10 votes

Motorsports

Anyone here into motorsports? Also, anyone into simracing?

22 comments

  1. [4]
    bbvnvlt
    Link
    Yup. I used to do a lot of simracing, mostly in the Dutch community in Live for Speed (many years ago). I tried iRacing for a while, which felt much more realistic, but without a community it was...

    Yup. I used to do a lot of simracing, mostly in the Dutch community in Live for Speed (many years ago). I tried iRacing for a while, which felt much more realistic, but without a community it was less fun. Also, my life changed after graduating university so it's been a while.

    Watching, I've really gotten into Formula E the past season! Formula 1 is a bit long/boring for me usually, and I have split feelings about the dubious places where they race and the bad money.power/climate vibe around the whole thing...

    3 votes
    1. [3]
      flip
      Link Parent
      Nice. iRacing looks really cool, but it's a bit too expensive for my taste. I like to have plenty of options when choosing combinations of tracks+cars. But yeah, the community makes all the...

      Nice. iRacing looks really cool, but it's a bit too expensive for my taste. I like to have plenty of options when choosing combinations of tracks+cars.

      But yeah, the community makes all the difference. I struggled a bit when I moved from console to PC, because I couldn't find a group as nice as the one I had on PlayStation, but now I've found a group that, although not as nice, is fun to race with.

      I haven't watched FE yet (the noise irritates me a bit - I have some hearing loss from youthful excesses, and their pitch is right in the range that bothers me), but as a long time F1 fan, yeah, some of those races are in unsavory locations (and usually are the worst of the year).

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        bbvnvlt
        Link Parent
        Which sim/community? Not that I'd be able to pick it up again the coming months, but still, I'm curious. Too bad about the sound mismatch with your hearing. It'd be worth it to try to mitigate it...

        I've found a group that, although not as nice, is fun to race with.

        Which sim/community? Not that I'd be able to pick it up again the coming months, but still, I'm curious.

        I haven't watched FE yet (the noise irritates me a bit - I have some hearing loss from youthful excesses, and their pitch is right in the range that bothers me), but as a long time F1 fan, yeah, some of those races are in unsavory locations (and usually are the worst of the year).

        Too bad about the sound mismatch with your hearing. It'd be worth it to try to mitigate it (treble/bass settings on TV? Headphones with EQ settings?) The racing is great. And I find attack mode a more interesting device than DRS. It adds a surprising amount of strategy, which would otherwise be almost absent, without pitstops. I'm not a huge fan of the qualifying set-up though. It adds a little bit too much randomness for my taste. Front runners in the championship are almost certain to start mid-field, which makes the season interesting but you don't get season-long battles for points between the few clear stand-out best drivers.

        FE also has some races in dubious places, but a lot less. Plus the whole thing is a bit less money-driven. None of the teams have decades of investment in infrastructure and development giving them a structural advantage. And the manufacturers are piling in! I'm super curious hoe next season is going to go.

        2 votes
        1. flip
          Link Parent
          My original group was on Gran Turismo 6, but once the update to PS4 became necessary, I just switched to PC, where I usually do Automobilista (I'm Brazilian) and Assetto. Both are excellent....

          My original group was on Gran Turismo 6, but once the update to PS4 became necessary, I just switched to PC, where I usually do Automobilista (I'm Brazilian) and Assetto. Both are excellent. Assetto is better and more customisable, but I have found one good group with Assetto but they moved to Assetto Competizione and I'm not in the mood for a GT3 only game, so it's basically Automobilista for me these days.

          In regards to FE, it's a weird reason, but nothing helps, really. Unless I watch on mute (which is kinda dumb), it starts irritating me too much. I'm excited for it to be a blueprint to where F1 can develop towards being more affordable, but we'll see once Liberty can really negotiate a new deal for 2021. I'm cautiously optimistic, but having been a fan of F1 since 1981, I know that optimism is just the start of your hopes being crushed, one way or another...

          1 vote
  2. [2]
    cyanide
    Link
    Used to be in motorsport on the technical side. Building engines, tuning them, electronics, etc. We won the national championship of our country in 2012 and 2013. Stopped as life caught up and I...

    Used to be in motorsport on the technical side. Building engines, tuning them, electronics, etc. We won the national championship of our country in 2012 and 2013. Stopped as life caught up and I needed to pick a real profession as motorsport wasn't a reliable profession in my country.

    Also used to spend hours in rFactor. These days, not so. Still have rF and rF2, and AC in my steam library. One hopes I can buy a proper steering wheel again and have a go.

    3 votes
    1. flip
      Link Parent
      Yeah, that's a nice steam library! I like (and have) all of those. I built myself a cockpit last year and it made a huge difference in the enjoyment of it all. And I don't know of any country...

      Yeah, that's a nice steam library! I like (and have) all of those.

      I built myself a cockpit last year and it made a huge difference in the enjoyment of it all.

      And I don't know of any country where motorsports is a reliable profession... It's always on the edge of disaster, as far as I can tell.

      1 vote
  3. [8]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    Watching or participating? I do both.

    Watching or participating?

    I do both.

    2 votes
    1. [7]
      flip
      Link Parent
      In what? I mostly participate, because watching just makes me want to go race myself.

      In what? I mostly participate, because watching just makes me want to go race myself.

      1. [6]
        AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        https://tildes.net/~talk/bpo/what_are_you_an_expert_on#comment-2wfs
        2 votes
        1. [5]
          flip
          Link Parent
          I love it!!!! Great story, man. I would like to sit down and have about 20 beers with you and hear all the stories. I started karting, but I was too heavy and too tall (and not very good to start...

          I love it!!!! Great story, man. I would like to sit down and have about 20 beers with you and hear all the stories.

          I started karting, but I was too heavy and too tall (and not very good to start with), so I switched to basketball, but that love of motorsports never really went away. I've done track days (went to the Nordschleife last year finally), but those do not compare to racing. Even in my sim, the thrill of the race is still superb.

          1. [4]
            AugustusFerdinand
            Link Parent
            Is that 20 beers between us or 20 on my own? I don't know if I can stand up after 20... Karting is a great start, but not something I was aware of outside of the local arcade/mini-golf/go-kart...

            Is that 20 beers between us or 20 on my own? I don't know if I can stand up after 20...

            Karting is a great start, but not something I was aware of outside of the local arcade/mini-golf/go-kart place growing up so went straight into the heavier stuff as they have junior divisions. Although karting is something I am one of my best friends are preparing his newborn daughter for, so hopefully she'll enjoy that.

            1 vote
            1. [3]
              flip
              Link Parent
              We can talk from the floor, it's fine. And it was basically because I started young and there's no midgets here or dirt track, etc. Karting is fun as hell with proper ones (ok, with the shitty...

              We can talk from the floor, it's fine.

              And it was basically because I started young and there's no midgets here or dirt track, etc. Karting is fun as hell with proper ones (ok, with the shitty rental ones, it's also fun as hell).

              1. [2]
                AugustusFerdinand
                Link Parent
                Works for me, less distance to fall when we eventually pass out. Different areas give rise to different backgrounds then. Here in Texas it's a lot easier and cheaper to find places to make a dirt...

                Works for me, less distance to fall when we eventually pass out.

                Different areas give rise to different backgrounds then. Here in Texas it's a lot easier and cheaper to find places to make a dirt track than to construct a proper racetrack, even a small one. So dirt reigned king and all the concrete was poured for drag racing. Thankfully that's changed now and I get out onto tracks regularly. Karting is great fun, but just came into it far too late. Next week I'll be at a drift event watching some of my work go sideways on purpose.

                1 vote
                1. flip
                  Link Parent
                  Nice.... Yeah, I have a buddy in Texas who's into motorsports and he was extremely happy once they built CotA, since the options expanded.

                  Nice.... Yeah, I have a buddy in Texas who's into motorsports and he was extremely happy once they built CotA, since the options expanded.

  4. [4]
    NecrophiliaChocolate
    Link
    Quite into F1 and slowly getting in WRC. Really hyped for this weekend in Monza, especially after last weekend. I cried, I'll admit it. Didn't know or even care about Anthony Hubert, but the...

    Quite into F1 and slowly getting in WRC. Really hyped for this weekend in Monza, especially after last weekend. I cried, I'll admit it. Didn't know or even care about Anthony Hubert, but the people around in F1 were deeply impacted, it affected me.

    Edit: Sorry Anthoine, not Anthony

    Also want to add that I was quite annoyed with FP1 today, Russell was right, the marshalls shouldve learnt from Bianchi's incident by now.

    2 votes
    1. [3]
      flip
      Link Parent
      And how about that qualy??? I laughed so hard, I could barely keep it together. When I saw them starting the lap with 1:37 to go, I was hoping for 1-2 cars not to open their laps, just for the...

      And how about that qualy??? I laughed so hard, I could barely keep it together. When I saw them starting the lap with 1:37 to go, I was hoping for 1-2 cars not to open their laps, just for the schadenfreude. The actual result was so much better than anything I could have ever imagined. With rain on the forecast for tomorrow, I'm hoping it will be a crazy race.

      I like WRC as well, but I tend to only watch highlights. It's been getting better with excellent drone use, but their broadcasts tend to be on the dull side for someone always in a bind for time.

      And although I didn't cry (I've seen too many deaths at this point), it was a sobering reminder of the risks involved. Especially with Correa now also in danger... In the end, motorsports will never be safe unless the human is removed from the car...

      1. [2]
        bbvnvlt
        Link Parent
        I didn't understand this were they all hoping to get a tow from someone in front? It seemed to me to be a good idea to make a run for it and be out front in clean air...

        When I saw them starting the lap with 1:37 to go, I was hoping for 1-2 cars not to open their laps, just for the schadenfreude. The actual result was so much better than anything I could have ever imagined.

        I didn't understand this were they all hoping to get a tow from someone in front? It seemed to me to be a good idea to make a run for it and be out front in clean air...

        1 vote
        1. flip
          Link Parent
          Getting a good tow is worth about 0.2-0.4 in Monza, it makes sense to get one. It does not make sense to not get a lap in waiting for a tow, especially for the faster cars, because it's useless to...

          Getting a good tow is worth about 0.2-0.4 in Monza, it makes sense to get one. It does not make sense to not get a lap in waiting for a tow, especially for the faster cars, because it's useless to be behind a car that will go 0.7-1.0 slower than you, since he'll compromise your lap anyway.

          It was the greatest qualy session ever, but mostly because it was so darn dumb. I started calling out that it wouldn't work before the reached the 2nd chicane.

          I honestly think this is a case of paralysis due to excess of information. I had only my gut telling me that, with 1:37 on the clock, unless you push, you don't start a lap. Engineers with a lot of computing power were cutting it too close and it only took one car holding the rest up and poof.

          Still amused me to no end. I laughed so much.

  5. [2]
    DVNO42
    Link
    Ah I love motorsports! I rip around on/off-road with a GSA1200 and KTM 690E almost daily. Try to make it to big group ride/rally type dealeos as often as I can. Bike tourism is definitely a...

    Ah I love motorsports! I rip around on/off-road with a GSA1200 and KTM 690E almost daily. Try to make it to big group ride/rally type dealeos as often as I can. Bike tourism is definitely a favorite too: "Fly into country, get bike, ride country, eat all the food". =P

    1 vote
    1. flip
      Link Parent
      Nothing wrong with that plan!!! And everyday on and off-road sounds like a delightful way to live, frankly.

      Nothing wrong with that plan!!!

      And everyday on and off-road sounds like a delightful way to live, frankly.

  6. [2]
    citizenerased
    Link
    Grew up watching F1, but hate how sanitised it's become. Looking to get into another series which has a feeling of rawness, danger and excitement. I'm sad that I never was around to experience the...

    Grew up watching F1, but hate how sanitised it's become.

    Looking to get into another series which has a feeling of rawness, danger and excitement. I'm sad that I never was around to experience the Group B rally days. It's a dream of mine to head to the Isle of Man TT one day.

    Aside from that, in my free time, I love karting. I'm starting to sometimes hit top times in rental karts, but just don't have the money to do anything more serious. Instead I prefer just to combine karting with travelling; hitting different tracks around Europe and just enjoying the buzz of the track. Hopefully when various projects start taking off, I can do something more with the hobby.

    1 vote
    1. flip
      Link Parent
      Nothing these days can approach Group B, not even the IoMTT is the same in terms of danger. Yes, IoMTT is still the most dangerous event around, no question. One series that might satisfy that...

      Nothing these days can approach Group B, not even the IoMTT is the same in terms of danger. Yes, IoMTT is still the most dangerous event around, no question.

      One series that might satisfy that craving is the new hypercar regulation for the WEC. We are slowly seeing some manufacturers get involved and, if it does take off, it's going to be incredible.

      I got too tall and heavy for karting (even though I'm pretty skinny, just tall), so I stopped, because it was too frustrating to see people who can't drive for shit pull away down the straights from me. Nowadays, I'm restricted to simracing, so my weight doesn't impact my performance, since I'm not wealthy enough to do real cars, where the weight wouldn't matter as much.

      1 vote