GTP WRS-Online : Event 80 : Competizione a Spa - March 20

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Cool, I wasn't actually sure, just new there were 2 grids and so was just a thought. Sounds good to me anyways. And I can see now the registration form is back up. Strange that the images go down though, even though the form is back.
 
Let's hope our turn 1 lap 1 looks nothing like that mess! Which reminds me...

Remember, don't accelerate until the driver in front of you does at the start. The driver who wins pole is allowed to start the race at the start/finish, and is allowed a "moment" after he hears the click of the timer to start the race. If he's a few tenths of a second late that doesn't give the guys behind the right to start before he does. We don't want to get in situations where the pole sitter is jumping early to protect his position and the snowball that will ensue in future events if that becomes a trend.

Passing (at Spa at least since there will be no time to draft before braking) should really only be possible before turn 1 if the guy in front makes a significant error like a miss shift or not accelerating within a "reasonable amount of time" after hitting the timing line. The admins will use our judgement as to what's reasonable, but anything within a second isn't an egregious error.

If you find yourself getting a jump on the entire field it's easy to correct with a very slight lift and returning to your original position. If the pole sitter makes an error he should be getting swallowed by the entire field, not just one driver... that's a key indicator of a jump start and something you should correct yourself before reaching turn 1.
 
Is anyone planning to be around for the N/A practice this evening??? I have snow to shovel, just trying to plan when I will be doing so.

Al
 
I'll be on soon. I wanted to watch the WBC finals but I need practice so I will DVR it.

Edit: lounge is open for practice
 
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A quick announcement about track boundaries. The admins want to stress that we expect drivers to do their best to stay within track boundaries per the OLR. Two tires should remain in contact with the track surface at all times and rumbles are considered track. Green runoff areas are not track.

We are not as strict online as the time trials and understand that mistakes happens during a race over the course of 55 minutes, but if we observe a pattern of abuse we will be penalizing drivers. Possible penalties include 15 seconds for a "minor" pattern of abuse, 30 seconds for a "substantial" pattern of abuse and a DQ for "complete disregard" of track boundaries.

It's admins discretion exactly what qualifies for "minor", "substantial" or "complete disregard". Going outside the rumble by a centimeter isn't as serious as a car length wide excursions into the run off area. Factors such as dirty air or traffic also come into play.

If you find yourself going wide the next lap you're expected to slow down a bit more to make sure you stay within boundaries. If you make the same mistake multiple times and you want to avoid a penalty you can always self-penalize during the race by lifting for a very brief period upon returning to the track. Continuing to hammer the throttle after repeated boundary overruns may very well end with a post race penalty.

Below are a few areas of concern at Spa. There is a lot of friendly overrun on this track so abuse is an issue.

The following are all considered dirty:

Raidillion (crest of hill above Eau Rouge)
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_5.jpg


Kemmel straight after Raidillion (the tarmac outside/after the rumble is out of bounds)
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_0.jpg


Exiting Left after Rivage before Pouhon
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_4.jpg


Pouhon
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_6.jpg


Exit of Les Fagnes
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_3.jpg


Exit of Stavelot II
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_1.jpg


Blanchimont Exit
CircuitdeSpa-Francorchamps_2.jpg
 
Is that me on yellow car ... you really pick my bad moments :)
 
I am going to be pressed for time to make the E/U race, hopefully it all works out!

Al
 
The purpose of those pics was not to single anyone out... it was just a practice race. But the 5 lap race provided the pics without searching too hard.

Truth is I had wanted to post some boundary reminder pictures since watching replays of the Fuji races a couple weeks ago where, in my opinion, there were a bit too many liberties taken with track boundaries during the race by the group as a whole.

It wasn't to the point where penalties were warranted, but I wanted to raise general awareness about track boundaries and re-enforce that drivers need to be conscious about avoiding dirty laps during the race. I feel we can be doing a better job given the quality of drivers (and people) in this group.
 
One final steward's note:

There are no special rules for pit entry/exit today. But be aware the entrance to the pits at Spa can be tricky and it is possible to crash on entry and lose a lot of time. On exit the car will naturally go to the far left of the track if you are on 100% throttle during exit... be aware of the track map and if there is oncoming cars you will need to stay to the right on exit and yield to the faster oncoming traffic.

