GRM - Gran Turismo 5 racing League - Series 2 (begins 3/2/11)

T.J. wrote: @aircooled: Do you think the ramming penalty gets applied if contact is made with the front of one car to the side of another?

That is what I am thinking, if the front of your car (even the edge of the front) contacts another car hard enough, you get the penalty.

I suspect, if you are devious enough, you could cut someone off in a straight away by clipping their front end with the side of your car and you could get them penalized.

What can you do about it? Not much. If someone brakes inside you, you can either stay at their side and inevitably get pushed in the grass as they go wide, or try to slow down enough to cut behind them. I guess the key is see that they are going to do that before they are next to you, so you can get into the corner a bit slower so you can cut inside.

Brad, are we taking a few weeks off between series, or do the next ones start up right away after the ROC?

Alright, I've just spent 90ish minutes tuning the Mini. Probably the most systematic tuning I've done to date. Went like this...

• Run1 - X (yea, like I am going to give that away if TJ isn't)
• Run2 - X + 1.2 seconds
• Run3 - X - 0.9
• Run4 - X - 0.15
• Run5 - X - 0.002
• Run6 - X - 0.51
• Run7 - X - 0.145

And I think that is about as fast as it gets. I've tested a few tweaks after Run7 and I am slower every time. Maybe it will be enough?

The critical points on the track for the Mini are the 2 significant brake points. Going into T1 and T8. A miss on the brake point cost tenths to a half a second and all the tuning isn't going to get it back.

T.J. wrote: Brad, are we taking a few weeks off between series, or do the next ones start up right away after the ROC?

Typically, we start right up. We can add an off week / test-n-tune week between the ROC and next series if you would like?

BradLTL wrote: - Run1 - X (yea, like I am going to give that away if TJ isn't)

LOL. A bit of intrigue, I like it.

BradLTL wrote: The critical points on the track for the Mini are the 2 significant brake points. Going into T1 and T8. A miss on the brake point cost tenths to a half a second and all the tuning isn't going to get it back.

For some reason T8 is just fine for me. I think because I have a good viual braking point. T9 is where I am inconsistent. Sometimes brake too early, sometimes too late, sometimes too much, sometimes just right. For T9 I have a 'safe' method that consists of using my speedometer to mark my braking point. It works when I am right behind someone to stay out of the sand if I can't have a clear view of anything other than the car in front of me.

BradLTL wrote:

T.J. wrote: Brad, are we taking a few weeks off between series, or do the next ones start up right away after the ROC?

Typically, we start right up. We can add an off week / test-n-tune week between the ROC and next series if you would like?

Don't change the schedule on my behalf. The ROC week will essentially be a week off for me since I hardly ever complete a lap at the ring without an off somewhere along the way. I just don't know the track well enough once I get past the first 25 turns or so and I end up driving from the little course map. Add a Fireblade to that and I might as well take the week off since I will be surprised if I was anything other than last in the ROC.

BradLTL wrote: And I think that is about as fast as it gets. I've tested a few tweaks after Run7 and I am slower every time. Maybe it will be enough?

I tried a bunch of different gear ratios last night. I really couldn't tell for certain if one was consistently any faster than the others. I was trying to get the spacing between gears large enough so I could use the best part of my powerband while using the automatic tranny. At the end it was inconclusive and I decided to go back to what I had been using. I also tried some tweaks to the suspension, and noticed that with my current setup, the car is rather insensitive to roll bar changes. I can pretty much do whatever with them and it makes little difference. Hadn't noticed that before.

So the Caterhams are maxed out except for stock engines, right? What tires?

aircooled wrote: Alternately I am considering running a 2002 (also giving a wide berth to everyone), just because it is a challenge, that should slow me down a bit. I really want to see what you guys have been going through and I really want some of those cool super drift pictures.

Would you be interested in a race-used 2002 from me? Maybe you can do what I could not do with that car.

aircooled wrote: F40 starts getting a bit more aggressive and a lot more sideways One of these slide going into the tunnel turned F40 into a concrete inspector, it was quite a sharp flick after a slide, straight into the wall. A second or so later, one of F40 friends shows up. Brad gets in on the action. Right after the above image, the Elan smacks the back of the Mini. The result were 4 cars with engine damage and serious wheel damage to at least two wheels! Needless to say, pits stops followed.

