Mon 20:00-21:30 UK time - PC2 - Hosted by @IfAndOr - Please refer to new threadPS4 

Important Information for all Racers

The Hairpin at Rouen is tight and requires full width of the road in order to make the turn - there will therefore be a no overtaking rule at the hairpin and its approach. We have used this rule before at Rouen and it worked well - it helps to prevent accidents.

This is quite a narrow track, however the main straight is three lanes wide, so you can overtake easily at this point. Please take extra care in the opening laps and watch out for bunching at the hairpin. Also watch out for traffic while lapping or being lapped.

John has posted part 2 of a great film made by Castrol in 1962 of the French Grand Prix at Rouen, but I've found an upload of the complete film. Some of you will have seen it before, but it is well worth a second (or third look or in my case probably a tenth!). At the start the film features an onboard lap of the circuit, driven about ten seconds slower than race pace. The 16mm cameras used at the time did not record sound so they have added a frantic boogie woogie piano accompaniment to add to the sense of speed. About four minutes in several of the drivers give their opinions of the circuit and they are universally favourable in their remarks except for some concerns about the bumps, which sadly are lacking in our version.

Interestingly the pole position time by Jim Clark in 1962 was 2 minutes 14.8 seconds with the other top drivers in the 2 minute 15 second bracket. I haven't been able to get near that, but I expect our fastest drivers will be able to beat that time.

Rouen was a great track which was well suited to the 1.5 litre Formula One cars, but simply not wide enough or safe enough for the 3 litre cars which were used from 1966 on. Sadly the British made a complete hash of negotiating the F1 capacity change with the French and what was supposed to have been 2 litres ended up as 3 litres - a capacity which did not suit most of the tracks and probably led to a lot of unnecessary driver deaths.

 
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It was short notice but I've managed to arrange for a pianist to accompany me during the race. He doesn't do boogie woogie but says he'll sort out something appropriate. I think it's going to be a bit cramped in the room.


Sick Cylinder
the bumps, which sadly are lacking in our version.
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Try out the informative or immersive FFB options. The track becomes very bumpy and rough in places. So much so that I switched back to the raw option I normally use.
 
IfAndOr
It was short notice but I've managed to arrange for a pianist to accompany me during the race. He doesn't do boogie woogie but says he'll sort out something appropriate. I think it's going to be a bit cramped in the room.


Try out the informative or immersive FFB options. The track becomes very bumpy and rough in places. So much so that I switched back to the raw option I normally use.
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Boogie woogie?? Maybe Elton John...:lol::lol:
As to Sick's comment on track bump...since that track has been closed down the last the last 20 plus years, I doubt the SMS people could have lasered the track to pick up all the nuances...now just country roads that have probably been repaved once or twice?
 
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Just watched a small part of the Castrol film.brilliant!!!!Bit worried about tonight after me moaning about Harskgaming's driving last week.Had a good hour and a half practice last night,found the track to be very narrow and those curbs are a nightmare!!!Bet its me tonight who ruins a few people's races so I'll apologise in advance but I'll do my best.
 
beachboy6658
Just watched a small part of the Castrol film.brilliant!!!!Bit worried about tonight after me moaning about Harskgaming's driving last week.Had a good hour and a half practice last night,found the track to be very narrow and those curbs are a nightmare!!!Bet its me tonight who ruins a few people's races so I'll apologise in advance but I'll do my best.
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I am no technical expert on this track, but I have noticed that with this car if you do hit a curb, off gas, no brake, just coast thru it...no sharp wheel movements, just coast over curb and after car settles, coast back onto track..you lose time but you don't spin out.
 
Results from Rouen

Rouen Les Essarts Lotus 25.jpg
 
This game (or my wheel?) starting to frustrate a bit.
I have never raced on this track, so did 30 min. ofline practice on Sunday, also - online session: 15 min. practice, 15 min qually and 3 laps race (5 cars on a track). All race settings were as it should be and the car was superb (as it was in previous races), my best lap in online lobby was 1.12.026 and it wasn't a perfect lap for me. I felt every little slide of front or rear and could do some wheel or throttle corections. i like this car because you can use throttle to more turn in.
When I entered @AndreasR lobby yesterday, right after exited pits I noticed FFB is almost gone, seemed there weren't grip at all, also were huge deadzone in the center (I could turn wheel hard to a sides in the straight, but car almost did nothing). Reconected wheel - nothing changed. Restarted PS4, entered practice lobby again - car was absolutely fine.

