off the gas a bit too much... I didn't realize you had gotten out to a 7 second lead.

 

[anastasis14]

Oh **** totally forgot about the race.
It looked like huge loads of fun!

 

[WRP001]

Jon. You debunked my theory that nobody could do 3 "reasonable" laps on Racing Softs so you'll find a LVL 24 ticket in your inbox.

Here are some pics from the race. The last one is a pass for the final podium spot at the end of lap 8.

 

[jtv90069]

Thanks Tim

 

[mohitraina91]

Never mind can't make the race .

 

[WRP001]

Never mind can't make the race .

Sorry Mohit.

 

[zippy_the_cat]

I got dumped from PSN in the middle of my sixth lap, shortly after leaving the Karrusel. :-(

Was well ahead of gman when it happened.

 

[gman1647]

I got dumped from PSN in the middle of my sixth lap, shortly after leaving the Karrusel. :-(

Was well ahead of gman when it happened.

That was a bummer. I was way too conservative during the first half.

On the practice start, I think Kev asked if I had a mic. I hit start to reply that I did not, and my car went on autopilot and plowed through every one!

 

[pilmat]

Not quite as intense as this afternoon, but just as much fun EDK gave us a little gift at the end But I bet he won't forget the "motion lotion" again for a while!

Thanks everybody and have fun with the enduro this weekend.

 

[WRP001]

Here is a screen shot of the results. The official results in the normal format will be posted a bit later:

Notes:

• EDK ran out of fuel in 2nd position on the last lap with about 3 sectors to go. Brutal.
• Zippy DC'd on lap 6 as he stated above.

Another great day of racing guys 👍 Now it's a full 7 days until next Wednesday. :sad: You'll like the next event though.

 

[GTPorsche]

I'm going to assume the next event won't be a giant station wagon on a road course/oval hybrid in the rain.

Which is good, even though I'm anticipating doing a weather race at some point in time. Just don't want it to be in an overpowered station wagon.

I'd say I didn't have such good races, but the fact that I was able to get back to my starting position in both of them through some luck says a lot about my pace. I could have just as easily parked it in the pitlane as well but I'm in these races to go the distance, or as much of it as I can.

 

[WRP001]

I'm going to assume the next event won't be a giant station wagon on a road course/oval hybrid in the rain.

Which is good, even though I'm anticipating doing a weather race at some point in time. Just don't want it to be in an overpowered station wagon.

I'd say I didn't have such good races, but the fact that I was able to get back to my starting position in both of them through some luck says a lot about my pace. I could have just as easily parked it in the pitlane as well but I'm in these races to go the distance, or as much of it as I can.

The new thread is up (GTP WRS-Online : Event 48 : Autumn Ring Trophy Cup) and we're not racing a station wagon. Nothing against the station wagon really, it's Speedy's dream car after all, but we decided the size and power of that beast plus the rain plus HSR was probably best suited for a time trial. We did one online rain race before and at some point I'd love to revisit it (Elise @ Suzuka + Rain = beastly fun).

Here are the official results of both races today with the usual data:

Congratz to Pilmat for his first podium in our series. He was the BIG mover of the day gaining 6 positions in the EU race and following that up with 5 positions gained in the NA race. 👍

 

[pilmat]

Wow, fastest lap in the NA race I did that with my "chassis reinforced" car and no SS.

In the EU race I ran a non reinforced as I had liked it better offline, it felt like it had a bit more grip. Also, the EU race killed the fresh oil after 8 laps. For the NA, I had my non reinforced car sitting ready with fresh oil but wanted to do some laps. I pulled out the reinforced car for practice, but to my surprise it felt very good and better on lap 2!

So I raced it

 

[Gravitron]

Congrats on a crazy race.

Just getting to the finish...

Very nice consistency from everyone, as I politely moved my way back through the field.

👍 Tim, I wish I could have seen more of your race.
👍 Phil, nice podium, thanks for the chassis advice.
👍 Jon, you're liking that wheel, hmmm?
👍 Rob, great first race, eh?
👍 Al & Shawn, great lapping with you on this crazy road.
👍 Greg & Ray, nice racing you for the first time. Wonder if that DC was due to the seasonals? We might also want to look at your router.

Kev, time for a new pit crew. Hell, we all need some assistance from the pits!

 

[Mamba]

Good win Tim. Wanted to race this but there are so many events to keep up with

 

[WRP001]

Those of you who ran both races today... Congratz... You drive 252 miles!

 

[Twissy]

Bumper cam from EU Race


Warning: May get bored

 

[snowgt]

I haven't found an official Q&A thread regarding WRS Racing Rules, so I'm posting it here.

I have 2 questions regarding driver behaviour in WRS races:

1. In the OLR's, it is mentioned that you should not cross white lines on pit entry and exit. And yet, I saw people do that last night (not to name any names, because any advantage was minor and everyone was pitting on the same lap). But, as a matter of principle, are you supposed to do that...?
2. There don't seem to be rules about weaving around to try to make it harder for the following car to stay in the slipstream. I'm a firm believer in the F1-rule of "you can change side once, but only once and then you have to stay there". Would that maybe be something worth adding to the OLR's?

 

[pilmat]

I haven't found an official Q&A thread regarding WRS Racing Rules, so I'm posting it here.

