Hi all.
Yesterday I had a great race with 8 people. Mostly from Canada or USA (it was late). Very close racing, a few small contacts. The start was great. In Qualy I just got the 4th, but I could pass Nr 3 and 2 and get to second until someone pushed my back in T1 and I spun out. I was lucky ... no big damage and I could go for it from the last pos. If it was hard enough I could also well be finished for that race but luckily no big damage. (unlike LFS, where you're nearly always fine to continue to the box)
Very exciting but fair racing. I got the first people really fast but then it got harder. After killing 8 seconds I finally was close enough to get in Pos 4. And this dude was really fair. He said I could pass on the right on the straight and so I did. But the grip in the right wasn't as good as on the racing line and so I skidded a bit and began to spin. He braked hard and still let me in front of him.
Rest of the race I just had to fight against my tires, which were nearly destroyed
But I could stay in front and be still a little faster than that fair guy behind me.
I enjoyed this great sound. Sounds like on TV. The racetrack ... very very nice. Racetracks you know and see in the real world. Very precise and lots of bumps. Its really great to break on a bumpy straight. You can acutally feel (hear) when the tires lock up or not and the car is bouncing a little, which makes it more risky and leads to skidding a bit.
Great real cockpits which do a lot to immersion.
The start is also nice. Not everyone gets away nearly equally like most times in LFS by just full throtteling, because of still wrong longitudinal grip. You have to get the right RPM not to stall, but spin a little, but also not to much.
The braking is also more exciting just because of those bumps. Its not easy to get the right amount towards the end and enter a corner clean.
You can push those cars hard without always counter steering. If you drive slow, everyone can go around the corners. If you push them you have to work a bit harder
A lot snappier and grippier than LFS, where e.g. road cars feel still a bit like driving in the wet.
Then I thought, that I love the big V8 sound of my Saleen and the surrounding Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW and Porsche and all those interessting well known real cars. Even this old 911 GT2, that was easy to get. I respect drivers who choose those cars and push them hard. They often don't finish last.
I love those great known precise tracks with all their bumps like Imola, Spa, Monza, Barcelona, Hockenheim and soon Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Get the right time and place and people will drive fair and mature, because a contact may finish the race ultimately with engine off and isn't starting. They will indicate where to pass and let you pass if you are really faster.
And it can suddenly rain and get wet ...
No costs for great races. Statistics can be done community driven, if you like it by just driving organized races. I payed only once for GTR2 and it should be cheaper than 1 month iRacing by now with IMHO much more interesting tracks and cars. It may be ISI physics, but very very well adapted so all those little details in racing are great with those cars.
*running away*