This thread hasn't been locked yet? :faint:
Agree 100%There is more to being part of a team than having previously won a championship or two. Alonso is a big whiner and winger and from all accounts someone that is intolerable to work with. To win championships you need a driver that can motivate the team in an effective manner. This driver must also be able to keep his cool in tough circumstances which would mean in all probability he/she would be able to bite their tongue and not say things they shouldn't say.
Alonso is a hothead and personally 7.6mil is too much. I don't care if he won the race to the moon, attitude means more than trophies... and Alonso has the worst attitude I have seen in a F1 driver. If it was me I would replace him with a driver with a better attitude which if this is true is probably why Renault is letting him go. They don't want the hassle of trying to deal with him all the time.
Limiting the ECU to factory is great way to control costs. The problem is not the ECU itself, but all the components that get attached to it. With a factory ECU they can run other parts that don't require as high of performance. As an example the injectors. With these they could run smaller injectors knowing that their competitors will be limited as well.
Thats only an example, but can be expanded to every other component hooked into the ECU.
It's nice to see some cost cutting. I haven't really watched GT1 since Dodge pulled it's funding of thier Viper in GT1 because of costs and instead they switched focus on the comp coupe which runs GT3? I haven't really kept up with the comp coupe.
Thats only an example, but can be expanded to every other component hooked into the ECU.
It's nice to see some cost cutting. I haven't really watched GT1 since Dodge pulled it's funding of thier Viper in GT1 because of costs and instead they switched focus on the comp coupe which runs GT3? I haven't really kept up with the comp coupe.
I would like to say that anything TG says about cars should be taken with a grain of salt. They are after entertainment and not exactly giving the 'facts'. Afterall Clarkson said the vette is still running leaf springs like they did in the 60-70's which isn't true =)
GT is a great car. You are right about the Vette IMO. It has a huge engine with a nice suspension, but they skimp on the other stuff to the point of it looking cheap and tacky, but then people buying a vette would probably be happy with that =) This going to be a trackday only car? If so there are different things you can do.
Up north you will only be able to run track-days from April till October IIRC. If the ambient temperature is below 50-60 or so tracks can get very greasy and it's hard to get tempurature into tires. This being said I am sure you could buy a softer tire to compensate =)
Since you have cash to spend look at having to do a brake system fluid flush and pad replacement every event. Put some racing compound pads on to deal with the constant heat and upgrade the fluid to a hightemp dot3 if Ford doesn't already put it in.
I would get a spare set of wheels and get some trackday tires mounted. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/ ... =(Y)&minSpeedRating=Z This is a good make if your looking that direction.
Other than that have fun =) However if this going to be a dedicated trackday car here are a few more things I would do if it was me.
Rollcage, doesn't need to be fancy, just one to protect yourself if things do go wrong. Mechanical failures do happen and if they are in the wrong spot on the track you could find yourself heading strait for a wall at 160+ It will also help keep the chassis stiff.
With the roll cage you can now put in a proper racing harness. I have seen people use harnesses that attach to the seat belts in the rear, but honestly if that was better than the standard 3 point manufacturers would be looking at changing the 3 point design used in every car today. Without a rollcage a racing harness does nothing and if anything reduces safety. 5 point is minimum and if you like your gonads I have heard the 6 point is better. I have seen people use 4 point harnesses but the problem is in a hard collision you can slide out from under the harness.
Adjustable suspension dampers once you get through a few events. It's fun to tweak around with the suspension parts and see what happens. Mainly ride height ( may be able to use this to get the car on the trailer easier) and shock dampers.
Adjustable anti-roll bars. Both these and the dampening adjusts are very easy to change so they are great for beginners wanting to adjust suspension parts =)
Really not needed but nice to have things:
Fire extinguisher system. Chances are you won't need it, but when you do it can save your life and the car.
Fully adjustable suspension parts. Can adjust the control arms, change out the springs ect. Do your homework on suspensions and what each component does before considering this IMO. It could ruin your whole weekend with one twist of a wrench in the wrong direction, at least the fun of the weekend =) Things like camber, caster ect.
If you want dedicated racing training Skip Barber puts on some good training ranging from an afternoon to a whole weekend. Personally I would start there, they are put on by professional race drivers and they could give you much better advice about racing/trackdays than 99% of the people on the forum, afterall it is their JOB =) Not all of them, some are only drivers, but most of them when I had my trackday experience day with them knew much more than just the driving side.
GT is a great car. You are right about the Vette IMO. It has a huge engine with a nice suspension, but they skimp on the other stuff to the point of it looking cheap and tacky, but then people buying a vette would probably be happy with that =) This going to be a trackday only car? If so there are different things you can do.
Up north you will only be able to run track-days from April till October IIRC. If the ambient temperature is below 50-60 or so tracks can get very greasy and it's hard to get tempurature into tires. This being said I am sure you could buy a softer tire to compensate =)
Since you have cash to spend look at having to do a brake system fluid flush and pad replacement every event. Put some racing compound pads on to deal with the constant heat and upgrade the fluid to a hightemp dot3 if Ford doesn't already put it in.
