Re: Racing Discussions

by **IFCA GTDon** Thu Dec 22, 2022 12:30 pm

GTDon2 wrote:
WritesCode4Food wrote:I love the sentiment. The challenge is incentivization. Desired behavior generally will only occur when the reward is worth it.

As already stated over in the "IFCA Series News" thread, I am looking into the possibilities. I think I have found a path forward for this idea. It has to do with incentives of course.

The incentives have to be somewhat autonomous as they are applied to a team/club. In sort of a quid pro quo way, you do this for the team and you get that for your drivers so that a team is more than just a name.

A team is comprised of drivers who wish to compete in cooperation as a team that in turn benefits all the members of that team. Manage or coach your team to reach certain goals where incentives can be earned, and not only does the team benefit in terms of team points, but we then connect that success to the individual drivers by rewarding them with individual bonus points for their full throttled effort too.

In this way individual team members can help their team knowing that it will also help themselves. And this is how we get everyone on a team to have some skin in the game. To make being in a team more meaningful, and be more advantageous than driving alone both in terms of points and support.

If implemented, everyone should desire to be on a team. You will want to be on a team fast or not because more bonus points will be available to you than if you were a lone driver.

I think in this way we would experience greater levels of competition for all skill levels, and create that cohesive bond that motivates people to want to work together for a common cause.

As for the actual proposed points incentives and team structure, they might look something like this:

*Minimum 3 man teams with no maximum number of members.

*Required standardized and matching team liveries

*IFCA approved team names only

1.) Team Points
If every team member sets a top 12 practice lap time, then the team earns a maximum of 3 team points. Keep in mind what this does. The larger the team the more difficult it becomes to achieve. Why? Because it would be easier for a 3 man team to post 3 top 12 times than it would be for a 6-7 man team. Doing it this way means that smaller teams can not be easily crushed by bigger teams. Or put another way, a smaller team would find it easier to grab bonus points than a bigger team. So, if there were 8 teams of 3 drivers each (24 drivers) only half of the teams will score lap times in the top 12 each week.

2.) Driver Season Points
If a team achieves their team bonus each round, team members will then individually also earn +0.50 seasonal drivers points each round. In addition, if every team member competes in every race of the season each driver earns an additional +1.75pts at the end of the season. Again this favors smaller teams because it is easier for a smaller team to make every race.

by **IFCA GTDon** Fri Dec 23, 2022 1:41 pm

GTDon2 wrote:
GTDon2 wrote:
WritesCode4Food wrote:I love the sentiment. The challenge is incentivization. Desired behavior generally will only occur when the reward is worth it.

As already stated over in the "IFCA Series News" thread, I am looking into the possibilities. I think I have found a path forward for this idea. It has to do with incentives of course.

The incentives have to be somewhat autonomous as they are applied to a team/club. In sort of a quid pro quo way, you do this for the team and you get that for your drivers so that a team is more than just a name.

A team is comprised of drivers who wish to compete in cooperation as a team that in turn benefits all the members of that team. Manage or coach your team to reach certain goals where incentives can be earned, and not only does the team benefit in terms of team points, but we then connect that success to the individual drivers by rewarding them with individual bonus points for their full throttled effort too.

In this way individual team members can help their team knowing that it will also help themselves. And this is how we get everyone on a team to have some skin in the game. To make being in a team more meaningful, and be more advantageous than driving alone both in terms of points and support.

If implemented, everyone should desire to be on a team. You will want to be on a team fast or not because more bonus points will be available to you than if you were a lone driver.

I think in this way we would experience greater levels of competition for all skill levels, and create that cohesive bond that motivates people to want to work together for a common cause.

As for the actual proposed points incentives and team structure, they might look something like this:

*Minimum 3 man teams with no maximum number of members.

*Required standardized and matching team liveries

*IFCA approved team names only

1.) Team Points
If every team member sets a top 12 practice lap time, then the team earns a maximum of 3 team points. Keep in mind what this does. The larger the team the more difficult it becomes to achieve. Why? Because it would be easier for a 3 man team to post 3 top 12 times than it would be for a 6-7 man team. Doing it this way means that smaller teams can not be easily crushed by bigger teams. Or put another way, a smaller team would find it easier to grab bonus points than a bigger team. So, if there were 8 teams of 3 drivers each (24 drivers) only half of the teams will score lap times in the top 12 each week.

2.) Driver Season Points
If a team achieves their team bonus each round, team members will then individually also earn +0.50 seasonal drivers points each round. In addition, if every team member competes in every race of the season each driver earns an additional +1.75pts at the end of the season. Again this favors smaller teams because it is easier for a smaller team to make every race.

