My god I should have never entered this forum. It is everything I dreamed of when I was younger, before most of this was available. I am literally drooling. Good to see you guys having fun. Thats the way real racing should be.

Real racing is not fun?! Online is the same as the real stuff in that it all depends on getting people with the right attitude together.

If you ask nicely you can drop by to check out my sim setup sometime (not that fancy but does have 3 screens). If you are really nice I could even kick the kids off their machines and we could do a little head to head racing over the LAN.

If you decide to by a PC and a wheel sometime you can get in on the fun. Just let us know if you decide to take the plunge and people will be glad to help out. If you shop around you could probably get started for about the cost of a set of tires (or you can go crazy and spend thousands).

To answer your question Ken (and others), I have (had?) a Logitech Momo


When tax return time rolls around, I will be looking around for a wheel and re-joining.

_________________
"The sport is more important than anything. More important than any of the people in it." - Gilles Villeneuve

You probably are due for an upgrade anyway, but if you want to try fixing it is likely that the optical encoder is cracked or slipping. If you want to open it up there should be a slotted disk that runs off a gear on the motor or steering shaft (see below). Could be that the gear is slipping in which case a bit of glue might fix it.

Holy sh!t.

I recently mentioned to Ken that I was disappointed that I could effectively use the brake and throttle simultaneously in iRacing...the brake would simply kill the throttle. He showed a Fanatec setup screen that I hadn't seen before. So, I figured that I should update my drivers and firmware on my GT3 wheel.

Well, after doing this, I can't believe the difference. I can actually feel the force feedback now! I can feel the wheel moving as I drive over dips and bumps on the track...and effort = grip. Also, I don't have to press two different buttons to connect the wheel, like I use to on the PS3. Finally, I can use the throttle and brake simultaneously! Heh, I kinda wish that I didn't order that new steering wheel now!

Thanks to Ken and Scott for your support...f@cking awesome.

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

That's great Jay. Fewer excuses now.

VIR GT results posted.

Congrats to David M on the wins. Wasn't a big grid last night. Hopefully those on the east coast got through the storm ok (you guys in FL just keep quiet! ).

There was good racing up front last night. David had to work for both those wins. First race Paul was keeping him busy and John was keeping an eye on Paul. I had a poor start which let Randy by but Randy was good enough to let me through when I caught him on the back straight. Didn't quite have the pace to stay with the front runners but was close enough to see what was going on. A little past mid distance found John recovering from a spin around turn 3 which left me about 3 seconds ahead of him. He got a little closer each lap so on the last lap there was only about a 1 s gap. I made a good exit by the tree and see he got a little wiggle so just had to be clean the last few corners.

Discovered while sitting on the grid for the first race that my throttle was partway on all the time (maybe around 1/10 throttle). Had noticed during qualifying that the braking distances had been a bit longer and the car seemed like it didn't want to turn as well mid corner (usually it wants to turn too much), but thought maybe the weather had changed. When the car sat revving on the grid realized that the throttle was partly stuck. Wasn't sure what happened if left the grid (start from the pits?), so decided to live with it. Recalibrated the pedals for the second race and the car was much better under braking and could get it to turn, it was back to being carefull in a few corners to keep it from over rotating. Was a good reminder that the RUF needs a little throttle to keep it stable.

Second race saw David, Paul, John and I nose to tail for the first half of the race. A little mistake by the leaders would bunch us up again and maybe take a look, but nothing that allowed a pass. Then John had an issue near the tree, and next lap Paul lost the back exiting T1 which just left me to chase David until the end. Would have taken a mistake on his part for me to get by but he was solid right to the flag. Looks like there was a good fight for 4th with Jay, Randy and John finishing just a few seconds apart.

Mid-Ohio in the Star Mazdas next week then Watkins Glen Boot in the GT cars.

Star Mazda Mid-Ohio results posted.

Congrats to David M and Scott on the wins last night. Thanks to Scott for sharing his setup.

