[Gaetano Santonicola]

Great Pete, great job ... now we aim for the top 200

[Chris Herrmann]

You got the mentality right Pete. Usually people try it the other way round: be fast first, then worry about finishing a race. That's hotlapping in front of a PC, it's got nothing to do with racing. I know plenty of really fast hotlappers who overdrive for 3 laps, crash out and disconnect - over and over .-- go figure.

Racing for a year may seem a lot but it's not axctually that much. You will find out that many or most of the really fast guys have been doing this for much longer. For us mortals speed comes with consistency and over time. I remember when racing "Live for Speed" (yes i'm that old ) I still kept improving fastest latp times after 30.000 laps on a given combo! That's because like you, I was learning everything about racing, car handling, setups etc at the same time, just like you. These days I find I get to an acceptable limit of my speed in a fraction of that time. But I still need to put in the hours, for every car/track combo

So I am not an alien by any means. I usually manage to get just into or just outside the top 10 in fastest laps and I usually fight for podium or win (if no aliens are around ). And I don't consider myself a particularly talented racer: I just put in the work.

In real terms this means:

1) I don't think I ever joined a public server without having done at least 100 - 150 laps, consistently and quickly, in a car I feel comfortable with. That's not counting the laps I do to get to that level.

2) Once I do I'm usually competitve but not superfast. I record my races, look at the fast guys' lines, gears, corner and straight speed and go back to practising. usually another 100 - 150 laps. You don't necessarily need to copy them, but find where you lose or gain time and know where you can improve. Usually I gain another .5 secs after that.

3) By mid week I'm usually competitive for podium and the odd win if I get lucky - from there on it's rythm: how many really fast laps can you string together safely? The more rythm you get, the smoother you get, it becomes effortless. in fact, when you have to make an effort to be fast you're usually not. It needs to flow, muscle memory, your brain being 2 turns ahead with your eyes on every reference point. You will find that even though you're not doing anything different, you are getting faster. That's because a smooth drive means a more stable car. All of a sudden you can comfortably take a turn in 4th which 100laps ago you swore was a 3rd gear turn. Only very rarly have I seen fast and aggressive on a consistent basis.

4) Sweaty palms should only ever come from the competition: meaning caused by a guy who is just as fast as you sitting on your rear for laps on end and having you wonder each turn how much you should push. It should never come from strigning fast laps together on your own.

5) Since I'm not an alien and don't have that ultimate feel for the car I'm very mathematical. I have a very precise break point, a turn in point, a "back on throttle" point for every corner. It's never "more or less" at the 100 mtr sign. It's "exactly when the edge of my left mirror hits the first pixel of the curb I'm on 100% brake" kind of reference. For every turn, every break, every back on throttle, every lap. Then the same for new tires, medium, worn tires. Then the same for alternative line when you defend your line or attack - for every turn. Then the same for when you missed the breakpoint and overshot, and breaked too early. Then the same when you sit tucked in behind another car.

Much of the latter comes from putting in the laps. At some point you can leave the math out and start to feel the car and get a feel for hwo it evolves during a race. You can delay a break, take a slide, drift the rear, without losing ther car. But that's only after you've done it with the math hundreds of times and know from experience how the car will feel and react in any of the given scenarios. Put in the work first, the feel will follow.

6) Then the racecraft. You got much of this right already. If you drive fast (not alien fast!) and mistake free you will get podiums and wins. I think I have maybe 2 wins where I really make a launch for position, and I would only do that when I race with people I know I can trust. All the others are just sitting tight, run your laps and wait for the opportunity. Learn how to drive safely sitting under the other guys rear axle. Some races the opportunity will come, others it won't. Even the best drivers will have a small slide, miss a break point, hit a kerb. The important thing is to be there at that moment and catch that draft, get that inside line. There is nothing more frustrating than see the guy in front mess up but you're 1 sec behind and can't benefit from it because you overdrove 2 turns ago. Aaaargh!!

And if that moment doesn't come, if the guy in front is just as fast as you or faster and makes no mistakes: good win buddy, well deserved. Be a fckn man, grow some pubes and learn to accept that other people can also do a good job.

If i have a guy sit on my back for 15 laps without nudging me, shoving me or trying to uotbreak me in every turn, I'll glady accept a pass if I have a slide or hit a curb and won't try to block desperately. Only 13 year olds think they need to defend every position every time. They'll grow up I guess ... at least some of them

Those guys who think that every turn, every break point, is an opportunity to overtake usually never make it to the end and usually take at least 1 other guy with them. They may get the odd win, but overall they disconnect more times than they finish. And that's after qualifying near the front. How dumb is that?

Dang, I guess I got carried away ... I'll shut up now. Most of all: have fun!

Cheers

Chris

[Alex Leif]

Well done Pete, great work sir

You certainly have the correct attitude!
An analogy I like is that pace is like turnover figures, mainly for vanity..
Consistency is like actual profit banked at the end of the year.

[Filip Stoyanovich]

Well done, Pete! Impressive result - vulture or not there's no rating for that, it doesn't count and you shouldn't care if you're satisfied. That's the most important thing.

[Phil Stubbs]

Congratulations Pete, 700+ is well deserved.

FWIW when I see your name I know I will be racing a clean competitor.

As to your comments on being fast - I think the old adage of "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" applies, where smooth really means controlled and fast follows, aliens excluded!

I would echo Russell comments though, don't give up places lightly, placing your car accurately and precisely to prevent a pass is a legitimate skill in its own right. If you're in front you deserve to be there and have every right to fight for the place.

Look forward to seeing you on the track soon.

[Oscar Sáenz]

700+ Now you are alien. Congratulation.

[Oscar Sáenz]

Chris, I´ve read your post. "when you have to make an effort to be fast you're usually not. It needs to flow" That´s the real thing

[Bram Harmsen]

Thanks for sharing your story Pete, it was a nice read. I think it touches on the essence of sim racing (at least to me). Very few of us are championship contenders or aliens, but in the end that does not matter. Enjoying the competition, challenging and improving our craft is more important then being the best or fastest.

About improving your speed. In my opinion there are 3 things that make a fast lap:

1.) Knowing the fastest possible lines breaking points/forces/trailing, throttle application etc. for a particular car tack combo and setup
2.) Having the best possible setup for 1.)
3.) Executing 1.) to perfection

1.) is about how to be fast, 2.) is about what is required to be fast in that way and 3.) is about driving perfection. We might not all have the alien like reflexes (required for 3.) but I think if we get 1.) (and 2.)) about 90% right, a lot of people can be within 1.5-2 s of the very fast guys (e.g. prime time SRS winners). If people are multiple seconds of the pace of the very fast guys its usually not that hard to see where they are loosing time. Not sure about SRS, but on Reddit and various Facebook groups people share footage of their laps and ask others where to improve. I think this can be really helpfully if you're a couple seconds of the pace.

Perhaps the above is useful. Then again, we all take our own paths on our sim racing journeys and being fast is just on of the things one could aim for like you already explained.

[Sergio Mendez]

Well Pete... but you've got something to write about. I can see a win on your stats since yesterday. Congrats, mate!

[William Richardson]

I have only raced here six or seven races, I have won twice. But each time was because the fast drivers never showed, monza for instance my times are 147/148 in a gt3 car. But the fast guys are doing 145/146, so if they dont show I am good to go, if they do I am out of luck. Strength of field has a lot to do with just how well one does, if usain bolt never showed the other runners had a chance.