Round 3 - Monza

Chris · Jul 3, 2015

Hot off a fantastic race in Germany, the Thrustmaster Australian Formula Master heads to the Italian Temple of Speed, and the home of the Tifosi. So shed some wing, and prepare for big speed and big stops.

General Information
Date: Saturday 11th July 2015
Server Name: RACEDEPARTMENT.COM Thrustmaster AFM
Start time: 19:00 AEST (09:00 GMT)
Skin Pack: DOWNLOAD
Virtual Time of Day: 14:00
Starting Track Grip: 93%
Fuel Usage: 170%
Conditions: 26C | Clear
Racing Laps: 21 | Standing Start

Technical Notes & Track Briefing:
Track Length: 5.793 km
Top speed: 256 km/h
Turns: 11 (7 Right & 4 Left)
Tyre Wear: Low

Track Map & Red Zone:
The red zone for Round 3 is applicable during the first lap only, and covers an area from the start line, to the exit of Turn 2. Incidents that occur in this zone will be automatically looked at and scrutinized more heavily, and may be punished more severely. The objective of the red zone is to promote a clean start to the race so that everyone can get through the first lap unscathed. Erratic changes of direction, contact and crashes will be penalized more harshly if found guilty.

Track Limits:
Article 6.1 of the 2015 RaceDepartment League Regulations states that all drivers must maintain at least two wheels within the white lines of the track at all times when under normal control of their car. Whilst article 6.1 applies to the entire race track, the stewards will pay particularly strong attention to the following areas of the track. The cutting penalties outlined in the Stewards Notice Board thread will be applied to drivers who take liberties with these areas too often.

Turn 6:
Time gains can be made by running wide on the exit of Turn 6. If you run wide under normal control of your car, then you must lift off throttle 100% for at least 1 second. If you are clearly not under control of your car, then exemptions can be granted. What is deemed to be "under control" or not is up to the discretion of the stewards.

Turn 10 (Ascari):
Running wide on the exit of the Ascari chicane is prohibited. Additionally, cutting the entry of the Ascari chicane (T8) is also, for obvious reasons, prohibited.

Pit-lane Exit:
Several drivers were penalised after Round 2 for breaching the pitlane exit line. The penalties were less harsh to serve as a warning. In Round 3, and all future rounds, the penalty will be an automatic 10 second time penalty added to your total race time, and it will be an additional 10 seconds for every additional breach of the pitlane exit line.

Drivers are allowed to cross the pitlane exit line during the practice session only, so long as they do not impede other drivers. During the qualifying and race sessions, crossing this white line when exiting the pits is strictly prohibited and will be policed. You have been warned!

Don't Forget!
You are required to be present on TeamSpeak during all rounds of the league. Upon joining the RaceDepartment TeamSpeak server, you must set up your teams' Sub-Channel within the Assetto Corsa channel, using your team name. Once in your channel, the League director will send you a text message containing the password for the server.

Noel Spence · Jul 5, 2015

tony could you please take that time down off stracker ,not sure where that came from

kedy89 · Jul 5, 2015

These curbs are my worst enemy, spinning me around every time I touch them.

@Chris Stacey
So turn 10 is 0 wheels over the white line once the curbs end?

Chris · Jul 5, 2015

kedy89 said:
These curbs are my worst enemy, spinning me around every time I touch them.

You can adjust the damper settings to cope with the curbs. They're not an issue once the dampers and suspension are set correctly.

kedy89 said:
So turn 10 is 0 wheels over the white line once the curbs end?

Nothing to do with the curb. Just the white line.
You're allowed 2 wheels outside it, but no more than that. So taking the Schumacher-2011 line through the exit of Ascari is not allowed.

Tony · Jul 9, 2015

Noel Spence said:
tony could you please take that time down off stracker ,not sure where that came from

Done

Matheus Machado · Jul 10, 2015

@Chris Stacey If we need to go straight through the first chicane if a massive crash (specially on lap 1) or something unexpected happens, what is the procedure for that? A full stop like this year's Daytona 24?

Chris · Jul 11, 2015

Matheus Machado said:
@Chris Stacey If we need to go straight through the first chicane if a massive crash (specially on lap 1) or something unexpected happens, what is the procedure for that? A full stop like this year's Daytona 24?

Hopefully there won't be any need to use the escape road, but if you do have to, then it should be as a last resort when the other two options of:

Taking the chicane normally.
Going between the straight escape road and the chicane, over those speed bumps.

are not possible.

It can gain you quite a bit of time to use the escape road, so if you do have to use it, then you must weave around the marker boards (not straight through them!) and drive at a speed that will not gain you any positions or time. I will be looking at it to see if there are any drivers that gain time from going through it, and if they do carry excessive speed through it, then a time penalty may be warranted.

Frank · Jul 11, 2015

Good luck guys!

