Welcome to Season 5 of the RD Historic Grand Prix
A very warm welcome from the RDHGP staff to all drivers - some new, some returning - to Race 1 of the 2010 RDHGP Season 5.
I am heartened to see the continued interest in this League, with a plethora of grizzled veteran drivers returning for yet another campaign, alongside RDHGP novices who (presumably) are joining after seeing, reading and hearing about the previous seasons' enjoyment.
The contrast in moving from some of the quickest and unruliest cars in the game to some of the most docile and driveable has many more knock-on effects than just lap times:-
While by its very nature, the League environment is more competitive than the Club environment, please remember what makes the GTL Club so unique – our consideration for all other competitors at all times. Let’s carry this tradition of clean, fun and considerate racing over into a League environment. I would expect people to wait for someone they have taken off, even if it was accidental. In addition, if anyone has a problem with another driver, I will be just as hard on the person with the grievance if they do not adhere to the guidelines.
As with last season, discussions about laptimes - even if it is to say what has been achieved with an uploaded setup - is forbidden. Turning up last season and seeing roughly who you would be battling against only added to the anticipation, so we will keep this rule in place for Season 5.
Additionally, I’ve tried to not to choose tracks that I think will work, but rather tracks that I know will work from previous event experience. I’m looking at Season 5 as being almost a “Greatest Hits” season – the best cars on the best tracks.
Season 5 is also breaking new ground for us in League terms on a few fronts:-
This season we will defy any and all volcanic clouds to continue with our policy of travelling the globe to some of the world’s finest circuits, keeping to a strict one race per country policy. We will be driving in 8 countries across 3 continents, including 4 countries making their RDHGP event hosting debut.
Including the venue for Race 1 – Circuit de la Neuveville in Switzerland.
Circuit Notes
Circuit de la Neuveville is a fictional track, set in Switzerland, and is generally better know by it’s nickname “jops”. It was originally created for Grand Prix Legends as a tribute to a Swiss GPL League admin who went by the alias “Jops” and who died at the young age of 40. His friends and colleagues decided that the best way to create a memorial for him and his was to build a virtual track in his name. I have to agree with their decision and think that they have created a superb driver’s circuit and a fitting memorial.
The track itself, especially in plan view looks quite a simple circuit, but as in so many cases, the lateral map only gives half of the story, with the vertical component adding complexity and degrees of difficulty that the plan does not show.
The track starts with a good length run up to Toulo, the fast and uphill T1L, where the cars that can carry speed (and avoid the bumps) without drifting off onto the outside grass will get a good advantage into the subsequent straight, and an ideal line into the braking zone for T2R, Surer.
The next straight leads into T3R, Reggazzoni, a 90 degree left hander that is important for the entire lap. Getting the correct line through Reggazzoni allows you to attack T4L, Hirt, with it’s grandstand and haybale armco on the inside apex and the subsequent double climb straight.
That straight comes to a blind crest, and suddenly drops away and right in T5R, May. This crested turn is a real test of skill, and just how brave you can be depends on your vehicle as much as anything else.
The lightweight cars may take off here without the correct preparation and cost you time getting back into shape after landing, the heavy and powerful cars may ride the crest well, but have too many revs on for such a sudden lessening of load and grip. As you may have guessed, T5R is an extremely challenging corner, made especially more so as T6L Scherrer is lurking at the foot of the hill.
After the short blast from Scherrer, we come to the Jops Esses T7aR, T7bL & T7cR, again with some hazards on the outsides of the corners for unwary drivers, and once negotiated there’s a short sprint to T8R, Moser.
Moser is a climbing and bumpy turn that can easily flip your car round if you are careless on throttle application, and it opens into the final curve, T9L Kessel, which you hit at full power into the S/F straight, completing your lap.
The Race Director has some notes for drivers. Please see the track map above for location of Race Direction note:-
As we are at the Season Premiere, there are no Incident Reports outstanding, and any and all infractions being carried at the close of last season have been expunged. Everyone starts with a lovely new clean slate.
Please remember, the League staff will only review incidents if they are reported to them.
No report = no review.
