It's not just you. Looks like I'll have to chase after the guy that sets up the servers. Thanks for the reminder.

iRacing must've fired their meteorologist because they only listed the weather for this week today, and are only giving the weather for this week's races (the other SM races aren't listed in the sessions page yet). However we are good to go for tonight and you should see the races at Interlagos listed in the league events table.

BTW if anyone wants the forecast for tonight: 82F, wind South 9mph, 64 RH. no fog, clear. Sounds nice doesn't it.

Interlagos results are posted. Have been trying to upload a video of the first race but youtube is giving me grief.

Congrats to Art and Paul on the wins. Great to see big grids again. Just to show no good deed goes unpunished, John's connection dropped
after sharing his setup, so instead of starting from pole he started form the pits for the first race.

Not sure if it was the changes they made to the cars (draft and suspension), or it it was just the car-track combination but there was never a break in the action last night, especially the first race. When the top 5 are covered by 1.1s at the end you know there was some great racing. Too much to describe in words so was working on a video.

Second race was broken up a little. Paul got away when Jeff and I started dicing. Then John came through, but somehow Jeff and I still
kept our scrap going. Towards the end Jim joined in (not bad for his second race in the car and having just bought the track) and after outbraking myself a couple times we finished side by side. John must have kept Paul busy as see they finished only a few 100ths part.

Looking forward to see what the new updates do for the GT cars next week at Suzuka (the GT40 got a few extra tweaks as well). It'll be interesting to see if we get the same close racing at Okayama in the SM the following week.

Youtube decided to play nicely:

I'm left to assume the only reason I was able to get up to first on that first lap was because of my setup not having tires like bricks. Mine seemed quite warm and grippy from the get go, though inevitably my luck was not supported by my talent and I fell back.

It was great fun even if I had mostly empty air around me once I settled in, and I hope I didn't make anyone too angry with my still amateurish racecraft.

I look forward to the GT cars next week, and I imagine the racing will be quite close!

Some setups (e.g. Scott's) are loose at the start, others are stable from the start. However in that race you were helped out by Art and Brian both getting a tail wag between T1 and T2. I checked up and stayed behind Brian because the instant before that Art had been beside me. That left the center lane clear for you.

Your driving looked ok to me. It's all good fun.

Suzuka GT results posted. Congrats to David W on the wins.

The results for both races say I was there but the track never loaded on my end. Couldn't get three screens to work last night, and even when tried with single screen it didn't seem to want to connect (got stuck on the track loading screen). Time for a rebuild.

Looking at the results there didn't seem to be the same close racing like there was last week. Curious to see what happens with the Mazdas at Okayama next week, and if Road America will be better for the GT cars the following week.

I think a lot of people were struggling with setups and familiarity with the track. I can admit I had never driven Suzuka with a non-downforce car, and for the first 45 minutes of practice it was a struggle to find some rhythm.

The front pack were gone almost immediately, but there was still some good dicing in the mid-field. I had a last lap race with Randy in the first race that was certainly exciting and enjoyable (without a hood too!)

Look forward to SM next week, and it's still fun regardless.

David was untouchable last night. He had a full second / lap on the field. Must be all of those "Spirit of VLN" endurance races he had been running at Suzuka.

John and I had nearly identical pace, qualifying only 1/10th of a second apart both races. But he tended to fall off each race, so there wasn't much battling between us for 2nd place.

Ryan has mastered launching the BMW. He qualified 4th both races and I had to defend from him (in P2) going into T1 on the first lap of both races.

Race 1: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13336127
Race 2: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13336806

Standings: http://www.danlisa.com/scoring/season_s ... on_id=3938

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Good to hear it went well. Thanks for the video Scott/TNT Racing.

IRacing won't give a weather forecast beyond the current race week any more so can't tell what the weather will be for the official SM races in advance. Have set the remaining SM races with the default weather (they should be listed in your league sessions list now).

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 - Grand Prix SM
May 5, 2015 Autódromo José Carlos Pace - Grand Prix GT

Ben is planning to broadcast our SM races tonight, but he could really use a color commentator to help him in the booth. Anyone interested? Rejean?



To help Ben, please submit your bio at the following link:

Broadcast Info Form: http://goo.gl/forms/OXqjx2YIKm

The broadcast can be viewed live on Twitch using the following link:

Live Broadcast: http://www.twitch.tv/DingoLindsay

It can also be viewed later using the same link. Ben will likely upload it to his YoutTube account later as well:

Ben’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNXdIT ... XD0e5H6pRA

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Okayama Star Mazda results posted.

Congrats to David W and Scott on the wins. Welcome back to those that have been away for a bit. To bad the broadcast didn't come off. Hopefully Ben and the TNT guys will be able to try again sometime soon.

Was great to see the big field and a bunch of people return that haven't raced in a while, including a couple that haven't raced in years (since the GPL days before 2007?). You could tell who these last two were because they were announcing their Pit Out every time. Glad to hear most of you will be back on a regular basis now.

Rick, I thought the contact was just Art's way of welcoming you back. Great scrap with Rick after the off. Paul was there for a bit as well at the beginning until he found a way around Ralph. Unfortunately once you guys stopped dicing I didn't have the pace to keep up. Second race was similar. Got by Jeff on the opening lap but only took a few laps for him to find a way back around, and after that just couldn't keep pace with him. Thought Art might recover after his run in with a wall but it never happened. I owe Jim's (former) crewchief a beer for not topping up his tanks after qualify which handed me a spot with just a couple laps to go.

Road America in the GT cars next week and then to VIR in the Mazdas.

Did they do something to the SM in the last build? I haven't driven the car in a long time, and it seemed to drive very non-formula car like, drove more like an IT car, sliding constantly, and a lot.
Definetly does not drive like a downforce F-car on slicks!

_________________
Paul

They did change the suspension modeling on all cars, but don't think that was the problem with the low grip last night. More likely the track and the weather. For whatever reason Okayama doesn't have a lot of grip. Certainly less than Interlagos a couple weeks ago. At first I thought it was the setup that Jim shared, but went to add more wing for the second race and they were already maxxed out.

Okayama has always been a very low grip track on the service. It was even worse last night. My all-time best lap there is a 1:24 and all I could manage last night was a 1:28. Weather is likely the culprit.

iRacing did change the dampers on all cars last build. If I understand correctly, they increased the damper range on every car, so pre-15S2 damper settings are no longer the same.

The broadcast occurred, but had a few issues. Lol

For R1, Ben didn’t get home in time for the race start, so he missed the first couple minutes of the race. Then he just streamed it without commentary. You can view it here: https://youtu.be/AmatL6JcgFU

For R2, both Ben and Jim did commentary but Ben accidentally left his OBS mic on mute until the last 6min of the race 2. So you can only here Jim’s voice up to then. It can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/IU3LyCzpcn0

There were also some issues with some of the overlays being on top of one another, amongst other things. The guys are still learning.

Good news is that Ben & Jim are now talking about broadcasting every Tuesday night, so we should have broadcasts every week now! And as the guys learn, the quality will surely improve.

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

That was a fun track...wish I had practiced it...never drove here before. The car felt more like a Formula Ford than a winged car. I think I started with tires at 16 psi, which helped the grip, but I don't think it was better for really pushing between the apex and exit.

I had some fun battling during the first race with Randy and Keith...then someone else. We ended up touching and spinning, but no damage. The second race was a train wreck. I jumped the start, then someone lost it in front of me and I damaged my nose. I had to come in and serve the penalty and fix the damage. Then I realized it was filling my tank full with fuel! (I need to figure out how to configure that). So, I spent the rest of the race watching.

_________________
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Jay Barthelotte

That would have been me, Jay. Sorry about the bump, I was just getting too ambitious on my moves to try and get by you.

No worries, Ryan...that's what makes it fun!

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Jay Barthelotte

Thanks for the videos Scott (and TNT). Will be cool to have the races broadcast.



You can press F4 and F5 anytime after you get in the car to bring up the black boxes and change the fuel refill and tire change settings (use arrow keys and enter to make changes). Some people do this while sitting on the grid (keep an eye on the lights!), as it's easier then doing it while rolling down pit road.

Awesome...thanks Ken.

_________________
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Jay Barthelotte

Thanks for posting the videos Scott! And great job! And Paul, you seemed to catch up in the first race quite well, and P2 in the second race, great video!

Road America - GT cars

1st Race: I had a really good standing start.

2nd Race: I had a good standing start.

The end.

_________________
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Jay Barthelotte

Yes Jay you were a rocket off the line. Well the first race it was a bit more like a guided missile.

Road America results are posted.

Congrats to Scott and David W on the wins. Another big field, no doubt helped by the races being broadcast. Thanks Ben, Jim and TNT Racing.
Good to see Kevin and Brian W join in.

Very close fields last night and Road America gives lots of opportunity for drafting combined with a few tricky corners making for some great racing. A big thanks to Rick for sharing his setup and showing me how to use it in race 1. Was the first time was able to slide the RUF around a bit without the backend just keep going.

After the incident at the start of the first race cleared there was a group of us behind McEwen. The GT40 was quick on the straights but not so good in the corners. Greg took a few shots at getting around him in the opening laps then I had a crack at it. After I got by see Randy tried his hand at it as well. After that couldn't catch Jim and Ryan who were now a few seconds up the road. Thought Paul might catch up after an off course but by the time he got around Art there weren't enough laps left. Towards the end Ryan was getting a little closer but was just getting in drafting range at the finish.

