[PC] SATCC - Young Driver Test (COMPLETE)

Correct - no damage to Rapid GT.

Ok drivers, not long now until the Young Drivers test!

My biggest tip before we start is this:

The First Corner of the First Lap

As any F1 fan among us may remember, there was a horrific crash at Spa-Francorchamps in 2012 - one which arguably cost Fernando Alonso his third world title.

The reason was simple - Lotus Renault driver Romain Grosjean (FRA) arrived too quickly at the La Source hairpin (turn 1 for F1; final turn for WEC) and locked up his brakes, going over Alonso's Ferrari and hitting a number of other cars in the melee.

Here's the aftermath:



So, why do I bring this up?

The first corner of any race is usually the most dangerous, because the pack is still relatively bunched up. As an arcade racer, GTA doesn't make us worry about brake and tyre temperatures but it's still a very rhythmic thing, racing. We haven't found our rhythm on the track and more importantly, we don't think to take any line but our racing line on turn 1.

When you hotlap in practice, you don't take into consideration the effect of another car on the road. Now, a racing line is of course, by definition, wide enough for the one car who occupies it. Since we have 20+ cars on track, they can't all be in that spot.

You need to go deep inside, wide outside, or anything else that will help you get through turn one with your nose going up someone else's arse.

How?

Well, firstly, don't hotlap for practice. People who hotlap have, usually, laughable race craft and we've seen in previous events how hotlappers struggle to overtake. Practice with more than one other person - if I'm online, I'm up for it. SabertoothWolF and I practiced the other day on Sandy Shores GP, just working out different ways of taking the first corner (hairpin) not for speed but to avoid first lap contact. So maybe have a think about how you could avoid a crash then.

Secondly, don't assume just because your racing line/preferred line is that one that you're entitled to it. We had some downright hilarity ensue when, in the opening race of Season 2, a driver said to another that he couldn't turn is car in at its usual point because another driver was there (it's called overtaking). But it does speak to a mindset.

Good racers can and do win in SATCC without setting the fastest lap (same as F1, WEC, and I suppose NASCAR but who cares about that? ). Consistency, spatial awareness, and understanding where your car ought be in a dynamic context are more important than following the exact same line all the time. After all - at some point you'll encounter another car, and then what?

He seems to be completely gone.

probably abducted by aliens

^ curious about that as well

Speaking of vehicle selections, endersai. I'd like to go with the Surano and Verlierer if permissible.

So you race one car on race one, the other on race two.