This guide describes a lap in the XF GTi (XFG) around the Blackwood track. Its intention is to help you run a reasonably fast lap - somewhere in the 1:34s or 1:35s.
I'm assuming that you have a decent setup. The default one is not very fast, and only useful for those who drive with a steering wheel. If you have no other setup, get one from the Team Inferno site.
About the car
The XFG is a low-powered car, so the key to a fast lap is to not lose much speed in the turns. If you do, it will take a long time to get back to speed. Therefore, listen carefully to the tire noises. Some scrubbing is OK, but any screeching sound is a sure sign that you are ruining your lap time.
Being front-wheel drive, the XFG has a natural tendency to understeer. When you press the throttle, the car will wander to the outside of the turn. Step on the gas too early, and the car becomes fatally attracted to a gravel trap or a wall. The trick is to do most of the turning in the (later part of the) braking phase. In turns where you do not brake but only lift the throttle, use some lift-off oversteer: turn in - lift throttle - turn in some more.
The Hairpin (T1)
Approach the turn with the left wheels on the rumble strip, and brake at the 75m marker. (Do not put all 4 wheels on the rumble strip. It degrades braking, so you will miss the turn completely). Shift down quickly from 5th to 2nd gear. Turn in sharply, at or slightly before the 25m marker.
The Chicane (T2 and T3)
The chicane is taken full-throttle. Aim to get the right-hand wheels on the outer kerb of T2. If you start turning left just before going on the kerb, it helps you to make the turn for T3 without lots of tire-scrubbing, and thus prevent losing speed.
As a rule, you should avoid the inside kerbs. Most of them are pretty steep, so the penalty for touching the kerb with the wheels is at least heavy skidding, and quite often ends in the belly-up position. T3 is the exception to the rule. You can drive the right-hand side wheels over the kerb. It's even possible to take T3 with the left wheels on the kerb and the right wheels on the dirt. It won't cost you time - it might even be a bit faster - and the damage to the suspension is minimal.
After the chicane you have some time to take a sip, a leak or a nap, while the XFG roars along the Blackwood straight. But be sure to wake up in time for the righthander that follows.
The righthander after the straight (T4)
Not a very good name for a turn, but nobody has come up with a better one so far. The braking point is at 100m. Shift down to 3rd gear, and turn in a bit before the 50m point. Just like in the chicane, you can put your wheels on the outside kerb to get a little "push" into the turn.
You can floor the throttle after the apex (or slightly before, if you had a perfect turn-in), and allow the car to use the green "netting" at the edge of the track.
At T4 you can break the rule of "slow in, fast out". It pays to brake late and exit the turn a bit slower, because you come in at top speed, and there is no long straight after it. And besides, practicing late-braking here is a good preparation for online races: many drafting duels are fought on the Blackwood straight, and they're often decided in a late-braking battle at T4.
The Esses (T5 and T6)
The Esses are an important turn, because any speed advantage that you gain will benefit you on the uphill straight that follows. For the righthand T5 you don't need to brake. Just lift the throttle, turn a bit more, and let the car coast towards the apex. Sounds simple? Yes, but the problem is that the turn has no distance markers to help you find the right turn-in point. I usually start turning in where the gravel at the left ends, and the grass starts.
When you get it right, the front wheel will just graze the inside kerb. You can floor the throttle from there, and all the way through T6 - which can be taken with the wheels on the inner kerb (ah, there's the other exception!) - and on to the tire bridge.
The tire bridge (T7)
Brake at the 50m mark, turn in, release throttle, and turn some more to hit the apex - again, putting the left wheels on the outside kerb helps a bit to make the turn. At the apex you can floor the throttle, gradually turning back the steer to minimize the tire noises.
If you take T7 well, you'll need to go on the green netting. Do not stay there for long, though. You must swerve to the right in time, so you have the car going straight again when you approach T8.
The final turn (T8)
T8 is the turn that I have learnt to hate and fear. There is some dirt outside the track at corner entry, and the inside kerb is viciously high. Touching the former will instantly make the wheels lose grip (damn you, Scavier!). Touching the latter is guaranteed to topple your car.
Unfortunately, T8 is also the most important turn at Blackwood. First, because there's a steep uphill section after it, plus a long straight. Second, because it's the last turn in the lap - ruin it, and you have wasted not one, but two chances of a new PB.
Just like with T5, the correct turn-in point for T8 is crucial, but hard to find. Here is a rule of thumb: look for the end of the blue-white strip (which should be to your left), and turn in so that its tail passes under your left front wheel. There is no need to brake, only lift (though some folks prefer to tip the brakes, to make turning in easier). If all goes well you can hit the throttle slightly before the apex, make the rest of the turn without too much tire scrubbing, and climb the hill towards the finish line.