Chris · Jul 11, 2015

Q: 5th
R: 2nd

Qualifying was good, although only managed 5th. Was very very close between 3rd and 8th on the grid, but couldn't find one more tenth to go P3.

I had the best start I think I've ever had. Jumped both Evan and Matheus into the first chicane. Very nice driving @El-ahrairah into the T4/T5 chicane, great stuff. Once I was able to bang in a few 1:49's I could extend the gap to Evan and then relax a little, but Ben and Sun were just way too quick for me, so I just accepted 3rd.

I saw Ben going slow and knew he must have had an incident, and was able to bag P2, absolutely stoked!

Great racing fellas!

Duke · Jul 11, 2015

That was an eventful & fun race for me... very happy to get into the Top 10 from back of grid in my RD debut.
I was super cautious into T1 & made some spots by picking my way through the expected mid-pack tangle.
Then lost most of those spots into the 2nd Lesbo after getting a very light tap from behind. Luckily I was able to scramble through the gravel & had no real damage.
Spent the next countless laps catching & making some places the best was the battle with @Noel Spence, where I just stayed inside the white lines making the pass into T1.
A few laps later I caught up to a pack then a lap later poor @Jeremy Talbot lost it into Ascari & unfortunately we couldn't avoid contact as he was still trying to recover coming back onto the track. Once again I was fortunate not to hit anything but I suspect I did get some damage as I just wasn't really able to lap at the pace I was doing prior.
From then on I was in no-mans land until I nearly gave up 10th on the 2nd to last lap after locking the brakes into the 2nd chicane. After gathering it up I had @Noel Spence back on my tail but I think he made an error on the last lap so I could relax to the chequered flag.
Big thanks to @RenZ_ for the setup help... & bad luck with your race.
Congrats @Sun Levi for the win & to the podium placegetters @Chris Stacey & @El-ahrairah
Great racing Gents & see you next week.

My replay for those who want it... @Nick10
https://mega.nz/#!GpkmCara!5mArF8kjbYrbjQrhdswVdpfJ1aniqvR-6xoeHRMe0a4

Nick Milton · Jul 11, 2015

Thanks

Duke said:
That was an eventful & fun race for me... very happy to get into the Top 10 from back of grid in my RD debut.
I was super cautious into T1 & made some spots by picking my way through the expected mid-pack tangle.
Then lost most of those spots into the 2nd Lesbo after getting a very light tap from behind. Luckily I was able to scramble through the gravel & had no real damage.
Spent the next countless laps catching & making some places the best was the battle with @Noel Spence, where I just stayed inside the white lines making the pass into T1.
A few laps later I caught up to a pack then a lap later poor @Jeremy Talbot lost it into Ascari & unfortunately we couldn't avoid contact as he was still trying to recover coming back onto the track. Once again I was fortunate not to hit anything but I suspect I did get some damage as I just wasn't really able to lap at the pace I was doing prior.
From then on I was in no-mans land until I nearly gave up 10th on the 2nd to last lap after locking the brakes into the 2nd chicane. After gathering it up I had @Noel Spence back on my tail but I think he made an error on the last lap so I could relax to the chequered flag.
Big thanks to @RenZ_ for the setup help... & bad luck with your race.
Congrats @Sun Levi for the win & to the podium placegetters @Chris Stacey & @El-ahrairah
Great racing Gents & see you next week.

My replay for those who want it... @Nick10
https://mega.nz/#!GpkmCara!5mArF8kjbYrbjQrhdswVdpfJ1aniqvR-6xoeHRMe0a4

, not blaming anybody, pure racing accident, would like to see it, was so comfortable here, and looking forward to a finish that's not last!
All good though, that's life, it's the realism that makes it fun.

kedy89 · Jul 11, 2015

Good race for most parts, and looks like another points finish atm

Highlights certainly being the 3-wide with @Aidan Keranen and @Michael Stead, and the battle with @Ashley Cowan in the final laps.

El-ahrairah · Jul 11, 2015

Q: 4th
R: 3rd

Another decent qualifying for me, but could have been stronger. Thought I had third with six thousandths to @Chris Stacey, and on my last run was up four tenths before a mistake in the second lesmo sent me into the wall and put an end to my session. Then a great lap by @Matheus Machado usurped me and left me in 4th, which I was still happy with to give me the inside line into the tricky turn 1.

