Wheres my 5 seconds?

[Zootoxin]

Just a quick question guys

Now I have my wheel configured I have been hammering this combo both on and offline I feel I have a good line worked out but I can't seem to get up there with the competative times.

When I try breaking later to increase time I just end up in the wall or facing the wrong way!

So my question to you is where's my 5 seconds?

Could it be in the setup?

[Armitage]

I have the same problem. I put it down to the fact i'm not very good:g:

[Doorman]

Slow in fast out is very important on this, or any other, track. Brake a little earlier but lighter, get a nice line and then accelerate. Set ups are very personal things. I have never got on with anything Deetz runs but Romus thinks they're great! Find one you feel comfortable with. I have had setups off some of the fastest people around and still am no faster with them. Best advice I can give is to continue driving and don't try to mix it with the aliens.
You WILL get quicker and that's a promise. In the meantime let me still patronise you while I can. :norty:

[delanvital]

I'd say patience. Don't go overboard hunting the 5s, just enjoy getting lines, braking and acceleration right. "Aggressive" driving has in fact a negative effect on the lap time, in my experience. When I, although quite rarely, get the red mist, I do all of the above wrong.

[BigFatCat]

The RB4 is a something you waft into a corner in, the FBM and XRRs were something you could throw at a corner and stick.
Take it slow to start, feel the car on the track throughout the lap, then increase the pace until you find a way of driving you're comfortable with. Setups, as Ron said, are personal to you and your style. Deetz drives undrivable things, I like more stability as I like to wrestle the car so like a little less nervous settings. Ultimately slower, but I like to abuse a car during a lap.

[OldBloke]

Take a look at the split/lap times on the stats page and work out where you're losing time (not easy on SO1 as it has only 1 real split and that's after the 'Bus Stop').

Taking my lap stage by stage ...

Last corner before main straight is where the lap time become effective. If you're not fast through here then you won't be carrying your best speed across the start line to start a timed lap. I'm in 5th approaching this corner and I brake and drop a gear as I go under the 50m sign. I start to turn in a fraction later dropping to 3rd and then, using careful application of power to control the resulting slide, I try to hug the LHS applying full power when it feels like the car is ready to handle it. This should result in the car just climbing the kerb on the RHS of the main straight without hitting the wall.

Across the start/finish line hugging the LHS wall aiming to run parallel with the RHS wall after the kink before the descent into the tunnel turn.

There's a light patch on the ground that I use as a turning point for the LH turn under the tunnel aiming to hug the LHS wall. The car does drift (understatement alert) so aiming to actually clip the apex wall often results in a nice close pass with no contact. With the setup I'm currently using I can take this flat out if the tyres are at optimum grip otherwise I have to lift slightly.

Hug the RHS wall and prepare to brake for the LH turn. When my tyres are gripping well I use a dark vertical section of the armco as a brake point. This is just after the 100m marker. When the tyres are shot or cold then I use the 100m marker. Brake and drop down to 2nd to be able to hug the LHS apex. If you approach this turn too quickly then you won't be able to get the power down early comimg out of it. Hug the RHS wall and prepare for the 'joys' of the Bus Stop section. :sideways:

What can I say about this bit. Well one thing's for sure - your lap time is probably going to be decided here. One small mistake here and that fast lap time you were hoping for is flying out of the window. Here's a grossly simplified explanation of how to take this section ...

1. Your exit from this section should be controlled and on full power - applied whilst you were in the 'middle' of the section.
2. Your entry into this section should be such to allow you to execute point 1.

So ... on full power and in full control of your car you hug the LHS apex and then drift across to the RHS ready for the corner where we started this. Here you'll get your 1st split time and if I've got the lap right so far then I'm looking for sub 30 secs but a mid 30 is more usual.

So that's how I do it and I tend to get lap times around the mid-to-low 54 mark which is by no means among the really competitive guys' times but still gives me a podium chance (the patented dMr multi-tiered variety of course).

I've mentioned tyres a couple of times because this anti-clockwise track, being a short oval-like configuration, tends to eat the right fronts. In our 15 lap races they are losing grip from about lap 8/9 onwards so brake/turn points have to be adjusted accordingly.

Stick with it Venom. You haven't had a wheel long and it does take a while to get used to it. One thing that is important is to adjust the force-feedback settings so that it is giving you as much car 'feel' as possible - makes a huge difference with a drifty car lke the RB4.

Race on. :thumb:

[Zootoxin]

Thanks for your thoughts guys - I will most certainly stick with it I am already seeing improvements for doing more racing. I am going to try and racing in the 1hr tonight.
Atm I am using deetz setup so maybe I will try cats or oldies

You will be please to hear I have given my rust bucket car a spray job for tonights race ROFL

[Doorman]

Hug the RHS wall and prepare for the 'joys' of the Bus Stop section. :sideways:

1. Your exit from this section should be controlled and on full power - applied whilst you were in the 'middle' of the section.
2. Your entry into this section should be such to allow you to execute point 1.

