Any motor racing fans out there?

[Q]

I've been playing an online game recently which I think would appeal to any motor racing fans out there.

batracer.com/-1FrontPage.htm?BvS

If enough people are interested I could setup a Formula One season to be played online JUST for us Bar Billiard players.

What do you think??

Register your interest on here and I will set the game up (if we get enough response)

[NigelS]

You may have to explain how it works Q, but I would be up for it.

Shame Lewis couldn't win the Grand Prix today, but he still has a good lead in the championship.

[Q]

Basically Nigel every day you log in and either set the car up for practice, qualifying or the race.

In F1 you will be in a team of 2 (like the real thing) and hopefully share your setup data with your teammate (UNlike the real thing).
Qualifying is decided by your setup + random features (you can state WHEN you want to go out to quallie), and the race also has a random element but you decide your tactics, when you pit, how aggressive you are etc, all of these are affected by the random bit (ie if you are 100%aggressive you are more likely to have an accident)

To run a season privately we would need 10 - 16 people, we could run F1 '86, '02, '06 or '07 or a Lotus (Caterham) 7 series or even a single class BTCC.

Obviously the more people we can get to race, the more fun it will be.

AND because I have run this before I am willing to take a Spyker (or equiv) seat.

Its a good laugh.

[Colemanator]

Well, I'm an F1 fan and have been to many GPS at Silverstone as it's not that far away from me, LH IMO will win the world championship, but then again any one of those 22 drivers would in that car, call me cynical, but that's the reality of it.

[NigelS]

chimp said:

Well, I'm an F1 fan and have been to many GPS at Silverstone as it's not that far away from me, LH IMO will win the world championship, but then again any one of those 22 drivers would in that car, call me cynical, but that's the reality of it.

Can’t agree with you there Colemanator, generally speaking the best drivers find their way to the best teams. Obviously all 22 drivers are very good, but there is definitely a big gap in quality between LH, Alonso, Raikonnen, Massa and most of the others (we will have to wait and see how good Kubica and Rosberg really are).

For instance look at Fisichella compared to Alonso for the last couple of years at Renault, he has generally been nowhere near him, and he could not get close to the championship in the best car. It would be interesting to see how Alonso would do in this years Renault – I bet he would still be winning races. There aren’t too many drivers I would rate above Fisichella, probably only the 6 (plus maybe Heidfeld & Webber) I have mentioned above. Fisichella is clearly incapable of winning the championship in the best car, and so therefore are a majority of the drivers on the grid.

[Colemanator]

Well Nigel I'll give you one example of my reason, I watched Nigel Mansell lap Damon Hill quite a few times at one GP, Hill was in a Brabham, Mansell in a Williams this was in 1992, a year later Hill won his first GP in Hungary in a williams which by then had been the best car on the grid since 91 and continued until 97. All F1 drivers have what's called a 'super licence' all have been racing for many years and none of them are mugs, take Valentino Rossi, he tested in a Ferrari not long a go and was on the pace within a few laps.

Mmmm - it does certainly seem like a sport where the winner is the one with the best technology. You need to know how to drive, of course, but the technology is the real winner.

[NigelS]

I do agree that a good driver cannot win in a crap car, ie Damon Hill in the 92 Brabham, but it doesn't follow that any driver can win the championship in the best car. Good drivers in recent times like Coulthard, Barrichello, Frentzen, could not win the championship when in the best car in recent years and there are a lot worse drivers than them on the grid now.

Often people say stick everyone in the same car and it would be brilliant, but it really wouldn't. Gone would be the inter team rivalries and off the track politics, which keeps an F1 fan interested even when the season is over. The problem with F1 over the last 10 years or so is that 1) Overtaking has become nearly impossible as the braking distances have got shorter and tyres have much more grip and 2) the cars have become so reliable that we get very few surprise results. Remember the 80's - I used to watch Mansell on the edge of my seat even if he was a minute in front knowing that a tyre may explode or a wheel nut might drop off in the last few laps.

I still maintain that generally the best drivers find their way to the top teams and they usually do so on merit, ones that haven't and generally found out at the top level. Remember Alonso started off in a Minardi and impressed a lot of people and Hamilton has been impressing for years and won GP2 last year. Fate does play its part, and you have to be in the right place at the right time, so not always the very best driver wins the championship (Damon Hill in 96 is a good example)

PS Q, we have gone a bit off topic here! But count me in for the online game - sounds like fun.

