LeMONS to LeMANS Wednesday Series

[grenadeshark]

I really wonder what the potential for my '91 Miata is. I was only able to his 1:58 a few times; I was consistent at 2:00 by the end of the race. Does choosing a 0 mile car and taking the 5PP hit make that much of a difference?

I don't think it will be a determining factor. Especially on the tighter tracks. Gve, tskuba, cote, all favor small light cars that can carry speed through turns.

 

[dabneyd]

I don't think it will be a determining factor. Especially on the tighter tracks. Gve, tskuba, cote, all favor small light cars that can carry speed through turns.

I guess it just feels really slow. When the leader lapped me twice, and I neither took damage nor pitted, it was a little disheartening.

 

[iamsupernasty]

I really wonder what the potential for my '91 Miata is. I was only able to his 1:58 a few times; I was consistent at 2:00 by the end of the race. Does choosing a 0 mile car and taking the 5PP hit make that much of a difference?

Dabney,

I started the race also at 370PP in my 89 Miata. I finished 6th.

If I had pitted, the car would have been capable of 1:55 flat with half a tank of gas. My fast lap was a 1:56.6, but that came on the 8th lap before I got damage. Our Miatas were definitely not the fastest, or the slowest cars on the course. The difference in PP was not the reason we were slower though. 5-10 extra HP would not have gained me any track position, that's for sure.

GVER I believe we will be at a disadvantage again because it's essential two giant straights.... But on Cote, Tsukaba and anything more technical, we have a chance to gain some serious points. That MGF may be too tough to tame though.

 

[chuyler1]

Morbo, if you want to run a practice session at some time, I can show you a few more things. But anyway, each of these races will likely require 1 if not 2 pit stops to be competitive. If you are confident and can really squeeze every second out of your tires, a 2 pit stop strategy will allow you to run at the top of your game the entire race, but you've got to keep the pace up to make up for the added pit stop time.

Anyway, here is some defensive driving of my own from a few weeks ago. My Cougar had no grip and for some reason I got misplaced on the grid. I did my best to protect my position on every corner but there is no stopping the draft pass. In any case, my line was fast, but still inconvenient enough that the drivers had to wait until they had sufficient overlap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz7hJlEHrGI

The draft is something you'll have to get used to in online racing. If someone is good enough to be on your bumper exiting a turn before a straight, they will be able to pass you without contention. Early in a race, the best thing to do is let them by and try to keep up in their draft. You may end up trading places every lap if you are good, or you can bump draft to catch someone else on the track. Later in the race, the best thing to do is to pick the side of the track that will give you the best advantage on the next turn. Make them draft pass on the outside and they won't be able to cut in on the next turn if they don't complete it. You can try blocking to force them bump draft you, but that's a risk i would only attempt on the final laps of a race.

 

[dabneyd]

Our Miatas were definitely not the fastest, or the slowest cars on the course.

Yeah, I'm happy I didn't pick that 'Vette. That thing looked hairy.

I'm going to have to pick up an '89 and see if it feels any different than my '91. I think the main difference is the 91 is a standard model and the 89 is a premium model. Whatever that's worth.

 

[MNLumberjack]

Yeah, I'm happy I didn't pick that 'Vette. That thing looked hairy.

I'm going to have to pick up an '89 and see if it feels any different than my '91. I think the main difference is the 91 is a standard model and the 89 is a premium model. Whatever that's worth.

Don't be hating on the Vette it will come around,
I Think

 

[chuyler1]

that's actually one of my goals in this series, is to not damage or otherwise negatively affect any other racers

That's obviously my goal as well, but more importantly it is to run clean the entire race and stay on-track. I may lose a second here and there for being safe, but I can run 10 slower laps instead of having one big 15 second off-track blunder. If I stay on track and race to the best of my car's ability without getting damage, I'll consider it a successful series. I really don't know how the points/rewards are going to turn out...this season will hopefully be better than last in that regard.

I guess it just feels really slow. When the leader lapped me twice, and I neither took damage nor pitted, it was a little disheartening.

Everyone except grenade got lapped at least once...and he could've been lapped if WiiFreak wanted to. He was just helping me keep pace with grenade for a few laps instead of passing both of us. But I didn't have enough tire left to do so.

I'm a little worried that the MG will still be quick at Tsukuba giving WiiFreak the potential for a 1-2 punch...but it looks like there are some talented drivers further back in the pack that will easily make use of a few ponies under the hood even on a short track like Tsukuba. I don't think my car will be up for the task...I'll have no problem with corner speeds, but it will take more than a few grand to get my car moving.