Uh, don't be surprised if you see this sort of idea implemented by T10 in FM8. It's happened before, and T10 does occasionally drop by the IFCA to see how things are going and what we are up to. I know this for a fact, and just recently too. We had a large number of guests the other day and many of their IP addresses were in the Pacific Northwest.

So far I haven't heard anyone dislike the teams idea. It sounds like most want to try it and think it will create that added dimension of competing for more than just one thing. That to have a racing system/experience and leave out the team aspect, is like cutting the very heart out of motorsports.

by **IFCA GTDon** Mon Dec 26, 2022 9:22 am

Check out the IFCA Newsletter here:

https://ifca.forumotion.com/t6832-season-18-the-last-and-final-season-of-fm7#140303

by VNX ZachThe1 Thu Dec 29, 2022 11:46 pm

Just wanted to share what I've been up to. Was 5th in their first ranking update but barely holding on to top 10 at this point lol. Trying hard for that "triple crown champion" title for lulz. Ferrari just jumped up to first after taking 1st on all three boards, so I need to knock off one of the guys above me...

by **IFCA GTDon** Mon Jan 02, 2023 10:01 pm

Since we are drawing Season 18 cars from the Season 17 roster, it will benefit you to consider using a car that you may have already spent a lot of time in. We've found that cars with more development time under the hood tend to turn faster laps on average. This is so demonstrably true that during testing we have to take this truism into account to keep the lap times for those cars we know so well, in perspective.

by WritesCode4Food Tue Jan 03, 2023 6:31 pm

I wanted to share some knowledge about how I've improved over the past couple of seasons. I'm not practicing more than I have in the past. A lot less than when I first joined the league.

1) Better car selection I'm using ForzaTune Pro on my iPhone to get a base tune. I don't use the default values. I tweak them to suit my style, which I can now do consistently. So with a good base tune, I run the available cars on all the tracks with one full tank and quickly find the top 2 or 3 candidates. Then tune a bit more with simple aero or spring changes to finalize the car running a few tanks in each.

NOTE: I've never selected a car by following the leaders!

2) Better tuning I spend a lot less time on tuning. Once I have a car, I run it on each track with the tune I used from the selection to tune it per track—no more radical changes. I find the right aero, then adjust the springs to ensure I have a little oversteer.

3) Better practice For a practice session, I run at least one full tank. It tells me how many laps I can go in a race and ensures I stick with it. With my ADHD, practice is VERY hard, even with medication. So I have to force myself to stick with it.

At the start of a set of 3 races for a group, I use Platinum builds for each race. I only switch to my designated build once I'm ready to record a lap time for the race and feel I'm gotten as much out of the Platinum build as I can for my skill level.

I only use rival ghosts for one or two practice sessions to ensure I'm on the right line and pushing hard enough. If I practice too much with ghosts, I look at their car, not what I need to look at. So because I want to build muscle memory for the race, once I have a target lap speed, I run in Free Play without a ghost and push myself to be smooth, consistent and face.

4) Better awareness of my faults Watching some YouTube videos, I realized I have the following flaws I'm working on:
4.1) Not trail braking effectively. Either too much or too little. I'm paying more attention to which curves work and which don't.
4.2) Overall braking. At first, when I turned off ABS, I'd brake too hard, too late, going too fast past the apex, then not being on the throttle soon enough. When I backed off to do 'slow in, fast out,' I wasn't practicing effectively and developed a bad habit of not braking hard enough.
4.3) Steering. There are three issues here
4.3.1) Not looking at the right point on the curves! I was looking at the line and too close to the nose of the car. I'm now focusing on picking my braking point, then looking at my apex or mid-curve, then the point where the curve ends for my car.
4.3.2) Not using simulation steering meant I kept turning in too soon or too late with the play in normal steering, even with no dead zone on the left joystick.
4.3.3) Too much bump steering. This bad habit is from too much time using Normal steering and not looking far enough down the track

Don's and Eries's recommendations for practice and tuning have greatly helped.

What didn't help me was people commenting on my line. I always knew what line to follow; however, taking the right line is hard when you have the wrong speed at the wrong points in the curve. I was always forced to adjust the line to stay on track when I had the wrong speeds.

You can't maintain the right line on a curve if you don't have the right speed, especially when going through chicanes, switchbacks, or multiple curves in a row!

by **IFCA GTDon** Tue Jan 03, 2023 9:13 pm

WritesCode4Food wrote:I wanted to share some knowledge about how I've improved over the past couple of seasons. I'm not practicing more than I have in the past. A lot less than when I first joined the league.

1) Better car selection I'm using ForzaTune Pro on my iPhone to get a base tune. I don't use the default values. I tweak them to suit my style, which I can now do consistently. So with a good base tune, I run the available cars on all the tracks with one full tank and quickly find the top 2 or 3 candidates. Then tune a bit more with simple aero or spring changes to finalize the car running a few tanks in each.