When entered race lobby, car was different again, not so bad as it was in practice lobby first time, but worse as usual. it is anoying what in situations like this you aren't racing but actually do practice, for egz. in my own lobby while racing I could do first corner and right corner to back straight at full throttle, but in yesterday lobby I couldnt do that because there werent feeling when rear just start to slide (when I noticed that, usually it was to late).

So, how it could be what same track/car/race settings, but car in different lobbys (after ps4 restart - too) feels different? Is it allowed reenter lobby when qually has started?

Or maybe it is my wheel (T300) problem? I noticed if I touch pedals frame (T3PA pro) by hands, I fell some static discharge ant wheel is reconecting by itself after that. I know some of you use T300 - does it do the same too?
 
Napalm_LT
This game (or my wheel?) starting to frustrate a bit.
I have never raced on this track, so did 30 min. ofline practice on Sunday, also - online session: 15 min. practice, 15 min qually and 3 laps race (5 cars on a track). All race settings were as it should be and the car was superb (as it was in previous races), my best lap in online lobby was 1.12.026 and it wasn't a perfect lap for me. I felt every little slide of front or rear and could do some wheel or throttle corections. i like this car because you can use throttle to more turn in.
When I entered @AndreasR lobby yesterday, right after exited pits I noticed FFB is almost gone, seemed there weren't grip at all, also were huge deadzone in the center (I could turn wheel hard to a sides in the straight, but car almost did nothing). Reconected wheel - nothing changed. Restarted PS4, entered practice lobby again - car was absolutely fine.

When entered race lobby, car was different again, not so bad as it was in practice lobby first time, but worse as usual. it is anoying what in situations like this you aren't racing but actually do practice, for egz. in my own lobby while racing I could do first corner and right corner to back straight at full throttle, but in yesterday lobby I couldnt do that because there werent feeling when rear just start to slide (when I noticed that, usually it was to late).

So, how it could be what same track/car/race settings, but car in different lobbys (after ps4 restart - too) feels different? Is it allowed reenter lobby when qually has started?

Or maybe it is my wheel (T300) problem? I noticed if I touch pedals frame (T3PA pro) by hands, I fell some static discharge ant wheel is reconecting by itself after that. I know some of you use T300 - does it do the same too?
Click to expand...

I use the T300 with t3pa (not pro) pedals and the th8a gear stick. So far the only issue with the wheel i had was that it came off centre during an online race in Assetto Corsa. It was easily corrected by recentering it with the press of 3 buttons.
I use rather "heavy" ffb, but on informative setting in pcars, and fortunately never felt inconsistency like that...
 
Porsche Pack - Classic Content Review

I posted the following elsewhere on GT Planet, but felt it might help people who don't have the Season Pass decide whether or not to get the Porsche Pack.

So far I've only tried the classic content (as that is what I am most interested in racing). I expected to like the 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 the most, but at the moment it is my least favourite. It starts well (as expected for a rear engine car), but I can't get any speed out of it (wheel user). It doesn't seem competitive with the Ferrari Daytona - at least not in my hands, but it may be fine with a better driver. A lot more testing will be required because I am hoping to host a series for those two cars.

The Porsche 908 raced at the Targa Florio so I picked the nearest track in character in the game - Bannochbrae. This car is absolutely brilliant at this track - fantastic - thoroughly recommended! SMS have put this car in Prototype B, which is fine for now, but hopefully they add some more 3 litre prototypes and separate them out as it feels very strange sharing a track with a Lotus 40 - a bit of an immersion killer and the small number of liveries makes the car a poor pick for one make racing - surely Porsche could have been persuaded to allow some fictional liveries?

I would really like Classic Sebring so I could pretend to be Steve McQueen when he raced the 908 which he did complete with a dodgy foot - he was so keen that an injury which would have stopped anyone else didn't stop Steve!