I would get a spare set of wheels and get some trackday tires mounted. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/ ... =(Y)&minSpeedRating=Z This is a good make if your looking that direction.
Other than that have fun =) However if this going to be a dedicated trackday car here are a few more things I would do if it was me.
Rollcage, doesn't need to be fancy, just one to protect yourself if things do go wrong. Mechanical failures do happen and if they are in the wrong spot on the track you could find yourself heading strait for a wall at 160+ It will also help keep the chassis stiff.
With the roll cage you can now put in a proper racing harness. I have seen people use harnesses that attach to the seat belts in the rear, but honestly if that was better than the standard 3 point manufacturers would be looking at changing the 3 point design used in every car today. Without a rollcage a racing harness does nothing and if anything reduces safety. 5 point is minimum and if you like your gonads I have heard the 6 point is better. I have seen people use 4 point harnesses but the problem is in a hard collision you can slide out from under the harness.
Adjustable suspension dampers once you get through a few events. It's fun to tweak around with the suspension parts and see what happens. Mainly ride height ( may be able to use this to get the car on the trailer easier) and shock dampers.
Adjustable anti-roll bars. Both these and the dampening adjusts are very easy to change so they are great for beginners wanting to adjust suspension parts =)
Really not needed but nice to have things:
Fire extinguisher system. Chances are you won't need it, but when you do it can save your life and the car.
Fully adjustable suspension parts. Can adjust the control arms, change out the springs ect. Do your homework on suspensions and what each component does before considering this IMO. It could ruin your whole weekend with one twist of a wrench in the wrong direction, at least the fun of the weekend =) Things like camber, caster ect.
If you want dedicated racing training Skip Barber puts on some good training ranging from an afternoon to a whole weekend. Personally I would start there, they are put on by professional race drivers and they could give you much better advice about racing/trackdays than 99% of the people on the forum, afterall it is their JOB =) Not all of them, some are only drivers, but most of them when I had my trackday experience day with them knew much more than just the driving side.
Last edited by Christopher Raemisch, .
About 10k laps practice =)
Still a PC can be used for more things than letting your bum sit 1mm away from concrete =) Top of that £500 with a PC can last years, while that same amount in a kart is one bad weekend and all you would have to show for it are the broken parts sitting in the trunk.
Are perfectly good times to aim for. Start off with trying to go for low 14's. In the V1 they are getting grids full of drivers in the 12's and 13's.
12's and 13's
Great to hear
I know what you mean by not being able to concentrate after work, a little gym time would help that... though I don't go to the gym myself to help hold concentration better, but it does help tremendously. Thats an understatement. At the end of the day Topgear is looking for viewers and they are going to say anything they want about any car =)
THis good/bad thing is all relative anyways =) That GTR will crush your Dad's rusted out hatchback any day =)
Show me an excel with an annual budget of 6k for a new starter into TKM. New karts alone are upwards of 4,000pounds by the time you are done... Used are 2k, then a trailer, spares, track fees, fuel to drive back and forth to the track, lodging fees...
Why am I even bothering... you are talking out your arse. Sure you may be able to get into a kart for that, with no spares and putting the kart into the back of your Dad's estate, with bent chassis kart and used tires, 6k would hardly cover your fuel and food costs to and from the track for a national series.
If you REALLY want to race you will do anything speach is tiring. I used to say it myself, until I got a life, there are other things in life than racing, if there isn't then I feel sorry for you and wish you all the best in your cardboard box the next time it rains, give me your address and I will send you a complementry house to use when your letting the sun dry your other cardboard box.
Keep in mind that even if you could competively race for 6k a year, which you can't, it is still over 13% of the income of an average family household. Thats how much you could buy a house for in some area's... hmm a house or a gokart that I will never be able to compete in... having difficulties here in setting my priorities... not sure which one I should do...
I am going back under my bridge now...
Why am I even bothering... you are talking out your arse. Sure you may be able to get into a kart for that, with no spares and putting the kart into the back of your Dad's estate, with bent chassis kart and used tires, 6k would hardly cover your fuel and food costs to and from the track for a national series.
If you REALLY want to race you will do anything speach is tiring. I used to say it myself, until I got a life, there are other things in life than racing, if there isn't then I feel sorry for you and wish you all the best in your cardboard box the next time it rains, give me your address and I will send you a complementry house to use when your letting the sun dry your other cardboard box.
Keep in mind that even if you could competively race for 6k a year, which you can't, it is still over 13% of the income of an average family household. Thats how much you could buy a house for in some area's... hmm a house or a gokart that I will never be able to compete in... having difficulties here in setting my priorities... not sure which one I should do...
I am going back under my bridge now...
They are separate and going for slightly different people. Believe it or not there are people smart enough to know when not to jump if they simply cannot afford it. First thing first is a roof over your head and food on the table.
There are families out there that cannot afford the extra 10k plus to get their kid into racing, and that’s cheap. To race nationally you are easily looking at 30-40k, probably more, and that’s just for karts! Sure with families making that per adult it MAY be possible to run. Then sponsors can help offset this cost, but at the end of the day a significant amount of cash is needed to race and there will be very talented people, who are smart enough to know when not to play the real racing game when the risks are so high. IE they cannot afford to put food on the table if they race, and yes this is the case. The average British family barely makes 45k a year, with both adults working! Never mind finding the extra 10k to afford something that will never put food on the table, except in extreme circumstances, it's just not worth it.