Second race was a battle from start finish. Ryan and Jim were in front of me in the opening laps and Jim stayed tucked in behind Ryan so not to lose any time dicing. Managed to finally get a run at Jim after a few laps, but once I got around he wasn't content to stay tucked in anymore. Did a nice over-under in turn 3 and then Jim dropped back (saw you closing fast in the mirrors Jim when I was already hard on the brakes, so just waited for you to go by before I turned in). Again took a few laps to get a run at Ryan, but he wasn't long responding in kind and seemed like we spent the rest of the race like that. Meanwhile Brian W was catching up so the final couple laps was trying to get back around Ryan while fending off Brian W. Great fun guys.

Get to try the Star Mazdas around the dips and curves of VIR next week and then should be more drafting fun in the GT cars at Silverstone.

It was definitely one of the most tightly packed and competitive GT races I have ever seen. It was amazing fun and the fighting was (from my perspective) fast, solid and clean. Race 1 was a good dice with Jim though a few corner overshoots allowed him to get past me without too much trouble near the end.

Race 2 was fantastic and enjoyable from start the finish, with every group having their own battles going on. I still have no idea were Brian W. came from over the last 5 or so minutes of the race, but he did add some spice to the back and forth between Ken and I. Would have been a lot sweeter if I didn't pull a Vettel on the third last corner of the race.



Look forward to next week and seeing how the field does at VIR.

That was a fun couple races last night. Good sized fields as well.

Big thanks to Ben & Jim for broadcasting once again. Next week I’ll try to remember to give the league more advanced notice of the TeamSpeak server & broadcast URL.

Here's the broadcast for Race 1:

https://youtu.be/rgmvNx2921o

Race 2 is not on YouTube yet, but you can view it on Twitch TV:

http://www.twitch.tv/dingolindsay/b/647185594

R1 Results: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13446818
R2 Results: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13447503
Standings: http://www.danlisa.com/scoring/season_s ... on_id=3938

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Driver Profile
For the broadcast

To assist the broadcasters in getting to know the drivers, please fill out the following Google Form (if you haven't already).

http://goo.gl/forms/OXqjx2YIKm

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Once again, TNT Racing will be broadcasting the races. Ben has a class before R1 so he may be a bit late starting.

If you would like to chat with us before / during / after the broadcast, feel free to join us on TeamSpeak!

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads and get the TeamSpeak 3 software.
2. Once installed, go to the Bookmarks menu and select Manage Bookmarks.
3. Click the Add Bookmark button on the top left.
4. Next to Label type “TNT Racing”.
5. Next to Address type “TNT-Racing.com”.
6. Next to Nickname type your full name.
7. There is not password, so you can leave Server Password blank.
8. Click the OK button.
9. Now go back to the Bookmarks menu and select TNT Racing.
10. You should now be connected to the TNT Racing TeamSpeak server.

All you need do now is setup TeamSpeak to use you mic / speakers / headphones. You can do this by going to the Settings menu and selecting Setup Wizard.

See you tonight!

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

VIR Star Mazda results posted.

Congrats to Mark U on the wins last night. A big field again and everyone stuck around for the second race. Was the race broadcast? Didn't notice the TNT crew around. BTW noticed in the standings that the "number of races counted" was still set at 9 from when we ran shorter seasons, so changed it to 14 (i.e only 14 of the 19 events will count).

A hectic night with both races being very busy start to finish. Was impressed there wasn't a pileup on the opening lap when an incident up front (Scott/Paul?) had us getting on the brakes through the normally flat out roller coaster section. Jim was applying pressure in the opening laps and then after he fell off it was Ryan and then Greg. Scrapped with Greg for a few laps and then Jim was back in the final laps to put pressure on once again.

Second race switched from Scott's Mid-Ohio setup to the one Jim shared (thanks!) and it was a little loose on cold tires but seemed a little quicker once it warmed up. First laps were a little crazy when came around the corner by the tree to find a car stopped on the track and another one being launched into the air. That slowed up the bunch of us imediately behind and left a gaggle of cars scrambling to find clear track at different rates of speeds. After the drag race down the back straight there was again some incidents as we all funneled into the corner under braking. Once that settled it was Greg, John, Paul an I running nose to tail for most of the race. Got a run at Paul a few times on the back straight but wasn't brave enough to try around the outside of the corner at the end of it. Finally got him on the front straightt but not long after that we caught a backmarker going through the roller coaster section which bottled us up. Looked like John tried a move on Greg which didn't go well. Paul and I got through but he gave me a little tap under braking by the tree which crossed me up (no worries Paul, it's hard to see through those rear wings ). The final couple laps had John putting on lots of pressure, but luckily there aren't many easy places to pass and I got a better exit by the tree on the final lap to hold him off.

