So long and thanks for the DR...

So being a 'C' Rated driver didn't last long... especially with trying the Aston Martin at the Red Bull Ring in the FIA race...


After a few laps, just keeping it as clean as I could, avoiding the mayhem all around, I was up in 10th place, for a few laps as well... then as my tires wore down and my time slowed I got rudely swiped by a grey ford GT, who was not happy with a little tap, he swerved left and side swiped me into the "shadow realm" to quote SuperGT...


Well the end results was a poor 17th place :-( and a DR going south faster than the price of oil... Back to the grind of trying to regain 'C' again...

Quick update

On the T-LCM's put in the strongest springs along with just washers, now the pedal hardly moves ;-) No more spongy brake pedal... Run the Tuning tool and put 3.5% of deadzone which basically removes about 30% of the pedal travel, set the brake force to 30% and now I can modulate the brake much more consistently.

In GT Sport you have to remember to "warm the brakes" or it auto calibrates on your first application and it is very odd for the first few braking attempts...
Did a quick warm up at Laguna Seca in the ND and got a decent time, best of all it was much easier to get consistent times.

T-LCM pedals arrived

So shiny new pedals have arrived... big question, any quicker? Well yes, mainly...

 
The Break - (the LC in LCM) measures the pressure you are putting on the pedal, allowing you to modulate the brake force without actually moving your foot, well that is if the app lets it work like that... It appears that GT Sport, the main thing I am using does some form of auto calibration, which basically ends up with you having to bottom out the peddle to get 100% braking.... will have to research and see what the best configuration is based on the springs and PC tuning software...


Does feel better and I am able to manage the throttle and break better, not perfect, but a good start...

The Online races have changed, I stupidly entered a couple and just got hammered.. Qualified 4th on a track I did not know, was quite happy with that, then the race... barging and crashing being punted off in all directions... ended up last... still (just) managed to stay in 'C' class.... Note to self, learn the track more and practice... maybe don't enter weekly races before Wednesday or Thursday...

Did a Time Trial at Laguna Seca with the NA (touring car) best time yet... 1:42.745 

Finally...

After several days of bad results, I made a concerted effort to improve my qualifying times and clean races. Well the only race that I was even vaguely competitive on was the Mini's at the Blue Moon Oval (infield course). Spent many laps just learning how to adapt my driving to cope with the understeer from the mini, lots of early (not full braking) and turn in very early to keep the slide on exit to a minimum. One of the best tricks I picked up off of YouTube was to "launch" in 2nd, even without TC on the mini goes much better from the start, less chance of getting caught up in the first corner mayhem (even from 4th or 5th)...

So managed to drag myself up into group C, hopefully there will be some better quality / cleaner racing, but having watch some group A races, it could be wishful thinking...

So looking at the americas leader board for the Blue Moon Infield track (assume using the mini) I am only 3.5% away from the top... quite happy with that, especially as that is without the new pedals...



The T-LCM pedals will arrive this week, after a short delay... so will have to re-learn how to brake using a load cell, it should be easier to modulate braking based on pressure instead of foot position. Will be doing a lot more practice before entering the races as I don't want to loose my C rating straight away...

Seating Position

As with any form of driving, seating position is critical. Not totally happy with mine, I did little research before "hacking" together my rig, but then it was originally set up for the logitech PS3 wheel / pedal and to be movable. So now with the T300 installed and in a more permanent position it needs some attention.
Question is... tweak this setup or build a new one? If building a new one how to ensure it is going to be any better. Wooden rigs are easy to modify but not as easy to make adjustable (and stable)... more research needed...

New High...

So two clean races, woo hoo... on the Daily Race A (Tokyo Expressway - South Outer Loop) with 11 other Miatas. Second race, was spun around by an angry yellow miata from mid field, ended up last but recovered to 6th after others scraped the barriers and I kept calm (swore a little) and drove clean laps.
Replay of a close race with Miata's at Tokyo Expressway)

Also did the monza (chaos) race, not a clean race there, but less penalties than normal, only spun when taking the second chicane and trying to avoid contact. Maybe once I get the new pedals (yes the T-LCM pedals are on order..) and get used to them I will be able to modulate my braking and acceleration a bit better (fingers crossed).