For those of you who might not have run with the "Fast" fuel consumption setting... do not add the amount of fuel recommended by the system or you will run out of fuel. By my calculations you will need to add 60-65L during the entire race depending on your driving style, amount of draft experienced and your tolerance for risk (running out of fuel on last lap). This will be cutting it close already so if you want to avoid any chance of running out add 67+ to give yourself more buffer.

The best way for you to know is to run your own pace for 7-8 laps and figure out your own fuel consumption rate. I often compute the minimum fuel required and usually add a few extra liters on my 2nd stop. Every extra liter costs 0.6 seconds in pit time so keep that in mind... running out of fuel on the final lap can cost you minutes!
 
I noticed you guys are running on S2's is that correct? We are running S3's for Saturday.
 
I noticed you guys are running on S2's is that correct? We are running S3's for Saturday.

That's correct. We opted for the additional grip for the rookie races in order to lower the difficulty factor a bit.
 
That's correct. We opted for the additional grip for the rookie races in order to lower the difficulty factor a bit.

Cool. I've been breaking in with S2's so I'll be ok for this race and thanks for the track breakdown on what's out of bounds. I was practicing last night and noticed the offline does not give a a OOB on this track till your mowing lawn :sly:
 
Cool. I've been breaking in with S2's so I'll be ok for this race and thanks for the track breakdown on what's out of bounds. I was practicing last night and noticed the offline does not give a a OOB on this track till your mowing lawn :sly:

Well in fact the system is more strict then the OLR is at the crest of the hill after Eau Rouge, where you get a red time even when you have two tires on the rumble... i think the cutoff for the system is about half the rumble in that case. As far as we're concerned for the race, just keep two tires on the rumble and you're in good shape.

But I agree with you for the rest of the lap and on almost all tracks. You can't depend on the system for track boundaries at all.

PS> The worst situation is when the system red flags you for jumps/landings in the middle of the track like at Cape Ring with certain cars and we've even seen it on the cork screw at Laguna on a perfectly clean run. Well, those flags don't come into play online in any case so it's more of an issue for the time trial competitions.

PPS> Good you are practiced with S2 tires... the transition to S3 shouldn't be difficult, but the other way around would be tricky. Some guys actually use the training method of running with harder tires as sometimes it can give you a better idea what the car is doing and where you are on/off the limit.
 
Those are some quality posts Tim. I completely agree with you on the enforcement of the OLR as they aim at fair and clean racing. I think everyone wants that. Even with the occasional mistake, you should try to lift or brake a bit when you're feeling you are going off the track. That is also fair to others because it's racing. In real life racing if someone makes a mistake that often opens the door for an overtake. It also would be unfair to deny someone that overtake. When that happens you can show that you can make a clean overtake on them again in the next couple of corners/lap 👍
 
Those are some quality posts Tim. I completely agree with you on the enforcement of the OLR as they aim at fair and clean racing. I think everyone wants that. Even with the occasional mistake, you should try to lift or brake a bit when you're feeling you are going off the track. That is also fair to others because it's racing. In real life racing if someone makes a mistake that often opens the door for an overtake. It also would be unfair to deny someone that overtake. When that happens you can show that you can make a clean overtake on them again in the next couple of corners/lap 👍

Too bad you can't run on Wednesdays Bart... I have a feeling you'd like this combo.

I think it's getting mixed reviews... a love/hate type of thing with my tire choice. :lol: I'm still on the love side, but will let you know after the race. :sly:
 
Ive signed up for the EU race tonight.

EDIT: Thought it was a arcade car :dunce:. I dont think ill be back in time to break a new one fully in. :scared:
 
Ive signed up for the EU race tonight.

EDIT: Thought it was a arcade car :dunce:. I dont think ill be back in time to break a new one fully in. :scared:

I'll send one to you now already broke in and you'll have it by the race. 👍

EDIT: Sent.
 
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WRP001
I'll send one to you now already broke in and you'll have it by the race. 👍

EDIT: Sent.

Thanks Tim, im going to get in the lounge early, probably in about ten min to get some practice.
 
Too bad you can't run on Wednesdays Bart... I have a feeling you'd like this combo.

I think it's getting mixed reviews... a love/hate type of thing with my tire choice. :lol: I'm still on the love side, but will let you know after the race. :sly:

Yeah it's a shame, but it looks like a great grid tonight. I think I'll be there at the academy races.
 
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