NOTE: I've never selected a car by following the leaders!

2) Better tuning I spend a lot less time on tuning. Once I have a car, I run it on each track with the tune I used from the selection to tune it per track—no more radical changes. I find the right aero, then adjust the springs to ensure I have a little oversteer.

3) Better practice For a practice session, I run at least one full tank. It tells me how many laps I can go in a race and ensures I stick with it. With my ADHD, practice is VERY hard, even with medication. So I have to force myself to stick with it.

At the start of a set of 3 races for a group, I use Platinum builds for each race. I only switch to my designated build once I'm ready to record a lap time for the race and feel I'm gotten as much out of the Platinum build as I can for my skill level.

I only use rival ghosts for one or two practice sessions to ensure I'm on the right line and pushing hard enough. If I practice too much with ghosts, I look at their car, not what I need to look at. So because I want to build muscle memory for the race, once I have a target lap speed, I run in Free Play without a ghost and push myself to be smooth, consistent and face.

4) Better awareness of my faults Watching some YouTube videos, I realized I have the following flaws I'm working on:
4.1) Not trail braking effectively. Either too much or too little. I'm paying more attention to which curves work and which don't.
4.2) Overall braking. At first, when I turned off ABS, I'd brake too hard, too late, going too fast past the apex, then not being on the throttle soon enough. When I backed off to do 'slow in, fast out,' I wasn't practicing effectively and developed a bad habit of not braking hard enough.
4.3) Steering. There are three issues here
4.3.1) Not looking at the right point on the curves! I was looking at the line and too close to the nose of the car. I'm now focusing on picking my braking point, then looking at my apex or mid-curve, then the point where the curve ends for my car.
4.3.2) Not using simulation steering meant I kept turning in too soon or too late with the play in normal steering, even with no dead zone on the left joystick.
4.3.3) Too much bump steering. This bad habit is from too much time using Normal steering and not looking far enough down the track

Don's and Eries's recommendations for practice and tuning have greatly helped.

What didn't help me was people commenting on my line. I always knew what line to follow; however, taking the right line is hard when you have the wrong speed at the wrong points in the curve. I was always forced to adjust the line to stay on track when I had the wrong speeds.

You can't maintain the right line on a curve if you don't have the right speed, especially when going through chicanes, switchbacks, or multiple curves in a row!

Great tips! The last one is very true.

Much of what a good lap entails is not speed, but the right speed through corners. It's best to settle with a tune that can naturally follow a radius at a constant speed or high average speed. This business of going as fast as you can regardless of slip angle and tire friction limits doesn't work with most cars. Doing so forces you to make time wasting over-corrections.

Far better is a car that tracks the radius of a curve smoothly and without resistance. Resistance in the form of tire screeching, chirping, or howling that is. Keep your tires quiet, and watch your lap times fall.

by WritesCode4Food Wed Jan 04, 2023 12:16 pm

GTDon2 wrote:

Great tips! The last one is very true.

Much of what a good lap entails is not speed, but the right speed through corners. It's best to settle with a tune that can naturally follow a radius at a constant speed or high average speed. This business of going as fast as you can regardless of slip angle and tire friction limits doesn't work with most cars. Doing so forces you to make time wasting over-corrections.

Far better is a car that tracks the radius of a curve smoothly and without resistance. Resistance in the form of tire screeching, chirping, or howling that is. Keep your tires quiet, and watch your lap times fall.

Yes, there should be very little noise from the tires. I'm finding when I'm fastest, the rubbing (not screeching, chirping, or howling) from the tires gets louder as I approach the apex, then quieter as I pull away. That's a sign I'm getting the right speed.

Another thing that has helped me is using Traction Control. Overall I know if I was a top driver at managing my speed in the corners, TC would be better off. What I've found is that using TC, I can feel the motor stall when I'm coming out of the curve if I'm not on the right line. If I'm coming out of the apex with a gradually longer radius (which I should be), the motor won't be limited by the TC. If I'm sloppy coming out of the corner, the TC will have to slow the rear tires before they spin because they are losing grip.

So TC is helping me develop better car control coming out of the corner, making me faster. It wasn't tire spin from how I used the accelerator without TC that was slow for me; it was the sloppy exits to the curve. I'd adjust the throttle quickly without much spin, without feedback telling me if the spin was due to too much throttle or a sloppy exit with my line due to speed and steering. Now I can focus on better managing my speed and line.

When I do turn off TC to race in another league on A class or lower I'm way faster now because I'm developing better habits.

by **IFCA GTDon** Tue Jan 10, 2023 6:06 pm

Racing Discussions - Page 3 What-Are-HOA-Disputes-How-To-Practice-Dispute-Resolution

I wanted to say a thing or two about a recent conflict so that everyone who might find themselves in a similar position will have a better understanding of how to approach it.

