iRacing after 2+ years

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Practiced quite a few tracks last night to prepare for the season.

1) I love Las Vegas! I was able to consistently run low 30's. I don't care if that's slow as molasses, because I could not wreck that car. If I take it easy and run my race, that's one where I feel like I have no excuse not to make it to the finish and get a decent finish by saving my tires like I did in the trucks at Michigan.

2) I might love California a bit more. The track is a bit rough and you have to hold on to the wheel, but like Vegas, it's hard for me to wreck it if I'm driving consistently. I probably put in 40 laps the past couple of days there and I only lost it once on an old set of tires.

3) Phoenix... eh. I can't get fast laps (I couldn't get below high 28's and my friend got into the 27's) and I lose it out of 4. Probably the usual case of getting into 3 too hard. It might be one I take the week off and just spot that week in Cup.

4) Atlanta wasn't too bad once I kept it lower on the front stretch. That bad bump higher up on the track caused me to lose it twice, but once I stayed low, I could keep turning through the front stretch and not lose speed.

5) Texas was terrible. Good thing I probably will be at the actual track and not running iRacing there, at least in the Cup car. Kept losing it out of 2. I did find if you feather the throttle a bit just past the middle of the turn, I could keep it straight, but I have a feeling I could be giving up too much speed? May just stick the lower series that week.

6) Daytona. I may consider running the open as I doubt a setup makes you that much faster here. I can get a 46.9 driving solo. Put the car in the draft and fixed or open probably won't matter. I told myself to stay out of the way at Talladega and I did... until I started moving up the field and I eventually wound up in a crash I could have avoided if I stuck to my plan. With 200 laps, there is no reason to do anything more than ride around the first 120.

[RunN1st]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Bob and I will be jumping on at 11am PST and turn laps in the Pick-ups... We will be in a practice room and race an official race at 12pm PST.

[franko3219]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I got out of iracing for a bit, but I've had a renewed excitement in getting back into it. I broke down and purchased a wheel stand pro for my g25, which should arrive today. It's not the fanciest stand or piece of sim-racing gear, but it seems to have good overall reviews. Besides part of the reason that I started to lose interest was the hassle of having to assemble and disassemble my wheel every time I wanted to race. With this stand, that should solve that issue.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I may try to run the A fixed tonight at Daytona. Not sure what to really expect... I think my SR is clear enough that an accident won't kill me, but I'd like to get a good finish out of it with all the time I've put in. I know, it's Daytona: you can't hope for a good finish.

[RunN1st]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

It would be cool if we could run an OS room once a month, using the free cars and tracks. Perhaps a mix of the Pickup, Skippy or the MX5? Any interest out there?

Give a like to this post if you are up for it.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

It would be cool if we could run an OS room once a month, using the free cars and tracks. Perhaps a mix of the Pickup, Skippy or the MX5? Any interest out there?

Give a like to this post if you are up for it.

I'd only do the roads if you want a moving chicane. I have a D license only because I drove like a Grandpa... ok, I actually got pretty decent at Summit Point for that one week.

I didn't run A last night, but did run a fixed truck. Shockingly, 0 cautions and I started 12th and finished 3rd. Got help because the 3rd through 6th just took each other out with like 5 to go and me and the guy I was drafting with were just way back. Not sure how they didn't cause a caution.

[jct32]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I haven't raced at all in awhile and I think I am going to run the NiS series now. I will only be able to run the Sunday race a full length race is going to hurt my shoulders. Not looking forward to it.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I haven't decided what I want to run yet. The fixed setup gets so tight after 25-30 laps that I'm letting out of the throttle in turns. But my open setup varies. Sometimes I'm fast enough to keep up and sometimes I'm not, but after 5-10 laps I'm always so damn tight that I'd wreck it if I had a line of cars outside of me or if I was forced to the high side. I can't start letting off the gas 10 laps into a run. That's asking to lose the draft.

If I can get the setup good enough, I'm going to run the Sunday morning open and hopefully in my split, my times are good enough given I'm around a 1500.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

The fixed setup gets so tight after 25-30 laps that I'm letting out of the throttle in turns.