So ... on full power and in full control of your car you hug the LHS apex and then drift across to the RHS ready for the corner where we started this. Here you'll get your 1st split time and if I've got the lap right so far then I'm looking for sub 30 secs but a mid 30 is more usual.

 :thumb:

Bus stop? Pfft! Sounds easy enough. Don't know what all the fuss is about. :norty:

[Romus]

This is a great hobby and I see you are getting in properly. It requires you to learn hundreds of small things, but don't worry, it just takes time, and what's the most important: the fun is in the process of learning and racing, not in absolute results that you get. If you enjoy driving then nothing will stop you from coming competitive with us.

I made a post about practising with Replay Analyzer a while ago:
http://www.deadmen.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=22388
You might want to see it at some point, but first you need to be consistent with your driving.

I've read this from somewhere: practise does not make perfect, only perfect practise makes perfect. One good tips that I've been thinking a lot recently: never drive slow. Allowing yourself to drive slow will teach you bad habits. Every moment on the track will program your brain on how to drive, and if you allow yourself to drive slow you will not improve.

If you like reading, then this is my recommendation:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Professional-Driving-Techniques-Speed-Secrets/dp/0760305188/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202390569&sr=8-1
I've now ordered three other titles in the speed secret series. Another good book that I've been skimming through is this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drive-Win-Essential-Guide-Driving/dp/0965160009/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=gateway&qid=1202390639&sr=8-1

[Romus]

You've gotten some keywords here already, I'll just repeat and add some more stuff.

slow in, fast out. brake early so that you have the car in balance when entering the corner, then you can put the throttle down early on and get a great speed on the straight.

patience, it will work.

be smooth, keep your car in balance. that will give you best overall grip on all tires and will allow you to maintain highest speed through the corner. also you need a lots of grip to accelerate out of the corner. this is where i need to improve a lot.

use all the width on the track. this is a bit difficult at first. you will learn it once you can keep the car in balance and have learned the track and the car well. if you are otherwise on the limit, then using all the width will improve your lap times.

look behind the apex, do not stare at it when entering a corner. look where you want to be after the corner, not at the corner that you are approaching. this was what helped me a lot when I started simracing. it's magical, but when doing that you will naturally know how much to steer through the corner and when you can put full throttle. this helps a lot to use all the width as well.

[Jamin]

...and as you have no seat of the pants feeling to tell you what the car is doing you have to rely on your "experiences" of what the car does when entering and exiting corners so you can predict and correct the cars motion before it gets out of control.

Plus learning the combo is dynamic, as once you "learn" a corner it makes you faster into the next corner so you have to re-learn each time you get quicker.

I know what I mean, I was slow once, now I'm average.

[Doorman]

...I was slow once, now I'm average.

Reckon you're THAT good eh?

[Aquilifer]

I know how you feel. I've been playing from 2005 and I'm still not in WR pace. In the beginning I wasn't a podium person at all. These kind chaps here have been telling you many helpful hints. I could tell some more technical stuff, but I tell something else.

- Don't expect things to happen/improve in one night. This can be a rather long process and and I think patience is a good quality here. Practise, race and try to finish them and observe how faster people drive (where they brake and what lines they drive).
- I think racing online can be more beneficial at some point than endlesly practising offline (the above mentioned reasons).
- Try to find the fun from not being the fastest guy in the world, but improving yourself. When I decided myself I don't have to be the fastest guy, it made me more relaxed and I could find fun easier. When you are not trying to push too hard you can often make better times with smooth driving.
- practise (i.e. race)
- mmm....practise?

Oh yes....practising braking points in dMr server can be bit PITA in the beginning because the constantly changing wind makes you sometimes brake too late even in the last race it was just spot on. So if your lap times are sometimes worse than earlier it could be due to non optimal wind.

[Jamin]

Reckon you're THAT good eh?

I have my moments :flirty:

The RB4 is a lot of a handfull in any case. Has next weeks combo been picked yet? maybe we could have something easier for the week like the XFG around Aston or Blackwood, or the BF1 around the oval :boxing:

VOTE RALLYCROSS

[Romus]

I have my moments :flirty:

The RB4 is a lot of a handfull in any case. Has next weeks combo been picked yet? maybe we could have something easier for the week like the XFG around Aston or Blackwood, or the BF1 around the oval :boxing:

VOTE RALLYCROSS

Yes, Oval racing would be awesome. Though I would pick XRR for that.