AC Tatuus FA01 @ Spa Franchorchamps - Tuesday 05th September 2017

[Neilski]

Or even better: I have a private list with every driver that signs up with his real name next to it to see who is who. One could feed the program with it and have the forum names in the json file!

Yeah, tempting, without being overly tricky. Might have a stab at that at some point...

I'm just going by what I've heard/read others to mention in one of the previous discussions about why race results can no longer be posted.

Ahh, fair enough. There are a lot of threads where these things come up in one form or another, and as I'm fond of saying, the problem with unwritten rules is that they often aren't universally understood

 

[BrianUK]

I would like to bring something up after this race - the total lack of consistency in half the field with regards to keeping the car facing the right way.

In all the Tatuus races I have taken part in, there have been people who can barely make a lap by themselves without spinning, and I think it's something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. It takes a lot away when there is no-one to race with because you're either constantly spinning, or you're not spinning at all. It takes even more away when someone losing control yet again causes you to crash into them.

I can't say it's lack of ability, because a lot of you I've raced against in the MX-5's, TT's and Abarth's and you were quick, much quicker than I am. I think it's a mix of poor use of the hour running up to the race and the constant changing of setup right up until the last second of quali, including just grabbing someone elses setup, even if their driving style is different, and not running your race tyre enough to be used to it.

I qualified 5th yesterday with the hard tyres that I had spent the whole evening running, and got my fastest lap right at the end. Come the race, I got to 2nd midway through lap 1 because most of the guys ahead of me ended up spinning. I then spent the entire race by myself. Now, I was nowhere near the quickest on track from what I could tell. I know Andy at the very least was quicker than me over a lap. This says to me that people are obsessing over the setup and a fast quali lap over a consistent car where you know what it'll do at every point on the track prior to the race.

I played with my setup (using Imola as the base, as suggested), and had a stable car I could use midway through official practice, then ran a long run all the way through quali. Meanwhile, I heard people still asking about setup, even up to 5 minutes prior to race start. You just cannot prepare yourself if the car is always changing and you aren't allowing yourself time to adapt to it. This is just depriving everyone the enjoyment of a close race. These cars make for amazing racing, yet it's being squandered.

 

[Case_]

Ahh, fair enough. There are a lot of threads where these things come up in one form or another, and as I'm fond of saying, the problem with unwritten rules is that they often aren't universally understood

No worries. And sorry if I perhaps sounded more...don't know the right word, harsh maybe?...than intended, I seem to have this problem sometimes, plus this is kind of a touchy subject for me currently. And I absolutely agree with you.

I can't say it's lack of ability, because a lot of you I've raced against in the MX-5's, TT's and Abarth's and you were quick, much quicker than I am. I think it's a mix of poor use of the hour running up to the race and the constant changing of setup right up until the last second of quali, including just grabbing someone elses setup, even if their driving style is different, and not running your race tyre enough to be used to it.

There's also people like me - I spent a few hours practising for the race, I felt like I did pretty good (though I'm certainly quite slow), did almost no changes to my setup, qualified on the race tyres to be sure I get extra practice...but as soon as you put me in a race with other cars that are not AI, I immediately drive a lot worse

(Granted, the misaligned screens didn't help things much yesterday for me, it really was very difficult to catch the early visual signs of a slide due to that.)

 

[Fabrice Bourguignon]

Results of the race

 

[RasmusP]

Just to clarify it before someone asks: this picture isn't searchable and I doubt that any "headhunter" would dig in such a thread here. And it doesn't even show lap times.
If someone has a problem with it, just tell me and I will moderate such posts. But I won't do it for now.

To the results: do you see the gap between me, 3rd and 5th? Hell yeah what a photo finish!

 

[F1Warrior33]

haha awesome!

 

[Fabrice Bourguignon]

Very close from 3rd until 5th. Indeed, 0.006 betwen you (Rasmus) and David,

 

[BhZ]

I would like to bring something up after this race - the total lack of consistency in half the field with regards to keeping the car facing the right way.

In all the Tatuus races I have taken part in, there have been people who can barely make a lap by themselves without spinning, and I think it's something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. It takes a lot away when there is no-one to race with because you're either constantly spinning, or you're not spinning at all. It takes even more away when someone losing control yet again causes you to crash into them.

I can't say it's lack of ability, because a lot of you I've raced against in the MX-5's, TT's and Abarth's and you were quick, much quicker than I am. I think it's a mix of poor use of the hour running up to the race and the constant changing of setup right up until the last second of quali, including just grabbing someone elses setup, even if their driving style is different, and not running your race tyre enough to be used to it.

I qualified 5th yesterday with the hard tyres that I had spent the whole evening running, and got my fastest lap right at the end. Come the race, I got to 2nd midway through lap 1 because most of the guys ahead of me ended up spinning. I then spent the entire race by myself. Now, I was nowhere near the quickest on track from what I could tell. I know Andy at the very least was quicker than me over a lap. This says to me that people are obsessing over the setup and a fast quali lap over a consistent car where you know what it'll do at every point on the track prior to the race.

