AC Round 23 of 23 Formula Agile@Abu Dhabi, Thu, 30th Nov 2023

[KFMaster]

I'm sorry guys. I was babysitting my granddaughter.
Didn't get a message from Markus.

No worries Han. We can watch F1 first this time and may be learn something before the race

 

[KFMaster]

@Steve, I just gave the RSS F3 car a run, definitely feels like an easier car to drive compared to FA. I guess like many of you guys said, once we can drive the FA, we can drive anything

 

[gearwhine]

@Steve, I just gave the RSS F3 car a run, definitely feels like an easier car to drive compared to FA. I guess like many of you guys said, once we can drive the FA, we can drive anything

And it is free now. Would be great for next season maybe

 

[gearwhine]

Hey Han or Markus, would the RSS F3 not be a good car for this series if we did it again? It is free now also!

 

[Shed 17]

Interesting that you raised this Dai and Steve as I have been giving it some thoughts too.

Now that we have (nearly) completed a full season following the F1 calender, I was wondering what are people’s thoughts are on how it went?

Personally I thought is was a good series, once you got used to the car’s peculiarities you could race side by side and we had some great racing but I can see that it was not for everyone.

Like most championships here, there was great enthusiasm at the start and good grid numbers but these tailed off throughout the year and I I got to thinking what could be done to keep people's interest for the whole series?

So I’ll kick of the debate here;

Will it run again next year?

• If so, will it be with the Agile?
• Did people prefer the 2x 25 minute format, the 60 minute with a pit stop race or as we did this year a mixture of both?
• What did those who decided it wasn’t for them dislike about it? Car, format, day of the week ???

I know some people disliked the way the car behaved (or didn’t). It could spin out if you were a bit keen on the throttle out of tight corners and with no ABS the braking took some time to perfect. I found it easy to set up and once you had a stable base it was just minor aero changes required to suit the track.

However, I have also been trying out some possible alternatives, The RSS 3 V6, the RSR Formula 3 F317 maybe out of the Dallara package and the full on F1 experience VRC Formulas Alpha- McLenna MC22. The latter one seems to handle very well and with TC, I find it ‘easier’ to drive than the Agile. All three are on RD. It is difficult to find a car that is easy enough for newbies yet will keep the interest of those already competing.

To finish off I’d like to thank Markus and Han for setting up and hosting the championship and all those that competed. I’d be happy to race with the same next year or any variation and be happy to help with any ideas. @abecede @HF2000

 

[Boukâh]

Personally, I had some great fun with the F-Agile championship first half of the season. More time to practice and to get to know the car. Second half I had way less time to spend behind the wheel, so put most of my time in the Multiclass.

But it was great to race the F1-tracks just ahead of the actual F1-race. It always adds to the fun to know the track they race and to know how it ‘feels’ etc. I’ve been doing that by my self on and off for the last couple of years with the F1-sim, but doing it in this championship format is way more fun!

A pity that participant numbers kept dropping, I had to skip most of the last few races myself as well. Sometimes real life decides for other activities. But I’d love to give it another go next year.

The car… love-hate-love-hate-etc…. My right foot never got to a satisfying position, except for a few tracks to which I connected a little better. And my new moza pedals gave me a little more control. But this car needs a driver who is in control of, well, everything actually . That is, if you want to go really quick with it. And I’m still learning to control myself, let alone a very willing (ehm, Agile?) race car. So, I was able to tame it in a satisfactory way only on just a couple of occasions and tracks. And only when I had enough time to practice the tracks. My simracing level is simply not high enough to hop into this car unprepared and drive it around a race track in a safe and quick way. So, unexperienced Bouke with an Agile Wild Horse was not the most optimal combination.

Most of the time, after the Agile races, I took the RSS hybrid F1 car out for a few laps on the same tracks and that gave me way more fun. Easier to control, great sense of speed, good to drive on basic setups and very satisfying.

Format, hm, not shure, both are fine, maybe keep the mix.

Last night Steve put my attention to the RSS F3 V6 car, I will try that one for sure.

To summarize all the above: another season: yes please! Different car: yes please! (although I will definitely miss the stubborn Agile every once in a while).

Thanks Han and Markus! I hope you will give it another go next year and I’ll do my best to promote that series to lots of people.

 

[Shed 17]

Give these a go as well Bouke.

RSR Formula 3

NOTES: Make sure you download the skinpack as well. Two options available: 4k skinpack 2k skinpack RSR Formula 3 v4.0 - RSR Formula317 - new car, modeled from scratch - RSR Formula312 - no changes from v3.1 RSR Formula 3 v3.1 - improved...

www.racedepartment.com

They are based on the real life Dallara F3 cars and are various states of tune. The F317 seems to be a good middle ground between easy to drive while being fun for all.

Thanks for your response. I totally agree with your sentiments above, it's not easy to find the time to practice/race in all the superb events on offer in any given week. I am lucky nowadays as I am officially retired, get my old aged pension and even have a free bus pass now so can jump in the rig whenever I want.. But I appreciate that we all have other things going on in our lives that limit we would like to be doing.

It would be good to get more numbers if this event is to be run next year so would be nice to get a consensus of opinions on the way forward.

 

[gearwhine]

I did mention the Dallara F317 to Han before we started the series. He and Markus thought it did not drive as well as the Agile and something about the wheel not having enough info. I raced that car for a year and it always had full grids. One of my favorite cars probably and excellent to drive. If you lose it in a turn it is your fault, not the car. A good stable platform in my opinion. The RSS F3 is probably the best driving open wheeler out there being not too fast but still an exciting ride for sure. We have choices though. Damn, i dont mind the Agile but i think some people felt it was hard to tame unless you are an alien or have plenty of time to practice. Hence the low turnout i think.

 

[Twoddle]

Like others i just started to hate the car to much in the end and i think rss f3 would have been a better choice as others have said.

I would like to run this again next year with the f3 and i also like the mixed format.

 

[HF2000]

Do you like the format of the whole championship (24 races next year) or divide it in 4 championships of 6 races? The latter might prevent people to drop out and also new people to get in.

 

[Shed 17]

I did mention the Dallara F317 to Han before we started the series. He and Markus thought it did not drive as well as the Agile and something about the wheel not having enough info.

I guess seeing the wheel is crucial for the VR users her. For me (triples) I usually have to use apps to see all the information I want as I don't like seeing the wheel /hands in any cars.
Most of the formula and LMP cars have dash displays so I am used to just having apps arranged where I want on the screen.

 

[HF2000]

And I believe Markus is more into AMS2 nowadays so I doubt he will be organizing this again.
Maybe @dbx71 Dominic will be into it with him or me filling up the free Thursdays with other events.

 

[HF2000]

I guess seeing the wheel is crucial for the VR users her. For me (triples) I usually have to use apps to see all the information I want as I don't like seeing the wheel /hands in any cars.
Most of the formula and LMP cars have dash displays so I am used to just having apps arranged where I want on the screen.

Actually the display was nice because it made the Agile look even more on a F1 car.

 

[Shed 17]

Do you like the format of the whole championship (24 races next year) or divide it in 4 championships of 6 races? The latter might prevent people to drop out and also new people to get in.

That's an interesting idea Han, we had a run away winner this years championship, ( he scored more points than Max) so splitting it into 4 might keep the interest up....I like the idea.

And I believe Markus is more into AMS2 nowadays so I doubt he will be organizing this again.
Maybe @dbx71 Dominic will be into it with him or me filling up the free Thursdays with other events.

Han, as I have more time now I am happy to help you or other admins by hosting/back up support events on the Thursday's if that would ease the load a bit.

 

[Shed 17]

Actually the display was nice because it made the Agile look even more on a F1 car.

Yes, the JH cars have excellent dash displays.

 

[HF2000]

That's an interesting idea Han, we had a run away winner this years championship, ( he scored more points than Max) so splitting it into 4 might keep the interest up....I like the idea.


Han, as I have more time now I am happy to help you or other admins by hosting/back up support events on the Thursday's if that would ease the load a bit.