GVER I believe we will be at a disadvantage again because it's essential two giant straights.... But on Cote, Tsukaba and anything more technical, we have a chance to gain some serious points. That MGF may be too tough to tame though.

I think you're right. The miata's will be a little slow on the first couple of high speed courses, but they'll do well with added power.

 

[dabneyd]

Don't be hating on the Vette it will come around,
I Think

Not hating, just not jealous.

 

[MNLumberjack]

Not hating, just not jealous.

It looks good if nothing else

 

[grenadeshark]

Everyone except grenade got lapped at least once...and he could've been lapped if WiiFreak wanted to. He was just helping me keep pace with grenade for a few laps instead of passing both of us. But I didn't have enough tire left to do so.

To be fair. I slowed down for 4 laps to practice tailing you. That was worth at least 3-4 seconds per lap.

 

[dabneyd]

It looks good if nothing else

And the world looks neat when your car is spinning around!

 

[Vol Jbolaz]

I think garris was attempting to follow slower cars last night which is why he was frustrated.

Yes, I was frustrated that they were going faster than me.

But, turning in sooner is good advice. I am waiting until I can see my way through the turn. I'm sure there is a lot of timing that I'll need to practice. I need to turn in sooner, but not too soon, and I need to be careful turning when on the brakes. If I'm on the brakes too much then the car will go crazy. And I'm always afraid of making the car rotate. I'm used to being on a DS3, so I hate oversteer. Maybe with a wheel, oversteer won't be that bad.

As to my car being faster, the only place I felt it had any speed was on the front straight. That was long enough that I could even get into forth. Everywhere else, everyone else would carry more speed out of the corner, so I was lucky to keep up with them on the straight.

As an aside, I started holding my line on the last corner. I wouldn't move over and let people pass. I figured if I really am so fast, then they can get a free draft down the front straight. Then I would wait to turn in and let them take the hairpin first.

I think my car is shared. If not, I'll share it when I get chance. You don't have to, but that would be nice.

As to golding tests, I don't know that I'll ever be able to do that. I haven't come across a test that I couldn't pass, but most of them have been bronze.

The really painful tests are the ones that, first time out, I get a silver that is a tenth away from a gold. I try and try and try and never get that fast again.

I have gone back and tried some of the tests again with the wheel. Guess I'll spend some more time there. Would be nice if the tests had some sort of social aspect to them.

 

[chuyler1]

Yep, the Talon was definitely about straight line speed. It was a little slower through turns during my tests, especially the final turn before the straight, but I didn't spend very much time at Laguna in it. The Talon has a greater advantage at Grand Valley. But in any case, exit speed in these cars was the key. Being able to maintain momentum with early braking, coasting through the turn, and getting on the gas early was the fastest way around the track. 2 mph difference exiting a turn could gain .3 seconds by the time you got to the next turn.

I will share my car tonight as well if anyone wants to take it for a spin. I forget what my fastest time was but I could do low 1:55 on a good lap and low 1:56 on a so-so lap.

Garris, if I get time tonight I'll take your car for a spin and see if I can export the ghost replay. I've never exported one before so i'll have to figure that out.

 

[chuyler1]

By the way, I added the following rule to the top post...

Missing Races)
* Drivers receive no points for missing races
* Drivers receive the median winnings to spend on the next race. If only 7 drivers show up to the race with the lowest winnings being 0 and the highest winnings being 15,000, absent drivers will receive 7,500 credits to spend on the next race.

I don't want any advantages given to drivers who miss races...but then again, I don't want them to fail to be competitive either. Since we had some drop-outs last season, this new rule should keep the rewards in-line with those received by drivers still participating.

 

[iamsupernasty]

By the way, I added the following rule to the top post...

Missing Races)
* Drivers receive no points for missing races
* Drivers receive the median winnings to spend on the next race. If only 7 drivers show up to the race with the lowest winnings being 0 and the highest winnings being 15,000, absent drivers will receive 7,500 credits to spend on the next race.

I don't want any advantages given to drivers who miss races...but then again, I don't want them to fail to be competitive either. Since we had some drop-outs last season, this new rule should keep the rewards in-line with those received by drivers still participating.

It does seem a little bizzare that someone who skips a race, could get more money than someone who finished poorly....

 

[chuyler1]

It does seem a little bizzare that someone who skips a race, could get more money than someone who finished poorly....