Jeez! I'd hate to watch the replay of that bit of car-nage....;;;;;

><

aircooled wrote: Brads "trouble" kid of scatters the field:

GANGWAY!

aircooled wrote: A 3 way dual results:

This is where I was racing defensively.

aircooled wrote: More close racing: GTP(_CAMikaze) eventually dropped back (I think it was another tap penalty) and I followed F40 around for a bit. I did get past him for a bit, but he drafted past me in the back straight and got the inside for the sweeper. This pic shows basically the end of my race since this is a pretty fast section. Even though Nick is on the inside coming out and I am coming in, I get the penalty, oh well. Based on his pacing after this, I never would have caught him, but it would have been fun to follow him a bit closer.

You're probably correct on the penalty for me. That was when my race began to fall apart as well.

Now if only some of us put up some replay files for those outside the series checking out this thread to look at and see what we're talking about.

I'll have a look over the spreadsheet to see what car I should go with for the next SBC season. Will that list be the same or are there going to be some additions and deletions? The MX-5 series looks like fun and I hope it comes back for next season as well. :D

CAM, next season will be again two classes. There is a RM Z06 series and a hot hatch series. The details for each one are in a thread here, but buried down on page 3 or more.

Bumped the series 3 to the top.

link

room is up 1472-6399-8665-9409-8286

I think tonight was my first official victory in the GRM series!

I qualified 4th or 5th (not sure which side was pole). My Q lap was about 0.7 slower than my practice laps, so my plan was to just wait until after turn 1 and see where I was before pushing to get in front of Apex and TJ. TJ got a "ramming" penalty in T1, honestly I don't think it was justified. Nonetheless it made the pass on him easy enough, and think Ben got caught up in the mess and I was able to get by him as well.

In 3rd now, behind greafin and Apex, they seemed evenly matched. They both were quicker on the back straight, but I was close enough that they weren't able to pull any real gap. The Mini was really stable in turn 8 and I was able to carry more speed out of the corner. By the start line we were all door to door (but I don't think anyone touched). I early apexed the corner and was able to sneak by both on the run down to T5. Looking in the mirror I see TJ closing in on greafin, and apex has disappeared?

I built up about a 3 second gap as TJ a greafin fought over second. Not sure exactly how many laps that went on, but eventually TJ got by. We were running even times and my gap would float between 2.8 and 3.4 seconds until lap 13. That is when the constant spinning tires caught up with me. My tires started to go off and caught me off guard, I ran wide and TJ was right on me. Gap was now 0.5-0.8, but there was nothing in it. My complements to TJ, he ran a great race and was absolutely clean the entire time.

Around lap 18(?) TJ got a good run going onto the back straight and was able to just get by me and take inside position into the last corner. I tried to stay as close as possible and hope for the best. TJ defended going into T1. I braked early and dove hard to the inside of the track. I slowed down enough to treat it as an early apex and manage to reclaim P1 exiting the corner. I don't know how it looked to TJ, but I was awful proud of the pass when it happened.

TJ kept it close for a couple more laps, then I suspect his tires started to fade. The gap went up to about 3 seconds, then 5 and then 34. TJ pitted. Now all I had to do was keep the car on the track and not lose 34 seconds for the last 11 laps. After his tires came up to temp TJ was taking about 1.5 seconds out of me. I caught up to Ben and Air and was running around with them, and lost a bit of focus... missed a brake point and went off in T1. Not aircooled fault, my tires were fading and I didn't compensate my brake point enough. In the Mini, if you lock up the fronts, you are a passenger until they come back. I narrowly missed the wall and rejoined the track. At the next time zone the gap was 15, then the next it was 11. My tires were gone. I had dropped nearly 3 seconds a lap, luckily there was only 3 laps left. I dialed it back a bit on my brake points and cruised to the finish with a 11 second gap.

How did the MX5 race go?

For the record... from like page 10....

BradLTL wrote: SBC - The Mini is slow... ...Looks like any advantage I have with braking and turning won't benefit me until Round 10.

Brad good race. My ramming penalty didn't look justified to me after watching the replay. graefin and a certain pink celica hit each other way harder right at the turn in point and no penalty. Apex and I go around the turn door to door and I get nabbed with the penalty. It didn't have any bearing on the final results for me though, but it did take me from the pole position to last in one turn. Yes, it turns out that my constantly spinning tires wear out a lot sooner than tires that are not used to make so much smoke. I wonder if I would've pitted at lap 16 or so if I could've managed to catch you at the end. As it was I stuck it out a few too many laps and starting losing big chunks of time each lap. I really couldn't tell which blue triangle was graefin so I didn't know if I would lose a place by pitting or not. Eventually I decided if I didn't pit he was going to catch me. I thought I came out right in front of him, but watching the replay I see that it was aircooled in the BMW. This was the first race in the series where my binary throttle control really didn't pay off. I suppose someday I need to figure out how to use that analog feature on the 'x' button.

