AC Multiclass Audi TT,Mazda MX5 @ RedBullRing, Wednesday 23th June 2021

[Programmer_Rich]

No worries Richard (RFE3rd), I did wonder where you were going to end up as you moved over to the right through turn 6 and surprised me when you came back on track but no harm done.
That has to go down as one of the best battles I have been involved in. The car was a bit sluggish with the full fuel load on and I just tried to settle in to a rhythm as Richard B went past on lap one. But things got exciting as the fuel went down and the car came alive allowing me to run close in a four way battle with Colin, Richard and Pete.I made a mistake and locked the brakes going into to turn 1 and trying to avoid contact with Richard and Pete got past leaving me in P6 and the last of the Audi’s.
Careful use of the P2P and catching the Mazdas meant I got past Richard again with a side by side and late on the brakes move down the hill into turn 5. Richard gave me a tap which I managed to save and his apology over the airwaves and my response must have distracted me as I lost the back end big time going into the off-camber turn 6. Richard had nowhere to go and took to the gravel and Pete joined in the fun as I managed to save the slide and keep going. Sorry Richard, I’m sure it would have been a great battle right to the end.

I then set off after Colin and with a few saved up P2P moments and Colin negotiating Mazdas, I managed the pass in the closing laps to take P3 and a podium..

I want to say a big thank you to all the Mazda guys, it must have been a scary sight seeing the four of us coming up in your mirrors and well done to Han and Ernie for the wins. It wasn’t long ago that I was driving the Mazda and it’s not easy to keep them on the track while wondering where that pesky Audi is, never mind four of them all at once! Thanks to Colin, Richard and Pete for making it one to remember.

Paul I couldn't agree more. It was really great close racing and by far the best 'last place' I've ever had, LOL.

Kudos to you for following me for so long without any contact whatsoever, even when I made small mistakes into a couple of corners - I honestly thought damn that's bound to surprise Paul and I was just waiting for the inevitable accidental nudge from behind that never came (and I'm still sad it was me the other way round - despite you taking it with such good grace).

That said that slight contact was certainly part of what made it a great race and your subsequent sideway slide, that send me dodging into the gravel, definitely added to the excitement! I've got to say I was pretty surprised to see you come sailing past me as I struggled out of the gravel, great catch there, but I was honestly very relieved for you (as I would definitely have felt bad if my apology had distracted you into a full spin!).

Colin (@JamKart22) did a great job holding me off with his defensive P2P usage (I guess he'd ran out by the time you arrived at the end Paul!) and great to have Pete (@PeyePete) mixing it with us all too (thanks Pete for giving me a few laps breather mid race from having Paul on my bumper!) ;-)

For my first multiclass race I couldn't have hoped for a better one and I'm definitely looking forward to racing you all again soon .

 

[HF2000]

Paul I couldn't agree more. It was really great close racing and by far the best 'last place' I've ever had, LOL.

Kudos to you for following me for so long without any contact whatsoever, even when I made small mistakes into a couple of corners - I honestly thought damn that's bound to surprise Paul and I was just waiting for the inevitable accidental nudge from behind that never came (and I'm still sad it was me the other way round - despite you taking it with such good grace).

That said that slight contact was certainly part of what made it a great race and your subsequent sideway slide, that send me dodging into the gravel, definitely added to the excitement! I've got to say I was pretty surprised to see you come sailing past me as I struggled out of the gravel, great catch there, but I was honestly very relieved for you (as I would definitely have felt bad if my apology had distracted you into a full spin!).

Colin (@JamKart22) did a great job holding me off with his defensive P2P usage (I guess he'd ran out by the time you arrived at the end Paul!) and great to have Pete (@PeyePete) mixing it with us all too (thanks Pete for giving me a few laps breather mid race from having Paul on my bumper!) ;-)

For my first multiclass race I couldn't have hoped for a better one and I'm definitely looking forward to racing you all again soon .

After reading all your enthusiastic stories about the race, I'm thinking about screwing up my qualifying next time !

 

[stigs2cousin]

Guys, that was fun! Really took it easy @ the start, was the first standing start, Raul overtook me because he was more aggressive than me. Good job Raul! I managed to overtake Raul and pull away from him and gained a bit @ 2nd place, but then a Audi who lapped me made mistake in front of me and I was distracted from him doing that so that I spun off in the last corner, then Raul overtook me again and I overtook him again, and we were lonely on track from there.

Although coming from iRacing where the cars and tracks look the same, the car handling is 100% different. Especially the braking is a huge difference. In AC when you brake the car stops immediatly with almost no tail braking. So I really have to adjust that because i have the feeling I'm braking too much before the corners.