Another snow day and another good race night for me. Wonder if there is a connection? Despite warning people about the cars being loose at T2 at the start, it was T1 where I had a big slide. Randy went through while I was gathering things up but he had a similar issue at T2. Art waited until the series of corners before pit-in to do a similar thing. That left me chasing Paul while David and Scott were up front. A few laps in Scott announced the car was getting away from him, and sure enough found him trackside within about a lap. I didn't put up a fight when he caught up to me figuring he would go pester Paul, who had been pulling away, to let me catch up. Might have worked but the car got away from Scott again before he could do any real damage . While this was going on John had been sneaking up on me. He didn't seem to have any problems getting by, but once I was in his draft I didn't seem to have any problems sticking with him. We had a couple nice passes on each other, including one that started at the bottom of the hill that took the next 3 corners to complete. Great stuff John!

The second race had Scott and David up front again, Paul just ahead and Art behind. Stayed with Paul for a couple laps but then lost the draft and started falling back. Art was doing the same behind me. Ran like that most of the race until about 3 laps from the end found Paul recovering from an off at T1. That set up a fun final 2 laps as he was trying to find a way by and I was driving a very defensive line. There was no way I was letting him have the inside going into T2 or at the bottom of the hill, and luckily for me it's very hard to pass just about everywhere else. We were nose to tail at the finish, but I was still ahead.

Heard lots of good chatter on the radio from Randy, Keith and Jay. Don't be shy about telling us how your race went.

Watkins Glen Boot in the GT3 cars next week, and then Mosport in the Mazdas.

I spent some time this past week analyzing and correcting the set up for my seat, wheel and pedals to be more to my liking...man, what an improvement.

I watched a couple of YouTube videos. I felt that I had a pretty good car setup, but I could only manage a 1:19 flat. Then, Scott offered his setup, and I did a 1:18 flat. It was a similar setup as mine...shock settings were a little different, but I was surprised I dropped a second. The track felt faster in the organized Practice then in did in Test mode.

I think I was leaving some time on the table. Every time I tried to do turn 1 in 5th, I usually was not as quick (exiting) as when I used 4th. Same thing with turn 2, 3 and 4...it felt better in a lower gear, but it's likely why I couldn't get into the 1:17s (however, my opt lap was easily).

Randy, Keith and I had some good racing together...very clean, very challenging...very fun! Almost as good as winning. The last race, I was trying to take it easy on the last lap and (somehow) lost the back end in turn 4. I was sitting sideways in the middle of the track. I can't remember, but I think John may have passed safely but I think I was in Randy's path. I was able to finish, only losing one spot.

I really enjoy the Star Mazda...it feels like a real formula car.

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

Jay, FYI this is what Keith posted on the Regulars board:

Thanks for sharing, Dan. Glad he still enjoyed the race!

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

That could have been due to the weather settings you were using. Weather can have a dramatic effect on lap times in iRacing.

Interesting bit of trivia...

I ran a couple official races yesterday afternoon and my best lap was a 1:17.3. Then in the league practice session, I started dropping into the 16's. Wow, I thought. I must have made a breakthrough.

Next thing I know I'm running 16.3's with an optimal in the 15's. In fact, I even beat the current iRacing World Record lap time. Damn!

Then I double checked the weather. Everything in the league was exactly the same as the official series save one small detail; "mostly cloudy" versus "partly cloudy". Looking at the track surface temps, we were running 15°F cooler (83°F versus 98°F surface temperature).

So immediately after our races, I jumped in a time trial to see if I could still run 16's. Nope. Best I could manage was a 1:17.1, nearly a full second slower. Amazing the difference 15°F of surface temperature makes.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Very interesting...thanks for sharing the info.

On a similar thought, has anyone figured out how to 'best' warm up the virtual tires? I simple try to do what I do in a real car on a track. But is the model that clever (braking, scrubbing/loading the tires during oversteer/understeer)?

