Great Race. I felt that the difference between the car on and offline was the slightest since I race here. Was happy with my place at the grid, which I lost swiftly trying not to hit cars in front of me engaged in fights for positions. Went from 8th to last after turn 3. I found (Please experienced racers confirm) that being too careful during the first lap makes me a hazard for the cars behind me. But I have lost 3 or 4 positions at the first lap three weeks in a row, probably overreacting after hitting Al at Silverstone, so I guess I have to strike a balance between care and dare here.
After that was a constant chase and a thrilling race.
Felt great to see we were so many, and the race was as good as advertised wasn't it?
The combo is approaching perfection...
Out of curiosity, what driving view do you use?
I've used "bumper cam" since GT6 and used "hood cam" in GT5 and always had trouble in traffic. I never felt I had a good feel for how close I was to other cars. One reason I was reticent to do much racing online.
Then they came out with the multi-monitor support for GT6. I only use one TV, but fiddled with the settings and I now use a close zoom setting (unsure what effect some of these have exactly, but my settings are 3 x 1 Layout, 50 MFB, 130 Angle, 63 AAV). It has taken a while to get used to, but it gives me the sense of exactly where the car is relative to everything else...and replay confirms I can get very close. I know where the nose of the car is now versus just guessing and hoping like before. I can run much closer to bumpers and walls with significantly less concern. Down side is I see even less of a cars beside me, but that's where choosing a line and sticking to it comes in...the indicator helps as well.
All that being said, I completed what might be considered a questionable pass on @
RoeszaGT at the beginning of lap 16 down into Turn 2. I think it was a clean-ish racing pass. Not perfect though, so I'd like to hear from him on it.
Anyone have any issues getting into the pits? Laguna's pits are a bit tricky.
I almost tried pitting a lap earlier to see if I could have made up some time on the front two, but it wouldn't have mattered.
I probably have to reassess my approach to Rainey (Turn 9). I'm the only one who drives it the straight way round. Seems everyone else shoots out wide out of the Corkscrew. I can do that and gain 2 mph into Turn 10, but I don't feel quicker by doing so. I'd never drive it straight in a faster car, but for this Miata it seems I'm going out of the way to gain when the straightest way round seems as fast or faster. More testing is needed. I'm not delusional enough to think my TT time for Sector 4 will be top 10, but I want to make sure I'm maximizing as best as possible.
BTW, this cannot be said enough...
I really enjoy racing with you fellas. Thank you for having me. The structure, organization and fairness is unmatched. I know there's a lot of work involved in just maintaining this thing. Time and work that must dip into personal lives. It is appreciated.
And @
roamer2629 is right, the races are better. You can go ahead and pencil me in for the Spyker next week.