It's best to give the other guy the benefit of the doubt first and foremost. That way everyone knows they are going to be treated fairly even before a conclusion can be arrived at. Then, you have to come at it with a bi-fold approach knowing that there really are two sides to every story. And though you and your side may be totally truthful, it's still just from the perspective of what you perceived at the time. You still have to know and understand what the perspective of the other guy was. Once both versions have been shared and compared, then we can begin to piece together what actually happened and why. Only then can we determine the right and wrong of the situation.

And this is essentially the route that was taken between two veteran drivers and IFCA patrons, that being OneShot and Eries. But, following this path requires more than flipping each other off on the forum. lol It requires that you talk to one another in a party. There's just too much to text in these kinds of disputes. And, some are not as proficient at writing what they mean, especially if English is not their first language.

So let us all give the other guy a break, knowing that he's not a cheater, he wants the racing to be just as fair as you do, he's really here to have some fun, and, racing close more often than not will require greater care and sportsmanship, especially when contact does occur.

Next season will really test all of our honed Forza skills to the limit as the racing will be door handle to door handle more than in the past. Try not to bristle too much if someone does touch you, and at the same time try not to touch anyone if at all possible.

Your Benevolent IFCA Dictator

by **IFCA GTDon** Thu Jan 12, 2023 10:54 am

Racing Discussions - Page 3 50386128287_53edab1d04_c

As everyone should know by now Season 18 will be the last official full season for the "IFCA Forza Masters Trans Am series" with FM7. However, I would like to point out that it is looking more and more likely that FM8 will not be released just as we are finishing up Season 18. How do I know this? Because to roll out a major title the marketing department needs time in advance to tease the product. Usually anywhere from 3-6 months in advance of the release date. This means that if "Forza Motorsports" (8) is to hit the shelves in say April of this year, we should start to see something, some advertising , some interviews etc., in the next 30 days or so.

If we don't hear a thing in the next 30 days, I'm betting it will not be released this spring but perhaps in the fall. If this is the case, then we will resume the "IFCA Forza Masters Trans Am series" at some later date. In the mean time, until we know for sure, we will migrate to a weekly spec race event without season points. By that time (Late spring early summer) we should know when the release date for FM8 is, and then we might organize a Season 19 as the last official IFCA series with FM7 at that time.

For now, Season 18 is really shaping up as being our best season to date. We were able to spend more time testing the cars since there were less cars to test, we've added the team feature without it negatively effecting the individual drivers championship, and we've installed a *bonus points incentive for clean driving. From the feedback I have gotten everyone seems pretty jacked up and excited about their prospects for success this coming season beginning Jan 21st.

I will be able to reset the IFCA ratings leaderboard after the Season 17 finale this Saturday. That way everyone can get in the correct skill level they belong to right away for the opening round the following Saturday.

Always keep in mind how important it is to record a strong practice lap on the weekly practice lap leaderboard to insure the best possible grid position. If you don't, if your practice time is weak, (because you made little to no effort) it will take away from your qualifying position which then hurts your performance bonus points. If everyone but you tries hard to produce a fast practice lap, then you suffer at your own hands as a result. We don't deduct points for poor performance, but we do add points for outstanding performances understand.

Also, don't forget, you can use any of the Group 12a cars to set your best lap to get into the Laguna Seca race. And, teammates do not have to use the same cars, they just have to have the same livery and follow the livery requirements here:
https://ifca.forumotion.com/t6833-season-18-team-requirements

*Anyone who drives a clean race, without receiving a driving warning/strike, will earn a clean driving bonus of +0.25pts each race. This is basically earning a potential extra +1.75pts for the season. The clean driving bonus points will not be doubled for the finale however. All other points are doubled for the finale.

Good luck!

by **IFCA GTDon** Wed Jan 18, 2023 10:31 am

by **IFCA GTDon** Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:16 am

.... in the 24hrs of Daytona in the premier GTP class in a LMDH Acura!

by **IFCA GTDon** Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:36 am

GTDon2 wrote:

I hesitate to say much at this point about "Forza Motorsports" because I do know they (T10) do drop by the IFCA from time to time. There wasn't much new in this press release honestly.

It's a positive that they have decided to revamp the motor and tire noises, something I have complained about for years now, so that's good to hear. Having the right engine sounds and tire noise makes a big difference both in terms of immersion and driving at the limit.

On the sad side once again is this all too familiar rant about car beauty/game graphics which as everyone knows at this point is of minimal interest because so few gains are able to be gotten in this category. Today's hardware and graphics resolution has been pretty good and steady for a long time, there just isn't a whole lot more to gain, no major leaps in other words, so why highlight them? It's not like going from FM1 to FM2 or FM3. This is worrying because this is the same sort of publicity we've heard before in FM4-7, which is to say nothing to do with game play. It could indicate that T10 still doesn't quite get it. Forza is supposed to be a racing sim, not a car culture car show game.

