iRacing

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flohtingPoint
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iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

Anyone else do this simulator? I just heard about it a couple days ago and it seemed like a good thing to do during the off season. I suck massively right now (can barely manage a 1:56 around Laguna Seca with a Solstice), but today was basically my first day.

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Re: iRacing

Post by Claff »

I've been doing iRacing since February. I'm more of an oval driver concentrating on Late Models now but will run a Solstice or SRF race if I'm around and don't have a LM race to run at the same time.

My personal best in the Solstice at Laguna Seca is a high 1:52. At Lime Rock I can run 1:06s and don't really know what I can improve to get down to the 1:04s or better that the good guys run.

This past week has been fun with the Late Models as they were running a road course for the first time, doing Lime Rock. It's a fun track to drive on but, at least for me, a terrible track to race on. I got thumped off the track on the start a couple times and have been the victim of over aggressive drivers some others. Not saying that I'm a perfectly clean driver myself (far from!) but most of my problems during the week was paying the price for other drivers' mistakes. I don't think I finished where I 'should' have even once

I'd been looking forward to Late Models at Lime Rock since the current season schedule came out, and now I'm glad it's over and we can go back to boring ovals so I can get my ratings back to where they were before.

Some day I'll figure out how to 'friend' other drivers. There's a bunch of guys I know on there but don't know how to easily keep tabs on what they're doing.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

Claff wrote:I've been doing iRacing since February. I'm more of an oval driver concentrating on Late Models now but will run a Solstice or SRF race if I'm around and don't have a LM race to run at the same time.

My personal best in the Solstice at Laguna Seca is a high 1:52. At Lime Rock I can run 1:06s and don't really know what I can improve to get down to the 1:04s or better that the good guys run.

This past week has been fun with the Late Models as they were running a road course for the first time, doing Lime Rock. It's a fun track to drive on but, at least for me, a terrible track to race on. I got thumped off the track on the start a couple times and have been the victim of over aggressive drivers some others. Not saying that I'm a perfectly clean driver myself (far from!) but most of my problems during the week was paying the price for other drivers' mistakes. I don't think I finished where I 'should' have even once

I'd been looking forward to Late Models at Lime Rock since the current season schedule came out, and now I'm glad it's over and we can go back to boring ovals so I can get my ratings back to where they were before.

Some day I'll figure out how to 'friend' other drivers. There's a bunch of guys I know on there but don't know how to easily keep tabs on what they're doing.
Yea, low 1:50's seem to be the norm on Laguna Seca with the rookie Solstice. Everyone in my qualifying session were churning those times while I was getting random 2:00's and sparse 1:57's and 1:56's. I still have a lot of work to do on there.

LOL @ the figure out how to friend drivers. I have no idea how to do that either. Nor do I know how to add someone to my watched list too.
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Re: iRacing

Post by Claff »

For me to get under 1:54 it requires a perfect storm of getting through the right-hander that starts the climb up the hill without drama, ditto for the kink halfway up the hill, and of course then there's that corkscrew...

Lime Rock is much more entertaining but I've had better on-track success at Laguna Seca.

The Spec Racer Ford used to be a terrible driving car but they tweaked it recently and it's a lot more manageable, not that it made it better for me to run competitively with it.

Ovals are fun once you get out of the Legends cars. If you go that route get yourself into a Late Model as soon as possible.
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Re: iRacing

Post by hepcatz »

I've thought about it over the past year but could not get over the "overpriced video game that won't translate to real driving" thought to actual try it out. Sounds like you both give it a thumbs up? Do I need to rethink and try?
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

Claff wrote:For me to get under 1:54 it requires a perfect storm of getting through the right-hander that starts the climb up the hill without drama, ditto for the kink halfway up the hill, and of course then there's that corkscrew...

Lime Rock is much more entertaining but I've had better on-track success at Laguna Seca.

The Spec Racer Ford used to be a terrible driving car but they tweaked it recently and it's a lot more manageable, not that it made it better for me to run competitively with it.

