Hey Guys, not sure if this is the place for it, but I was wondering if the faster guys were willing to give tips etc to the guys in the slower division. Happy to do it after season races so as to not give away strategies etc. Or is this something everyone holds pretty close to their chests?? If there's people keen then lets start with Apricot hill??
I think you will find if you join some of the rooms Stu, and some of the other guys host through the week, the faster guys are always eager to help out. For example, TB helped me find 4 seconds @ Apricot Hill last week by riding along with me and pointing out what I needed to be doing at each corner. So yes the fast guys will help you and I think they get as much kick out of helping you shave seconds off your time as much as you do.
Yeah I improved a ton by watching the div 1 boys back in season 2. Followed Koastr around trial mountain and looked at braking points and exit speeds etc and was able to improve alot.
yeah mate, more than happy to help you out. If you see me in a room just jump in and will see what i can do. there are a few things at spa that will shave some time off, i need anon to help me find some more !!
If there was enough interest from those in the slower divs, perhaps we could look at holding a "driving tips" session one night where a few faster/experienced drivers could jump in a room (or two) and share their wisdom with the slower drivers about the various aspects which help shave those seconds off? Listening and watching how its done and then trying to do the same. Just a thought....I know I'd be keen. I have an accumulation of seconds I'd love to get rid of - LOL
yeah thats a good idea doogledave.. The higher divisions times feel like they must be super human so I'd love to see the lines, break points, average speed through corners, accel out of corners and all the extra bits to help gain a few seconds...
when you on next mulch ? We did a bit last night with a few of the guys, BJ and clevo got some tips last night. Am "planning" on being on tonight, around 9:30 sydney time. If you see me on, come join.
yeah ill try and be on tonight. I did some hotlaps late last night but just on my own for Spa. In time trial ran a 2:28.568 on RH but in a race against myself online i could only get down to a 2:30.140 (RH) . Best sector times online were. S1: 0:41.1, S2: 1:08.8, S3: 39.6. I feel corner 15 (End of Sector 2) would be my easiest area to improve as I just can't seem to nail it.
Those times are about right, Time trial (arcade mode) will always be a couple of seconds quicker, online physics are a bit different to offline play.
anon was in the 26s last night and i am in the low 27s. I find there is a couple of key spots. Turn 1, (la source) is critical because you are flat from there, through Eau Rouge down to les combes. The whole way flat out. Turn 9 i can get through flat if i have the right line in 4th gear, and its just a case of short shifting and feathering the throttle through 12, 13, and 14. In turn 15 i think i shift down to get the nose turned in, then short shift up again to hold it flat on exit. (this is a critical turn as well with the huge straight, 10 klms difference on exit makes a big diff at the end of the straight.) Blanchimont should be flat as well. With turn 19, use the white line as your brake marker. hope that helps a little, i need to watch what anon does different to me so i can make up a little time but in essence its about being as smooth as you can and using all the track to stay at maximum throttle. (as it is on any track !!) Try to listen to the brake and tire squeal as well, that is definitely a time breaker. For me its having the confidence to get on the throttle as early as the fast guys, and how smooth that application is....Warrior and musta have me shaking their head at how fast they are, i cant get my head around it...... Also, are you using a wheel or controller ?
In general terms, being faster out of a corner than into a corner will always drop your times. I used to try and have maximum entry speed and would often get the wrong line or end up off the track. Once I learned to have a more controlled entry and a fast exit, I dropped my times. One more key point; you should never get back on full throttle out of a corner until you know you won't have to lift off. Also, just practice, practice, practice! When I've got time, I'll put in a good 200 laps or more in preparation for a race. Jumping in with some of the faster guys will help, just don't try and go as fast as them straight off, and don't be discouraged by their speed. These boys are seriously talented (I'm look at you @warrior2167 , @Mustafur , @Anon666 and @Cyber_STIG_77) and it takes lots of practice to get those sorts of times. As Joe and Stu have said, it is sometimes unbelievable the lap times that come from people. The key is to be not only fast, but also consistent.
I would say it takes a few stages of learning to get faster, first stage is learning how to keep momentum. trying to go through corners as smooth as possible to not scrub off speed, so that means tight entry and a wide exit, the less turning angle to do the corner the better(this is extremely important in FWD cars as the power can't be put down properly unless the wheels are striaght). so that basically covers your steering. next step is throttle, you want to get on the power as early as possible exiting a corner as it means you get all that time advantage till the next time you have to lift, this can mean seconds if this is before a huge straight as the key momentum starts at slow speed. learning to get on the throttle before you think its right is a good way to learn, it will take quite a while to get used to this as there is a fine line before too early and late but once you get comfortable with that you will improve your times by loads. you get comfortable with those two and you will be div 1 straight away, after that its all in the fine details that gets the rest.
I agree, that is my basic problem, too fast in and too slow out, The key is getting that entry speed just right so that you can confidently blast out of the corner, I still haven't got it right yet but I'm working on it.
Its sort of hard to explain, it sort of eventually comes naturally if u practice. I used to be bottom of div3 and then I became much faster a few seasons ago. Not as fast now but not braking as much is a start, these cars brake pretty well.
I saved a replay from practice last night and watched Cyber, he brakes way later than I do and still gets turned in. When I try braking that late I understeer past the apex???. My mid corner speed and exit speed are pretty close but I lose a lot in the braking zone. I tend to brake early and easy and try to roll in with a lot of mid corner speed, but it's not doing me any good with lap times.
It has to do with bias and how they are applied I'm sure. At Nurb stu told me to turn my brakes down to 2 and 1 and I found 1 second straight away. Then I fiddled with the actual pedals putting padding in so there is more resistance and there was another half a second. I upped my rear bias for better turn in (personal preference) and found a few more tenths. I know it's different for each track, some you brake in a straight line, others while you're turning, so bias would have to be a fluid thing, changing to suit conditions, but I think that's where you'll find your time. The cars all go the same speed with the same gear ratios, so it doesn't matter who it is putting the foot flat to the floor, it's gonna go just as fast div1 or div6, it's entry and mid corner.
I would say manual helps big time in braking as you can engine brake which ads atleast another 20% force to the braking.
I've been running with higher rear bias and it helps to stabilise corner entry with a touch of oversteer on entry and helps me get set up for corner exit, but I will have to really commit to driving manual I think to get any faster.