FWIW, that's happening to everyone based on what I've read. Just one of those things with the current tire/build we have. Hopefully it will change with the low downforce package next month.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

FWIW, that's happening to everyone based on what I've read. Just one of those things with the current tire/build we have. Hopefully it will change with the low downforce package next month.

Yea I know it's affecting everyone, but the race I ran last night, the group I was in was losing 3 and 4 tenths a lap to the front pack, so some managed it better than others. The open setup I'm working on is getting better and at least then if I have problems, it's my fault. Just need to get the RF wear better. It's uneven and very high after a fuel run.

[superjames1992]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

I haven't raced at all in awhile and I think I am going to run the NiS series now. I will only be able to run the Sunday race a full length race is going to hurt my shoulders. Not looking forward to it.

LOL, no way I am running full-length Daytona. That sounds like torture!

I may pick up NiS in a few weeks. I am a bit busy right now in my final semester of graduate school applying for jobs and such, though.

FWIW, that's happening to everyone based on what I've read. Just one of those things with the current tire/build we have. Hopefully it will change with the low downforce package next month.

Oh, yeah, is the LDF package out with the next build? That will be neat.

[franko3219]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Yea I know it's affecting everyone, but the race I ran last night, the group I was in was losing 3 and 4 tenths a lap to the front pack, so some managed it better than others. The open setup I'm working on is getting better and at least then if I have problems, it's my fault. Just need to get the RF wear better. It's uneven and very high after a fuel run.

It is definitely tight, but you may find it more beneficial to breath the throttle prior to going into your turn and then breathing it again right before you get ready to come out of the turn. Depending on how touchy your break petals are you can just drag the break to keep your rpms up. You shouldn't fall back as you will stay in the draft. The difficulty with the set up is trying to safely pass after 10 laps.

[Chaos81]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Besides part of the reason that I started to lose interest was the hassle of having to assemble and disassemble my wheel every time I wanted to race.

I think this does it for a lot of people, myself included. I'd definitely race more if all I had to do was hop into a sim rig of some sort, but it can be a pain getting my wheel and pedals set up properly every time. Hopefully once the better half graduates and we buy a house, I'll have plenty of room to build something.

Oh, yeah, is the LDF package out with the next build? That will be neat.

I think so, but I can't find where I read that or which staff member mentioned it. Thought it was Tony, but I can't find the post.

[superjames1992]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

LOL, that couple minutes it takes for me to set up the wheel also keeps me from racing as much as I would otherwise. It doesn't seem like it would be a big deal, but it makes it hard to justify just hopping on for a quick 30-minute race or something.

Maybe I can get a more permanent solution once I move, but I don't know. I doubt my apartment will be big enough for me to justify any dedicated racing computer.

[Redacted01]

Re: iRacing after 2+ years

Ran the A open Saturday night. Led 23 laps and was leading with about 8 to go, but the car was getting so tight in the turns that I was having to let off. The guy behind me bumped me out of the turn and I went around. He apologized, but damn, lead more than a quarter of the race and have the lead going into the end... finished top 10 still I believe.

Sunday however, I stuck to the plan of staying out of the way early. I won the pole and started from the pits with another guy. We rode around for the first 100 laps just always going to the back and passing lapped cars. Instead of being tight, my car was always loose in the turns! I kept adding pressure to the RF as I started mine lower than the fixed setup. Just past halfway, I got stuck behind a car that just would not go and I in turn 1 I lost it having to slow down quick. Just a 1x, but went 2 laps down. Still top 10 so I get back out there and I'm behind 1st and 2nd around lap 120. They're just a couple laps from pitting so I'm thinking, go in with them, maybe sneak out just ahead and get one lap back. Nope... car just got terribly lose in turn 3 and basically ended my day. Wound up 16th and 50-some-odd laps down.

I got as high as 5th and I'm 28th in the open points in division 5 but since I never ran a fixed, I guess I'm sticking to open to see how well I can do this year. I'll miss at least 6 races since I'm not planning on running Bristol, Martinsville, or road courses, might get interesting. I'm just looking for top half.