[Q]

Thanks Nigel, thats 2 of us, we may get IanG involved in a while, he joined the BatRacer community to look after my team when I moved, but he hasn't raced in his own right yet.

I also would expect Sav to join us, he's a petrolhead like us.

What about you Ian (Carmanator)? are you gonna join us?

batracer.com/-1FrontPage.htm?BvS

and if you dont know what I'm talking about try reading the 1st post in this thread.

Bernie

[Ian Gordon]

Count me in aswell

[Q]

So that is now:

Q
NigelS
Ian Gordon

Lets have some more names and suggestions on what series we should run, a good fun one to start is the BAT seven challenge, for Lotus/Caterham type cars, you can run as a single car team, choose different chassis, engines and tyres.
Its a good starter series, if it goes well we could follow up with a F1.

That'll show up Hamilton.... one season in sevens then straight into F1 ;D

[Q]

I've been dreaming of seeing this for years... pity its only a game :-/


But there is a field of 31 cars... I'll post the result tomorrow.

BTW The season we will race (when we get at least 14 players) will be the 1986 Grand Prix season.

What's that black and white flag against your name, Bernie ?
Is that the new Cornish flag of Independence ? ;)

[Q]

Tis the Kernow flag Clive, didnt you know we had our own flag here??

www.cornishflag.co.uk/

Well that's what I said didn't I ?

I hope that now you're a Cornish emigree you're not taking on their argumentative traits. My 100% trading record for positive feedback on e-Bay was ruined by one fellow based in Truro who I found it impossible to negotiate with. ::)

[Q]

You've got to remember Clive, if you're negotiating with a Cornishman that you do it in Cornish time... which is rather like Microsoft minutes But S L O W E R

[Q]

Well the race didn't go as well as I hoped. :'(



But I did lead most laps. ;D

[Q]

q said:

So that is now:

Q
NigelS
Ian Gordon

Lets have some more names

Well is that it, doesn't anyone else want to join in??

We need a minimum of 14 players before we can go ahead.

[Q]

At last... a win

[Q]

Just noticed that Ian Gordon is currently having a season in F1 2007...

How are you doing Ian?

[Q]

Still no new names...... I expect IanG will sign up when he's back off hols but I am suprised that Mr Sav hasn't put his name down, petrolhead and GoKart king that he is ::) ::) ;D ;)

[Kevin Pringle (R.I.P.)]

I play GP4 on the PC.....

[Ian Gordon]

q said:

Just noticed that Ian Gordon is currently having a season in F1 2007...

How are you doing Ian?

Not too bad haven't scored any points yet

[Q]

Keep trying Ian it'll come soon...

If we could race RX8's Tommo would join us ;D

I cant beleive that Sav hasn't climbed aboard, guess he's just scared of being beat ;D ;D

q said:

If we could race RX8's Tommo would join us ;D

You bet ! ;D
And if you opened it up to BMW 318i's you'd get the Reaper as well ! ;)

[Q]

Looks as though this is going nowhere, we need a lot more names before we can start. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

[Q]

Seems like this was a bad idea, I was sure we would get Sav & IanG and a few of the gokarters from Jersey.
Never mind, I might try again at a later date. :'( :'(

Better start saving your pennies, Q, for one of these :

translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.proidee.de/shop/SID_DHoXRdezhVyrSTqes6Ft9W6c2Nho/F%3Dprodukt_formular/P%3D02_D_530618/K%3D02_D_120307&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=1&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dproidee%2Bgo-kartbahn%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

More realistic than computer-generated racing - it's called slot-car racing. Ever heard of it ? ;D

Only teasing. ;D ;D ;D

Seriously, it's a bit expensive at +/- 500 euros, but it does come in a very smart case. ;)

[Q]

alternate URL www.proidee.co.uk/shop/SID_DPtyxXRN4XGVWSqungMDdMeT3LEr/F=produkt_formular/P=02_GB_530618/K=02_GB_120032

Had trouble finding it from your link.

Rather smart Clive but very much a toy, the year I became UK champ (10 years ago last May) I bought my car thirdhand for £100, it would have cost £250 new, it was originally hand built by a racer in Aldershot then modded by a mate of mine in Eltham.

That was only for one class, I had 2 other classes to race (still using 2nd or 3rd hand equipment).

A good story from a friend of mine in Gillingham (who supplied a lot of the spares and built cars) was that he'd had a call from another racer he knew in Bolton requesting 2 cars for each class for the forthcoming Nationals, a total of 6 cars at £250 each.

It was extra special beating people like that with my 'hand me downs' ;D