Thanx guys!

BTW really curious which track we drive next week!

Hy Andre,

welcome to our part of the woods

I don´t know I racing, but in AC you can adjust brake force in the car setup.
So depending on your pedal/rig situation you can use higher brakeforce which in my opinion makes it easier to modulate.

MFG Carsten

 

[HF2000]

And I forgot to say in my earlier post that I very much like this subcommunity of the RD community in this event. You're all very pleasant and positive minded drivers and I'm very happy to be able to organize these events for you (and myself of course).

So I like to continue this and if possible to add even more fun for you.
For the future events I have some options/ideas and I'd like your opinion on those.

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month).
6. Using variable weather and track conditions
7. Making pitstops mandatory
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important.
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season.
10. Your proposal.....

Of course options can be combined, for instance to do the F1 championship with (realistic) variable weather and trackconditions.

So please let me know which ones you like and also which ones will stop you from joining.

 

[Dzul]

Wow! That's a lot of fun ideas Han, thanks! I will give them good thought and come back with a response afterwards... gonna need a cuppa java to ponder them all...

 

[Shed 17]

And I forgot to say in my earlier post that I very much like this subcommunity of the RD community in this event. You're all very pleasant and positive minded drivers and I'm very happy to be able to organize these events for you (and myself of course).

So I like to continue this and if possible to add even more fun for you.
For the future events I have some options/ideas and I'd like your opinion on those.

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month).
6. Using variable weather and track conditions
7. Making pitstops mandatory
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important.
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season.
10. Your proposal.....

Of course options can be combined, for instance to do the F1 championship with (realistic) variable weather and trackconditions.

So please let me know which ones you like and also which ones will stop you from joining.

Hi Han,

Some very interesting ideas there, none of them would stop me from joining as it is the friendly nature of the races, standards and the superb organisation that attract me. However, a big thumbs up for numbers 2,5,6,7 & 8.

Number 4. Personally I would like to see some of the more ‘unusual ‘ tracks used. Last week at Chang provided some good racing and was wide enough to overtake safely ( Even though I had a nightmare race and overtaking was not on the agenda). Maybe some WTCC/DTM tracks could be considered like Sachsenring/ Slovakiaring/ Lausitzring if these are compatible and fit for use. I have driven them in AC and they seem to work well offline.
Covid has brought some classic tracks back into the F1 calendar such as Imola, Mugello, Portimao and the racing at these tracks has been entertaining unlike some of the more traditional F1 processions. Maybe a mix of the F1 calendar plus a selection of the best of the rest?

I like the sound of a proper endurance race, maybe a multi class Le Mans to coincide with the real Le Mans weekend?? I did a 2.4 hour at Daytona on Raceroom last year, good fun even if the backside was a bit numb at the end of it. 1 1/2 hours is a good test though and it would be awesome to do it with variable weather conditions.

 

[Douglas Aird]

Han,

I am enjoying this community, too, and I am grateful for you organizing these races.

I will have a think about your points but one I think I can immediately respond to....

...while I like the idea of an extra class I don't think you are getting the numbers at the moment to support that.

We are probably average about 12 racers, so three classes would only give you a few people to race. Throw in a wide range of pace it could be a very lonely race for most people.

I was actually considering suggesting reverting to single class for the summer months, assuming numbers go up when the weather turns worse.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Hy Han,

I´ll continue with the Mixer as long as I can.

It would be fun to do longer races as most of us would have to lear how to be driver and tactitian/crewchief in one.

As Douglas said, momentarily there are not enough racers for a third class, lets wait until this "turnament" is over and the weather turns bad again.

I personally am not to keen on fiddling with my CM/CSP/SOL installation because it runs good right now and I´m not a PC person. I´m still on the recommended version of CSP (1.60) and wouldn´t like to experiment with untested versions. At least that is my understanding on how to get weather to work in AC??

And I´m absolutely positiv for the use of obscure tracks from the deepest whell of the modding community

MFG Carsten

 

[Programmer_Rich]

And I forgot to say in my earlier post that I very much like this subcommunity of the RD community in this event. You're all very pleasant and positive minded drivers and I'm very happy to be able to organize these events for you (and myself of course).

So I like to continue this and if possible to add even more fun for you.
For the future events I have some options/ideas and I'd like your opinion on those.

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month).
6. Using variable weather and track conditions
7. Making pitstops mandatory
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important.
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season.
10. Your proposal.....