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

Partly cloudy vs mostly cloudy? Makes you wonder how drivers at AMP contend with it raining in T9 while the sun is shining in T3.

Regarding the tire warming Jay I expect it should, but haven't tried it with these cars. Should be easy enough to tell.: do a normal lap, jump out and check the tire temperatures. Do a lap where you are trying to warm them up, check the temperatures.

I don't know if weaving / braking / etc on an out lap actually warms up the tires in iRacing. I was doing it on occasion last night out of boredom, knowing that my first couple laps would not be my fastest. I generally found that on my 3rd lap the car hooked up. There was no real advantage to heating the tires more quickly since we had several laps to get a good lap time. Might be different if we had a single lap qualifying format.

Ken's test may provide the answer.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

I took up Ken's suggestion and performed an experiment at Mid Ohio.

I ran one outlap driving normally, recorded my tire data, then ran one outlap weaving aggressively, braking hard in the straights, etc.

Here are the resulting differences in tire pressures / temperatures between the two outlaps:



Conclusion: Weaving around on your outlap (or formation lap) has essentially no effect on tire pressures / temperatures in iRacing.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Other than cleaning the tires off, I have found no advantage to doing this in a real car either, especially on harder R-Compounds.
My outlaps are always the same, no matter what I do.

_________________
Paul

Congrats to David and David on the wins last night. Also a welcome to Ryan.

Race 1 was kind of lonely. Got trapped behind the lap 1 incident in the boot. Mark gave chase for a few laps until he dropped back. After that wasn't really close to another car.

Race two was looking better. Was trying to stay in touch with Art in the opening laps. When David W came through they tried going though the bus stop together which gave me a shot at Art on the exit, but just as started to pull around him his car disappeared. Thought maybe we had touched but there was no contact reported. Turns out he managed to go off on his own. After that watched Paul close in. Just as he was getting close I forgot to pick up the throttle before getting off the brakes and spun in the turn just before pit in. Luckily that's one of the few places where there isn't some armco to greet the car as soon as it leaves the track. Rejoined behind Jeff but couldn't catch him. Well done to the podium (David, Scott and David), who were covered by 2s at the end.

Mosport next week in the Mazdas then back to Mid Ohio in the GT cars.

Congrats to Mark U and Scott on the wins. Looks like they were keeping each other honest both races. Appreciate you guys sharing your setups.

I had poor starts both races. Bumped the wall in T1 in the first race and bent the steering a bit. Was throwing me off at first until realized I could just hold the wheel at 9 and 1 instead of 10 and 2. Had an excellent scrap with Jeff for a number of laps. Art came along and joined in. Thought he and Jeff might slow each other up but couldn't quite keep pace with them once Art got around, so just waited for the wreck that never came. Great driving guys.

Second race just followed the hole Art made beside David's reversing car on the grid (didn't realize it was moving backwards either!). Was trying to go through Moss beside someone (Randy?) but lost the backend. Don't think anyone got caught in it, but David and Jay were there when got pointed in the right direction again. Had a good scrap with Jay for a couple laps. Never saw anyone use the pit in road like that before. Unfortunately it ended when he tried a wide line through 2. Ran a few laps without seeing anyone then noticed Randy was getting closer each lap. Turns out he was in fuel economy mode. Caught him with just a couple laps to go, but he was too busy watching the fuel gage to put up much fight. Finished behind Jeff and Art again but much farther back.

Mid-Ohio next week in the GT cars then Silverstone GP in the Mazdas. Once the iracing schedule comes out should be able to fill in our schedule for the rest of the season.

I think I qualified okay for both races...better than Dan? I had a pretty good setup, but tried Scott's and it was half a second better.

I had a pretty good first race. It was fun chasing David down and passing him when he made a little mistake. I thought he was making a strong comeback, but it was actually another car (John)! My second race didn't go so well. As Dan mentioned, we were having some fun together. He got ahead and I simply tried too hard to stay close...went flat through 2 using a bad line. Too bad...I like this track.

