RD Racing Club Ideas & Feedback (merged)

Racing club ideas

Hi there!

I was thinking about how we could make our racing club for this game better!
1. because we have very few sign-ups
2. because the events end very late (23:00-23:30 for most people in Europe), and that make things very hard for those who want to sign-up for more events a week. (at least for me it does) Maybe that's also a reason why there are so few people signing up!

So I would like to know your opinions about the following ideas:
- Putting the start 1 hour earlier (19:00 GMT/20:00 CET), like in the old days could already make it much better imo.
- I think we could also shorten the practice and the quali a bit. 30 mins for each is just too long, the server is up days before the race, so I think everybody has the chance to practice!

Formats to vote for:

- 19:00 GMT, 30 min practice, 30 min quali, 10 min warmup, race 1, race 2, races end around 21:00-21:30 GMT (22:00-22:30 CET)

- 19:00 GMT, 15 min practice, 15 min quali, 10 min warmup, race 1, race 2, races end around 20:30-21:00 GMT (21:30-22:00 CET)

- 19:00 GMT, 20 min practice, 10 min superpole quali, 10 min warmup, race 1, race 2, races end around 20:30-21:00 GMT (21:30-22:00 CET)

- 19:00 GMT, 30 min practice, 15 min quali, 10 min warmup, race 1, race 2, races end around 20:45-21:15 GMT (21:45-22:15 CET)

- leave it alone, starts at 20:00 GMT, 30 min practice, 30 min quali, 10 min warmup, race 1, race 2, races end around 22:00-22:30 GMT (23:00-23:30 CET)
 
I won't lodge a vote, since I am in a specific minority racing in the early hours of the morning (for the Euro Racing Club). Starting an hour earlier would virtually exclude me completely, but I don't really see the need for long qualifying and warm up sessions for "friendly" Racing Club events, especially when the grid sizes are normally small anyway.
The superpole option is a good one for Club Events, and I doubt warm-ups achieve a great deal.

The GTL Club events all use one lap qualiying, no warm up, and starting grids are usually mixed up a lot. Most of us don't practice for hours in preparation either, we just enjoy the fun of racing. That formula seems to work well for club style racing, and I hope we don't see GTL starting an hour earlier too.
 
Sorry that I forgot about that Warren! It's a shame as that's the main reason I don't race US events nowadays. Of course it's different as there's no oceania racing club now.
Maybe I should have added an option to start the race at 20:00 GMT and have shorter practice - warmup period. I also don't mind if there's no warmup but it's good for getting ready to the race (get some drink, etc.)
What I need is to finish sooner!
 
No problem Peter, this is a good question to raise. I don't expect events to be scheduled to suit me, I'm pretty much opposite to the mainstream, so I'll fit in where I can.
However, I simply wanted to support your idea of shortening some events programs.
 
If at all during the week, for me the later the better (but the event should finish latest 24:00 MET, otherwise I need my office desk for a nap).

Warm up sessions have only one purpose for me: Trying the pit lane. As with a 30 min you are unlikely to pit, I would not need a warm up (I am with Warren I dont see the sense for it). Qualifying, I dont mind, Superpole is fine, having more attempts with a 30 min qualy is fine as well.
 
i am too think the events end to late but the warmup is importand as after a hot qualy a pee break befor
the race is realy mandatory anyway i know about the problematic that 1 hour early will may bring in new ppl
but also will rule out a lot of ppl from other parts of the world i.e some aussi/kiwis who get up for a early
morning race what i miss big time are the Sunday morning races, would realy like to have them back
i voted for a early start but could anyway life with a starttime like it is now.
 
I have put ideas forwards before to try and increase sign ups and get members on RD servers more often, this has resulted in some interesting debates and even in RD actually setting up servers (Remember the Casual Servers).

As I see it the problems are that members simply don't utilise these servers enough to make RD want to keep them up and often there were posts bu memebers complaining that the servers were not there (in use for league or club races).

I still think the league and club events are excellent - I have no preference on qualy, warm up etc for any given event - you see the event in the Racing Club section - read there how long qualy practice warm up etc etc is - and YOU decide if its ok and fits in with you - if you don't like the format you don't sign up - simples.

My problem and what I keep coming back to is that while I am a great fan of RD, its staff, and all that RD already achieves - I definitely feel that a gap exists - and in my opinion that gap is in catering for both NEW Licenced Members as well as those of us, who, for whatever reason, can't or don't want to commit to an organised event or series of events in a league.