I have 2 questions regarding driver behaviour in WRS races:

1. In the OLR's, it is mentioned that you should not cross white lines on pit entry and exit. And yet, I saw people do that last night (not to name any names, because any advantage was minor and everyone was pitting on the same lap). But, as a matter of principle, are you supposed to do that...?
2. There don't seem to be rules about weaving around to try to make it harder for the following car to stay in the slipstream. I'm a firm believer in the F1-rule of "you can change side once, but only once and then you have to stay there". Would that maybe be something worth adding to the OLR's?

Good point! I saw blend line infractions on pit exit too. A clarification would be nice

As for weaving to kill the draft, your F1 rule is only for blocking an overtake attempt. I've never heard of an anti-draft rule, and why should your lead be punished by something as easy as slipstream? I say weave all you want so long as you don't put the car behind at risk, my 2 cents.

 

[gman1647]

Good point! I saw blend line infractions on pit exit too. A clarification would be nice

As for weaving to kill the draft, your F1 rule is only for blocking an overtake attempt. I've never heard of an anti-draft rule, and why should your lead be punished by something as easy as slipstream? I say weave all you want so long as you don't put the car behind at risk, my 2 cents.

The stewards will correct me in a minute, but I think the rules state that you are to follow the lines for pit out at least (I assume pit in as well, I just don't remember that specifically).

As per drafting, I do not think that the lead driver is, or should be, required to provide a draft. If he is not weaving to block (i.e. the following driver is some way back) , and if he isn't driving recklessly, I think it is fair play.

 

[zippy_the_cat]

👍 Greg & Ray, nice racing you for the first time. Wonder if that DC was due to the seasonals? We might also want to look at your router.

My router isn't immune to hiccups but when it effs up I tend to lose everything, tablet, phone and desktop in addition to the PS3. In this case I just got booted from PSN and was able to log right back on, and all the other equipment had remained online. So I think it's a PSN issue people have been discussing in another thread.

 

[EDK]

I realized my fuel mistake almost as soon as I started my final lap, probably about the time I was going through the Dunlop Chicane. Not sure what I was thinking, I just zeroed it out like I had on the other stops, I probably should have just taken the suggested on the first stop.

Checking on Fuel, lap timing, and trying to keep the car on track all at once was a challenge. I actually made a fairly large mental error just prior to running out of fuel, but it probably only cost me a couple seconds, and it was mainly due to my anxiety over the fuel situation.

It was a great race last night, Tim pulled a gap of about 5 seconds in the first stint, and extended it to as much as 10 seconds by the second stint. Pilmat was gaining on me in the second stint, to the point that he was probably within 2-3 seconds, but then made his mistake in the first Carousel, which kept him 5 or 6 seconds behind me for most of the rest of the race.

Normally, Tim would pull a bit on me in the first lap of the stint, and I would rell some back in during the second lap. He was very strong on the GP course, especially the first few turns, where I was stong in the technical section at the end of the Nordschleiffe. I kept the gap to about 8-10 seconds constant until the last stint, then was really pushing on my last lap, and got it down to 6 seconds before running out of fuel.

Was a great race and I did not run out of fuel until sometime before the second carousel, so I'm confident I would have come home in 2nd if not for my mental error.

Honestly not even close to the most disappointing race I've had, as I drove to my potential and kept myself in the game for a win if Tim made any mistakes. This was certainly less disappointing than a DC, at least I have the replay this way.

 

[EDK]

Sorry that I missed, this, I'm making a justified double post.

I haven't found an official Q&A thread regarding WRS Racing Rules, so I'm posting it here.

I have 2 questions regarding driver behaviour in WRS races:

1. In the OLR's, it is mentioned that you should not cross white lines on pit entry and exit. And yet, I saw people do that last night (not to name any names, because any advantage was minor and everyone was pitting on the same lap). But, as a matter of principle, are you supposed to do that...?

I was part of the team that originally adapted/developed the OLR rules, so I will speak to the intent we had when making this rule.


The part about the white pit lane crossing was made for -

1. Pit exit. Making sure people do not cause crashes when exiting.
2. Pit in. Making sure people give a clear intention to pit without affecting traffic, and without gaining a clear advantage.

The second half of that is a gray area, and I would taking weaving and impeding another driver more seriously than the pit line rule. This is not a particularly difficult pit entry, so I'm not even sure why it would become an issue. It's mainly there so that if there's a pit on a high speed straight, like at Fuji or Daytona, the driver does not cut from the far outside of the track across the line and into the pits at the last possible second.

1. There don't seem to be rules about weaving around to try to make it harder for the following car to stay in the slipstream. I'm a firm believer in the F1-rule of "you can change side once, but only once and then you have to stay there". Would that maybe be something worth adding to the OLR's?

We do have this rule that addresses the weaving you mention.

10: Defensive Driving:


A:
Leading cars have the right to choose their own line down a straight. They can change their racing line once while driving down a straight (Move from the outside line to the inside, or vice versa). As they approach the next corner, they can return to the racing line of their choice However, they're not allowed to change their line when the behind driver is directly behind and changes his line to try and make a pass. If your movement causes an accident, you're responsible.

Hope that helps answer on both fronts, but please let us know if you have further questions.

Of course, if you had an issue with a particular driver, we would encourage you to first contact them directly via PM to try and work things out. If you are unable to work things out, please contact a member of our race admin staff via PM.