DriverSports Tin-Top Touring Challenge | Sunday Feb. 26 | Spa-Francorchamps

[Forgetful]

Welcome to the DriverSports Tin-Top Touring Challenge. Race coordinators have identified 8 Premium RWD cars that were able to be built in a way that is verifiable by checking the redline, boost gauge readings and exhaust note and tip. The parts allowed are the best possible combination that will produce the indicated redline with the correct exhaust equipped, which means not only can the race marshals perform post race inspections by reviewing the replay, but so can anyone who has access to the replay file.

This series will be host to a Championship spanning 6 races over the next 6 weeks. Once entered in the series drivers must stay committed to one car. Each driver will be awarded one 'drop' of their lowest score, meaning the championship will be scored by a driver's 5 best finishes. Please note that this series makes use of DLC track content that you must purchase to be able to race on.

DriverSports.org Rulebook:

Race Day: Sunday February 26, 2012

Class: Touring Challenge

This event is being run with specific regulations for each car. See the Rulebook and Technical Regulations tab for full details.

Track: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps / Weather Change 7.00 km / 4.35 mi (DLC)

Race Distance: 16 laps | 112km | 69.6 mi

Time and Weather Settings:

Qualifying Deadline - 9:00 PM EST

• Pre-Qualifying Session Maximum Lap Count: 3
  
• Submit a Time

Drivers Meeting - Open 9:20 PM EST | Closed 9:30 PM EST

Pre-Qualifying Results

Championship Points Tables:

Proper Room Settings:

Schedule:

• February
  
  • Sunday 19. Fuji Speedway F 4.56 km / 2.84 mi | 22 laps | 100.32km | 62.48 mi
    
  • Sunday 26. Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps / Weather Change 7.00 km / 4.35 mi (DLC) | 16 laps | 112km | 69.6 mi

• March
  
  • Sunday 4. Road Course - Indy 4.19 km / 2.61 mi | 24 laps | 100.56km | 62.64 mi
    
  • Sunday 11. Cote D'Azur 3.35 km / 2.08 mi | 23 laps | 77.05km | 47.84 mi
    
  • Sunday 18. Nürburgring GP/F 5.15 km / 3.20 mi | 18 laps | 92.7km | 57.6 mi
    
  • Sunday 25. Suzuka Circuit / Weather Change 5.81 km / 3.61 mi | 18 laps | 104.58km | 64.98 mi

General Technical Regulations

GT Auto:
Oil change, car wash, rims, paint and refreshes are allowed.

• Front - Optional
  
• Rear - Optional
  
• Extension - Optional
  
• Wing - Mandatory - Must be a tall wing. No spoilers please
  
• Racing Modification - Prohibited

Tires: Sports Soft

Your installed parts, performance statistics, HUD readings and exhaust tips and sound must match the accompanying image and video exactly. If unlisted the default part is equipped. All cars are equipped with the default Standard Transmission. No gear whine should be audible on any car. The maximum power figures are achieved with a fully broken in, oil changed and engine refreshed car with less than 10,000 km. Adding illegal parts to make up for an unbroken car is not allowed.

BMW 135i Coupe '07 Technical Regulations:

BMW Z4 M Coupe '08 Technical Regulations:

Infiniti G35 Coupe '06 Technical Regulations:

Mazda RX-8 Type S '07 Technical Regulations:

Nissan Fairlady Z (Z34) '08 Technical Regulations:

Nissan Fairlady Z Version S (Z33) '07 Technical Regulations:

TVR Tuscan Speed Six '00 Technical Regulations:

Toyota 86 GT '12 Technical Regulations:

[Forgetful]

Round 2 of the TTTC takes place at Spa Francorchamps. This is DLC content and you MUST own the DLC to race on it, even in an online lobby now.

Also, please note the 3 lap Q sessions.

[timneyb]

I took a run around Spa for 30 minutes in my TVR last night. 2 seconds off clacksman's GTData time. Hmm... that's a fly in my ointment. I was kind of hoping for a win at the fast track in a fast car, considering how much I'll suck at Nürb and Suzuka. I'm guessing I have to slow for some corners that others will be able to take flat.

I haven't turned more than a dozen laps around here in any car before though, so hopefully I can find some more pace.

Question about track boundaries though, since the boundaries thread isn't updated for Spa. What on Eau Rouge is legal? Are the ripple strips racing surface, consistent with the standard track interpretation? I ask because the strips are so wide in this section. I was uncertain, and was either attacking the complex too aggressively or not nearly aggressively enough.