I like these Star Mazda formula cars...the physics are quite good...they feel like a real formula car.

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

You were right behind me the first race and just ahead the second.

Now we just need to figure out who Dan is.

Ken

Ha! Sorry Ken...typing and talking to a guy named Dan next to me!

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

Mid Ohio GT results posted. Congrats to Scott on the wins. Good to see Shawn join in.

Fairly uneventful night for me. Jeff was close the first few corners but fell back after Keith adjusted his car at the bottom of the hill. After that watched David M and Scott pull away. Second race David M's car rolled a head a bit on the grid before the lights went out so he disappeared for a stop and go (but at least the car didn't go backwards. ). Scott once again pulled away, but by mid race he had a brief off which brought him to within about 3s but that was as close as I got to him. Keith was initially behind me at the start but must've had issues because Randy ended up on the podium. Interesting that the podium finishers for both races only had 1-2 inc points between them.

Silverstone GP in the Mazdas next week. How does Road Atlanta (full) for the GT race the week after sound? (it's the venue for the last race of the official iracing series so there should be setups available). The iracing schedule should be out before the next Mazda round so will put together the rest of the schedule by then.

Have set the remaining events for the season. The GT series lines up fairly well with the official series, the SM was a little more difficult but reuses some of the circuits from the GT series. Note added one more event on May 5 to give same number of events in both series, but will still only count the same number of races (14 of the 18) for the championships.

Jan 6, 2015 Road Atlanta - Full Course SM
Jan 13, 2015 Circuit Park Zandvoort - Grand Prix GT
Jan 20, 2015 Circuit Gilles Villeneuve SM
Jan 27, 2015 Virginia International Raceway - Full Course GT
Feb 3, 2015 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Full Course SM
Feb 10, 2015 Watkins Glen International - Boot GT
Feb 17, 2015 Canadian Tire Motorsports Park SM
Feb 24, 2015 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Full Course GT
Mar 3, 2015 Silverstone Circuit - Grand Prix SM
Mar 10, 2015 Road Atlanta – Full Course GT
Mar 17, 2015 Autódromo José Carlos Pace - Grand Prix SM
Mar 24, 2015 Suzuka International Racing Course - GP GT
Mar 31, 2015 Okayama International Circuit - Full Course SM
Apr 7, 2015 Road America - Full Course GT
Apr 14, 2015 Virginia International Raceway - Full Course SM
Apr 21, 2015 Silverstone Circuit - Grand Prix GT
Apr 28, 2015 Suzuka International Racing Course - GP SM
May 5, 2015 Autódromo José Carlos Pace - Grand Prix GT

Congrats to Scott on the wins. Good to see Ryan drop in for a race.

Just like the warning in the iracing forum said, the cars were a handful until the tires warmed up, and then they had a lot of grip. I was about to make a comment about southerners not knowing how to drive when it was slippery after seeing David and David slide off on the opening lap, but then Scott also had a moment so out went that theory. Scott and David W both recovered quickly and easily got around me and set off after David M. Was gifted a spot after David M and Scott got together, but other than seeing David's car bouncing around it was a fairly lonely race.

The second race I think I was the only one that had an off on the opening lap, rejoining at the tail of the field after Chapel, which made for a much more entertaining race. Managed to get Keith by the second lap but then had Jim and Jay dicing in front of me. Had to wait a bit to see how that played out, then started to work on Jay. Got a good run out of Abbey and we went two wide through Bridge, then hit the brakes a little early trying to get to the inside for Priory if Jay, on the inside, went a little wide. Would have been a textbook over-under but Jay spun and collected Keith. After that caught Jim and managed to get around with the help of the draft. That was the first 4 laps. Set off after Randy and was helped out by David W falling back twice which slowed Randy down a bit both times David worked his way back around. Caught Randy around mid distance but couldn't find a way by him. Was gaining time in the corners but he was getting good exits which made it hard to gain on him on the straights. The chase broke off when I got caught on the curbing exiting T1 and had a big slide, letting Jim through. Had a good view of Jim chasing down Randy in the final laps. I was still about 2s back when the white flag came out so was little chance was going to catch them but then found them headed off course in Stowe which gifted me two spots (seems Jim had given Randy a nudge mid corner). Too bad as they had put in a solid race up until then.