Of course options can be combined, for instance to do the F1 championship with (realistic) variable weather and trackconditions.

So please let me know which ones you like and also which ones will stop you from joining.

Han, thanks for opening this up for discussion and some interesting ideas. Although I'm one of the newest to the event I'll give my opinions (sometimes the fresh perspective is interesting/different too!):

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5 - Yes, although it should be the sole focus I think it's really good to have this feeder event to the Sunday GT3 and to be able to say to newbies, try this first
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass - I share others view that you need more regulars to make it work
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi - See feeder comments above but if you could still get progression (Audi -> XXX -> GT3) then yes maybe
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar - Yes nice to do the F1 tracks on F1 weeks
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month) - Sounds fun
6. Using variable weather and track conditions - I'm less keen (struggling in the wet never excites me)
7. Making pitstops mandatory - Not in a 40 mins race imho
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important - I like Paul's Le Mans 2.4h idea but commiting the extra time might be tricky for me except a 'one off'
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season. - F1 tracks yeah great, F1 cars too, hmmm not sure (imho less close racing for us 'amateurs'!)
10. Your proposal..... - Good question but I'll have to ponder more!

 

[HF2000]

New event:

SGP - Multiclass Audi TT/ Mazda MX5 @ RedBullRing National, Wednesday 30th June 2021

Welcome to the RD Racing Club. In the summer we always have fewer participants and therefore the race can get quite boring for some drivers. So we're going to try something new to get more action for our joiners. Although it's the same track as last week, we're going to use a different layout...

www.racedepartment.com

Sign up:

simracing.gp

Esports simracing platform for competitive multiplayer racing. For drivers, race organizers, teams, developers, sponsors.

beta.simracing.gp

 

[HF2000]

Guys,

Thanks for the feedback already. Good points!
A little clarification about the variable weather and track conditions. Those are just the options AC stock has so no wet roads but clouds and even fog. Other options include variable wind conditions (force, direction), variable temperatures (air and track), and variable track grip.

 

[stigs2cousin]

RBR National with the multiclass grid?
I´m not sold on this idea since as a Mazda driver I have a lot not so fond memories to the lapping process.

Maybe If the we instigate the mandatory car swap this time??

Would be a learning opportunity for all of us

MFG Carsten

 

[HF2000]

RBR National with the multiclass grid?
I´m not sold on this idea since as a Mazda driver I have a lot not so fond memories to the lapping process.

Maybe If the we instigate the mandatory car swap this time??

Would be a learning opportunity for all of us

MFG Carsten

I can't force the car swap but I'm happy to take the Mazda this time. As always I will join the class with the fewest participants. Without the uphill straight and the following downhill straight the MX5 won't be that easy to overtake if they stay on the raceline as they are supposed to do.

Yes it will be a great learning opportunity for the overtaking!

 

[stigs2cousin]

Than lets do the"gentleman agreement" part.

I´ll even stop complaining over the f......g armored transport

MFG Carsten

 

[davejevons]

Agree with the above about the friendly community here. Thanks to @HF2000 in particular for organising so many great events and cultivating the good atmosphere!

Thoughts on the proposals below:

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5 - I'm relaxed. It's good but with low numbers in the summer it works less well
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass - I would be less keen as the speed differentials are about as much as I would want already.
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi - I would prefer to keep the MX-5 personally as I enjoy the handling.
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar - I'm indifferent (in a nice economist way)
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month). - Sounds great!
6. Using variable weather and track conditions - yes please.
7. Making pitstops mandatory - Maybe try one and see how it goes?
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important. - Again maybe try and see? Perhaps on a less regular basis?
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season - Sounds like a big commitment.
10. Your proposal..... Maybe we could run a few short series of, say 3 races each? Single seaters, touring cars etc... If something is very popular we could do it again.

 

[stigs2cousin]

Oh, and lets do some crazy **** once in a while:

like racing Transits on the Nordschleife on "Sabine-Schmitz-Day"

MFG Carsten

 

[Dzul]

I join the praise of this little community we've gathered within the fantastic community RD already is... a big cheers to that!

Regarding feeback... I agree with a lot of previous remarks but here are mine in my own words:

1. Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5
   I think is good to have a multi-class race available. I enjoy it a lot since I learn more than driving one class only. There are single-class options available if that would be my preferred choice. Maybe drivers swapping class more often could help making the races more exciting but that's a thing for the gents involved to choose individually.
   
   
2. Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass
   Agree about the numbers. I think it's good ATM with the crowd we have.
   
