Of course you can my little Klingon
. Assuming I confirm of course.Put me down as a maybe, I won't know if I can be in Holland on that date until nearer the time. I hope the hotel does single rooms too though...
If I do make it I might be able to pickup 1 from Haarlem / Schipol if I have got my car with me.
If I do make it I might be able to pickup 1 from Haarlem / Schipol if I have got my car with me.
I'm toying with changing my music room into an office today, if I do I'll be able to get a wheel again. I can't play LFS currently.
I actually would like to do the STCC again (not the CTRA). But for it to happen LFS needs a graphics update, more short circuits, a few minor game engine tweaks and a change in my life that gave me more free time.
But I've never ruled it out.
I found the FO8 hard as a beginner, but once I had some FOX miles under my belt and played with the setup it was good, but very unforgiving of errors that in other cars could more easily be recovered. I loved the FJR format we came up with for the CTRA though, that took the edge off it.
I do tend to charge through like a steamroller on heat don't I ? :P
I believe the problem of drivers not being aligned to the vision and direction of a league to be more responsible for people quitting than their own misfortune of performance. Plenty of midfielders stayed on in the STCC even though they couldn't compete with the likes of Victor Szabo, Hannu Pinola and Chris Redman.
Having a week vision that fails to inspire your drivers to follow it is worse than shedding a few who can't keep up with the mission. You'll shed more drivers by being "just another league" than you will those who are too demotivated to continue.
For all my sins, one things my leagues had was a creative vision that made them stand out. I think both my leagues where very successful, and I believe the reason they where is because of the distinctive visions they each had. So if I am to give advise, surely the best advise I can give is to have a strong creative mission statement?
I havn't competed actively in LFS since around 2007, but even though that was a rosy era for LFS league attendance was still potentially problematical for smaller leagues. Get 40 drivers signed up and you'll have 15 starters.
When I ran the STCC which Dustin mentioned above I got between 16 and 20 entrants for most races and it was much lauded as a popular league at the time. I think the most entries I got was 34 for round 3. By mid-season the drivers who either had a stewarding decision against them that they didn't like, or those who felt they couldn't compete competitively had left.
I took part in a couples of leagues which collapsed within a few races because of lack of entries, and this was a time when the LFS player base was healthy.
The problem isn't new.
But perhaps the answer could be, maybe it's time to do things differently?
Some lessons from the OWRL: Perhaps try only taking grid reservations from the day before a race. Email your drivers several times before each event.
Or how I did it when I ran the CTRA, by turning the concept of the league on it's head in a way that was at the time quite a revolutionary concept it got people interested, and I relentlessly talked about it in every relevant forum thread I could find to build awareness. Providing something new and unique got people into it to the point that drivers started promoting it for us - until eventually it had almost 40,000 drivers and became the normal way people played the game for some time.
Lessons from the STCC, stand out from other leagues by being genuinely different. The STCC was audience orientated and did race broadcasting in a unique way, it had a challenging event structure that gave everyone plenty of seat time whilst still delivering a well packaged spectator spectacle. In this way it stood out from all other leagues at the time as something different and worth competing in.
If league organisers keep doing the same things, then they'll keep getting the same results. If you expect a different result when you do the same things then you fulfill the criterea for Einstein's classification of madness.
The head of any league organisation must first and foremost fulfill the primary role of "selling" the concept of their league to their audience, leave the nitty gritty to your support team. Be creative and devise an interesting concept, then convey to your audience the reasons for them to compete, and they will come...
When I ran the STCC which Dustin mentioned above I got between 16 and 20 entrants for most races and it was much lauded as a popular league at the time. I think the most entries I got was 34 for round 3. By mid-season the drivers who either had a stewarding decision against them that they didn't like, or those who felt they couldn't compete competitively had left.
I took part in a couples of leagues which collapsed within a few races because of lack of entries, and this was a time when the LFS player base was healthy.
The problem isn't new.
But perhaps the answer could be, maybe it's time to do things differently?
Some lessons from the OWRL: Perhaps try only taking grid reservations from the day before a race. Email your drivers several times before each event.
Or how I did it when I ran the CTRA, by turning the concept of the league on it's head in a way that was at the time quite a revolutionary concept it got people interested, and I relentlessly talked about it in every relevant forum thread I could find to build awareness. Providing something new and unique got people into it to the point that drivers started promoting it for us - until eventually it had almost 40,000 drivers and became the normal way people played the game for some time.
Lessons from the STCC, stand out from other leagues by being genuinely different. The STCC was audience orientated and did race broadcasting in a unique way, it had a challenging event structure that gave everyone plenty of seat time whilst still delivering a well packaged spectator spectacle. In this way it stood out from all other leagues at the time as something different and worth competing in.
If league organisers keep doing the same things, then they'll keep getting the same results. If you expect a different result when you do the same things then you fulfill the criterea for Einstein's classification of madness.
The head of any league organisation must first and foremost fulfill the primary role of "selling" the concept of their league to their audience, leave the nitty gritty to your support team. Be creative and devise an interesting concept, then convey to your audience the reasons for them to compete, and they will come...
Last edited by Becky Rose, .
In my last local election the only manifesto I received through my door was an independent. I didn't vote for him because I read his manifesto...
In national elections I am a floating voter, I'm not above tactical voting - but the big 3 are hard to distinguish, I can't tell them apart. I would probably vote green but there's no local candidate because theirs is the only manifesto that isn't damaging to our society or economically unsound.