No they wouldn't. Remember that the winnings are reversed so slower drivers get more to spend. If all 15 other drivers show up, the absent driver would get no points for the race and 15,000 credits to spend on the next race. Drivers who placed 10-15th get 30,000 credits to spend and should be in a better position to win the next race, plus they will have an additional 5 points.

 

[iamsupernasty]

No they wouldn't. If all 15 other drivers show up, the absent driver would get no points for the race and 15,000 credits to spend on the next race. Drivers who placed 10-16th get 30,000 credits to spend and should be in a better position to win the next race, plus they will have an additional 5 points.

Oh I gotcha. I'm all mixed up and backwards. Never raced in a series where the last place car got the most money. Total brain fart.

 

[chuyler1]

Well, otherwise the winner of the first race would win every other race. Duh! it's not real money you can spend on big screen tvs...its money you get to put into your car for the next race.

BTW, here is the full spreadsheet. Garris is not going to compete this season, instead he is running a separate series for beginners. i think it will be on Tuesday night. If you want to compete in both series, he is looking for more racers. Since Niop and Counter did not show up for the pre-season race, the final slot has been forfeited to dabneyd.

https://spreadsheets2.google.com/sp...HVSa3lKeldYQ2tyZFlVVDRtX1VXTHc&hl=en_US&gid=0

 

[st1sj]

Interesting choices between picking a 375 PP car and upgrading to 375 PP. I wonder which car will have the advantage as the races progress.

 

[chuyler1]

It all depends on whether people can max out with rewards. I really hope we keep a full roster or at least 10-12 drivers for each race.

 

[SohnVonStig]

It all depends on whether people can max out with rewards. I really hope we keep a full roster or at least 10-12 drivers for each race.

I'll be there waiting in the wings as a reserve at all times Muaahahahahahahahahaha

 

[st1sj]

Can someone gift me the 375 PP MGF? I want to run that in the Tuesday series. Thanks in advance. Check my garage to see if there is anything you want in return.

 

[chuyler1]

I'll be there waiting in the wings as a reserve at all times Muaahahahahahahahahaha

Lol, if you are available on tuesdays check out garris' thread.

 

[SohnVonStig]

Lol, if you are available on tuesdays check out garris' thread.

Can't do tuesdays

 

[mechyboy27]

Last night we started the race with 15 racers and ended with 14. Mechyboy dropped out. Was that a connection issue?

Niop and counter345 did not show up. Not sure why but unless there is some viable reason, I would have to say they forfeit their spots in the series. All drivers who did not participate last season were required to attend the pre-season race.

Sorry about that. Oh, the joys of being 16. Your mom has you do everything for her.

 

[MadMax]

It was a good race , I'm glad to see someone picked the Corvette.

I feel like I'm driving an FF with no power understeer during cornering.
Weight distribution 65/35 , going to get some suspension pack after the first race.



MadMax

 

[chuyler1]

Sorry about that. Oh, the joys of being 16. Your mom has you do everything for her.

Is your mom going to be an issue every Wednesday night? If you can't reserve the entire time block, I've got others that would like to participate.

I feel like I'm driving an FF with no power understeer during cornering.
Weight distribution 65/35 , going to get some suspension pack after the first race.

That Volvo has some of the worst body roll of any car I tested. I was impressed at how fast you were going. Even with getting some help from Diabolic it still took several laps for me to catch you. Before you splurge on the suspension, remember that the 2nd race will be run on sport hard tires and the hairpins will be easier with an oversteering car.

 

[gjbaldwin60]

That Volvo has some of the worst body roll of any car I tested. I was impressed at how fast you were going. Even with getting some help from Diabolic it still took several laps for me to catch you. Before you splurge on the suspension, remember that the 2nd race will be run on sport hard tires and the hairpins will be easier with an oversteering car.

That was a big lesson learned from the first season, with the tire progression it really takes a few races until the suspension mods start to really pay off. I did the fully adjustable suspension after the first race with my STi thinking I could make it handle a lot better and in the end the sport hard tires didn't have enough grip to make that much of a difference.

 

[Vol Jbolaz]

That was a big lesson learned from the first season, with the tire progression it really takes a few races until the suspension mods start to really pay off. I did the fully adjustable suspension after the first race with my STi thinking I could make it handle a lot better and in the end the sport hard tires didn't have enough grip to make that much of a difference.

I put the Height Adjustable on my car after the first race. In practice, it made a huge difference for me.

So I think some of it probably goes to driving style and just how much you are trying to get out of the suspension.

 

[sl3ight]

Height adjustable suspension might actually be a better baseline setup than fully adjustable for some cars.