I'm glad one of us finally won a race with our FWD cars.

MX5 race was fun as well. I wasn't sure if I would do the entire thing as I was a bit knackered after the SBC race and did no MX5 practice or tuning other than our little post-race race last week. I learned my lesson from the SBC start and started from P3, quickly made my way over to the indide. I was not going to let anyone inside of me on that first turn. If there was any ramming, I wouldn't get the penalty. I dropped in behind graefin. Aircooled and Apex were in the outside lane and I think there was another car in the mix. The T4 hairpin was a bit hairy as I had to stick to the inside line there as aircooled (I think) was just outside and a bit behind me. Things went well for me until turn 8, where I was too worried about my mirror and came in too fast. I was going to plow into graefin, who was sliding a bit already, so I ducked down to the very inside curb, and almost pulled it off. Instead I made a mess of things. I wasn't sure what carnage ensued, but I didn't get a penalty. I was feeling guilty, and drove into the grass at the corner exit, not wanting to gain any positions that way. graefin, aircooled, and apex all went by so I pulled out. Seemed like a good plan at the time, but I pulled right in front of CAM. Sorry 'bout that. Eventually, I made it back to 2nd and had some good laps chasing apex down. He had a steady 5-6 second gap on me for a while. He got a short cut penalty and I caught up to him. I passed him for the lead right before turn 8. He came out of the turn better than I did and had a little more speed on the straight. He managed to pull right along side me so we were going into T9 two wide. I chickened out and braked early and tucked in behind him, never to get ahead again. He did tease me here and there, by letting me get close and get my hopes up, but it was not to be.

@Brad, your pass was very good. I was a little dumbfounded when you did it and when I watched the replay it was executed perfectly. Story of my racing day. Finish 2nd, only very briefly have the lead, and get overtaken with good clean passes by the eventual winners. Well done.

Brad, what are the mods. allowed for the Caterhams?

From my screen, nobody ever hit me in the SBC race, Graefin and i had a close call or two, but never felt or saw any contact.

The MX5 race was another matter. I got smacked by two people in a matter of two laps. The first one, Graefin wandered into me from the inside of a turn, giving me some damage. (No worries, the view in this game isn't the greatest, he just flat out couldn't see me.) However, THIS damage made my car faster around the track, i could hit right handers much faster than before.

Then Cam got me a lap or two later in the middle of a ballsy banzai pass at Turn 1. I ended up with damage on opposite corners, and a car that was still quick, but had no margin for error. I spun later that lap, and called it quits.

Hopefully at least there's some good shots of the DriftMonster Celica, though! I hope i was at least entertaining to Aircooled.

I stayed around and raced for awhile on the Ring after everyone left until about Midnite.

Seems people don't like it when their F40 or CLK Touring car can't keep up with a 300hp Elise 111R.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Graefin, remind me tonite, i'll gift you the 110A. I think it's better than your 110B.

I accepted the gift last night and again thanks. If they were a little lighter I'd have a nice pair of ear rings made for my wife out of the pair of Cosmos I now have.

Graefin10 wrote:

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Graefin, remind me tonite, i'll gift you the 110A. I think it's better than your 110B.

I accepted the gift last night and again thanks. If they were a little lighter I'd have a nice pair of ear rings made for my wife out of the pair of Cosmos I now have.

LOL!!!!

It's a little late now, but have you tried it yet?

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: No haven't tried it yet. Last night I was really tired after the races and I've got too much to do today. I noticed that the engine sound at idle is different. More like a piston engine than a rotary.

Speaking of rotary engines, I watched a couple of vids. yesterday of the Lemans winning Mazda prototype warming up, revving up, and on the track. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Wow, I may want a rotory engine in something!!

Final Standings (with drops)

Here is the final Admin Spreadsheet. Please review the results tab and confirm I got the right drops for everyone.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvtiYWdRI42fdGtIcWJPejRTZmZiQW5STXNBQ1ZPVEE&hl=en_US

Yeah the 787b and Mad Mike's drift RX8 have a beautiful 4 rotor sound

Yeah I wanted to have a little D1 competition with Ben and I love racing that type of people online hahaha

Why am I still in 3rd in MX5