And although they say the game is totally new from the ground up, you couldn't really tell from the replays they showed. GT7 looks way more impressive.

We will just have to wait and see since they didn't even have the sense to bother telling us a official release date still.

by **IFCA GTDon** Wed Feb 01, 2023 9:54 am

GTDon2 wrote:
GTDon2 wrote:

I hesitate to say much at this point about "Forza Motorsports" because I do know they (T10) do drop by the IFCA from time to time. There wasn't much new in this press release honestly.

It's a positive that they have decided to revamp the motor and tire noises, something I have complained about for years now, so that's good to hear. Having the right engine sounds and tire noise makes a big difference both in terms of immersion and driving at the limit.

On the sad side once again is this all too familiar rant about car beauty/game graphics which as everyone knows at this point is of minimal interest because so few gains are able to be gotten in this category. Today's hardware and graphics resolution has been pretty good and steady for a long time, there just isn't a whole lot more to gain, no major leaps in other words, so why highlight them? It's not like going from FM1 to FM2 or FM3. This is worrying because this is the same sort of publicity we've heard before in FM4-7, which is to say nothing to do with game play. It could indicate that T10 still doesn't quite get it. Forza is supposed to be a racing sim, not a car culture car show game.

And although they say the game is totally new from the ground up, you couldn't really tell from the replays they showed. GT7 looks way more impressive.

We will just have to wait and see since they didn't even have the sense to bother telling us a official release date still.

The latest news isn't inspiring I have to say. Below are just some of the YouTube videos expressing considerable doubt and outright criticism about FM8. I thought I would post them here before Microsoft petitions YouTube to take them down.

Now normally, and in the past, there would be a certain expected amount of Forza haters chiming in to give you their 2 cents, but this seems different. These are not the neophytes of old, people new to Forza, no, these are experienced users all too familiar with T10's PR antics and pedantics of the past. They, perhaps much like you and me, have seen this marketing strategy before, and to be kind, is misleading at best. It's the same old hype we've seen before in other words. The difference now is that we have a rich history of T10 hype to compare it to. And honestly, the new hype looks little different from the old hype.

As noted by the YouTubers, it's as if T10 doesn't recognize their users, and that their audience has no recollection of past versions and roll-outs of the game. Once again they pitch the idea that they have carefully considered what their fans wanted, but then proceed to highlight things no fans ever said they wanted. No fan ever said, "If Forza only had better graphics it would be the most amazing car game of all time!"

All of what we have seen so far strongly suggests that T10 just doesn't get it. Instead of showcasing what is actually new, they highlight the most obvious parts of the game. Sort of backwards don't you think? Why go on and on about the graphics which are plain for everyone to see, and then say nothing about the game play which can't be seen? Why not let the obvious improved graphics speak for themselves, while you share what is actually new about the game in other words? Are you just trying to disappoint your fans?

Let's be fair, honesty and transparency has never been a part of T10's values statement over the years. Ignoring their fan base and game deficiencies has been much higher on their priority list truth be told. And unfortunately it continues to be the case to this day.

So, what do we have to look forward to? Basically Forza 8. That is, it might as well be the continuation of FM7 because it doesn't appear to be a radically different "from the ground up" version of Forza that would warrant a new title. Is this a bad thing? No, not really. It will be a nice upgrade from FM7 with improved graphics and sound, and that's about it. Will it be a "ground up" revolution in sim-racing? Hardly. More accurately it will be a more evolved FM7 at best. And that's okay.

What's not okay is the marketing hype and how T10 does a deep fake on how much attention they pay to their fan base. T10 has flooded YouTube with tons of pro FM8 reviews and fake fanboys to overwhelm the negative reviews you see below. Not real honest of them is it.

In good conscience I simply can't bring myself to call the new game "Forza Motorsports" as though it is this entirely new version of the game. Nope. I will refer to it as we all know it to be, i.e., FM8, a continuation of FM7.

by **IFCA GTDon** Fri Feb 03, 2023 10:19 am

LOL! Just dropped in over at Forza.net for the first time in years. I was a Mod there until they didn't like my honesty and banned me for like 24,000 years or something like that. Well, that was a quick 24,000 years because with their revamped site I seem to have free access again. (Now they're in trouble lol!) Anyway, the Forza villagers are up in arms and have started to raise their pitchfork's and torches and storm the citadel over what they believe to be T10's marketing deception, or at the very least mis-reading of the tea leaves.

Not a single soul, fanboy or otherwise, is impressed with the reveal so far. So, if you thought it was just you, think again. Apparently the entire community is in full agreement (something that has rarely ever happened), that FM8 is not new and not focused on what the community wanted or expected. The masses are in shock over the lack of improvement and detail they've seen so far. Not because there isn't any improvements, but because this isn't their first rodeo with T10 and their rollout hyper hype. They have all been here before is the point. We've seen this story before in other words and know how it ends.

Our first clue is with the Forza.net front page no less, where it says in bold text, "Cars. Community. Creativity." This "mission statement" is entirely consistent with every Forza version except maybe FM1. It telegraphs something that has little to do with simulation racing or racing of any kind. Not a single word or suggestion about the most important aspect of racing over and above everything else i.e., COMPETITION.

The mamby-pamby T10 team who are themselves car guy wannabee's at best, continue to ignore their core fan base it would appear. They don't want to hear any talk about sim-racing in it's truest form. They are of a generation that wants nothing to do with actual achievement, wins and losses, victory and defeat. Instead, just as with previous versions, T10 continues to promote the mediocre goal of, "everyone gets a trophy." They still haven't figured out a fundamental truth, that you can not put the horse before the cart. Cars, community, and creativity, do not come before competition. It is through intense competition that creates community and creativity, and not the other way around. It wasn't the "community" that gave rise to Trans Am, the NHRA, NASCAR, IMSA, or F1, it was the unbridled enthusiasm and lust for epic achievement through fierce competition.

The infuriating part to all this by most accounts is the repetitive marketing hypocrisy of it all. T10 always asserting they have paid serious attention to all the feedback from the fans this time, only to find out that this is once again marketing lip service at full throttle.

The full reveal is not upon us yet, so it would be unfair to throw the Forza baby out with the bath water, but all the signs are in place that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The good news may be with the IFCA and it's ability to provide a micro-version of the type of sim-racing competition T10 should have developed. It means the IFCA will be able to continue to occupy a unfilled niche by, ironically, T10.

Your Benevolent Dictator

P.S. in reading the forums over there, T10 has apparently lowered their standards by quite a bit and are seemingly allowing every kind of rant to be posted without banning anyone these days. However, a rant is just that, add some truth to it like you see above, and the ban hammer comes out no doubt. Why? Because the truth always hurts more.

by WritesCode4Food Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:30 am

Passing

I'm going to repeat a message Don has shared about passing. If you are on edge with your car and can't pass cleanly with a better pace coming out of the corner, "DON'T DO IT!"

It's incredibly satisfying passing a car cleanly without bumping them or slowing down either car. I did that a few times last night. Sadly though, I also had to deal with a car that was visibly on edge, barely in control, bumping me when trying to pass after I'd slowed down to avoid hitting another car with brake issues.

With the new FM8, I'm quite sure you'll be penalized for sloppy driving with the new tire wear physics. You may as well start trying to drive smoothly now.

by **IFCA GTDon** Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:44 am

Racing Discussions - Page 3 3e45a7ed-74e3-0e99-ba2c-cf2bfd7d7d12

Given that the IFCA has associated itself with the real Trans Am series more than any other real-life series over the years, I thought I might share with everyone what this means. Because it (Trans Am) is the one series that is the most under-represented in simulation racing as well as motorsports media attention, the IFCA felt a kindred spirit to Trans Am.

Simulation racing in Forza circles is practically invisible when compared to all other sim-racing programs like GT7, iRacing, Assetto Corsa, rFactor 2, etc. Trans Am also has a certain invisibility to it also. Sadly, they just don't get a lot of mainstream motorsports coverage beyond what might be more appropriate for a local club level event.

Things are changing however, both for Trans Am and the IFCA. Big time names are throwing their hats into the Trans Am ring in the premier TA class. Drivers like Adam Andretti, Dylan Archer, Scott Borchetta, Boris Said, Mathew Brabham, Tomy Drissi, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Chris Dyson, Roy Fulmer IV, Paul Menard, and many others.

And what is attracting these drivers who come from many different racing backgrounds? The unlimited TA class. It is one of the very few unlimited road racing classes anywhere in the racing world today. These are purpose built tubular chassis race cars using a carbureted 366 cid small block V8 pumping out 850hp, all motor, no turbo, no NOS, no SC! There is no damn TCS, no ABS, and they must use a 4 speed manual H-pattern shifter. They are the beasts of road racing. Lighter and with way more downforce than a Cup Car, they turn laps faster than a GT3 car.

The brands used in TA are Ford, Chevy, and Dodge. Able to hit speeds of 200mph at places like Daytona, these aren't your grand dads Trans Am cars. And yet it's only been in the last couple of years that Trans Am has been gaining a lot more media coverage. They are still a niche motorsport, like the IFCA, and so we felt since no other Forza league supports Trans Am racing we would. The IFCA is the only Forza league actively organizing Trans Am style racing.

Our hope is that FM8 will produce at the very least the historic Trans Am cars of the past, if not the modern counterparts of today. There is a difference between creating a Trans Am car like an AAR Cuda for example, from a stock production car in Forza, and being offered an actual race ready AAR Cuda from back in the day with all the correct specs. It's a big difference as we saw in Project Cars. The stiffer chassis and correct ride height profile gives the Trans Am cars a whole new level of performance that we can not reproduce with the current upgrades in FM7.

Hopefully, fingers crossed, T10 decides to bring the big balls back to Forza.

GTDon

by **IFCA GTDon** Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:41 am

It looks like we will have a few new drivers come on board as we begin "Spec Kings" and I want to caution all the old drivers to take it easy on them. They are looking for clean racing just as you are but they probably haven't been exposed to our level of clean racing before. So, they may not be as careful as our veterans tend to be. But we shouldn't expect them to be right away either. They have to get to know us and what is expected first.

So give them a brake/break, allow them to see what is and isn't permitted first. If a new guy slams into you, don't take it personally, and don't yell at them for it. If he dive bombs you or blocks you or something stupid, just let them know we don't race like that here at the IFCA.

We have to be easy going with our new drivers or they won't come back. And it's not easy to get them to try the IFCA in the first place. So be nice.

by **IFCA GTDon** Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:08 pm

"Forza Motorsport reportedly delayed to second half of 2023

After the spring release window was removed at Developer_Direct, industry insider Jeff Grubb claims that Forza Motorsport is delayed until the second half of 2023.
In a podcast, Grubb says Forza Motorsport will "slip later into the year and probably won’t be the first half of the (2023) year.”

by FlavoredAtoms Thu Mar 30, 2023 8:27 pm

GTDon2 wrote:
"Forza Motorsport reportedly delayed to second half of 2023
After the spring release window was removed at Developer_Direct, industry insider Jeff Grubb claims that Forza Motorsport is delayed until the second half of 2023.
In a podcast, Grubb says Forza Motorsport will "slip later into the year and probably won’t be the first half of the (2023) year.”

october release is my guess. 4-6th

by **IFCA GTDon** Fri Mar 31, 2023 1:47 pm

Although I don't think the IFCA is at this level of disrespect that Kyle Busch claims NASCAR is at, we could be, so we have to do some preventive measures. Kyle suggests that the tone needs to be set at the beginning when a new driver arrives in the league.

If we don't stay a head of this it will become like NASCAR and people will want to punch people in the face as Kyle states. And then people will not want to race at all, and we don't want that.

This issue will be brought up in the Team Meeting this Sunday. We've done a pretty good job of regulating contact and issuing penalties, but more can be done I think. At the very outset I try to set the tone with new drivers that here at the IFCA you will be given racing room and you are to give racing room i.e., no blocking, pinching, pushing, dive bombing, cutting, and all the things we see in public lobbies.

New drivers are very unused to this style of controlled racing and need some time to get familiar with what we expect. At the same time, new drivers are very intimidated by the IFCA as a whole we've found, and don't know what to expect.

Some new drivers are so overwhelmed and intimidated that they never make it to their first race. The fear factor and nerves are that real. This is why I try not to go too deep with them on the details of our format. I just get them into a car and cover the basics.

Too often new drivers encounter the IFCA with a certain "small-ball" attitude. That is, not knowing what we are about, new drivers assume that it's just a simple league with a simple format, and, they will probably be able to either do quite well against these "IFCA newbs" or even win without much effort. But then, when they discover the times, the ratings, the handicaps, the bonuses etc, they suddenly realize this IFCA thing is way beyond what they originally thought.

Sometimes they will immediately go ghost and make excuses for why all of the sudden they just can't race with us even though the day before they were very excited to race. But what seems to happen is they realize they are no where near the level or lap times that we are at and decide to take their thoughts of an easy win, and go home. lol

Some new drivers have actually been honest and stated, "You guys are way too serious for me, I think I'll have to pass, but thanks anyway." And this is fine, better this than some guy ghosting you.

Case in point, IrisGrim47, made it into the website, built the correct car, ran a few practice laps during the week, even qualified, but then left before the race started never to be see again. I reached out repeatedly, sent messages to him, even held up the start of the race to wait for him to come back, but nothing. Nothing the next day either, or the day after that. He's been on Xbox many times since but refuses to respond. This is a flaw in his character, and not the kind of driver we are looking for anyway. But, if I had to guess, he was one of these guys who discovered he wasn't as competitive as he thought he was going to be. He hadn't done much practice, did poorly in qualifying by his own measure, and thought it was better to vanish than to compete. He's not the only one we've seen this happen to so I'm not picking on him, there have been several.