I do have lots of ideas on Parliamentary reform but my MP has already told me quite clearly that he doesn't think gay people are part of society and do not deserve representation or equality so I havnt bothered making suggestions or even detailing the damage to my business sector and GDP impact that the current royal mail privatisation would cause.
Needless to say, if an indipendant stood who would at least hear me out then there is a good chance I'll vote for them.
In national elections I am a floating voter, I'm not above tactical voting - but the big 3 are hard to distinguish, I can't tell them apart. I would probably vote green but there's no local candidate because theirs is the only manifesto that isn't damaging to our society or economically unsound.
I do have lots of ideas on Parliamentary reform but my MP has already told me quite clearly that he doesn't think gay people are part of society and do not deserve representation or equality so I havnt bothered making suggestions or even detailing the damage to my business sector and GDP impact that the current royal mail privatisation would cause.
Needless to say, if an indipendant stood who would at least hear me out then there is a good chance I'll vote for them.
How are you finding puberty, Dustin?
Regarding houses having barriers in front of them, I went around the whole track in '99 and though it was a few years ago I don't recall much in the way of housing - there's trees and a lot of them, I guess there might be houses on the other side but I don't remember any or recall any drive ways.
There are a few businesses off the Mulsanne, I suppose there might be a house or two somewhere along the route but I can't think of any and believe it's mostly a non-issue.
The Mulsanne straight is a road between towns and the other side of the circuit is for the most part purpose built race track, with a few roundabouts inbetween that the circuit bypasses or turns off from.
So yes there are local residents, but these aren't residential streets.
I'm not sure of the physics as to how much use they are but if the high pressure water barriers are suited to purpose then I hardly think they would be out of place, and besides - what's the harm in tyre walls - nobody is under the illusion that it isn't the most famous and most important race track in the world. I think you'll find the vast majority of locals are proud of it rather than registering noise complaints.
There are a few businesses off the Mulsanne, I suppose there might be a house or two somewhere along the route but I can't think of any and believe it's mostly a non-issue.
The Mulsanne straight is a road between towns and the other side of the circuit is for the most part purpose built race track, with a few roundabouts inbetween that the circuit bypasses or turns off from.
So yes there are local residents, but these aren't residential streets.
I'm not sure of the physics as to how much use they are but if the high pressure water barriers are suited to purpose then I hardly think they would be out of place, and besides - what's the harm in tyre walls - nobody is under the illusion that it isn't the most famous and most important race track in the world. I think you'll find the vast majority of locals are proud of it rather than registering noise complaints.
Hopefully either one of those expensive licenced FIA Tecpro barriers, or perhaps one of those pressurised water ones they use at Indianapolis.
Tyre barriers are okay, but when it comes to the speeds involved at La Larthe I suspect they might not be adequate in and of themselves.
The reality is that the circuit is simply one of the fastest race tracks in the world - to put it in perspective it's only in recent times that the main straight has been tamed by not one, but two chicanes, because apparently 405kmh was just too much. Yes, over 400 bloody kmh! Even now the lap is 85% full throttle and there's only 1 slow corner in over 8 miles of circuit.
Le Mans is extreme in more than just the running time of the race, that's one of the reasons why it's so special.
And when you put that into perspective, one does begin to wonder just why the barrier design is straight out of the 1970's... Afterall, according to Eurosport the ACO is a cash rich organisation which can afford to invest in the circuit.
Yep, or in the words of one of my favorite Catatonia songs, International Velvet which is an anthem of Welshness that hides several confessions by switching into Welsh,
translated: Wake up Wales, we're a bit shit really.
more literal: Wake up Wales. Deep is the weakness, small is the flame
As far as I can work out it was a foxtrot up.
Yeah, but as I said earlier I'm a long time Aston Martin supporter and you'll see above I even predicted it would all go wrong in the last hour. This is the Aston Martin tradition.
What an exciting battle up until that point though
I now absolutely stink and really need a bath.
What an exciting battle up until that point though
I now absolutely stink and really need a bath.
I dont get the switch the wets, they may as well do the opposite of Porsche.
But it was under green when it came in, and then waited for ~3 safety cars to pass. 
Trying to figure out why the Aston lost so much time in the pits ? :/
I had a bloody server outage and now the Aston is infront, did the Porsche have problems?
EDIT: no matter, Porsche got tyres, Aston still needs them so although ahead now, technically 10 seconds behind overall. *Nervous*
EDIT2: WOAH! Porsche guy cracked and spun. Now 2 seconds cummulative gap...
Oh my, this is tighter than a virgin in a freezer.
EDIT: no matter, Porsche got tyres, Aston still needs them so although ahead now, technically 10 seconds behind overall. *Nervous*
EDIT2: WOAH! Porsche guy cracked and spun. Now 2 seconds cummulative gap...
Oh my, this is tighter than a virgin in a freezer.
Last edited by Becky Rose, .
Noes don't ad break as #97 comes in to the pit lane ! *panic*
As a life long Aston Martin supporter I am quite used to seeing them retire from the lead in the last few hours of the race. They've done it early this year.
And after a few green flag laps another Aston will take the lead ready for retirement in the last hour.
I really hope they pull it off this year.
And after a few green flag laps another Aston will take the lead ready for retirement in the last hour.
I really hope they pull it off this year.
Thanks. I won't let it happen again :P
I appear to have dozed of and now another accident and a barrier repair in progress. No idea why.
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG