oohkey: This is how we go... all competitors please note:
LFSCART Round 4, Kyoto SpeedWeeks 400 is going to be open to all LFSCART racers... And I really do hope everyone is going to think about what to do. I'd suggest to go to Fragmaster's Oval Junkies Server to train what is coming. I think FM got 8 laps (right?) and we're going to see 25-times that distance Saturday. Anyways, FM provides a really good Oval Racing server. The problem about this method to get a bigger grid size is as clear to see as the cristal trophy of FIS skiing: Many of the participators don't have that much experience with oval racing. So THIS RACE MIGHT NOT REFLECT THE RACING PROVIDED IN THE KYOTO 500.
Please to all road course racers keep in mind: Oval racing is NOT road course racing with just 3 (/4) times turning left. This thinking does not do any good towards the racing. I want to remind you, 400miles oval racing are not easier then 400miles road course racing. I also want to tell you some things. First about the start:
We're starting in rows of two, like in the regular feature race start. What is different, that'll be the speed. We'll go the regular Safety Car speed, wich means going around 90mph/145kph (but without flux capacitor). The leader needs to continue driving this speed when approaching the LINE (a chalk line before the bend, I like to call Turn 4) When the Green flies, we go racing boys. Stay cool through the first turns and please reduce line changes to a minimum. There can be a full-course-yellow within a few seconds. Please stay cool. If you have doubts to do a move, you shouldn't try to do it, cause these doubts might fulfill and end in tears. If a caution comes out please be patient, don't shout throug ventrillo how disappointed you are with this situation.
Coming to the caution: If a caution comes out as said, stay patient. Leave, please please, leave enough room to the guys infront. And slow gentely down to 90mph/145kph. The Safety car will come to catch you within. During a caution: If you are unsure how the tires are going to devellop, to good or to bad, don't risk anything, and do a pitstop when pits are opened. The pitroad entry is, during cautions, right after Turn 3, marked by a chalk line on the inside. Please do not enter via the green flag pit road entry before Turn 3. Don't ever try to gain positions during a caution. At the end of a caution the "SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP // T: RESTART" message will appear. It will be shown at the LINE. The Safety Car will pull off track, and the leader controls the field to stay in Safety Car speed. I will try to stay in radio contact with the leader on the restart. He is allowed to go on throttle from the middle of Turn 3. Green flag will fly between Turn 3 and the LINE.
Some general things to the racing in the Oval. Basically every Oval races over such a distance is set together out of two parts: Part one, about 3/4 of the Race, is staying on the lead lap. This is even more important then the positon in wich you're in. Lead lap means to be in a fighting situation if you get a caution at the end of the race. To stay within the lead lap, don't try risky moves, don't try to force something. The race isn't won in Turn 1. (as you could see in todays Milwaukee race) The second part of the race is the final quater or quinte, then it comes to racing for the positions. For P1 I expect the battle to start between the 5 laps and 2 laps to go mark, depending on the gap to the next group of cars (If you have something like 10 seconds to go, you can try to block the line and stuff like that within the final laps - blocking is all at your risk, and can also end in tears.) If you're in the final part, you will already have an image of what to expect, you're in the rythm. If you race for positions in the early stage, you're not yet in the rythm and you might end up in the barrier. And rythm is important for oval racing with the FO8, even more the oval racing with any other car, as the draft is really something.
If you're thinking "What's this crazy guy talking about" please note: I've seen and partly admined two short oval races last year at kyoto and kyoto reverse. I've been in the Kyoto 500 2009 and I finished it. I have, though it is little, a certain knowledge about what's important in the continuum. Please stay safe, and follow my tips (wich might be between the lines) I just have the fear, it is going ot be a mess like the 2008 Kyoto 250 (where I also was a competitor). I just don't want it to end up like last year with competitors withdrawing from the series because of a bad behaviour of the field during the Oval round. Please understand.
All right, give me some Boogity Boogity and a clean race boys. Please!
EDIT: If i said something fundamentally wrong, please correct me... it's late around here, and... you know me
EDIT 2: Qualifying - It will be a outlap-hotlap-inlap qualifying. Everyone will get one shot. However, if someone ends up in the wall, he might get a second shot granted by me. Everyone can take his shot at any time during the one hour of qualifying, by announcing me that he is willing to do.
EDIT 3: Everything follows the Kyoto 500 standards and rule set, exept start (we're doing rows of two, we're doing a outlap-hotlap-inlap qualifying and we're using LFSCART skin rules)