Ovals are fun once you get out of the Legends cars. If you go that route get yourself into a Late Model as soon as possible.
You were right on. The Solstice series is on Lime Rock now and WOW is that course fun. The final 3 corners where you just do a little brake tap and throw the car in are GREAT! I also love the charge down to T1 and the braking standoff you'll have with other folks charging that corner.
hepcatz wrote:I've thought about it over the past year but could not get over the "overpriced video game that won't translate to real driving" thought to actual try it out. Sounds like you both give it a thumbs up? Do I need to rethink and try?
iRacing is far from a game. I'm excellent at Forza/Gran Turismo/etc but mediocre to bad at iRacing. It's extremely challenging at first just to keep the car on the course, let alone lay down respectable lap times.

To play, you'll need a decent wheel. It's an expensive buy-in, but the month to month payment is not bad.
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Re: iRacing

Post by edfooliu »

Definitely not a game... I was really impressed by a demo last year, but I haven't gotten around to shelling out for it. Before I started autocrossing, I played tons of sims--Live for Speed, pretty much every GTR/GTR2/RACE, rFactor--on my G25. Cost an arm and a leg, but a good wheel makes all the difference bridging the gap from game to sim... feeling the tension build up, the slack and shuddering of understeer, wrenching itself out of your hands in a big rebound slide....really quite fun. The sims definitely can be very cognitively instructive about vehicle dynamics, setup, etc...and you do train your reflexes and instincts a bit with regard to car control.

That said... I can't say I feel a direct translation to real driving when it comes to the _skill_ of handling a car. It very much feels like I'm working different areas of the brain when I go back and forth, and it's a very different experience driving a car with the butt dyno (okay, inner ear..) versus only audio/visual and wheel feedback. The sims and wheels (at least G25/27) are so good now that I have to think there's some translation...but anecdotally, I'm not convinced of one yet. At least it's not obvious.

Sure is fun, though... may have to dust off the wheel and give iRacing another try.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

edfooliu wrote:Definitely not a game... I was really impressed by a demo last year, but I haven't gotten around to shelling out for it. Before I started autocrossing, I played tons of sims--Live for Speed, pretty much every GTR/GTR2/RACE, rFactor--on my G25. Cost an arm and a leg, but a good wheel makes all the difference bridging the gap from game to sim... feeling the tension build up, the slack and shuddering of understeer, wrenching itself out of your hands in a big rebound slide....really quite fun. The sims definitely can be very cognitively instructive about vehicle dynamics, setup, etc...and you do train your reflexes and instincts a bit with regard to car control.

That said... I can't say I feel a direct translation to real driving when it comes to the _skill_ of handling a car. It very much feels like I'm working different areas of the brain when I go back and forth, and it's a very different experience driving a car with the butt dyno (okay, inner ear..) versus only audio/visual and wheel feedback. The sims and wheels (at least G25/27) are so good now that I have to think there's some translation...but anecdotally, I'm not convinced of one yet. At least it's not obvious.

Sure is fun, though... may have to dust off the wheel and give iRacing another try.
If you do check it out again, hit me up on there. James Newman.

The things I find that translate well into real driving are things like trail/threshold braking, controlling the car in the corner with the throttle and pocket timing in regards to rolling on the throttle.
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Re: iRacing

Post by Claff »

hepcatz wrote:I've thought about it over the past year but could not get over the "overpriced video game that won't translate to real driving" thought to actual try it out. Sounds like you both give it a thumbs up? Do I need to rethink and try?
What's the worst that could happen?

I talked to a guy who got into sim racing some years ago and used that to get into real racing where he's now a two-time NASCAR Modified champion. He said the sim racing doesn't really help you become a faster real-world driver, but it went a long way towards teaching race craft and strategy, especially stuff like setting up passes and conserving your 'stuff'.

I don't think it's helped me get faster, but just getting to know the tracks is a help. When we went to Summit Point a few months ago we signed up for parade laps (who'da thought driving 7/10ths was a "parade"?) but there were no surprises, and I'd never been to Summit Point before.

Even if there's no real-world benefit to racing, it's not a bad way to get your racing fix over the cold months.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

Claff wrote:I don't think it's helped me get faster, but just getting to know the tracks is a help. When we went to Summit Point a few months ago we signed up for parade laps (who'da thought driving 7/10ths was a "parade"?) but there were no surprises, and I'd never been to Summit Point before.

