GC E-MAG Issue 3 by Howard Jacks

Contents The News ... Page 3 Dav Ral ... Page 5 GTL Roundup ... Page 6 Season 5 Round 2 ... Page 8 TDU Revival ... Page 16 GTC-65 Season 4 Preview ... Page 18 "Newbie Corner" ... Page 22 The Rear View ... Page 26

Welcome to Issue 3. I am pleased to say that this week it is not the [GC]Howard magazine and infinitely better than the last issue thanks to articles from other contributors. There has not been a lot of exciting news the last fortnight so to make up we have some good articles. First up the GT Legends GTC-65 League is starting up for season 4 and I am pleased to have featured it. Data has written an article for the novices out their to help you get settled in and more parts of this are coming. Everyone has been busy Test Driving recently so we have looked into the appeal of this arcade game. Apart from that we have the regular race reports with the GT Legaue going strong and the Minis drawing to a close. The future of this magazine is still in doubt but I hope to continue with something in some format! If you want to help contact me! HJ.

Thank-you to all our interviewees. GC E-Mag in no way represents the views and opinions of www.gamers-crib.com or the GC FIA. Editor: Howard Contributors: Howard, Alex White, Data, Mogget Screen grabbers: Howard, Alex Gibbo Contact us at: gc.emag@googlemail.com Layout and PDF created in Scribus - open source DTP software.

Problems at Suzuka for the Premier League A number of racers had problems during Sunday nights Premier League event at Suzuka. Disconnections started to happen during the qualifying once again, and came to ahead with around six drivers dropping in the last few minutes. Race controllers Kevs and Segnit were on hand to sort things out. The event was restarted and Segnit and Kevs placed drivers manualy into their correct qualifying positions. The times were taken from the latest list available from the previous event. Unfortunatly some drivers did lose their fastest times. These were drivers who set

a fast lap then got disconnected or a fast lap that was after when the list was created. Segnit, Kevs and BigG who obtained the qualifying time from the logs should be praised and thanked for their quick actions that allowed the event to continue. Race Control continues to make good decisions to keep the event going when it is threatened by problems. It is now up to the GC-FIA and the Server teams to try and find a solution so the problem does not occur in future races. However some drivers then dropped a second time as

the race session was started. The event continued and was run with out them. This has been unlucky for some drivers as it is the second event that they have had problems racing in. Due to the highly competitive nature of the Premier League unfortunatly Batfink and Daen have announced their retirement. Michael Rasmussen who has so far been out of luck and not completed a race after being promoted from League A will try to race for one more round before giving up if he has disconnection problems.

1979 F1 Mod Released for GTR2 This mod has created a lot of interest within GC by bringing together some of the cars of the 1979 F1 season. The mod is another conversion from rfactor done by Goresh, the original mod was released by the Grand Prix Classics mod team. The GTR2 version I believe is a cut down version with only one version of each of the cars. The important thing is that the mod plays well, the cars look and sound fantastic. They are tough to drive, easy to spin and slide

about. I cannot say how the handling compares to the rfactor version let alone real life. However we had a visitor to the server who claimed to have done the handling for the original version. Wood-Man claimed that it was not perfect and that high down force and low down force versions of each car had been mixed up compared to the original rFactor release. We hope the conversion team look into this and can get all the cars out with the correct handling in the

future. This will make the game a lot more playable and hopefully fairer between different cars. Gamers Crib set up a server to run the mod and pieced together a track pack of six difference vintage tracks to try. Either way the mod has had a good reception on GC, the cars being an challenge and the magic of classic F1 is a bit draw. Hopefully some fun events will be organised in the future.

Swearing and the Leagues GCFIA are unhappy that bad attitude and language occurred during the League C race at Suzuka. Problems did happen during the race with accidents and contact between cars. Racers are reminded that there is a proper procedure for reporting incidents for investigation, please see the rules. An update was released to the rules regarding swearing:

After Suzuka Leagues A&C four incidents were reported only one from League C and three from League A. The decision process on these incidents is ongoing.

Server Downtime! The GC servers have been causing problems recently with drivers being disconnected and other problems with sessions and lag occurring. Sometime Monday 9th March an admin decided it was time to try and restart the server to clear up some of the

problems. The button was pressed and the server went off but did not return. All the race servers on the quad core and teamspeak went offline. Other admins were called and work commenced to get the servers back online. Teamspeak was started on

the old server, and the Mini league server started on the dual core to allow the races to go ahead. By late evening the admins had the server back up and running. A plan is being made to look into a more permanent solution to the problems.

