What did you do in FM23 today?

[UKMikey]

I'm scrambling to complete last update's Open Class Tour before it deactivates on Thursday. Completed up to A-class so far.

 

[UKMikey]

I'm scrambling to complete last update's Open Class Tour before it deactivates on Thursday. Completed up to A-class so far.

Polished off S-class in the McLaren F1 GT and R-class in my Ligier #11 JS P3. Both cars were a pleasure to drive and I'll especially miss the Ligier which has so much downforce it felt like a giant Monty Python foot was stomping me through the floor, enabling me to take those hairpins and chicanes I normally dread at Tilkedromes like Catalunya GP as if they were flat-out straights.

At least now it's reached level 50 I'll be able to work towards my manufacturer discount by driving all those other Ligiers in the game... oh, wait. There aren't any other Ligiers in the game. Never mind, I can still stick it in my favourites folder along with other grip monsters like the Exocet Sport V8... except there's no favourites folder either. ☹️ I can't even take it to Free Play as there aren't any other P3 cars in the game to race against. Oh well, driving it was fun while it lasted.

By contrast the Hennessy Exorcist I received as a "prize" must have been designed by Pazuzu himself as it made the straights feel more like hairpins and chicanes, especially with the S725 limit forcing me to drive it bone stock.

Even while navigating the gentle bends at Maple Valley Raceway I had to take them at such a sedate pace I kept turning my head to check Lady Penelope wasn't sipping tea with the Queen in the back seat. At some points I was tempted to get out and push the car around the bend as I'm sure it would have been far quicker.

No wonder they had to give it away.

 

[Nacho Libre]

Mid-Ohio is a great track if your car has the goods, handling wise. Well, the Beretta doesn't and was not competitive on the corners, where it counts here.

The first race of the Forza Aus Series at Bathurst, naturally, was good and surprisingly quite clean at the first corner (Hell's corner) where some scraping is expected to occur. And they drive fast at the Esses and elsewhere.

 

[RogsR34UK]

Having done a 5 lap practice at Bathurst the other day, I was presented with 25,000 credits on firing up the game for the new weekly’s. For the Aussie event, I used the Nissan as I have only two level 50 Nissans. Completing that I did two Challenges to win the HDT Group A Commodore with a 10 Lap race with the Commodore racer at Daytona and a 15 lap Rivals at Silverstone in a rental McLaren MP4/4 to win the car. Hitting Level 20 (Prestige 1) I received some more race suits.

 

[WHO1]

I always do the Open class races first because they disappear first. So I did the D Class series first in my Ginetta G40 Junior. Won all three races starting on the grid in 9th 10th and 11th and got it to Level 47.
Then completed the C Class series in my 2011 Subaru WRX STi. Started the first race in 12th and only managed to finish 4th at Grand Oak. Started the second race in 8th and managed to win at Road America East - was unexpected given how slow this car is. Started 9th at Yas Maria South and by a stroke of luck passed all the cars at the first corner and won easily. Thankfully got the WRX to level 50 so I don't need to drive it again.
Did the first race of the B Class series using the 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe starting from 10th and won easily. Nice car to drive.

 

[Rob192005]

Struggled some in D and C class with the 510,I finally have a base model that I'm happy with in B class,killed them at Watkins Glen,think it'll be good going forward.

 

[Nacho Libre]

My D car for this round is the 1982 Ford Fiesta XR2, which now has joined my level 50 club. In fact, since I have other Fords near the 50 number, I decided that this open Tour will be all Ford.

 

[Rob192005]

Done..finallyand I swear if I ever see another GM T50 I will scream...

 

[sirjim73]

Weather turned a bit cold...
(Incidentally they've bugged this screen in this update - the Y button toggle doesn't work and when the screen loads it dumps you somewhere in the middle of the suit list 🙄)

 

[ShavedBadger]

Did the Forza Aus tour and found it to be great fun - I hadn't driven a V8 Supercar in ages so it was quite refreshing. I'd forgotten how well they handle and stop, and that they need a fair bit of respect on corner exit! Kyalami in a Supercar is brilliant though.

Speaking of corner exits, I then did the American Road Racing series with the Greenwood 'Vette. I love that car, but holy hell those shorter tracks really show up the understeer issues that mine has (in the name of some stability). Mid-Ohio was particularly punishing. It's so damned fast in a straight line though, and I was able to win the series, Road Atlanta was really good fun in that car.

I'm now halfway through the ALMS series in the Oreca Chevrolet. Kinda goofed in practice for Sebring and struggled through the wet session on Medium tyres. Needless to say the race on full wets was a revelation - I could suddenly get through the turn 2/3 complex without the car trying to murder me. And I swear the start of that race was the wettest weather I've seen in FM. Lovely car to drive though.

 

[WHO1]

Finished the A Class series using the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. Stared 8th, 9th and 7th on the grid on level 5, won the first and third races and came second in the second race. Got the Alfa to level 48 which means I'll use it again when the next Open series comes out in Jan.

 

[ShavedBadger]

Also had my first online multiplayer race in ages yesterday in the Supercars/Bathurst series and was pleasantly surprised. Without any tuning or much practice (no quali) I managed to finish 8th in a field of 20 or so, and had some really good battles across the top of Mt Panorama, everyone giving room while aggressively fighting for position - it was really good stuff. Looks like a lot of the rammers/griefers from the early days have moved on. Now I just need to find a decent setup for my Falcon!

 

[UKMikey]

I'm definitely with the guys on this thread who are saying that Kyalami is a much, much funner track on which to race supercars than their natural habitat of Bathurst in this game. Those esses in the latter repeatedly kicked my arse.

 

[ShavedBadger]

I'm definitely with the guys on this thread who are saying that Kyalami is a much, much funner track on which to race supercars than their natural habitat of Bathurst in this game. Those esses in the latter repeatedly kicked my arse.

 

[syphe]

I'm definitely with the guys on this thread who are saying that Kyalami is a much, much funner track on which to race supercars than their natural habitat of Bathurst in this game. Those esses in the latter repeatedly kicked my arse.

Admittedly, Kyalami is great with the Supercars, but after you've raced Mount Panorama virtually enough, navigating them over the top of the mountain becomes poetry, extremely satisfying linking the corners together and getting a good exit out of Forrest's elbow. For many Aussie and Kiwi's, many old games were pretty much "Bathurst Simulator", I know it's pretty much the only track I ran in Toca Race Driver.

 

[UKMikey]

Admittedly, Kyalami is great with the Supercars, but after you've raced Mount Panorama virtually enough, navigating them over the top of the mountain becomes poetry, extremely satisfying linking the corners together and getting a good exit out of Forrest's elbow. For many Aussie and Kiwi's, many old games were pretty much "Bathurst Simulator", I know it's pretty much the only track I ran in Toca Race Driver.

That's the weird thing. I've driven Panorama in many games including FM7 but this time it doesn't seem to gel with me like say Nordschleife. Maybe I need to brake a second or two earlier on the second turn or maybe it's because I'm not an Ocker but everything I learnt just went out the window with the new physics. I'm sure it'll be great once I crack it again but presently that 8.0 score is somewhat out of reach for me.

 

[Nacho Libre]

The only other game that I play with some regularity now that has Mount Panorama in it is Grid Legends, and well, that's almost Ridge Racer physics in comparison to FM.

And with distant memories of the track in FM7 of course I dreaded the hill, but it felt rather natural because they physics will inform me where the track bites you. I do play with simulation steering so with small inputs it is more precise and quick to response.