I picked Brands Hatch for the 917K, but I chickened out of making it wet and trying for a Rodriguez moment. Really enjoyable car - fantastic and brilliant liveries. I will get a lot of use out of this car. SMS have put it in a class on its own - Prototype A, hopefully this means that other cars are coming to the class such as a Ferrari 512M and / S. IF this class is properly filled I think it will become my favourite in the game.

I tried the 917/10 Can Am car before the 917K which perhaps made that easier to drive! First try was at Laguna Seca - very challenging - the speed and acceleration are so good that I will need to relearn the circuit (and all circuits!) just for this car, however it is great fun with a good sound so well worthwhile. Next I tried Watkins Glen which really suited the car well and finished off with Silverstone Classic - you can really open the car up on this track and exploit the fantastic power and grip.

The 935/78-81 - I am sure there is something wrong with this car! Another poster said that the turbo wasn't working - it certainly feels that way and I found it impossible to keep up with the other AI cars in Group 5 - as if it has no power - hopefully SMS can fix this quickly.

I tried the Leipzig test track and really liked the bus stop style chicane in the middle of the big corner - I think this track will be well suited to the Formula Rookie and Lotus 25 and possibly to the slower saloon cars, so I will try those on it next and as another poster suggested maybe Ford Falcon V8 Supercar.

I feel like the 908, 917K and 917/10 will easily provide me with good value from this pack and I hope the next two packs contain some equally enjoyable cars.
 
Napalm_LT
I know some of you use T300 - does it do the same too?
Click to expand...

Two Wednesdays ago I had a bad race, if you remember. The car was all over the place and finished 7th after several spins, when I qualified 1st. The car felt different but I couldn't fairly point out if it was me, the car/game or the wheel.

Gaming nowadays is so complex that the numbers of factors is huge. It can be LiveTrack not loading the same conditions for everyone, the game not loading the right setup, internet issues, the wheel...

My T300RS is pressing random buttons every now and then when driving. Happened last Wednesday. Again, hard to tell who's at fault, the game or the wheel? Apparently and according to @IfAndOr, it happens when you twist the wheel somehow. I never felt any electricity touching the pedal base on my T3PA Pro but will try again when playing this afternoon.

Sick Cylinder
Porsche Pack - Classic Content Review
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Thanks for sharing. I wasn't aware the Porsche pack was out already! Will try it this afternoon.
 
French Round 5th March - Rouen Les Essarts (Charade substitute)

The French Grand Prix was variously held at Reims, Rouen or Charade (also known as Clermont Ferrand). In 1965 the GP was held at Charade, which sadly the game lacks, so we used Rouen Les Essarts as a substitute.

This is how Denis Jenkinson described the circuit in his 1957 report for Motor Sport magazine, "This circuit is without question the finest in France and approaches the Spa circuit for the ultimate in Grand Prix courses. Situated a few miles south of Rouen, in the forest of Les Essarts, the circuit contains everything from tight hairpins to 150mph corners, steep uphill sections and a wonderful 100-120mph series of downhill swerves of the type that really sorts out the men from the boys in Grand Prix cars."

Congratulations to the men who stood atop the podium in 2018 - @Tavilha @Napalm_LT and @AndreasR (SimbaLora)

In 1965 those men were Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and John Surtees.

F1 Round 4 Charade.jpg


I would like to dedicate this round to the memory of Jim Clark who was born on March 4th 1936. There are many wonderful stories about Jim, but this is one of my favourites - he was in Australia for the Tasman Series (a championship which he won three times), he knocked at the door of his good friend Pete Geoghegan, the great Australian driver. Pete was out, but his Mother answered the door and not recognising the shy Scotsman she assumed he had come to do the garden and said "The mower is in the shed, you can start any time." Pete and his father got home to find the shirtless, double world champion happily mowing their lawn!

In the table above we see John Surtees in third and Lorenzo Bandini in eighth. Ferrari started the 1.5 litre formula with a V6 (the 156) when their opposition were using four cylinder cars, but when Coventry Climax and BRM introduced V8's they fell behind in the power race and produced their own V8 car the 158. In the quest for more power, half way through 1964 they introduced the 1512 V12. Honda also produced a V12 (the RA272) which Richie Ginther drove to victory in the final Grand Prix of the 1.5 litre formula at Mexico in 1965. I wish both these sublime cars could be in the game. Below savour the sound of twelve tiny cylinders!



