My thoughts about the forum and the community

[BhZ]

Lately i've been particularly active on this forum and i took part to many discussions. One in particular got my attention. It was about the fact that fast drivers don't help rookies during practice. I think it's true, but at the same time i think many rookies don't even ask. I raced a lot recently on RD and i think i remember just one question in something like 8 races: "what wings are you guys running?". That was the only question that someone asked during practice. This got me thinking about the community and the forum and i noticed that the majority of the posts here on RD are about peripheral issues, graphical issues, news, random stuff. Now, in a simracing forum i'd expect more questions about cars, tracks, driving tecnique...Asking question in a 30 minutes practice just before the race won't make you a better driver for the simple reason that if you are not already a great driver, 30 minutes are barely enough to stay on track and possibly find good braking points. What will make you a better driver is to ask question on the forum, get an answer to it and apply in an offline session what you just learned until it becomes natural.
Everyone is free to do whatever he wants and race every night with a different car in a different track, but my advice is to take at least half of the days you'd race to just choose a car and a track and practice. Push the car, be curious about where is the limit of it. That is the only way to actually improve. Racing every day doesn't give you the time to get confidence with a car or a track, so you will improve, but at a much slower speed and you won't have time to work on the setup, because it's useless to work on the setup if you still have to find the limit of the car.
So my request is as follows: Ask about anything related to a car or track here on the forum, even if it's a stupid question, there are people here ready to help.
I also have a suggestion for the RD staff: In order to improve the quality of racing on RD, it would be cool in my opinion to have nights where instead of racing, you guys set up a server with a car and a track (possibly a combo that will be used in the next RD event) where people can sign up (like in a normal race) and practice for a couple of hours. So you have some sort of "practice event" where people willing to improve can learn more and where hopefully some of the fast guys (which usually practice a lot) will come as well and help.
Just to be sure, since english is not my first language, i want to specify that this is just my opinion and advice to try to improve the quality of driving. Let me know what are your thoughts about it and if you have other ideas that could make this forum a better place.

 

[RustyDriver00]

Thank you, i definitely will.
I'm more preoccupied for the tyre and fuel management than the setup itself. I've always raced in 1 long races and never on rF2.

You'll love RF2 then, it definitely does tyre wear the best imo the way you drive the car can have a serious impact and it's quite possible to get the hang of taking care of the tyres while still managing to put down decent lap times. Also managing to double or triple stint the tyres can come in seriously handy although as RDLMS has shown running flat out on softs can work well too so yeah strategy and testing different approaches is all part of the fun

 

[Bobby Pennington]

An idea. That would be a good thing to start a server or even a championship for the not-so-fast guys. I don't know if this is feasible or not. Maybe based on some kinda online timing rank like RSR.

Zoltan, we already have something like this. If you become a premium member we have "Friendly" races in the EU and US that welcome us mere mortals to the world of racing. We have many average drivers that have a blast while at the same time we have some extremely fast guys that race with us and help us out. I think you would find it to be what you are looking for. Just a thought

 

[Zoltan76]

Zoltan, we already have something like this. If you become a premium member we have "Friendly" races in the EU and US that welcome us mere mortals to the world of racing. We have many average drivers that have a blast while at the same time we have some extremely fast guys that race with us and help us out. I think you would find it to be what you are looking for. Just a thought

Thank you, I'll have a look at it.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

@BhZ thank you for starting a good discussion and being actively helping! I can learn a lot from your driving!

Glad you appreciate Matteo's help He helps with the guys in the club races when he can.

I would love to have a RD trackday server. Track rotation, many different cars (that are driven in the events) and just a meeting spot for us.

Hmmmm. You must have ESP Keep an eye out for something from me on this very subject. Great minds think alike

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Mod Edit: Be more respectful to other members of the forums, please.

Andy, I don't know if you know @BhZ or have raced with him or not. What I can tell you is he helps us with his knowledge anytime he can and we really appreciate it. He is extremely quick.......to the point that it can create a little problem for guys that aren't used to racing with someone this fast. He comes up on me so quickly that sometimes it catches me off guard.

So if you think he's being condescending, braggadocios or anything else I can speak to his character and tell you he is not. He is giving his point of view and how we can help drivers like him help us. It's what keeps the community moving. He's always welcome to any race I host, preferably driving my car

Have a great day.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Thank you, I'll have a look at it.

I hope you do. It's a blast and you meet some really nice guys and boy do you learn.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

The first time @Bobby Pennington raced with us it was in the Abarth 500 AC at Brands Indy and he was really struggling, Wiz and I watched his onboards and gave him a few tips and next thing we knew he was able to keep right up with us and has continued to improve.

And look at the fine mess you've gotten me into Yes our group is pretty special, but @BhZ has helped me and some of the other guys out in our GT2 races on Friday night, so I'm throwing him in there with us even though he's an from a Sim World far far away

 

[BhZ]

Andy, I don't know if you know @BhZ or have raced with him or not. What I can tell you is he helps us with his knowledge anytime he can and we really appreciate it. He is extremely quick.......to the point that it can create a little problem for guys that aren't used to racing with someone this fast. He comes up on me so quickly that sometimes it catches me off guard.

So if you think he's being condescending, braggadocios or anything else I can speak to his character and tell you he is not. He is giving his point of view and how we can help drivers like him help us. It's what keeps the community moving. He's always welcome to any race I host, preferably driving my car

Have a great day.

Thank you for the nice words. I look forward to race at 3 am again

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Sure, I'm lazy, most of the times I run the default setups (other than tire pressures) but more times than not I'm right up with the front of the pack, occasionally winning a race, and I often have the best consistency of the whole group so I don't see a problem with that approach, and as far as I'm aware none of the guys I race with have a problem with my approach (I think most approach it the same way).

