SupaTunaGT
Online Events => Other Online Events => Topic started by: MasterGT on January 27, 2014, 01:43:59 PM
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Since it looks as if Friday nights are free for many people, is anyone interested in doing a test night for a handipcapped 450 PP event? Your car shouldn't matter - only your consistent times.
I would like to test the idea of a staggered start, to see if we can arrange getting most drivers at the finish line at the same time. I have a plan for the starts, but I need a few drivers (maybe 6-8?) to help test this with something like a half hour race on some longish track (La Sarthe, Bathurst (walls!) or Silverstone (less walls)?), so that there is little chance of lapping. GT6's qualifying starts currently don't work for this - I tried - and you will also need about half an hour of practice to get really consistent. So, if everyone shows up on time, we can do this in about one hour.
I had been thinking that this would be like an Australian Pursuit in cycling, but they are actually elimination races, so it isn't the same thing. Elim car races aren't all that much fun because too many people have to sit and wait for the finish, but a clustered finish should be more exciting.
Drivers?
no_affiliations
dlrws6
DudeTuna
MasterGT
PeyePete
Admin note there is a Friday night event. Actually two Charlie's Midnight Shows are on hiatus and we are still expedting them to return.
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The Career in a Year runs on Fridays. :-\
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I've looked on the calendar here and nothing is listed. I've looked for friend rooms on Friday nights and never see any.
This is just a one-time test, to see how it works, so when to do it is open, too.
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what does "handicap" mean in this context? Like finding a way to slow down faster drivers with different tires and whatnot?
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I think 'handicap' more in the bracket racing sense, or maybe golf: it's to even the scoring system out.
I believe the intent is to stagger the start such that the slowest driver(s) start first, with the faster drivers starting after in such a manner that everyone 'should' finish at the same time, barring mistakes.
I tend to be inconsistent, but am very interested. I will put in some early practice in an attempt to even out my driving. Saturday late afternoons are easiest for me, but I suspect many will be raced out after GT Sats. I can make time any day, since it's one-off, but Friday is toughest to make happen.
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No, Ex, the only thing that handicaps the driver is the starting stagger. If you are faster than everyone else, you start last.
Everything else depends on the driver being consistent, no matter what car or track.
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I think 'handicap' more in the bracket racing sense, or maybe golf: it's to even the scoring system out.
I believe the intent is to stagger the start such that the slowest driver(s) start first, with the faster drivers starting after in such a manner that everyone 'should' finish at the same time, barring mistakes.
I tend to be inconsistent, but am very interested. I will put in some early practice in an attempt to even out my driving. Saturday late afternoons are easiest for me, but I suspect many will be raced out after GT Sats. I can make time any day, since it's one-off, but Friday is toughest to make happen.
Yes, it is like a race in reverse.
Normally, everyone starts at the same time and has a staggered finish.
This way, everyone has a staggered start and finishes together.
Is there a way to keep the race lap times on-screen after the race finishes?
I haven't looked yet.
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I'd be up for it.
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I may be as well, depending on times.
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Rather than picking a late time, are any of you available earlier in the day, say right after work?
If there is a day when most of you are available, I'll see if we can settle on a time.
Sundays are iffy, but may be possible given enough notice.
Monday nights are busy for me.
Tuesdays most of you are busy.
Wednesdays are possible.
Thursday is a school night for me.
Saturdays seem busy depending on TOD.
Any holidays in February?
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Wednesday would be ok for me.
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Earlier in the day, I have no time conflicts. My schedule is pretty easy, I'll work around whatever is good for everyone.
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Wednesday would be ok for me.
this^ After 6pm PST.
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OK, so a Wednesday evening looks to be a viable choice.
This week is too soon, plus next week I will be out of town, so how about February 12th?
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Sure, but don't forget to give me a reminder. :)
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:stoopid: I can make a Wednesday work. I'm Central time zone so I can be on any time after 5:30pm central.