I played with my setup (using Imola as the base, as suggested), and had a stable car I could use midway through official practice, then ran a long run all the way through quali. Meanwhile, I heard people still asking about setup, even up to 5 minutes prior to race start. You just cannot prepare yourself if the car is always changing and you aren't allowing yourself time to adapt to it. This is just depriving everyone the enjoyment of a close race. These cars make for amazing racing, yet it's being squandered.

Finally someone addressed it. I've said it some months ago in a post: setups are useless to those who don't practice. If you are 5 seconds off the pace or faster but extremely inconsistent, the setup won't help you. In addition to that, a setup is created to push to car to its limit and sometimes to handle it you have to drive that car for a while. You want to work on the setup, you do it days before the event, otherwise you are just dangerous and inconsistent. During practice, use the race tyres, not the softs. And seriously, stop using mediums for the race, they didn't last before and they won't last in the future race. One of the things that might increase the general consistency is traction control. It will make people slower, but at least they won't spin during the race. This goal of this event was to help people improving, but you don't improve with 30 minutes a week in a race with 23 other people, so allowing TC for those with less consistency can improve our and their racing experience. The only negative side is that they won't learn to modulate the throttle, but they don't learn it anyway because they don't practice, so the negative side basically doesn't exist.

 

[F1Warrior33]

Yesterday it was my first offcial online race, i sim race now 2years, therefore i was studying everything about setup, racelines, everything what is need to drive constant and fast. Yesterday 19:00 Dutch time, was my first practice with the tatuus.

- First i did a setup for qualifying, so i look to RSL LiveTiming my time was in the top 10nd, with the softs.
- Then i go with that setup, put the hards on and add fuel on it, practice not so much diffrent brake zones as i espected. And stil practice unitl 20:30 Dutch time, and then half hour rest .

For me it was hard to learn Assetto Corsa, i thought to much, to much, information about setups, how can he be so fast. Then i thought thinking to quite Assetto Corsa. But hea, if some one else does it great, why i can't?

So i continued Assetto Corsa, studying about, a good forcefeedback, brakepedal for me the most importent thing in racing , i studied everything. I did'nt quit, i bought a loadcell from Rimotech and it works i was Very fast, brake better, drives constantlyl. My key is was PRACTICE, PRACTICE and again PRACTICE. And with all that i was 3th.

So my story

 

[RasmusP]

That were some hard words guys (and a nice story!).
Please try to stay a bit nicer about this topic, we are all trying to have nice and clean races.

That said, I agree with parts of it and I definitely see your points!
I will enable TC for Zandvoort, let's see how it goes. Since TC doesn't really makes you faster like ABS does I don't see a problem with it

One thing to learn with the Tatuus (and mostly every car) is that you can't lift the throttle mid corner if your setup is balanced for the absolute limit! You will spin!

"but then I am too fast and will spin due to too much throttle!" - yeah, but no. You just have to brake more, be a bit careful and then apply 20-50% throttle through the corner instead of coasting through it.

That doesn't apply for every corner but it does apply for bumpy turns like 2nd turn at red Bull ring or the bus stop chicane at the end of Spa

 

[BhZ]

That were some hard words guys

Definitely needed considering that next week we will race in a narrow track, with the barriers very close to the road and a single spin can ruin the race for everyone. TC will help for sure there as most of the turns are quite slow. I hope TC won't slow people too much at the start...in that case t1 will be carnage.

 

[Case_]

Just to clarify it before someone asks: this picture isn't searchable

I was itching to ask (but really didn't want to go there for obvious reasons) as when it comes to names, it concerns me and my video uploads where I like to show up the starting grid and the finishing positions, so thanks for clarifying that.

 

[RasmusP]

I was itching to ask (but really didn't want to go there for obvious reasons) as when it comes to names, it concerns me and my video uploads where I like to show up the starting grid and the finishing positions, so thanks for clarifying that.

Just don't have it on every frame of the video (and not as thumbnail) and don't post the grid in the video description
Also the ts banter should stay private to give everyone the feeling of a closed room where you can say everything you want to

 

[Case_]

Just don't have it on every frame of the video

 

[RasmusP]

I already asked around for a leaderboard app that shows the name and a shortened surname would sort that problem!

 

[BrianUK]

Just don't have it on every frame of the video (and not as thumbnail) and don't post the grid in the video description
Also the ts banter should stay private to give everyone the feeling of a closed room where you can say everything you want to

What, like the live streams? :| This all feels very silly.

On the TC, is it being forced on for everyone?

 

[RasmusP]

No it's not, I will edit the server tomorrow so everyone CAN enable TC if they want to. I will still keep it off. Car feels better without it