Seeking end to podium drought! :)

[Guffaluff]

Ever since "graduating" to DR C, I've struggled to manage a podium finish. After reaching the podium in 9 out of 12 of my first races, including 4 wins, I've yet to make another visit to the podium in my past 7 races (including my two races tonight). It's good challenge and definitely a step up in difficulty from racing at DR D level, and I welcome the challenge! For details, here is my current progress:

As you see, I don't have loads of miles in Sport Mode under my belt yet, with lack of free time being the main culprit, but my experience so far has been mostly positive, with a couple of exceptions. Been having a blast in Sport Mode.

Tonight I had a couple of the daily Yamagiwa II in the Citröen and it's a fun race that offers (in my cases) some tight racing. I know the track fairly well and saw this as an opportunity to re-visit the podium!

First race. I qualified 2nd, but finished 4th. No one to blame but myself. I messed up a couple of corners and had to live with 4th place in a clean and close race. Can't complain

Second race, just now. I qualified 3rd, and right off the bat in the 1st corner I lose it, went too wide, and dropped to 4th. I was always safe with 4th place, as 5th place and beyond were instantly separated by a sizable gap. But I was focused on not having to settle with 4th place again, and kept pushing for 3rd. It was quite a tight race and I was having a blast. In the last lap the guy in 3rd went too wide in a corner and I squeezed ahead into 3rd. The joy didn't last long as I was rammed off the course in the following downhill S-turn. That was it, I didn't manage to catch him again and settled on 4th place again, meaning my podium visit will have to wait another day(s).

It was a bit frustrating, especially since personally I think the guy should've got at least a 10sec penalty for ramming me off course and into the barrier, and also for cutting the corner in the meantime. The guy had a DR B and SR A, so hopefully this wasn't on purpose, but he had plenty of time to adjust to me slowing down for the corner, and the impact was quite hard, sending me flying off course.

I included a replay of the race. If you don't feel like watching it all, At 5:45 you can see the incident from the other guy's point of view, starting just before I pass him.



So my quest for a podium finish continues. Exciting times ahead. Wish me luck!

 

[jesQuick]

Gl!
The better you get, the better your opponents will be, the better you will have to be. (Is that even a proper English sentence?)

 

[Jamie Bbbbb]

Check the car you wrote for Race 6

Or rather, the group

 

[Guffaluff]

Gl!
The better you get, the better your opponents will be, the better you will have to be. (Is that even a proper English sentence?)

Haha thanks! Indeed and its good challenge for me in DR C level. Will continue my search for podium

Check the car you wrote for Race 6

Or rather, the group

Ah, good spot. Fixed (in my file, not post).

Was a Gr.3 race.

Thanks!

 

[ShiftingGears]

I wish there was that level of results tracking within the game, would be very interesting to see

 

[Guffaluff]

I wish there was that level of results tracking within the game, would be very interesting to see

I kinda wish that as well, although I take surprisingly much joy making these so I don't really mind

 

[VFOURMAX1]

You would think that regardless of the DR level that at times you would be placed in a lobby where you would be on pole or starting in the first few spots rather than constantly being in lobbies where you are starting mid pack and the first two or three starting positions are occupied by drivers with a DR rating a couple of classes higher than your rating.

Constantly starting mid pack gives virtually no chance for a win and make the risk of DR and SR ratings falling higher as well.

A prime example is a race the other day at at Dragon trail, 10 lapper. Started in 14th position Due to carnage in turn one which I avoided I was entering the first sharp right handed turn before going up the hill in 11th position, I get hit from behind and punted off the track, reenter the track in 19th place.

Over the course of the next 7 laps between running hard clean laps and other drivers mistakes and crashes I work my way back up to 8th position and never once touched another car when making a pass. So going into the sharp right handed turn at the top of the hill before the chicane I am again punted from behind off the track.

Now I do not get the hand of god help getting back on the track and have to go into reverse to back off the wall and then start foward. Waiting for the track to clear to do this I fall from 8th to 14th.

By this point I am totally aggravated that not once but twice I am booted off the track costing me gained positions and all the work and hard driving to gain 11 positions cleanly was again thrown away by being booted off the course. I ended up blowing the chicane on the next lap and spinning out finishing in 17th, a loss to my DR but with a blue SR rating.

This is not uncommon for racing in the middle of the pack and this is in SR S races. I had improved my DR to a higher level but all that did was put me starting back further on the grid. I do not understand why all drivers of all rankings are not at times placed in lobbies where they start near the front.

What is the purpose of rankings and matchmaking when it is not uncommon to see say 3 SR A drivers and 2 SR B drivers with the remaining field compromised of DR D ranked drivers matched in the same race? Seems as if the DR D drivers are probably racing for a best possible finish of 6th place in this scenario.

Matchmaking is currently not working for all drivers to occasionally have a chance at a win and dirty drivers it seems are not punished to an extent to discourage ramming a car off track to gain positions. The concept employed is good but its implementation still needs quite a bit of work to retain its player base long term.

 

[TenderLoins]

The only way we’ll get very closely matched lobbies will be at the expense of a full grid which honestly wouldn’t bother me at all. There just aren’t enough people playing to have well matched full lobbies.

You would think that regardless of the DR level that at times you would be placed in a lobby where you would be on pole or starting in the first few spots rather than constantly being in lobbies where you are starting mid pack and the first two or three starting positions are occupied by drivers with a DR rating a couple of classes higher than your rating.

Constantly starting mid pack gives virtually no chance for a win and make the risk of DR and SR ratings falling higher as well.

A prime example is a race the other day at at Dragon trail, 10 lapper. Started in 14th position Due to carnage in turn one which I avoided I was entering the first sharp right handed turn before going up the hill in 11th position, I get hit from behind and punted off the track, reenter the track in 19th place.

Over the course of the next 7 laps between running hard clean laps and other drivers mistakes and crashes I work my way back up to 8th position and never once touched another car when making a pass. So going into the sharp right handed turn at the top of the hill before the chicane I am again punted from behind off the track.

Now I do not get the hand of god help getting back on the track and have to go into reverse to back off the wall and then start foward. Waiting for the track to clear to do this I fall from 8th to 14th.

By this point I am totally aggravated that not once but twice I am booted off the track costing me gained positions and all the work and hard driving to gain 11 positions cleanly was again thrown away by being booted off the course. I ended up blowing the chicane on the next lap and spinning out finishing in 17th, a loss to my DR but with a blue SR rating.

This is not uncommon for racing in the middle of the pack and this is in SR S races. I had improved my DR to a higher level but all that did was put me starting back further on the grid. I do not understand why all drivers of all rankings are not at times placed in lobbies where they start near the front.

What is the purpose of rankings and matchmaking when it is not uncommon to see say 3 SR A drivers and 2 SR B drivers with the remaining field compromised of DR D ranked drivers matched in the same race? Seems as if the DR D drivers are probably racing for a best possible finish of 6th place in this scenario.

Matchmaking is currently not working for all drivers to occasionally have a chance at a win and dirty drivers it seems are not punished to an extent to discourage ramming a car off track to gain positions. The concept employed is good but its implementation still needs quite a bit of work to retain its player base long term.

 

[dashGTA]

I apologize to anyone I was a dirty racer to on the way to 91 wins for that trophy. I can finally just play Sport races for fun now.