My start was a bit tardy, but Matheus was worse. Stacey was mega off the line which put us side by side into turn1/2. Half way through the first chicane I pulled neutral which compromised my exit a little. Even so I still managed to go side by side with Stacey into the Della Roggia. We managed to go two wide, then I went a bit too conservative on the exit just to be sure not to understeer into the side of him. This left me to deal with the recovering Matheus, who thankfully (for me

) had a first lap spin in the Ascari chicane. Stacey's stronger race pace was out of reach for me and I was able to maintain a gap to my team mate @Sniper behind me. After Ben's unfortunate incident I was elevated to third, so from there I just started to take it easy to secure my position to come home in a Spanelli formation finish

Aidan Keranen · Jul 11, 2015

Well.
One of the problems I have when I have good car speed is that, even after a year of racing here properly, I am very raw when it comes to racing, and 'pack racing' as an extension.
Tonight, that came to the fore. Already a tad unhappy with being hit at T1 the lap before, I got rather angry and overly aggressive when stuck behind Ash and Justin. With a lack of overtaking speed from Ash, I, rather wrongly, assumed some sportsmanship was involved against me (as they were teammates) and as such felt I should prove a point by making some rash overtake.
Which obviously worked really well.

As such there is a ton of apologies, to my teammate @RenZ_ , because I feel a good result was there and I've thrown it away when possibly all I needed was a steady race, and a big apology to @Ashley Cowan and @Justin for really ever assuming that they'd resort to those methods, and the subsequent collision.

Every time these things happen, it goes in as experience. But my goodness it would be much easier if it just never happened

Chris · Jul 11, 2015

Aidan Keranen said:
Every time these things happen, it goes in as experience. But my goodness it would be much easier if it just never happened

It's all about gaining experience mate

You'll get there

But get a wheel...

kedy89 · Jul 11, 2015

Aidan Keranen said:
One of the problems I have when I have good car speed is that, even after a year of racing here properly, I am very raw when it comes to racing, and 'pack racing' as an extension.

You're not the only one. No doubt I improved in that regard ever since I started to join the club races here, but I think I still could do a lot better.

Ashley Cowan · Jul 11, 2015

All good Aidan I don't think we were too bad at blocking but did remark we had it covered by being side by side. @Justin and I just talk the whole way through and, probably like no other pairing out there, we are always on track together in the same place during a race. When ever either one gets a half run we just let the other through. So yeah I was only just quicker than him but the power of the "hey let me through" works. @Matt Bailey was a victim of our pairing in Silverstone and for me it just makes the whole event an absolute blast.

Jamie · Jul 11, 2015

Q:7
R:5

With a minute or two to go I was 4th in quali and thought I'd done enough. Went and got a drink and returned to be 7th. Wow, how close.
Had a good start in the race and had a brief thought about having a lash at my sparring partner @Sniper in the first chicane but had to make a move to the left to avoid his left rear and took up station behind him.
Settled into a decent rhythm behind Tony and we diced it out for a few laps till a lock up and near off dropped me over 3 seconds behind. Worked hard to make some time up and he helped me with a miss into Parabolica which brought me back onto his rear. Lost time again , this time in Ascari and decided to maintain my position with some careful driving and bring home the points.
Thanks to @Jack for spotting a Casper moment for me in practice. Wouldn't have made the race without that pickup buddy.
Well done to the podium winners and thanks as always to @Chris Stacey for your phenomenal efforts.
Also a quick thanks to @RenZ_ for the pointers the other night on the practice server. I am very grateful to all of you hotshots( @Sun Levi , @Chris Stacey etc) for your generosity in helping us trundlers behind you.

zAmboni · Jul 11, 2015

Q: Blah
R: Disaster

During the week in offline practice I was doing well. Consistent good times, etc. A tweak or two here and there got me faster. Then it comes to race time and everything falls apart. I threw down a good time in practice early, but couldn't improve on it even as the track gripped up. Its like I forget how to drive a track on race day.

As for the race, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time in several places, and then bobbles at the worst spots. T1 was hectic as usual with too many ppl trying to gain places instead of just getting through the first corner. Got tapped from behind in T1, and took front/back wing/side damage. Tried it for a lap and I was about 5s off pace so I pitted for repairs.

Of course, Pit guys timed it just right for me to come out right ahead of Sun and Ben, so it was likely to be a blue flag fest for a while. Went off line to let them by and my luck Matt was coming out of the pits at the same time, so I got stuck in no man's land without any way to get by Matt without getting back on the racing line with the leaders coming through. Screwed up my T1 because of that and YAY more lost time. Not like I was going to be anywhere other than the back of the pack anyways. Lap later I had a little bobble and my front tire was pointed directly at the sausage in the second chicane. That didn't go well.

I was sliding in the grass and there was no real safe gap to get back on track so I just let everyone by! I finally settled down for a few laps and started gaining on some, and then again, wrong place/wrong time. Going into Ascari, Jeremy had an off and slid into Wayne. Thought both of them were going to slide off the track so I stayed on the throttle.

Unfortunately Jeremy kinda just stuck in the middle of the track and with about 100kph closing speed I found the car doesn't care too much having to hit the brakes in the middle of Ascari. Hello gravel trap my old friend! After this my mind wasn't into the race much anymore and it was just a struggle to keep concentration for the rest of the race.

Hope to find pace and get a better result next race.