Back to Silverstone next week in the GT cars, then the last race of the Mazda series at Suzuka. Only the GT race at Interlagos after that. Soon time to talk about plans for the summer series.

That was definitely a fun couple of races, regardless of the chaos and contact that came with it.

Race 1 was going well and I was definitely having a few good battles, though it all came undone when Greg and I ran out of room heading in to the roller coaster and he climbed over the front of my car (just a racing incident, no fouls). I was able to dive in to the pits and get a quick repair done, but by then the gap was just a bit too big for me to overcome.

Race 2 was crazy off the get go, and the bunchup resulting from Scott and Paul's come together meant about six cars coming off the back straight all together. I decided to take to the grass to avoid any contact, and while that dropped me down the order it wouldn't have been a massive gap to overcome. The problem came when I failed to notice I hadn't upped my fuel back from qualifying levels, and had to dive in for a splash and dash. Then it was a case of just doing my best with all the clean air, which led to a fun little race with Randy on the final lap.

I was initially very worried about this track being too tough to be fun with my limited experience, but it ended up being one of the most exciting ones we've run on yet.

I had a pretty rough night. I was way off pace and struggling to find a setup that worked. I could only manage to qualify P5 in race 1.

I got a great launch from that P5 though and immediately took P3, almost P2 by the end of turn 1. Then at Nascar Bend (T3), David in front of me braked earlier than expected and I had to dive to the inside to avoid him. This sent me into a half spin in which I ended up cutting the corner and slid back onto the track in front of Paul who rear-ended me.

From that point on, the whole race was a battle with Paul for 3rd. He was within 0.5 seconds of me pretty much the whole race until the white flag fell and he went off into the Hog Pen (T17), allowing me to cruise to the finish.

My team mate Mark shared his setup with me so I used it for race 2. I qualified 0.8 seconds faster with his setup which put me P3 on the grid. I got a pretty good launch on the green and was pulling up to the right of David when he cut across and started squeezing me to the edge of the track. I had my front wing up to his rear wheel and we made contact. At first I was pissed, thinking he was pulling a Schumacher on me, but watching the replay later, I don’t think he even knew I was there. Looks more like he was just trying to draft Mark, who had also cut to the right to defend the inside line.

Surprisingly the contact didn’t seem to have caused any damage and I kept right on David’s tail. But as we got around to the Oak Tree (T12), David slowed suddenly at the apex and I had to brake to avoid hitting him. This also surprised Paul (behind me) and sent him into the back of me, causing me to spin sideways, then got hit a second time and was sent flying into the air. I ended up upside down on the track.

While I catching a tow, I was busy watching the replay of the two incidents and forgot that I needed to switch on fast repairs in the black box. So once I got to the pits, I was stuck there with a 7 minute repair instead of being able to rejoin with a fresh new car. Argh! That the end of the race for me.

Race 1: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13500017
Race 2: http://members.iracing.com/membersite/m ... d=13500667
Standings: http://www.danlisa.com/scoring/season_s ... on_id=3937

Both races were broadcasted (although I've yet to view them)

Race 1: https://youtu.be/-Sc_xeKOKoc


Race 2: https://youtu.be/7a9lj6AzoRI

_________________

1997 Talon TSi AWD
2008 EVO X MR

Silverstone GT results posted.

Congrats to Scott on the wins. Changed the number of races counting for points for the series from 10 to 14 (best 14 of 18 races will count).

The first race didn't go well for me. Was trying to type a chat message after qualifying but instead of text it took the keystrokes as keyboard commands. Didn't realize this until was sitting on the grid and had the @private radio channel displayed. The lights turned green while was still trying to figure out which key changed the radio channel. Jammed it in gear and floored it but was very slow off the line. Luckily everyone behind managed to flow around either side of me without much incident. Which the close qualifying times I was just hanging on the tail of the field. Chased Randy at first until Greg dropped back and got in between us, and then John dropped back to join in as well. I had another crack at Randy and got a run at him through bridge but ended up taking out his right rear quarter turning into Priory. That seemed to take the fight out of Randy as he let John through shortly after that. Set off after Greg who had caught up to the mid pack battle. Got a run at him out of Club but didn't have room to get around him but didn't want to let off for some reason which ended up with a tap from behind which sent him off into the wall. Felt pretty crappy after that so just circulated and pulled off when the white flag flew to go look for the radio controls so could apologize to Greg and Randy. Managed to double my inc points for the season in that one race.

Second race was much better. Aside from David M and Paul getting togther on the first lap it was Paul, Greg and I covered by 2 s or less. We were covered by just a second at the finish, and that's with me getting a little wheelspin out of the last corner.

Just one more race in each series. Suzuka next week in the Mazdas, and then Interlagos in the GT cars. Hopefully by then the snow will be gone by then and we can go play outside.