OK, so I've gotten to the point where I feel I have graduated from iRacing 101. Car control, knowledge of my cars, setup prowess, race strategy, race composure and my mental acuity have all become pretty consistent. In other words, I'm finding it somewhat easy to get 90-95% of the performance available from the cars and, most important, myself, and I'm starting to look ahead. In doing so, I've come upon a question I was hoping someone could answer.
It has to do with pit road timing. I'm sure long time NASCAR fans know exactly what I'm talking about, but just so we have perfect understanding, I'll explain. See, in real life pit road speed is measured by time. The pit road is broken up into equal sections or sectors. At the beginning of each section there is a receiver, and in the front of the car there is a becon. When the becon hits the line where the receiver is, a clock starts until the becon hit the next one, effectively timing how long it took the car to travel one section. Using simple math, you can figure out that if the speed limit is, say, 35mph, it should take you X seconds (time through section) to travel Y distance (length of section). If it takes you <X seconds, you were speeding.
The very good NASCAR drivers take advantage of this system. To use a random number for an example, let's say at 35mph it takes 3 seconds to travel one section. Their pit stall is obviously inside one of these sections, so as they enter the section the clock begins, and the driver then slows and waits 12-16 seconds for pit service. Since he has far exceeded the 3 seconds for that section, he's free to roar out of his pit and accelerate as fast as he possibly can provided he then slows down before the next section begins. Anyone who watched Saturday's Bristol race will note that Keselowski did just this, flying through his pit section at near twice pit road speed and passing two cars on pit road before jamming the brakes prior to starting the next section. That move put him in the lead which he held onto for victory.
So does this translate to iRacing? Does anyone know how pit road speed is measured? I have a few times forgot that my pit was deeper than what I practiced on and exceed pit road speed before noticing and matting the brakes, and I received no penalty for it. Anyway to figure this out and possibly use it to our advantage?
It has to do with pit road timing. I'm sure long time NASCAR fans know exactly what I'm talking about, but just so we have perfect understanding, I'll explain. See, in real life pit road speed is measured by time. The pit road is broken up into equal sections or sectors. At the beginning of each section there is a receiver, and in the front of the car there is a becon. When the becon hits the line where the receiver is, a clock starts until the becon hit the next one, effectively timing how long it took the car to travel one section. Using simple math, you can figure out that if the speed limit is, say, 35mph, it should take you X seconds (time through section) to travel Y distance (length of section). If it takes you <X seconds, you were speeding.
The very good NASCAR drivers take advantage of this system. To use a random number for an example, let's say at 35mph it takes 3 seconds to travel one section. Their pit stall is obviously inside one of these sections, so as they enter the section the clock begins, and the driver then slows and waits 12-16 seconds for pit service. Since he has far exceeded the 3 seconds for that section, he's free to roar out of his pit and accelerate as fast as he possibly can provided he then slows down before the next section begins. Anyone who watched Saturday's Bristol race will note that Keselowski did just this, flying through his pit section at near twice pit road speed and passing two cars on pit road before jamming the brakes prior to starting the next section. That move put him in the lead which he held onto for victory.
So does this translate to iRacing? Does anyone know how pit road speed is measured? I have a few times forgot that my pit was deeper than what I practiced on and exceed pit road speed before noticing and matting the brakes, and I received no penalty for it. Anyway to figure this out and possibly use it to our advantage?