Even if there's no real-world benefit to racing, it's not a bad way to get your racing fix over the cold months.
I've been on Laguna Seca and Jefferson at Summit and both are represented quite well in iRacing. Width feels close to the same, surface is a good match and the curb lips are spot on.

Couldn't agree with you more about getting a fix during the cold months. Winter always feels extra long as none of my weekends are planned anymore and the only time I get with my car is spent in the garage. I can definitely see iRacing being the cure for this.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

FINALLY found a store that carried it!

Image

Between that and iRacing, I'm going to have no life for a while. This game should have come with a bottle of jergens.
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Re: iRacing

Post by hepcatz »

I'm thinking of an xbox 360 as they have a highly acclaimed game that is supposed to rival Gran Turismo. By the time I got a good wheel, better PC & Iracing subscription it would not make much sense for one game, even if good.
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Re: iRacing

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hepcatz wrote:I'm thinking of an xbox 360 as they have a highly acclaimed game that is supposed to rival Gran Turismo. By the time I got a good wheel, better PC & Iracing subscription it would not make much sense for one game, even if good.
Forza is fun for a week or two, but it gets old pretty quick. It's pretty arcadey and such. I do like it better than Gran Turismo mainly due to it's classifications for races being based on a points system (which is calculated off modifications done to a vehicle and the base vehicle itself) a lot of the times rather than a certain spec of car.

I'll have to have you over so you can try out iRacing sometime so you can see how far from a game it is. Honestly I cant wait to get better at it so I can progress into their open wheel series.
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Re: iRacing

Post by hepcatz »

Sounds good, I can grab some brew. Hope you don't mind bone marrow free beer... lol.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

hepcatz wrote:Sounds good, I can grab some brew. Hope you don't mind bone marrow free beer... lol.
LOL! Funny you mention that, I'm having myself a marrow laden Guinness now.

We can have ourselves a shootout on F1 2009 too, McLaren vs Ferrari, Raikkonen vs Hamilton. I'll even let you pick the track as long as it doesn't start with a "silverstone".
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Post by hepcatz »

Ok, but only if we can run in full simulation mode. That will allow me to slap my backup drivers and have temper tantrums. The amount of beer is directly porpotional to the increase in fake French accent...

Speaking of ferrari F1, did you see his brief stint driving in WRC?
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Re: iRacing

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hepcatz wrote:Ok, but only if we can run in full simulation mode. That will allow me to slap my backup drivers and have temper tantrums. The amount of beer is directly porpotional to the increase in fake French accent...

Speaking of ferrari F1, did you see his brief stint driving in WRC?
LOL @ the Frenchy!!! It's what I think of every time I see a picture of him now. I'm not sure what's worse, thinking he's the lead singer of Mattafix or thinking he has a fake French accent.

Yea, I have the footage from Finland this year when he was doing so/so until he stuffed it. Kimi is going WRC full time next year with Cit. Should prove to be interesting seeing Kimi pilot a WRC car with a hangover.
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Re: iRacing

Post by hepcatz »

Yeah Citroen doesn't mind, they have many talented drivers to be competitive (since WRC is just them and Ford). IRC is so much better now: more variety in manufactures and less money. I'll still watch WRC too. maybe HDTheater channel will pick up IRC as well so I don't have to watch it on the 'net. Well, bon jour for now.
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Re: iRacing

Post by bearda »

hepcatz wrote:I'm thinking of an xbox 360 as they have a highly acclaimed game that is supposed to rival Gran Turismo. By the time I got a good wheel, better PC & Iracing subscription it would not make much sense for one game, even if good.
Forza is fun every once and a while, but there really aren't any good wheels available for the Xbox360. The Microsoft wheel isn't bad for an entry level but you really only have once choice for a wheel with 900-degree rotation (Fanatec), and last I heard the lead time on them were in the months. It's definitely not comparable to iRacing, though.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

bearda wrote:
hepcatz wrote:I'm thinking of an xbox 360 as they have a highly acclaimed game that is supposed to rival Gran Turismo. By the time I got a good wheel, better PC & Iracing subscription it would not make much sense for one game, even if good.
Forza is fun every once and a while, but there really aren't any good wheels available for the Xbox360. The Microsoft wheel isn't bad for an entry level but you really only have once choice for a wheel with 900-degree rotation (Fanatec), and last I heard the lead time on them were in the months. It's definitely not comparable to iRacing, though.
Speaking of wheels, I like my G27 enough, but I've heard people actually perfer the G25 more. Any insight?