Well that would be great, Paul! Do you want to be an official staff member so you can do everything by yourself or do you prefer to do only the hosting?
For me is mostly the hosting on Thursday the problem for so many weeks as also selecting the best mod track. Scheduling and setting up is with Emperor quite doable for me as I can pick the time for that.

 

[Shed 17]

Well that would be great, Paul! Do you want to be an official staff member so you can do everything by yourself or do you prefer to do only the hosting?
For me is mostly the hosting on Thursday the problem for so many weeks as also selecting the best mod track. Scheduling and setting up is with Emperor quite doable for me as I can pick the time for that.

As I haven't got a clue on what goes on in the background I think to start with I think hosting would be a step on the ladder.
Becoming a full staff member would be of interest once I get the hang of all the technicalities of setting up servers etc. You can PM me more info if it is something I can help with.

 

[dbx71]

That's an interesting idea Han, we had a run away winner this years championship, ( he scored more points than Max) so splitting it into 4 might keep the interest up....I like the idea.


Han, as I have more time now I am happy to help you or other admins by hosting/back up support events on the Thursday's if that would ease the load a bit.

Hi guys;
I would certainly be up for taking over some portion of the races of such a championship. I've been wanting to trying open-wheelers myself. Just not really into modern day F1 but I would be open to something else though on the same tracks. Yes, I hear RSS has some good open wheelers that wouldn't be as intense as a modern F1 car.

I've been really wanting to try a CART race or two but I understand that series ran on completely different (mostly NA tracks). Either way, I'm flexible.

As for Thursdays, I would LOVE to organize some things on that night from time-to-time as available. I would also be open to teaming up with Paul to organize events if others have their hands full already.
Just let me know.
d

 

[dbx71]

As I haven't got a clue on what goes on in the background I think to start with I think hosting would be a step on the ladder.
Becoming a full staff member would be of interest once I get the hang of all the technicalities of setting up servers etc. You can PM me more info if it is something I can help with.

It's a snap once you get the hang of it Paul. Although I do now have more of an appreciation for what Han and the other staff members need to go through to set up a race. It can be a somewhat involved process and it does take some time. And trying to get folks to sign up, that's another story Especially, when you have just the off days/nights to work with. That's why I would love to get my hands on a Thursday here and there. I'm sure you would probably have more success in this department, as you've been around RD longer than I have

In any event, I would be happy to set things up for you, and show you the ropes, until you're ready to do it on your own.
Just let me know.

 

[Shed 17]

Hi guys;
I would certainly be up for taking over some portion of the races of such a championship. I've been wanting to trying open-wheelers myself. Just not really into modern day F1 but I would be open to something else though on the same tracks. Yes, I hear RSS has some good open wheelers that wouldn't be as intense as a modern F1 car.

I've been really wanting to try a CART race or two but I understand that series ran on completely different (mostly NA tracks). Either way, I'm flexible.

As for Thursdays, I would LOVE to organize some things on that night from time-to-time as available. I would also be open to teaming up with Paul to organize events if others have their hands full already.
Just let me know.
d

I'd be more than happy to work together with Dominic, maybe it could be known as 'Formula Thursday's' running the F1 like we did this this year interspersed with other Formulas/Indycart races (F3, Tatus, Formula Ford.....no Skippy though unless we want to lose Ernie) or other single make races such as Clio Cup or the Audi GTO on odd ocassions.

It's a snap once you get the hang of it Paul. Although I do now have more of an appreciation for what Han and the other staff members need to go through to set up a race. It can be a somewhat involved process and it does take some time. And trying to get folks to sign up, that's another story Especially, when you have just the off days/nights to work with. That's why I would love to get my hands on a Thursday here and there. I'm sure you would probably have more success in this department, as you've been around RD longer than I have

In any event, I would be happy to set things up for you, and show you the ropes, until you're ready to do it on your own.
Just let me know.

Sounds good Dominic, as I said earlier I have more time on my hands now so happy to help.
Drop me a PM and we can get things off the ground ready for next year.