What's important is to try to get these guys into a team that is active and reliable so they don't feel like an alone outsider. Something we will be discussing in the Team Meeting.

by **IFCA GTDon** Mon Apr 24, 2023 10:34 am

Our next meeting will be a drivers meeting May 13th 1pm CST. This is an open meeting to all IFCA drivers.

This is an informational meeting and not a grievance meeting or a debate session. We are not soliciting ideas in this meeting. We are going to answer questions and adhere to the subjects listed. Should take less than 45min.

The purpose for this meeting is primarily to make sure every driver has some idea about 1.how the points work, 2.how the format works, and 3.how penalties work, both for the teams and individual drivers.

It is critically important that every driver understands these 3 things fully so that they can be at their competitive best. We've seen too many drivers get lost in the weeds, get discouraged, or not have enough information to care one way or another, and we aim to reduce this problem.

The IFCA is not a "pickup and play" league. If that's what you want, then you might have to go elsewhere. At the same time, the IFCA has made an effort to minimize the rule set and simplify the format so that drivers are able to quickly understand how best to compete here. Switching to the team format is an example of this. Through team support each driver can be better prepared and informed through their teammates on what to do and what to expect.

We understand that drivers often don't take the time to read everything we put out, or simply don't want to read everything because they just aren't readers. This meeting is an effort to verbally reinforce what has been written, that perhaps many drivers have not yet read.

So if you are one of those guys who can't be bothered with reading about how things work, or, you just prefer a more verbal explanation, this is the meeting for you. WE invite and welcome ALL drivers to participate in this meeting.

by **IFCA GTDon** Mon May 01, 2023 9:26 am

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It was a pretty grueling pace to have to paint and tune a different car every week, or in the case of the Porsche, two cars. Overall it was a good test of skill. It pushed everyone very hard in order to come up with a tune, test, and then qualify on Wed. It was good in the sense that it helped everyone to get into the flow of the newer format with qualifying on Wed, and how to run with a team too.

The racing was not particularly closer, but we did enjoy a different winner every race thanks to the handicap ratings system. At the same time we noted that many of the slower guys seemed to have a more difficult time getting up to their normal speed, probably due to the lack of time to test. Also, sadly, there was a greater number of people falling out as expected with spec racing different cars. The problem being that just as each car and track may cater to a certain drivers strengths, it also means it will expose the weakness of other drivers. That is, while some drivers will love the car and tracks used, others will hate them. The difference simply comes down to whether or not you do well. If you don't do well in a certain car, your motivation to race that week disappears, and so do you. And this is the negative side to spec racing. It simply isn't for everyone.

As far as teams go WC1 was heads and shoulders above everyone having won 4 out of 7 rounds.

Spec Kings Champions List

Rnd 1 ITS Wi11iE Datsun 510
Rnd 2 D1mein 69 Lola
Rnd 3 ZAR Eries 71 Cuda
Rnd 4 W0lf00d3004 86 Dodge Omni
Rnd 5 AAR OneShot 66 Chaparral
Rnd 6 WhiskeySix1 95 Porsche 911
Rnd 7 RIOT ChevyPower 2017 Aston Martin DB11

However, IF you went just by the accumulated points each round, as though it was a series (which it was not) ZAR Eries would have been the overall Spec Kings Champion. But, if you go strictly by the ratings alone, RIOT ChevyPower would be on top as indicated by securing the #1 plate for next season.

With Season 19 the points system plays a more impactful roll since it is a season format. This means that teams will have the ability to strategize for the long term and make up any lost ground during the season. Any team that races clean, and shows up to race every week, will be as good or better than a fast team that doesn't.

Add in the new recruiting bonus and even a slower team could make up the difference on a faster team in the end. Recruit as many new drivers as you like, if they race 4 out of 7 races on any team, you will earn a bonus point for yourself and your team at the end of the season.

Good luck!

by **IFCA GTDon** Mon May 01, 2023 10:02 am

It turns out that team WC1 won 5 and not 4 team titles.

Rnd 1 Team Penske I
Rnd 2 WC1
Rnd 3 WC1
Rnd 4 WC1
Rnd 5 WC1
Rnd 6 WC1
Rnd 7 Division 1

Of some interest in terms of total Spec Kings points:

1. ZAR Eries 228.72pts
2. RIOT ChevyPower 224.49pts
3. GTDon2 222.56pts

by **IFCA GTDon** Fri May 12, 2023 1:29 pm

Just a quick note; everyone sees that my posts always include a picture of my dog Piggy. Well, things took a turn for the worse even after surgery back in January, and we had to put Piggy down today. His cancer was obstructing things internally it turns out and we couldn't allow him to suffer further. We are very very sad. He was the epitome of why dogs are mans best friend.

I won't be on Xbox today, need some time to, remember him.

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