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OK, after the Wednesday event is over at 9 PM, I will open a private lobby at La Sarthe, with chicanes. You will have time to do about 5 laps of practice and the race will be 6 laps (± half an hour for each part).
You can pick any car you wish, up to 450 PP, Sport Soft tires, no NOS.
The car is not important as long as you can handle it, your driving is. You will get somewhere around ±5 minute laps, but you want to try to be consistent. When the lobby opens, you will get some time to do laps and get consistent within, say, half an hour or less, so the sooner you get on the track the better.
The next part will try your patience a bit, especially the faster drivers. The slowest driver will take the lead, then the second slowest, etc., will be spaced out by a calculated amount based on your most consistent lap times. so you should pay attention to them when you cross the line. You want to estimate your most consistent lap time (to within half a second or so). I will then calculate your hold times for after the first driver leaves. Whoever the fastest driver is goes last, so he has to act as the starter telling the next driver when to leave, until it is his time to leave.
The idea that is being tested here is to see if we can all cross the finish line at the same time, or as close as we can to the same time. (It's like a reversed race.) Therefore, do not draft other cars, unless you have no choice. If at all possible, take a different line. You shouldn't see too many cars until the end of the race on the long track anyway. The goal here is to see if we can all finish at the same time, so drafting won't help achieve that. If you stay consistent and you start at the proper time, it should work, right? Let's see.
If everything goes well, we should all be done in about an hour, maybe a bit more.
Please record comments here after this test.
Note: GT6's qualifying system won't work with this.
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This will be tonight? 9pm EST or ....?
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Yes, tonight at 9 EST.
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Yes, tonight at 9 EST.
Okay, see you there.
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Thanks everyone who helped out tonight. I now have a better sense of how to organise this type of event, and I learned a few things from you all, too. Thanks for your suggestions, and thank you for staying for the second test.
I have to use the stats chart and qualifying to learn more about them, but they should make things easier as a host, and it should facilitate running an event. Qualifying would help control late-comers, for example.
The proof of concept worked, as far as I was concerned. Having an accurate lap time for everyone is critical to getting the handicaps calculated right. More time for everyone to prepare and practice ahead of time would also help, but this was just a test.
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Sorry to have missed this. I was very interested to see how the results would turn out.
Wednesday is my beer drinking day. I experiment with new brews to me that day. Tonight was great. Crystal weizens direct from the homeland. And a few winter ale seasonals from a local brewery.
It's late, are my grammar correct. (http://i.imgur.com/LmjyBgx.gif)
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Sorry to have missed this. I was very interested to see how the results would turn out.
:stoopid:
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Results:
- I was wrong about qualifying, the max limit is 30 minutes, it could have helped
- qualifying could be used to eliminate / control latecomers
- drivers must be early, not late
- accuracy is everything
- this handicapping can work on shorter tracks with a bit of cooperation from drivers
- more practice time, to get more consistent, would be necessary
- using a controllable car that you know well is advisable
- down time to do calculations is necessary, so patience from everyone is necessary
- a private room is necessary
- the driver with the fastest car has to be the start controller (X-car vs Corvette vs old FIAT 500 anyone?) :D
- having bigger separations between drivers is advisable, so that drafting / overtaking mistakes doesn't affect things
We ran two tests, but only one was planned. At La Sarthe, maybe because of inaccurate lap time estimates or possibly a miscalculation on my part, we were not clumped together at the finish, but considering it took half an hour of racing, it wasn't too far off, either. To me, that is a success. The second one at Autumn Ring Full had less practice time and had a tighter finish.
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Oh, calculating the handicap...
Take the slowest car's lap time and multiply it by the number of laps, to get its race time total.
Convert to seconds (I didn't do this and may have made errors because of that).
Convert all other race times into seconds and subtract each one from the slowest race time.
The start controller uses the differences to separate each car, in their proper order.