People who don't race because of cost are not showing any less commitment, they are simply using their intelligence and they know when they have no feasible chance of competing to a realistic level without living in a cardboard box and stewing socks for dinner.
Keep in mind I am only talking about aspiring professional racers ...
There is another side of this. Because of the vast amounts of cash dolled out by families (IE not the actual racer) that the parents become involved in managing their kid. This is a disaster waiting to happen and many people in the racing business have lost their jobs because they said the wrong thing to a racers Dad at some point. V1 would solve this problem by eliminating the cash from the families and engineers would now be able to coach and teach without fear of losing their financial backer.
There is bound to be a few great racers out there in the sim racing community. Some of them are probably not even that fast. Not everyone has a bazillion hours to run thousands of laps on a config to get their lap times down. All it takes is the proper mentality when using simulators, which are used by professional racers to hone their skills, and they could be a great racer, just maybe one that runs 1-2 seconds off the pace because they don’t have the time to sit in front of the computer. They are too busy working putting food on the table, IE setting their priorities strait which IMO is one attribute anyone wanting to achieve anything will need.
Intrepid can you please take your elitism back to iRacing… you should love that simulator, you have to pay more cash to race and because of that they will be better drivers who can comprehend racing better...
I think his attitude could be a good example of a poor attitude 
Round two coming up, goodluck people Remember you don't have to have the fastest time to get into a real racecar. Only the right attitude and mentality will earn you those spots
:edit: Although the proper attitude will likely have a side effect of quickish laptimes =)
Remember you don't have to have the fastest time to get into a real racecar. Only the right attitude and mentality will earn you those spots :edit: Although the proper attitude will likely have a side effect of quickish laptimes =)
Last edited by Christopher Raemisch, .
Actually IIRC laptime is only a very small part of whats being looked at so anyone could in theory get the seat, not just the kids that have spent a million miles on LFS learning every square millimeter of blackwood.
For anyone on facebook there is a group you can join in on =)
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/ ... group.php?gid=18476362283
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/ ... group.php?gid=18476362283
Yep infact from what I understand they actually had virtual stores in second life and delivered to real houses from the second life orders. Not sure how true it is though, didn't see it myself.
This gas mileage is the same as the Ford Mustang and we all know thats not aerodynamic.
The Camaro gets 28 with it's V8 and 18-20 in town. Drag is only a partial factor in fuel mileage and there are many more variables that must be looked at. Having a low drag in itself does not mean you will have good fuel mileage.I don't think you will be at a disadvantage with a mouse. Mousers, IE people to race with a mouse, are just as fast as people with a wheel. However IMO it's much more fun with a wheel! But it's not manditory, nor will your times decrease because of a wheel. If anything your times will INCREASE if you switch to a wheel now. It does take some time to get used to.
Yes the replay will still be saved and statistics logged. You don't have to be on the server with other people in order to log data for yourself. Others are just missing a perfect opportunity
Racing on the servers gives data for V1 and crew to sift through to help in their selection. My understanding is that a portion of the drivers for the weekly events will be selected via the qualifying sessions, while some will also be hand picked by Jay himself to run in the event. There is not a 'target time' to hit persay, race cleanly and professionally and you have a chance of competing in the events.
If you must need a target time type /w wr in the chat window to give you the world record for the track/car you are currently driving. Or type /ws BL1 FBM wr Thanks Gil
Yes, more information to follow =)
I don't know the specifics but if you don't plan to be available for the race please don't qualify for that week. Missing events would reflect poorly on your statistics, but that in itself would not exclude you from participating.
Last edited by Christopher Raemisch, .
I hate it when people say it's a 'leaf' spring! It is in technical terms but it's not used in the conventional sense since they changed it on the C4. Which they started making in 1984, thats nearing 25 years folks of independent suspension for the vette... Spanks already gave the list of +'s for it =)
Your probably right, I think there was cost involved though and it was cheaper in the long run to switch to the viper which required less maintenance (example, the vette would go through pads and rotors every session while the viper would go the whole weekend on a set of rotors and a day on a set of pads, there was more but time was short as we were waiting in line to get a spin in the production Viper at Road America. His biggest complaint was the car making setup changes on it's own after a session however =) I don't know the specifics but I would have thought they could have been able to solve the problem, they are a top notch team in the states.
The viper is a tube chassis with a unibody overlay which is more along the lines they were looking for from what I understood from Dave.
Last edited by Christopher Raemisch, .
If you say so... people keep saying that but if that was true why would manufacturers AND racers use lateral G's for the level of 'grip' for a car? Why do manufacturers use slalom speeds as an indicator on how well a car transitions? Yes some mean more than others but if these didn't indicate anything why would they still be used in the professional arena on a global level?
I think people just say what you just did to make themselves feel better about their own favorite car, I know I have in the past =)
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG