Split 1 - R6: Bathurst - 23rd April 2018 (1 Viewer)

[m4nu]

Class: GTE
Track: Bathurst
League Agreement: Mandatory Pitstop

Date: Monday, 23rd April 2018
17:30 UTC - Optional Practice
18:30 UTC - Driver Briefing (Mandatory)
18:40 UTC - Qualifying
19:00 UTC - Race

Race
Date: 23rd April 2018
Time Progression: 5x
Weather Progression: Sync to Race

Qualifying Duration: 20 minutes
Qualifying Start Time: 5:00
Qualifying Weather Forecast: Light Fog

Race Time: 5 + 75 minutes
Race Start Time: 6:00
Race Weather Forecast: Fog > Light Cloud > Clear

Realism Settings
Force Realistic Driving Aids: Yes
Force Manual Pitstops: Yes
Tire Wear: Authentic
Fuel Depletion: Yes

Starting Procedure: Rolling Start, the pole driver will lead the field through the formation lap. The speed limit for the lead car will be 50mph / 80kph. We are going to form up in a 2×2 formation at the beginning of sector 3, maintaining our speed. Odd numbers on the right and even numbers on the left side.

Penalties
-

Confirmed No-Shows
@CrisBCros
@SBart_uk
@grobi0815

 

[Hujkis]

Always wanted to learn this amazing track. Any tips, tricks?....Setups?
I'll probably gonna have only a very limited time to practice, therefore any help is greatly appreciated. Don't wanna embarrass myself

 

[Cluck]

Always wanted to learn this amazing track. Any tips, tricks?....Setups?
I'll probably gonna have only a very limited time to practice, therefore any help is greatly appreciated. Don't wanna embarrass myself

Stay away from the walls

 

[The Wayfaerer]

Stay away from the walls

and avoid brake locking going into "The Dipper" (the downhill section)
otherwise you will likely find yourself in a wall ^^

 

[Cluck]

I would give some idea of gears and what have you but it's different for each of the cars, as will be the braking and turning in points. There are some crucial corners though:

Turn 1 - With the updated tyres you can get on the power really early but this means you need to be more mindful of getting your speed scrubbed off before turning in. Don't turn in too late or that's a bootfull of time lost up the straight to T2

Turn 2 - I usually use the small patch of tarmac on the left, after the 100m board, as my reference. Brake hard just after this and turn in in 3rd or 4th gear (car dependent) and get on the power nice and early. Avoid the kerb on the inside and just keep your foot planted

Turn 3 - Lift and then coast, or trail-brake into T4. I normally brake early and take an early, tight line into T4. That allows you to get on the power nice and early again for the next climb up.

The rest of the uphill section is about maintaining momentum. You won't need to use your brakes, at all, but you'll need to lift for the right-hander after the S1 timing point, before getting on the power again. Just experiment with what the car will do through the corners.

For the downhill section, drop your speed and carry that speed for the 1st right-hand part, then trail brake through the left-hander before braking hard for the right-hander. Keep your speed down and take a tight, early line into the next left-hander, throwing the car into it before throwing the car back to the right and nailing the throttle. Keep your foot down now until the drop to Forest's Elbow. Get your braking down before that little dip and then take an early, tight line into the left-hander. Nail the throttle and let the car naturally drift out to the right.

It's now full throttle all the way down to The Chase, at the end of Conrod Straight. You'll see the tarmac darken, start braking just before there and drop down to 3rd (or 2nd, car depending) and balance the car on the throttle through the left/right. Hard on the power for the exit of that and down to the final corner.

Brake as late as you dare, turn in, avoid the kerb on the inside, get hard on the power.

And across the line.


(or something like that. I've probably made some mistakes, I'm just trying to imagine the lap in my head)

The key thing is to have confidence that the car under you is going to stick to the road. The best route I've always found is to deliberately over-drive the car, find out what it can't do, before you find out what it can. There's no limit to the number of times you can crash, it's a game after all.

I've found that the default setup is actually wonderful in the Ferrari. Going for lower wings, or more wing, just resulted in slower laptimes - although lower wings will obviously make you faster in the main straights, it makes the car far slower through the mountain. Overall, it made me slower by a few tenths. More wing just made me slower on the straights and didn't really seem to give much extra cornering grip in the mountain section.

 

[Tom]

2.4 Hrs of Spa, and then this the day after? We're spoilt rotten

 

[Hujkis]

coast, or trail-brake into T4.
then trail brake through the left-hander

I need a load-cell brake pedal god damnit.

I've found that the default setup is actually wonderful in the Ferrari. Going for lower wings, or more wing, just resulted in slower laptimes - although lower wings will obviously make you faster in the main straights, it makes the car far slower through the mountain. Overall, it made me slower by a few tenths. More wing just made me slower on the straights and didn't really seem to give much extra cornering grip in the mountain section.

Good job @Jussi_SMS.

@Cluck, thanks a lot for your post! I saw you have the fastest TT time in 911 (and any other car obviously), do you by any chance remember driving it? I mean...anything you would change in default setup for Bathurst except the usual, like gearing, etc.
As a Bathurst wizard, maybe you could tell us stuff like if this track is more suitable to harder suspension, ride height....

 

[Cluck]

I need a load-cell brake pedal god damnit.

Good job @Jussi_SMS.

@Cluck, thanks a lot for your post! I saw you have the fastest TT time in 911 (and any other car obviously), do you by any chance remember driving it? I mean...anything you would change in default setup for Bathurst except the usual, like gearing, etc.
As a Bathurst wizard, maybe you could tell us stuff like if this track is more suitable to harder suspension, ride height....

I genuinely have no idea about how to set a car up for Bathurst. I just know that the default setup suits the Ferrari and Ford pretty damn well. The Porsche feels quite a bit more tail-happy but is otherwise a great drive at Bathurst.

 

[Hujkis]

The Porsche feels quite a bit more tail-happy but is otherwise a great drive at Bathurst.

Good to hear that. Thanks again!

 

[Tom]

It'll be hard as frig to pass someone over the top of the mountain, much easier to pass on the straights, so low aero with good traction is what I'll be aiming for with my setup.

 

[Cluck]

It'll be impossible to pass someone over the top of the mountain unless they make a complete spazz of a corner, much easier to pass on the straights, so low aero with good traction is what I'll be aiming for with my setup.

That's an excellent point but there's no point having to tip-toe up the mountain, fearing the walls. The default setup means you can just nail it through those sections.

I might do a test tonight to see how much time is saved in a default vs low-wing setup in the 2 key straights.

 

[Cluck]

I thought I'd let a video do the talking instead. This should give you an idea of where to brake, where to lift, where to put the power down.



Setup is default 'loose' with the only changes being a minimum radiator opening and brake ducts closed to about 25% (IIRC). Everything else (wings, suspension, dampers, differential, fuel etc) is default.

In quali conditions in an online session the same setup (on soft tyres) will do 1m59 laps with no assistance from drafting.

 

[Damian Hall]

 

[Cluck]

I don't know what's wrong with me but I cannot get anywhere near my laptimes if I reduce the aero. I've tried stiffening the suspension, softening it, stiffening one end and leaving the other soft (and vice versa), dragging the dampers one way, then the other, long bump stops, short bump stops, no bump stops, all manner of diff changes, absolutely nothing allows me to get the power down in any meaningful way. Ergo, I get a slower entry into every straight and just find myself slower in every single sector, especially the mountain.

Is there some trick I'm missing? Otherwise, I'm going with the setup I've got now, which is absolutely planted and gets me up and down the mountain in under 1m58.7s in time-trial and only a fraction over that in quali conditions.

 

[Stitch]

Can only tell you based on what I've got, I'm doing 2.02s on race setup and a full tank but I run 1 areo front, 2 rear and I've softened the front suspension and stiffened the rear. It's a little on the edge but it's manageable. Haven't touched any of the bump stops or dampers, frankly don't even know what they do.

 

[CrisBCros]

I am so sorry @ProjectPD but I need to pull out for the final race which is anyway the rest of the season. I have major network issues which can not be fixed properly by the provider - 2nd disconnect within the last two races - this is f****ng anoying!!
Hopefully this will be sorted out before the next season.
Anyway I enjoyed the GTE races within a highly competitive fiel of drivers. Good luck to everyone for the final @ Bathurst.

 

[Hujkis]

Are you guys doing some practice race tonight, or have you done some already?
I wonder what the time progression will affect? Tyre durability, fuel consumption...or just the earth rotation, weather...

 

[Cluck]

Time acceleration only affects the time which, in turn, affects the ambient and track temperatures - ie, the track will warm up during the day and cool down at night. Tyre wear and fuel consumption are normal (unless we state otherwise), they will deplete as if the time is set to 'real time'.

 

[UnstopaPaul]

I don't know what's wrong with me but I cannot get anywhere near my laptimes if I reduce the aero. I've tried stiffening the suspension, softening it, stiffening one end and leaving the other soft (and vice versa), dragging the dampers one way, then the other, long bump stops, short bump stops, no bump stops, all manner of diff changes, absolutely nothing allows me to get the power down in any meaningful way. Ergo, I get a slower entry into every straight and just find myself slower in every single sector, especially the mountain.

Is there some trick I'm missing? Otherwise, I'm going with the setup I've got now, which is absolutely planted and gets me up and down the mountain in under 1m58.7s in time-trial and only a fraction over that in quali conditions.

My heart bleeds for you...

 

[Nighttiger]

The weather forecast is light fog, but I don't think that weather option excists or am I wrong?