   
3. Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi
   I would actually dare to say, a slower car than the Audi but still a bit faster than the Mazda.
   Call me crazy.
   
   
4. Continuing following the F1 calendar
   I think it's fun to do so, and the weeks with no F1 race we could go for the 'obscure classics' like Kyalami or 'former glory' circuits like Brands Hatch or Sepang.
   
   
5. Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month).
   Never done a championship so I'm game for trying, short ones sound like a good start.
   
   
6. Using variable weather and track conditions
   I still have terrifying memories from wet races on GP4 but I'm open for driving in the fog on AC.
   
   
7. Making pitstops mandatory
   Agree that it depends on the lenght of the race... I think 1 pitstop in a 40 min. race is doable, we could definitely try.
   
   
8. Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important.
   I'm curious about lengthy races, especially if driver-swap is possible. I know that's ACC territory an on AC it would be only possible by having 2 people sharing the same rig. Honestly, the length of wednesday's races feels like a mini-endurance already for me just because is on mid-week. For longer stints I'd definitely would need it to be in the weekend... or a friday. I can sell that at home...
   
   
9. F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season.
   I'd love to try this but maybe an F1 car would be a handful... however, we could run a single-seater championship on the Tatuus. That is a great, nimble car that I see suitable for those of us with lesser-than-lightning reflexes.
   
   
10. Your proposal.
    Besides those above... I'd very much enjoy a get-together for some karting and a couple of beers in the summer.

 

[Douglas Aird]

My thoughts -

Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5 - yes, although it would help to have more drivers.
Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass - ok in principle if enough drivers.
Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi - if the idea is to have a stepping stone to GT3 then yes but if it's about close racing then I think faster cars give more field spread.
Continuing following the F1 calendar - I think shorter tracks and more variety would be better.
Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month). Yes, but maybe count 3-4 of the 5 in case someone has to miss rounds.
Using variable weather and track conditions - ok for me.
Making pitstops mandatory - I need to learn pitstops in AC! Ok for longer races.
Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important. Yes, but occasionally not every week. Also, would need an earlier start time and/or shorter practice session.
F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season. I think that would be too constraining, maybe selected races.
Your proposal.....throw in the occasional single class race with a different car.

Keep up the good work, Han.

 

[JamKart22]

My thoughts...

Continuing the multiclass Audi TT/MX5
Enjoy the multiclass aspect but the TT is probably a bit too much quicker than the MX5. It should be more of a challenger to get past the slower car.

Add a third (faster car) to the multiclass
Need a few more drivers too make this work. Maybe add a car between the MX5/TT?

Switch the MX5 for a faster car than the Audi
People seem to like the MX5 so they probably want it kept. I'd personally rather have the TT

Continuing following the F1 calendar
This is bound in with this race being a training race for the Sunday GT3 race - and that race does follow the F1 Calendar. Happy to follow the F1 as it make the actually F1 race more enjoyable to watch as I have more appreciation of the track. However, some F1 tracks are a bit too big for a MX5.

Short championships with events on Wednesdays in a week without F1 (I will organize one with 5 events in the fall with 1 event/month).
Worth a go. Will you get enough people to commit to a season?

Using variable weather and track conditions
Again, worth a go but it will increase the amount or practice people will need to commit and it might put people off

Making pitstops mandatory
I'm OK with pitstops as we do it in the GT3 race. However, would probably be no more than a splash and dash as the tyres can easily last 40 mins

Endurance events like 1 1/2 hour races so pitstops strategy becomes important.
OK with me but would enough people commit to such a long event?

F1 Championship following the F1 calendar through the whole season. Starting 2022 season.
Have tried the F1 car but to be honest I'd rather drive a slower car. But I'd still probably give it a go

My proposals....

1. Run multiple shorter (20 mins?) races with people optionally forced to change car. That way you have a greater chance of a good race. You could score points for each race and have a winner for the night.

2. Cut down the practice time to say 30mins and again have more races

3. Have a BTCC night with some classic British touring car circuits

4. Have some single seater (F3?) races

5. Is it possible in AC to have a team event - i.e. multiple drivers per car. That would make it interesting!

It would be nice to see the entry list increasing so spicing it up a bit might entice more drivers.

Thanks to Han for asking the questions and organising the races

 

[Kek700]

Using variable weather and track conditions
Again, worth a go but it will increase the amount or practice people will need to commit and it might put people off

I am not at all worried about what is done, I will participate in anything, just draw the line at the skippy and miserable weather. After a lifetime of miserable weather in the UK, it lifts me to see a track bathed in sunshine.