Road Atlanta next week in the GT cars, then Interlagos in the Mazdas. Will get the servers setup for the rest of the season this week (just waiting for the weather forecasts for the Mazda events).

Edit: Video showing some of the action described above. Jay - white car, Jim - white/yellow, Keith- blue/black, Ken - yellow/black.

I would have made the second race if my computer didn't think that bluescreening was a reasonable course of action for assisting my qualifying. I tried to rejoin immediately after the BSOD, but then my audio drivers were having a giggle and my wheel didn't want to work, so I spent the rest of evening cleaning and troubleshooting.

Race 1 was great fun though once the tires warmed up. Bummed that I binned it coming onto Copse with 3 minutes remaining, but that's racing. Considering it's been a few months since I've had a chance to get in to iRacing, I did better than I expected.

Look forward to next week, and not having my car make out with the walls.

It was great fun, and definitely slippery on the first lap. In Race 1 one I spun going into Club on the first lap and lost the lead to David M and Ken but caught them back up by lap 3.

Then going into Becketts right on David M’s gearbox, he hooked his left wheel on the curb and suddenly slowed while I was on full throttle… POW… Send David flying through the air while I miraculously suffered zero damage. Went on to win with David W right behind.

Race 2 was pretty straight forward until I went off at Abby on lap 3 and let David M take the lead. From there David and I had a great battle for the rest of the race.

Race 1: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13192986
Race 2: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13193694

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Ugh...it was one of those weeks where I was away and unable to prepare for this event. I came home to find my new Fanatec V2 wheel base and formula carbon wheel. So, I spent some time installing that, rather than practicing Silverstone. I almost decided not to join the event, as I didn't want to ruin anyone's' race. Then I thought "the more, the merrier...". Well, what can I say...sorry Keith! Although we usually have good, fair battles...overall it's very enjoyable.

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte

Road Atlanta GT results posted. John and I came away with wins last night. Don't know where everyone is, but you are missing out on some good racing.

The first race was the most interesting for me. Brian G shot by me at the start and was ahead of Jeff by T1. Pestered Jeff for a lap and then snuck by him on the way into T1. Chased Brian down a lap or two later. Wasn't close enough for a pass into T1 but pulled out to the inside anyway and it was enough to make him leave some room on the inside. Unfortunately he ran out of room on the exit and lost a couple spots. David M and John were pulling away out front after that and Jeff was lurking just a few seconds behind waiting for a mistake. He wasn't long getting one as about 6 laps in David had a spin and dropped back to within reach of Jeff. However it wasn't long that David was starting to get large in my mirrors. He pulled to within less that a second, then dropped back a bit, caught me again and then disappeared. John meanwhile was cruising to a win.

Second race was much easier. Qualified a little better after getting a tow from John. On the start of the second lap John went wide in T1, which left David in front and Jeff behind. The gaps grew a bit as the race went on and it was looking fairly steady. Then with 3 laps left found David rearranging his car's bodywork on the wall outside T1. Put in 3 very careful laps after that to get to the checkered. Meanwhile John had been reeling in Jeff which set up a pass that lasted from the final chicane to the finish line. See if you can tell who crossed first in the video below.

Interlagos next week in the Mazdas then Suzuka in the GT cars.

I was checking the The Regulars calendar on iRacing when I noticed it is only showing the GT race dates and not the SM race dates. Not sure if it's just my PC or if anyone else sees this...

_________________
--------------------------------------------------
Jay Barthelotte