Car setup was becoming more important, though Jim Clark had such a busy schedule, competing in multiple championships simultaneously that he often didn't have time for car adjustments and would run with a team mates setup and adapt himself to the car. Here Graham Hill explains his approach in 1964:



Next Round - March 12th Zandvoort (Zolder substitute track)
 
Sick Cylinder
French Round 5th March - Rouen Les Essarts (Charade substitute)

The French Grand Prix was variously held at Reims, Rouen or Charade (also known as Clermont Ferrand). In 1965 the GP was held at Charade, which sadly the game lacks, so we used Rouen Les Essarts as a substitute.

This is how Denis Jenkinson described the circuit in his 1957 report for Motor Sport magazine, "This circuit is without question the finest in France and approaches the Spa circuit for the ultimate in Grand Prix courses. Situated a few miles south of Rouen, in the forest of Les Essarts, the circuit contains everything from tight hairpins to 150mph corners, steep uphill sections and a wonderful 100-120mph series of downhill swerves of the type that really sorts out the men from the boys in Grand Prix cars."

Congratulations to the men who stood atop the podium in 2018 - @Tavilha @Napalm_LT and @AndreasR (SimbaLora)

In 1965 those men were Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart and John Surtees.

View attachment 720077

I would like to dedicate this round to the memory of Jim Clark who was born on March 4th 1936. There are many wonderful stories about Jim, but this is one of my favourites - he was in Australia for the Tasman Series (a championship which he won three times), he knocked at the door of his good friend Pete Geoghegan, the great Australian driver. Pete was out, but his Mother answered the door and not recognising the shy Scotsman she assumed he had come to do the garden and said "The mower is in the shed, you can start any time." Pete and his father got home to find the shirtless, double world champion happily mowing their lawn!

In the table above we see John Surtees in third and Lorenzo Bandini in eighth. Ferrari started the 1.5 litre formula with a V6 (the 156) when their opposition were using four cylinder cars, but when Coventry Climax and BRM introduced V8's they fell behind in the power race and produced their own V8 car the 158. In the quest for more power, half way through 1964 they introduced the 1512 V12. Honda also produced a V12 (the RA272) which Richie Ginther drove to victory in the final Grand Prix of the 1.5 litre formula at Mexico in 1965. I wish both these sublime cars could be in the game. Below savour the sound of twelve tiny cylinders!



Car setup was becoming more important, though Jim Clark had such a busy schedule, competing in multiple championships simultaneously that he often didn't have time for car adjustments and would run with a team mates setup and adapt himself to the car. Here Graham Hill explains his approach in 1964:



Next Round - March 12th Zandvoort (Zolder substitute track)
Click to expand...

Wonderful info, Sick..
I had a circle of friends as a teenager, who were devoted race fans...AJ Foyt, Andretti, Bobby Unser were favorites of ours. Then Jimmy and Graham Hill invaded our beloved Indy and dominated! When Jimmy won big at the 500 in 1965, I became an instant fan of his, Lotus, and rear engine cars in general..changed racing here forever!!!
 
Tavilha
The pieces of history that you post and discuss here add an enormous value and fun to the series. I'm glad to be a part of it! :cheers:
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Thank you for your kind words - I am glad you are racing with us!

Skip7950
Wonderful info, Sick..
I had a circle of friends as a teenager, who were devoted race fans...AJ Foyt, Andretti, Bobby Unser were favorites of ours. Then Jimmy and Graham Hill invaded our beloved Indy and dominated! When Jimmy won big at the 500 in 1965, I became an instant fan of his, Lotus, and rear engine cars in general..changed racing here forever!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting Skip - that's great to hear!

I found a great couple of videos which I hope you all have time to watch and enjoy - first, highlights of the 1965 Zandvoort race which inspired our race next week at Zolder (a substitute track). Wonderful period commentary by the very knowledgeable Raymond Baxter. Watch carefully at about one minute in as the cameras record the end of a scuffle between the Lotus boss Colin Chapman and a trackside Policeman. After the race Colin was arrested for that scuffle and spent the night in the cells. Not surprisingly the after race party was cancelled!

Second - a wonderful BBC documentary about the racing career of Jim Clark, which I think is a fitting tribute to a great driver who we can remember today and throughout our series.



 

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