New Member saying hi

Hey all. My name is Steve and im 41 years young .

I'm a big motorsports fan especially F1 and ive recently got back into F1 2011 on the xbox 360 but this time around i am planning on taking my experience to the next level by learning how to drive without assists or racing/breaking line rather than having everything turned on like i did before and i am also looking to learn as much as i can about tuning and set-ups too so any tips/info would be gratefully received.

Cheers Bram.

For the next couple of weeks (or more loo) is all going to be about practice, practice and more practice to get used to no assists.

One thing thing I am struggling with is getting a good wheel setup in game for the microsoft wireless racing wheel so if any members could help out there that would be gratefully received.

Welcome to RD Mr.Steve Smith

Welcome Steve.
The xbox league on here has a wealth of knowledge regarding dropping assists and wheel set ups. Check us out in the league section and ask questions in the "Paddock Chat" thread.
Also there are weekly practice races for licensed drivers in the "Club" section. Just sign up and have a good time racing the cleanest xbox league races around. there are weekly fun races, pro am's and other practice races with various levels of assists.

I use the MS wheel and have the wheel settings at the default settings. It works for me.

Also, we are just starting another season soon and have 4 grids of drivers ready to go on June 17th. There is still room for some no assist drivers and Reserve drivers. League race every other Sunday at 8pm GMT+1

If you have any questions just send me a note.

Thanks for the welcome and the advice Karl, much appreciated.

I have just been looking at the new upcoming league signup thread and was wondering if there are any positions available for GP3 or if its all Reserve drivers now?

If you are looking at dropping the assists there is a couple spots open in the Cup group.
But if you specifically want to get into the GP3 group (auto gears and TCS allowed) I think there is a spot that should be opening up.
Put your name down in the thread and the GP3 Steward will be able to tell you for sure about the signup status. At worst you would be signed up as a reserve driver.

You can move to no assist later on if you're more comfortable with that.
Be sure to read David O's drivers guide as well (one of the sticky threads on this page). He is a wealth of knowledge.

btw - I just turned 40 this year, and there are a few guys in the league that are older than that.

Thanks for the advice Karl and welcome to the 40's club lol.

I'm hoping to use manual gears but not sure whether to use the allowed TCS or just get used to no assists straight away, i've also just printed David's Advanced Guide out tonight

I spent the first 7 races of last season using med-TCS and then dropped it for the remainder of the season. I was actually quite surprised at how fast i got the hang of it. It's worth giving it a shot with no assists, at least in practice and while making a setup for the car. You can feel it so much more.
I know my team mate last season would practice without assists and then put the TCS back on for the league races.

hope to see you on the grid sometime soon

You've printed David's guide out, now why don't you use it to beat him in the league?

I would say dropping the assists straight away would help more. I wish I'd started without.

And the Cup is gonna be the best league there ever has been, you want to be a part of that don't you? No Assist though

Plus, we only have 2 spots left, which I think we'll fill pretty soon. So when the time comes, and you want to drop the assists and stop racing with the girls, we may be over-subscribed. Best to get in early?

Chris Hempsall, Salesman of the year

Cheers once again Karl, I'll have a few practice races over the weekend with no assists and see how i get on with it Karl.

I'll definately be on the grid, sooner rather than later hopefully

PMSL Chris, great Salemans work there.

I was just reading the Cup group description and the 'next fastest drivers' text got me a bit concerned as im definately not gonna be in that group..........YET lol

Don't worry about the speed too much at the start Steve. But when you do start to worry about it there are lots of guys that can help you out. One of the other drivers was 'reportedly' able to find 4 seconds a lap with help from his team mate last season.

I've decided to get some practice in this weeked in the time trial mode using no assists and see how i get on. I will probably start with Albert Park so will go through the track guide and look for a set up and then it'll be fingers crossed time lol

Just had an hours practicing with no assists for the first time ever on Albert Park and i've managed a 1:46 so far.....really struggling with the tyres locking up as soon as I touch the pedal though.

Its a completely differant experience but i'm so far loving it as well as feeling frustrated lol

what's your brake bias set at?
mine is 50/50, medium pressure standard size.

Hey Karl, I've got the same settings too mate.

Thanks for the advice Bram, it's good to know that it's something I can correct with practice and a slight adjustment of my driving style.

Like you say it does feel great knowing that everything the car does is down to me and it certainly feels more immersive than just following a line on the track and all the assists to help you.

As the McDonald's ad goes "I'm loving it" lol