Not much update for today

Did not really do much racing this evening, had a go at the daily race (which is now Monza) with the 911 GR3 car, not good, rookie error, thinking I could get around the track without some major track practice... Basically survived, but only up 2 places and very poor score.

Prior to that, 3D printed a mount for the BT LED, was worried that I would run out of filament, luckily had enough. (not a pretty print as using PETG and it's a little damp)

Up and Downhill and Breath...

So a couple of days with some good and bad experiences.
Good, more pole positions, bad, not a single win and several spins (some self induced, others assisted)...
I have been tweaking the FFB settings on the T300 and also my seating position and driving view. Starting to settle on cockpit view as it seems easier and more natural to turn into corners, it's a pity you can't turn off the virtual wheel, but not too distracting. I have turned off almost all the on-screen info except race info. I have the BT LED display that shows speed, gear and shift light, so using that now.

I did try some live streaming on  YouTube... (jump to 23 mins to watch me go from 4th backwards... not a highlight...) 

And I did the FIA nations cup race at SPA, 10 laps of a very quick track and even a grid start! I do have points on the FIA table, ok a long, long way down... ;-)

So today I have been concentrating on just getting to the end of a race without drama... not there yet, but did have a good race, not position wise, started 6th, finished 7th (with a self induced 360 spin on lap 2), some close clean racing, makes a change from the "hit first, steer later" I normally come up against.

First Pole and podium finish!

On the daily race at Dragons Tail Seaside track (GR3 cars) I ranked pole with my 1:42 time. I treated the race as qualifying, as there was no one in front I only had to watch the gap to the chasing pack. The race is only 5 laps, by lap 4 I still had a 1 second lead but lost that at turn 15, I did not want to tangle and run the risk of spinning or being punted off into the barriers so did not put up much of a fight for the corner.

The rest of the days races would not be as easy or as good results, several silly mistakes and many "nudges" from others would result in a spin or having to slow dramatically to recover the car.

I am learning to use the bad races as practice and trying to make the best of it, once you in 14-16th place this it is very unlikely your going to end up in the top 10.

Still a lot of learning to do

Had a couple of online races yesterday evening, just the short 5 lap races. First race started well and within 2 laps I was up to 2nd (was still 7 seconds behind the leader), by lap 4 I was maintaining a gap of about 0.8 to 1.2 seconds ahead of the next driver, then they caught me, I must has slowed a little to ensure I did not mess up a corner and slide wide. Two cars went flashing past after a slight tap on my rear quarter sent me off track and skimming the wall! I recovered and headed after them trying to minimize the damage to my race. Ended up finishing 4th, which is my best so far, but disappointing t loose out on 2nd... Patience and practice are needed.

I have switched from "bumper" to "hood" view, gives a better perspective on the front positioning of the car (especially as my TV is a little higher than ideal). Loosing the rear view and over distracting gauges helps a little as well. But now you have to watch the timing and radar to avoid being swamped by the following drivers.

The next race just went from bad to worse, ended up last after a couple of incidents with a Ford GT wiping me out... this has impacted my Sportsmanship Rating (SR) 

Need to practice and get more consistent clean races...

What setup I have

PlayStation 4 pro, 2TB hybrid HDD (PS3 slim as well)
Sharp 60” 1080p LCD TV
Thrustmaster T300 Ferrari Edition T3PA peddles with conical brake mod
Thrustmaster TH8A shifter
Homebrew “scrap wood” rig
Office Chair!
Puma Ferrari shoes (very tight fitting,1/2 size to small really)
Harbor Freight gloves
iPad (3rd gen) HUD for ProjectCars2
1GBit XFinity Cable connection (Ethernet wired to Unifi network switch)

Made from scrap timber I had and pocket screws (mainly).

Currently using Gran Turismo Sport, Project Cars 2 and just downloaded Dirt 2 (will give that a try)

Welcome...

Well another day and another blog, here is one for my virtual racing stuff, I would always have liked to do track days and racing, but don't have the funds or talent to do it.
This is more of a "diary" for myself than anyone else, but if you find anything interesting then drop me a message.
Even thinking of streaming races, but that requires me to get a lot better and consistent (and have something interesting to say, not just swearing at the muppet who punted me off track!)