i Racing...i did.. i likey...

[jimmacsrx7]

I went to a bmw club event at HMS to demo the i racing simulator.It was really,really good. We were racing a formula Mazda.
The track was set for NHMS for all screens at first.The graphics and track simulation are excellent,you can feel every groove,camber,curb in your hands!! The first two laps I could not complete without spinning or locking up the brakes..no abs.
For the rest of the time we all "competed" on Watkins Glen,there were to be prizes for the fastest lap. I got it down to a 1:45.010 as my best lap and that was a lot of fun.I did not see anyone get that low in the few hours I was there.
I liked it so much I purchased the half off membership they were offering It is now inspiration to finish my ongoing basement project.
Anyone elese a member? and how do you guys/gals like it? I thought it was great to learn a new track or try a new line/gear in a corner.

Jim McNamara
__________________________
#074 Mazda RX7 PA

[Kai Noeske]

Jim: Thanks for that report ! Sadly I am using a Mac and it requires a PC - maybe I make my computer dual-boot so I can run windows and iracing.

It looks like the perfect thing to bridge the off-season! At the moment, I am using my PS2 and GranTurismo4 to practice passing and different techniques - actuallt very hard if you take the game seriously and do not allow yourself to bump into things.

Sadly, my cheapo 29.95 steering wheel and pedals are anything but precise (throttle is basically zero or WOT - well hello there, Mr. Oversteer!).

At the workshop at HMS, did they recommend any steering wheels/hardware/seat assemblies? And was there any word on a MAC version?

Kai (shivering from seasonal track withdrawal)

[jadams]

I just signed up to try it out, and I cant download the program for some reason. It keeps giving me an error.....WAAAAAHHHH. I got ripped off.

Any ideas,

Joel

[jadams]

Oh yeah...I got it now.....downloading was successful, installation is in progress. I will let you know what I think once I get it running.

[jimmacsrx7]

Jim: Thanks for that report ! Sadly I am using a Mac and it requires a PC - maybe I make my computer dual-boot so I can run windows and iracing.

It looks like the perfect thing to bridge the off-season! At the moment, I am using my PS2 and GranTurismo4 to practice passing and different techniques - actuallt very hard if you take the game seriously and do not allow yourself to bump into things.

Sadly, my cheapo 29.95 steering wheel and pedals are anything but precise (throttle is basically zero or WOT - well hello there, Mr. Oversteer!).

At the workshop at HMS, did they recommend any steering wheels/hardware/seat assemblies? And was there any word on a MAC version?

Kai (shivering from seasonal track withdrawal)

Hello Kai,
They had two versions.One was a "big rig",a large flat screen,a real Tilton pedal box with very firm and direct inputs.The brake was very firm like a real car.The other version was a pc screen with a typical clamp on wheel and pedal box on the floor.That was also very good,just not exact as with the heavy hard to push Tilton brake pedal.
The throttle is very precise.For instance at NHMS with the mostly low speeds and not much aero downforce if you do not squeeze the throttle on the FM you will loop it in turn 3 and also 2b.
The specialist running the show also said that your out lap is for real,less grip/braking until the tires come up to temp.Also your lap times suffer if you lock up your brakes,it has tire degredation factored in and if you hit the wall with your left front hard enough your camber is way off,car barley driveable.A big off and the car is done.
For the races he told me they have a under employment ghost stewards who review any "racing incidents" and levy penalties against the guilty parties....losing points or positions in that particular race.

For any technical system requirements you could contact Sean Siff at Sean.Siff@iRacing.com. He also races a Mazda Miata
I have 90 days to activate my account.We are putting in the lights in the last room tomorrow.Sheetrock is already down there.Gotta get er' dun
Jim

[fact5racer]

Anything about IRacing just talk to Allison Hine. She is a master in this field and just outlined for me all the stuff I need to setup a off season simulator for my spare bedroom.

[WillM]

I am a member but have yet to make full use of my membership. I've only practiced - not raced.

The track layouts and physics are great, much more like a simulator than a game (though the console "games" get closer and closer to simulation every year).

I have a very capable PC that I built and a couple of the highly recommended steering wheels. I already had a Thrustmaster G25 with pedals, and recently purchased a Fanantec 911 GT3 RS wheel. Next step would be to put it all together in a simulator chassis, but I'm not sure when I'll get around to that. The hot setup is a simulator chassis with 3 monitors. The cost of "good enough" monitors is about 1/4 of what I paid for a single 23" flatscreen monitor 5-6 years ago (that's how I justify buying things I don't need ).

The reason I bought into iRacing is that I heard they were adding Mosport. They did. It rocks. iRacing now includes the following tracks that COM visits:
NHMS
Lime Rock
Watkins Glen
Summit Point
Mosport

Unfortunately, iRacing JUST released NHMS and it is not updated with the south chicane changes (T1-T2) that NHMS constructed in July of this year.

iRacing is fun, can help fill the gap, but it is no substitute for the real thing. That said, it would be fun to have a quasi-organized COM league. Given all of the COM tracks, the league could even run a mock COM season. Think about it, we could have a season where we go to NHMS once and all of the other tracks 2-4 times.

[Kai Noeske]

And I thought I was a hopeless case, being so hooked that I got a preowned playstation and cheap wheel to pass winter...

Thanks for all the info guys!

Sounds very tempting... but must focus and find a real racecar first...

[cfossum]

Once while pulling my trailer with loaded race car into a gas station, another customer at a neighboring pump took notice and walked over to talk to me. He pointed to his Mini and said he'd like to try it out on a track because he is good at running limerock, but then he confessed that he has only done i racing.
After unsuccessfully trying to convince him to join COM and go to a real track in a real car, I finally told him that the difference between video racing and driving at the track was comparable to the difference between online porn vs. shagging an actual woman.
But, i guess in the absence of a real woman... i racing might work.

[Kai Noeske]

I agree about computer vs real life - once I started doing actual track & autoX, I did not touch the playstation anymore - even my old car on the real track was tons more fun.

Anyway, the first real season was enough to cause really bad withdrawal once it ended, and the now dusted-off playstation at times eases the pain a little bit...

Maybe I should keep my track tires and some gasoline in my living room to recreate that paddock smell... and wear my helmet, gloves and Nomex longjohns in front of the playstation to make it feel more real...