[clacksman]

Eau Rouge is consistent with normal; the red&white counts as where you must keep minimum 2 tires touching. The fast way up there for me is to:
-On the left entry, use all the hard stuff but not touching the grass.
-not use more than half the curb on the right as it goes uphill (it ramps more nearer the grass).
-not use any of the illegal black beyond the red&white on the left as there's bumps out there that can screw up your line.
Doing that means I'm not using any of the right-side curb exiting.

[timneyb]

Did my Q for this yesterday, and had a look at my tire wear. I'm not as fast as clacksman or Rack here in their 135i/RX-8. I can barely scrape a 31.9 on a pretty good lap. Mostly I'm 32.mid in the first 8 laps. Not what I expected compared to Fuji. The TVR has great straight line speed but Spa isn't straight enough on Sports Softs to stay WOT in this car for long enough to take advantage - I have a suspicion the balance would be shifted on Racing Hards, but that's moot.

Pit stop delta here is pretty small (~24 sec), and I was 28 sec slower on my second set of 8 laps, so I think I'll be pitting again.

[clacksman]

Q'd, wandering out for practice. Don't know if I'm pitting, midweek practice wasn't conclusive.

[Forgetful]

Q'd. Going for bro's bday dinner but should be back in time for driver's meeting. Won't be able to do Q sort though.

[mmacek96]

Ah thanks Rooster That's the right car too. I was in a hurry n selected the wrong z33

[clacksman]

timneyb hosting, unless he can't in which case group44.

[timneyb]

timneyb hosting, unless he can't in which case group44.

Got it.

[clacksman]

Swoieet.

[ori0n378e]

Awesome race guys!!! I do got a question though. I didn't pit and at the end I was getting slow. Do you guys want us to fight to keep our position, or just let the quicker guys go when they catch up. Personally I feel like an ass if I don't let them go by, but then got to thinking about, there is skill in keeping someone behind you too, sure the guy behind is cussing you but that's racing. So what input do you guys have for me?

[timneyb]

Awesome race guys!!! I do got a question though. I didn't pit and at the end I was getting slow. Do you guys want us to fight to keep our position, or just let the quicker guys go when they catch up. Personally I feel like an ass if I don't let them go by, but then got to thinking about, there is skill in keeping someone behind you too, sure the guy behind is cussing you but that's racing. So what input do you guys have for me?

If you're on the lead lap, it's your prerogative to make them work for it.

[robiker]

Awesome race guys!!! I do got a question though. I didn't pit and at the end I was getting slow. Do you guys want us to fight to keep our position, or just let the quicker guys go when they catch up. Personally I feel like an ass if I don't let them go by, but then got to thinking about, there is skill in keeping someone behind you too, sure the guy behind is cussing you but that's racing. So what input do you guys have for me?

I had a few chances to force my way past you, but was waiting for you to make a mistake on those worn tires. Instead, I made the mistake on the last turn. You got a well deserved 4th place. Good job!

[clacksman]

You're not required to get out of the way, but you are required to not block.

[ori0n378e]

Good to know...

[timneyb]

Hell of a race. The victory was unexpected. I knew I would be first to the top of the hill after landing on the front row, but I expected to fall back down the list. Instead, Orion and Rooster got involved in a battle, and I built up a cushion with the luxury of a clean race track. It was really tough for me to keep to the game plan and pit on lap 8, since my tires still felt good, and I didn't want to wind up back out in traffic if several others stayed out. But I came out only behind Orion, whose tires weren't able to gap me in the twisties anymore.

It truly sucks that Rack couldn't get into the game though, although we couldn't really have waited longer. He was the fastest in practice (I saw a 30.7 in Rooster's lounge), and pre race we were expecting an interesting race between the TVR and RX-8.

[vkaifh]

the link to the Championship Points Table doesn't work for me. All I see is a white box when I click on it.

Is it just me with my IE9 or do others have the same issue?

[clacksman]

the link to the Championship Points Table doesn't work for me. All I see is a white box when I click on it.

Is it just me with my IE9 or do others have the same issue?

Works for me & my Chrome - there's a blue & white spreadsheet in there. Spa #s are not input yet so you're not missing as much as you thought.

[group44]

Results table is looking fine to me vk.

Gotta really hand it to you Forgetful, you really put together a supreme series with this one

[vkaifh]

just tried it with Firefox and it works. Gotta be the IE9.

[timneyb]

Here are some images from my replay:

The performance gap to Eau Rouge:


Closed back up by the chicane:


3º front camber, full compression:


Passing Orion on his worn out tires:

[ori0n378e]

Nice pic's timney. I need to start doing what I used to do. After every race I would take a bunch of pictures and pick the best 8 and share them within GT so the racers could check them out.

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