I'm assuming that you have a decent setup. The default one is not very fast, and only useful for those who drive with a steering wheel. If you have no other setup, get one from the Team Inferno site.
About the car
The XFG is a low-powered car, so the key to a fast lap is to not lose much speed in the turns. If you do, it will take a long time to get back to speed. Therefore, listen carefully to the tire noises. Some scrubbing is OK, but any screeching sound is a sure sign that you are ruining your lap time.
Being front-wheel drive, the XFG has a natural tendency to understeer. When you press the throttle, the car will wander to the outside of the turn. Step on the gas too early, and the car becomes fatally attracted to a gravel trap or a wall. The trick is to do most of the turning in the (later part of the) braking phase. In turns where you do not brake but only lift the throttle, use some lift-off oversteer: turn in - lift throttle - turn in some more.
The Hairpin (T1)
Approach the turn with the left wheels on the rumble strip, and brake at the 75m marker. (Do not put all 4 wheels on the rumble strip. It degrades braking, so you will miss the turn completely). Shift down quickly from 5th to 2nd gear. Turn in sharply, at or slightly before the 25m marker.
The Chicane (T2 and T3)
The chicane is taken full-throttle. Aim to get the right-hand wheels on the outer kerb of T2. If you start turning left just before going on the kerb, it helps you to make the turn for T3 without lots of tire-scrubbing, and thus prevent losing speed.
As a rule, you should avoid the inside kerbs. Most of them are pretty steep, so the penalty for touching the kerb with the wheels is at least heavy skidding, and quite often ends in the belly-up position. T3 is the exception to the rule. You can drive the right-hand side wheels over the kerb. It's even possible to take T3 with the left wheels on the kerb and the right wheels on the dirt. It won't cost you time - it might even be a bit faster - and the damage to the suspension is minimal.
After the chicane you have some time to take a sip, a leak or a nap, while the XFG roars along the Blackwood straight. But be sure to wake up in time for the righthander that follows.
The righthander after the straight (T4)
Not a very good name for a turn, but nobody has come up with a better one so far. The braking point is at 100m. Shift down to 3rd gear, and turn in a bit before the 50m point. Just like in the chicane, you can put your wheels on the outside kerb to get a little "push" into the turn.
You can floor the throttle after the apex (or slightly before, if you had a perfect turn-in), and allow the car to use the green "netting" at the edge of the track.
At T4 you can break the rule of "slow in, fast out". It pays to brake late and exit the turn a bit slower, because you come in at top speed, and there is no long straight after it. And besides, practicing late-braking here is a good preparation for online races: many drafting duels are fought on the Blackwood straight, and they're often decided in a late-braking battle at T4.
The Esses (T5 and T6)
The Esses are an important turn, because any speed advantage that you gain will benefit you on the uphill straight that follows. For the righthand T5 you don't need to brake. Just lift the throttle, turn a bit more, and let the car coast towards the apex. Sounds simple? Yes, but the problem is that the turn has no distance markers to help you find the right turn-in point. I usually start turning in where the gravel at the left ends, and the grass starts.
When you get it right, the front wheel will just graze the inside kerb. You can floor the throttle from there, and all the way through T6 - which can be taken with the wheels on the inner kerb (ah, there's the other exception!) - and on to the tire bridge.
The tire bridge (T7)
Brake at the 50m mark, turn in, release throttle, and turn some more to hit the apex - again, putting the left wheels on the outside kerb helps a bit to make the turn. At the apex you can floor the throttle, gradually turning back the steer to minimize the tire noises.
If you take T7 well, you'll need to go on the green netting. Do not stay there for long, though. You must swerve to the right in time, so you have the car going straight again when you approach T8.
The final turn (T8)
T8 is the turn that I have learnt to hate and fear. There is some dirt outside the track at corner entry, and the inside kerb is viciously high. Touching the former will instantly make the wheels lose grip (damn you, Scavier!). Touching the latter is guaranteed to topple your car.
Unfortunately, T8 is also the most important turn at Blackwood. First, because there's a steep uphill section after it, plus a long straight. Second, because it's the last turn in the lap - ruin it, and you have wasted not one, but two chances of a new PB.
Just like with T5, the correct turn-in point for T8 is crucial, but hard to find. Here is a rule of thumb: look for the end of the blue-white strip (which should be to your left), and turn in so that its tail passes under your left front wheel. There is no need to brake, only lift (though some folks prefer to tip the brakes, to make turning in easier). If all goes well you can hit the throttle slightly before the apex, make the rest of the turn without too much tire scrubbing, and climb the hill towards the finish line.
just takes practise to get it right 