Yea, Forza compared to iRacing, not even a comparison. The wheel to wheel action in iRacing is intense.
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Re: iRacing

Post by Claff »

I haven't had a chance to try a G27, and my G25 is working well (got another Late Model win tonight!) so I'm not going to consider new stuff anytime soon.
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Re: iRacing

Post by edfooliu »

So the snow (and a 3 months for $15 deal) got me to dust off the ol' G25 and take iRacing for a spin.... It's interesting. I think the biggest impression is I'm not sure I like the content/payment model. The whole system seems designed really well for actively participating in the various series and progressing your 'career', as it were. For that, I imagine the unlocks/licenses/additional paid-content work pretty well. I, on the other hand, approach it more casually, like a sort of sandbox-y playground. Gimme all the cars, all the tracks, and let me mess around by my lonesome (e.g. the various forzas and gran turismos.). Semi-contradiction being that I want a hardcore sim designed for the casual player :?

As for the sim itself, initial impressions were a little lackluster, but I think I'm coming around. The Solstice felt so dead and numb, and I could never consistently balance it around a corner on the throttle--breakaway felt odd, and the f/r balance felt odd. Then I tried the Spec Racer Ford, and good god that thing is fun. The wheel feedback shot up a few notches and actually conveys some information, and the car is just so lively. You could just instantly feel the delicate weight transfer as you manipulate the throttle, seeing and feeling the body movements plant down on the rear axle. Taming that beast is an absolute blast.

I went back to the Solstice after that, and it made me rethink my impressions on that car. I think it was simply modeled to feel like that, power steering, soft suspension and all. And indeed when I paid more attention, it just started making a lot of sense. I'm not sure I'll put in the time to stick with it, but I can see the appeal if I had more time.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

edfooliu wrote:So the snow (and a 3 months for $15 deal) got me to dust off the ol' G25 and take iRacing for a spin.... It's interesting. I think the biggest impression is I'm not sure I like the content/payment model. The whole system seems designed really well for actively participating in the various series and progressing your 'career', as it were. For that, I imagine the unlocks/licenses/additional paid-content work pretty well. I, on the other hand, approach it more casually, like a sort of sandbox-y playground. Gimme all the cars, all the tracks, and let me mess around by my lonesome (e.g. the various forzas and gran turismos.). Semi-contradiction being that I want a hardcore sim designed for the casual player :?

As for the sim itself, initial impressions were a little lackluster, but I think I'm coming around. The Solstice felt so dead and numb, and I could never consistently balance it around a corner on the throttle--breakaway felt odd, and the f/r balance felt odd. Then I tried the Spec Racer Ford, and good god that thing is fun. The wheel feedback shot up a few notches and actually conveys some information, and the car is just so lively. You could just instantly feel the delicate weight transfer as you manipulate the throttle, seeing and feeling the body movements plant down on the rear axle. Taming that beast is an absolute blast.

I went back to the Solstice after that, and it made me rethink my impressions on that car. I think it was simply modeled to feel like that, power steering, soft suspension and all. And indeed when I paid more attention, it just started making a lot of sense. I'm not sure I'll put in the time to stick with it, but I can see the appeal if I had more time.
Rookie Solstice is running on Limerock right now, which is a ton of fun. With a good afternoon of practice on the track, you shouldn't have problems being top 5. RIght now I'm knocking on the door of a 1:04 but my consistent laps are 1:06's in practice.

Feel free to buddy me up (James Newman) and hit me next time I'm on so we can do some Solstice runs.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZKBvX7-Teg

For anyone that hasn't seen the game, thats one of my laps around Limerock.
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Re: iRacing

Post by flohtingPoint »

It's just been confirmed, last years Williams F1 car, the FW31, will be coming to iRacing. I honestly cant wait...
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