Please try and remember the incident reporting guidelines: review, cool off, review again. Only after following the above process, and if you are convinced you still need to report it, should you let the League staff know. Please give as much information as possible during the report (time of incident, drivers involved etc.)
Any accusations or complaints aired in the Chat during or after a race will mean a penalty levied on the person complaining or making the accusations, even if a subsequent official complaint gets found in their favour. I simply will NOT tolerate any post race finger pointing.
Liveries
You have chosen your car and livery already, and you must only drive your chosen car at any time during an RDHGP event. Every driver has a unique livery in this season of RDHGP.
Scoring System
As per last season the points distribution method is extended down to P20 (75% distance completion required) so people can fight for some points no matter where they are on the track, and hopefully have a season long battle with people around them in the League.
The Distribution is as follows for 100km events :
P1 - 25 pts
P2 - 22
P3 - 20
P4 - 18
P5 - 16
P6 - 15
P7 - 14
P8 - 13
P9 - 12
P10 - 11
P11 - 10
P12 - 9
P13 - 8
P14 - 7
P15 - 6
P16 - 5
P17 - 4
P18 - 3
P19 - 2
P20 - 1
1 point for fastest race lap
1 point for qualifying on Pole
A very warm welcome from the RDHGP staff to all drivers - some new, some returning - to Race 1 of the 2010 RDHGP Season 5.
I am heartened to see the continued interest in this League, with a plethora of grizzled veteran drivers returning for yet another campaign, alongside RDHGP novices who (presumably) are joining after seeing, reading and hearing about the previous seasons' enjoyment.
The contrast in moving from some of the quickest and unruliest cars in the game to some of the most docile and driveable has many more knock-on effects than just lap times:-
- Some drivers prefer the lower power / higher momentum cars to the high power / torque management style of the quicker cars
- The lower power cars throw open the track choices - bringing tracks back into contention that would be all but unbearably frustrating in the high power cars, and allowing for more extremes of performance balancing
- Driving mistakes tend to be at far lower speeds, and therefore tend to either a) result in fewer wall impacts, or b) get corrected and gathered up without excursions
While by its very nature, the League environment is more competitive than the Club environment, please remember what makes the GTL Club so unique – our consideration for all other competitors at all times. Let’s carry this tradition of clean, fun and considerate racing over into a League environment. I would expect people to wait for someone they have taken off, even if it was accidental. In addition, if anyone has a problem with another driver, I will be just as hard on the person with the grievance if they do not adhere to the guidelines.
As with last season, discussions about laptimes - even if it is to say what has been achieved with an uploaded setup - is forbidden. Turning up last season and seeing roughly who you would be battling against only added to the anticipation, so we will keep this rule in place for Season 5.
Additionally, I’ve tried to not to choose tracks that I think will work, but rather tracks that I know will work from previous event experience. I’m looking at Season 5 as being almost a “Greatest Hits” season – the best cars on the best tracks.
Season 5 is also breaking new ground for us in League terms on a few fronts:-
- First use of mod cars in a GTL league
- First use of a fictional track in a GTL league
- First use of a personalised skinpack in a GTL league
This season we will defy any and all volcanic clouds to continue with our policy of travelling the globe to some of the world’s finest circuits, keeping to a strict one race per country policy. We will be driving in 8 countries across 3 continents, including 4 countries making their RDHGP event hosting debut.
Including the venue for Race 1 – Circuit de la Neuveville in Switzerland.
Circuit Notes
Circuit de la Neuveville is a fictional track, set in Switzerland, and is generally better know by it’s nickname “jops”. It was originally created for Grand Prix Legends as a tribute to a Swiss GPL League admin who went by the alias “Jops” and who died at the young age of 40. His friends and colleagues decided that the best way to create a memorial for him and his was to build a virtual track in his name. I have to agree with their decision and think that they have created a superb driver’s circuit and a fitting memorial.
The track itself, especially in plan view looks quite a simple circuit, but as in so many cases, the lateral map only gives half of the story, with the vertical component adding complexity and degrees of difficulty that the plan does not show.
The track starts with a good length run up to Toulo, the fast and uphill T1L, where the cars that can carry speed (and avoid the bumps) without drifting off onto the outside grass will get a good advantage into the subsequent straight, and an ideal line into the braking zone for T2R, Surer.