The best suggestion I can come up with is still to have a 'Casual Server' - We need a place where Licenced Members NEW or OLD can meet up and race on an ad-hoc basis, no sign ups, no commitment - I KNOW I have suggested this elsewhere before - but if a server was running 24 hours a day 365 days a year, with ALL tracks, ALL cars and ALL MEMBERS knew it was ALWAYS there and that ON THE HOUR and at HALF PAST EVERY HOUR a (say) six lap race would be run - then MAYBE this would encourage use of the server.

I still would like to see RD servers utilised far more than they currently are, would like to see far more interaction between members (at organised events this only happens in practice sessions - as the rules state Qualy and Race Chat is to be kept to a minimum (which is right IMHO)).

I honestly beleive I have something here, that there are members who can't or don't want to commit to pre-arranged Events and especially that newly Licenced Members are waiting and not joining pre-arranged events for fear of messing older members races up, I firmly beleive that if RD had a server that had one off races starting every thirty minutes, and that Server was guaranteed to be there 24-7/365, and that Members were made fully aware (repeatedly and regularly) of its existence the gap could be filled and this could help RD's continued success.

Having such a server with racing every thirty minutes would be suitable whatever time zone your in, and so could also help bring members from defferent continents and time zones together more - again if it was repeatedly pointed out to members and guaranteed to be there ALL the time.

What are your views on this?
 
19:00 GMT suits me very well but I think that 10 min qualy isn't good idea because honestly there aren't only pro racers and 5 rounds (more or less) for qualy? Or do longer practice and short qualy... so 19:00 GMT 30 practice and 15 qualy is the choice for me
 
Unlicensed members should know that the Club races are the races available for everyone. All they have to do is get a licence, simple, and know that if they don't follow the Golden Rule, they will soon have their licence revoked. I've always found, from my first race, that the faster guys know they need slower drivers in the race to actually win. Yes, the races up front are really furious between the hot drivers and slower drivers are most usually aware of them coming up. Fast guys it seems don't want their races to be ruined either! I newly licensed driver may be afraid of hurting someone elses race but in Club racing events it's just one race with results NOT upsetting any championship positions. That's what Club events are and one purpose is to introduce drivers to our experience so they can either continue "private" and safe racing or go onto a league.

I think in most cases, fast guys are taken out or "slightly displaced" more by other fast guys and have more to fear from them!

In the past year[I've only been racing here a year] there have been many drivers with fresh licenses showing up and worried about how they will do, LOL, many times they go on to the podium. If they hadn't decided to race on the RD servers they might not have had a clue!

I hope we get more drivers in both Euro and American events thanks to this poll!
 
I voted for the middle 3, mainly because having just 1 format does get a boring over time. I think mixing the middle 3 choices up a bit (personally I would have a 30min practise with superpole rather than 20min practise with superpole) but it depends on the length of the track.

I think a longer circuit like Spa or Suzuka, especially in the WTCC or the Mini's where lap times are longer, longer sessions are needed to get the most laps.

But shorter circuit, like Brands Indy or anything with the DTM or Extreme WTCC or the faster GT cars, then shorter sessions are better.

I think we should approach it from that angle, or at least use that as a bearing on how long the sessions should be. But in general - mix it up a bit, put some variety into it. Change the races, put pitstops in, take them out, rolling starts, different cars, different tracks - utilise the near 100 addon tracks in the download section rather than the same old same old circuits again.

:)
 
I have young kids ... and they don't go to bed till 20:00 or slightly later - so if you make the start times earlier there ain't no way I will make it.
I struggle to make 20:00 events, so if you go earlier there ain't no way I will be at any of 'em.

IMHO I think you need to bring back the FUN to get the sign ups - the time at which events run is not the major issue, or at least it never was in the past ...

Bring back the fun, the RD "community spirit", re-invoke the chatbox, etc and I reckon you will see more folks pop in for a coffee, stick around for a beer or three, and generally "hang out" a bit more than are doing at RD right now ...

Maybe I am right ... maybe not ... but whatever is going on now, its like you hint at, things are not working and something needs to be done to sort it out, but as I stated earlier, I don't think it has anything to do with start times, so would humbly suggest investing effort elsewhere to bring back the "RD love" :biggrin:
 
One thing to remember about the earlier start is that it has a lot more possibilities, for those with an early start in the morning it means they have a better chance of racing and for those that can not race early then there is nothing to stop the race being rerun right after the earlier event so it can work for more people.
 

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