Oh I've got a serious problem with it!!!! It's not fair that you're faster than me simply because you have more talent you big wide uber goober

Seriously though, the points you've been making as well as the ones @BhZ has made are what we should all be doing IF you feel led to do it and IF you want to grow and support the community that we all love and enjoy doing with one another. WE all should be looking for ways to bring in the "new" guys and develop them. It benefits us all

I believe that is the spirit of the thread and how it was intended to be taken. I'm not trying to speak for anyone. JMHO

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Thank you for the nice words. I look forward to race at 3 am again

You're welcome and they are well deserved my fellow simmer I wish I could do something about that time zone difference to help you out. I appreciate every event you make the effort to be at Matteo and I promise you your English is far better than my Italian. My Italian is limited to food, Scuderia Ferrari (viva Ferrari, Schumacher and the Iceman) and the love of the Italian countryside

 

[Bobby Pennington]

I'd agree with you for league racing but..............
After racing in various club events at RD over the years, you are the first so called fast guy that has ever stated that. In AMS the top fast guys would even send you their setup via the ingame facility, they didn't mind at all. Just because someone else does not have the time to practice and or even understand setups, it's not their fault.

Gotta say Andy I suppose we're not going to agree on this. As an American that is running some of the US things I will tell you, as some others will, that some of us are lazy and I believe that is why we have much smaller crowds than the EU races. Are we all lazy??? Not at all, the "chase" as far as a setup and my skills are what make me so insanely crazy about this hobby. I compete, well if you call it that, in both so I see the similarities and differences in both.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

If you want my setup you ask it before the event and i will send it to you like i did with @Bobby Pennington in the last event.

Yep. He helped me and all I did was ask. I'm not special so I know he can and will help you.........and we did it.........you guessed it..................OFFLINE. Just made it easier via the time difference in Nashville, TN and Italy plus the language barrier for some like myself

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Anyway, my only goal in all of this was to say that the scenario laid out in the OP that nobody ever helps or talks during the races is not always the case because in our group it's quite the opposite.

The man knows what he's talking about. He was instrumental in getting me on board as a Premium Member and now that I do what he used to I can tell 'ya our little band of hooligans has a great time and we try to make sure everyone else does as well. If talking ain't your thang you may have trouble with us chatter boxes, but we do welcome the good, the bad and the ugly with no problems.

 

[Bobby Pennington]

It needs to be noted that RD, and its club races threads can be used for this purpose and more than just a "sign me up" sound chamber.

Oh ours are sign me up, help with your setup, blow me up, crack me up, lift you up shenanigans all day long sometimes, especially, when you get the bearded wonder @Brandon Wright posting. I grin and laugh all day long.

One problem with that is that your audience is only the people who have signed up for that race and shortly after the race is done the thread may die off. It's a good place to start though.

And Brandon is correct on this point as well He would make a great staff member

 

[Bobby Pennington]

Very well said @Dimis .

I've been out of time so I'm catching up @Dimis Ditto @Brandon Wright

 

[Bobby Pennington]

If i were an admin, i'd probably choose the tatuus because it's a more complete car and allow you to cover every necessity in terms of driving skills.

That's what Sunday nights are about in the US. We've been using that since I became a member back in March. Unfortunately, many aren't taking us up on the car, but we are going to continue to use it on that night........well except this Sunday night. We are stepping out on the wild side to drive the Ferrari 312 just for kicks and then it's back to the Tatuus. I think you joined us one night didn't you? I'm probably mistaken, but would love to have you and what's best is it's not a 3:00a.m. race like you usually do with us. It's a nice relaxing 2:00a.m. for you I really wish we could fix that Matteo

 

[Bobby Pennington]

An addition with the tatuus would be very nice!

Sunday nights with the US race. Been doing them for a while and would love to have you if your timezone and schedule would match up with ours. You can contact @thespeedracerx or myself anytime mate

 

[RasmusP]

Sunday nights with the US race. Been doing them for a while and would love to have you if your timezone and schedule would match up with ours. You can contact @thespeedracerx or myself anytime mate

I would LOVE to but racing at 03:00 AM (Germany) and having a Thermodynamics lecture at 08:00 AM doesn't go well
I wish there would be more Australian races or something like that.. Maybe a free Staff member could do that experiment of "early bird" races

 

[Andy_J]

"Andy Jackson said: ↑
I'd agree with you for league racing but..............
After racing in various club events at RD over the years, you are the first so called fast guy that has ever stated that.(he stated that he didn't want to give any one his setup in a club race) In AMS the top fast guys would even send you their setup via the ingame facility, they didn't mind at all. Just because someone else does not have the time to practice and or even understand setups, it's not their fault."

Gotta say Andy I suppose we're not going to agree on this. As an American that is running some of the US things I will tell you, as some others will, that some of us are lazy and I believe that is why we have much smaller crowds than the EU races. Are we all lazy??? Not at all, the "chase" as far as a setup and my skills are what make me so insanely crazy about this hobby. I compete, well if you call it that, in both so I see the similarities and differences in both.

OK Bobby, you can agree or disagree, but can I ask which part of the bit quoted above you disagree with?
Cheers
Andy

 

[Bobby Pennington]

I would LOVE to but racing at 03:00 AM (Germany) and having a Thermodynamics lecture at 08:00 AM doesn't go well
I wish there would be more Australian races or something like that.. Maybe a free Staff member could do that experiment of "early bird" races

Ahhh the life of a student I don't know how you do it. I'm so glad we didn't have Sim Racing when I was going to College. I would have been a walking Zombie