The next straight leads into T3R, Reggazzoni, a 90 degree left hander that is important for the entire lap. Getting the correct line through Reggazzoni allows you to attack T4L, Hirt, with it’s grandstand and haybale armco on the inside apex and the subsequent double climb straight.
That straight comes to a blind crest, and suddenly drops away and right in T5R, May. This crested turn is a real test of skill, and just how brave you can be depends on your vehicle as much as anything else.
The lightweight cars may take off here without the correct preparation and cost you time getting back into shape after landing, the heavy and powerful cars may ride the crest well, but have too many revs on for such a sudden lessening of load and grip. As you may have guessed, T5R is an extremely challenging corner, made especially more so as T6L Scherrer is lurking at the foot of the hill.
After the short blast from Scherrer, we come to the Jops Esses T7aR, T7bL & T7cR, again with some hazards on the outsides of the corners for unwary drivers, and once negotiated there’s a short sprint to T8R, Moser.
Moser is a climbing and bumpy turn that can easily flip your car round if you are careless on throttle application, and it opens into the final curve, T9L Kessel, which you hit at full power into the S/F straight, completing your lap.
The Race Director has some notes for drivers. Please see the track map above for location of Race Direction note:-
- All Corners Without Exception – The kerbs are not deemed as track, therefore 2 wheels must be within the white lines, on the tarmac, At All Times. Again, there are NO exceptions to this rule at any point on the circuit. Any exception to this rule is deemed illegal, any advantage gained by this method must be ceded immediately. Report people deliberately and excessively cutting.
- T1L – Toulo. The corner is quite generously wide, and so people could easily think that they have enough room to go into the corner on the outside of another driver. Be aware though that the camber and bumps will push or throw you wide. The outside of the corner is a grassy slope, so if you go on there, you will have limited control, so care is needed when re-entering track.
- T3R & T4L – Reggazzoni & Hirt. Reggazzoni in and of itself is not dangerous, but some exit lines will cause problems when entering Hirt. Hirt has a haybale Armco barrier and a grandstand on the apex, so people behind need to be aware of the potential of emergency avoidance measures being taken by drivers in front once they realise they are in trouble.
- T5R – May. Be prepared for some violent manouevering here after the landings as people get out of shape and try to recover.
- T8R – Moser. The bumpy exit may get people unstable under acceleration, so be aware that there may be the odd spin on what looks like a simple straight.
- All points on the track – One thing I’ve seen in some recent club events is that people who have left the track are re-entering the track unsafely, getting straight onto the racing line at slow speeds and/or trying to defend a position by obstruction. If anyone is the victim of such behaviour please report it.
As we are at the Season Premiere, there are no Incident Reports outstanding, and any and all infractions being carried at the close of last season have been expunged. Everyone starts with a lovely new clean slate.
Please remember, the League staff will only review incidents if they are reported to them.
No report = no review.
Please try and remember the incident reporting guidelines: review, cool off, review again. Only after following the above process, and if you are convinced you still need to report it, should you let the League staff know. Please give as much information as possible during the report (time of incident, drivers involved etc.)
Any accusations or complaints aired in the Chat during or after a race will mean a penalty levied on the person complaining or making the accusations, even if a subsequent official complaint gets found in their favour. I simply will NOT tolerate any post race finger pointing.
Liveries
You have chosen your car and livery already, and you must only drive your chosen car at any time during an RDHGP event. Every driver has a unique livery in this season of RDHGP.
Scoring System
As per last season the points distribution method is extended down to P20 (75% distance completion required) so people can fight for some points no matter where they are on the track, and hopefully have a season long battle with people around them in the League.
The Distribution is as follows for 100km events :
P1 - 25 pts
P2 - 22
P3 - 20
P4 - 18
P5 - 16
P6 - 15
P7 - 14
P8 - 13
P9 - 12
P10 - 11
P11 - 10
P12 - 9
P13 - 8
P14 - 7
P15 - 6
P16 - 5
P17 - 4
P18 - 3
P19 - 2
P20 - 1
1 point for fastest race lap
1 point for qualifying on Pole
