Racing in D2 is not the end of the world guys!
Lots of skill in D2 too. Don't judge the skill level in D2 by the suzuka qualify and a few races. We even had aliens in D2.
I'm sure lots of the D2 drivers could be racing in D1 and you guys wouldn't feel the diference.
You guys are making so much buzz about this D1/D2 up and down, that it seems like racing in D2 is like destruction derby every man for himself!
That right there is part of it to me. It was an original problem with the divisional system, where 2 laps determined your best finishing position for 2 races, I didn't like that.
I know there's talent in D2 that can race with D1, very much so. That's in a way the issue. Not that anyone who's been in D1 hasn't deserved it, because they all have. But the divisional system brought in a lot of complications, most notably DC's and track differences. I'd rather run D2 for Sarthe and any races where I don't have the pace, then run D2 just because I dc'd, or couldn't make a race. Almost nobody gets every race done, so that's not something really feasible imo. Whether it's life, work, or dc, etc, everybody misses races.
With open qualifying, driver a in his NSX can race in D1, and driver b can race D2, if thats their level of pace. It's not just about who's the best driver for each division, it's also about who has the car to keep up sometimes.
It makes for closer and more competitive racing in my opinion.
The guys with the fastest pace, at this track, in this car, during this week are all bunched together, save a random blooper. That way everyone is in the proper division, no random happening a week or two ago getting in the way.
So it's not that I think if I go to D2 I'm going to be on a Sunday drive, it's that the divisional system can never work around the variance in cars and tracks, along with driver practice.
At least not any way I've thought of.
Even if you remove the divisional system though, you still have ballast. Ballast promotes close racing, at the expense of showcasing the true potential of drivers at the top end.
Personally, I think that's a positive. Fast drivers get a chance to run against some of the slower drivers they might not have otherwise encountered. Slow drivers get to learn by slugging it out with some of the aliens.
If DCs are the problem for the divisional system, the easy solution would be not to count DNFs. Instead of the 0.5/0.7 multipliers that we use now, use a 1.0 multiplier if you started a race but did not finish. We already have heavy penalties in place for rage quits, and it's not in anyone's interest for long term championship wins to DNF a race just to stay in D1.
Again, the issue there is say you're driving a GTR, DC a good track(Monaco), and then race a fast track (Monza?), which almost certainly lowers your finishing position. A higher probability you get bumped, because a divisional system can't factor those things in in any fashion I can think of.
Honestly I think it won't be a real discussion after next week. Somebody might goof their quali lap here and there and mention it, but I think we'll all be enjoying even better racing.
I really really do.
It's nothing to do with thinking I'm too good for D2 or anything like that, it's about closer racing, the faster guys at that track in that car on that day coming together.
Obviously we all have some kind of goal concerning points too, and unfortunate happenings have been taking way to much toll in my opinion.
We will have great races ahead, I swear.
I really want a chance to win maximum points for the championship. I think this whole topic is ultimately about getting the divisional system right. It was meant to get the people who happened to be running the quickest, together, and reward them with points appropriately. Unfortunately the system wasn't working, mainly due to the current state of GT5 servers.