GC E-MAG Future I am trying to figure out what to do with the magazine in the future. We have had a good reception and feedback for it and I have enjoyed putting it together. We are getting more promises for material to features which is great. The format works, it is nice to have the relevant news, race reports and then the larger articles all together.

However piecing together everything, grabbing all the images and filling out the gaps is still to much work to do every two weeks. We all know the reasons I am just coping with the work at the moment. The options for the future are either to get contributors to produce the article and images in the right size for me to assemble and to drastically

cut down my workload. The alternative is to change the format and bring a magazine out every month or two months, but then race reports and news is likely to be irrelevant. Another alternative is to move to a news reel or blog type format adding items as and when. It has been good to do the magazine but I have to look at cutting down the workload.

Ok, Dav Ral joins us for a drivers interview Alex White:What were your thoughts coming into league A, after a fairly succesful season 4? Dav Ral: Theres many good drivers in this league, Anyway Theres a lot of quality (Except Alex and Segnit, who just got lucky to beat me) , as well as a full grid, Bieng honest i would be happy with a mid to high table finish looking at the quality of opposition in the league. AW: Who do you see as your main opponents and why? DR: Gassniffer in the vette, and Whoopster, , Howard in the lambo. The gerneral midfielders. AW: What were your main reasons for picking the c5r? DR: *Pauses* ....Don't make me say this...*More pauses* Fuel economy, Handling is pretty good. Something with a big front end so it can ram alex pretty hard, I had a nice paint job dreamt up for it. ...and thats about it. AW: Do you have any idea about the whereabouts of Peter.L.Dawes ? DR: A categorical No!, we'll be sending out the search party soon, If he reads this, get in touch., The pit babes are getting lonely, and they cant plant naughty devices in AwBl's cars without your help. AW: how do you feel about your start to the season? DR: It could of gone better, thanks to social reasons i had to miss Zhuhai, and Suzuka went about as well as i could have hoped, However i did feel like i had a good car at Zhuhai, so i think i could have gone well there. AW: is there anything you want to say to your opponents? DW: I'd like to wish everyone good luck, apart from Alex because he is lucky enough as it is. Also , Would like to say to Segnit ..*CAN YOU SMEELLLL!!! WHAT THE ROCK.!! IS COOKING!!!* Thanks for the interview Dav, Best of luck for the rest of the season,.......or not :P

Above: Dav Ral in action

Ron Champion in Abarths at Kinnekulle Round 8 of the Mini League managed to bring some varitation to the cars as all competitors were loaned an Abarth 1000 TC for the race. The race took place a the Kinnekulle circuit in Sweden. This track is noted for being quite flowing with a mix of fast and slow curves. With a change in car some drivers were always going to find it more difficult than others. The entire event was plauged with minor incidents and spins by various competitors. Ron Burgandy once again showed what talent and practice can do by taking pole position. His rivals Joni Jurmu and VFast1 took 2nd and 3rd respecively.

The race start and turn 1 was clean. Vfast1 got the jump on Joni only for the pari to have contact and spin at turn 2. DannyWilde had a spin and roll at turn 1 on lap 2 promoting RBhamb to 2nd and Arppa to 3rd. Howard was holding up a train, Mikko and Vfast1 tried to pass but Vfast1 only suceeded in pushing Mikko around into the barriers. On lap 3 Howard span from 4th at turn 1. Arrppa passed RBhamb for second but then got tapped around, while recovering Tokin in 5th position hit him and dropped back. RBahmb dropped back through the order as he made errors and other cars recovered losing position to

Joni (2nd), Laverda, Vfast1, Remco and Mikko. Laverda ran off at turn 1 and dropped back. In the end Ron cruised away to victory. His main rivals Joni and Vfast1 recovered well to finish 2nd and 3rd.

Kinnekulle Race Results 1. Ron Burgandy 2. Joni_Jurmu 3. Vfast1 4. Remco 5. Mikko_S 6. Arppa 7. Laverda 8. DannyWilde 9. Howard 10. Tokin

21:03.396 +0:11.762 +0:27.906 +0:38.768 +0:46.305 +1:05.000 +1LAP +1LAP +1LAP +1LAP

Wins for Remco and Joni in Double Sprint Round 9 headed to Germany and the Nurburgring Sprint track for a double sprint race. Everyone was back in their familiar cars and with a standard track everyone was competitive. Joni Jurmu took race 1 pole and got off to a fantastic start. However it was to fast and he recieved a stop/go penalty for jumping the start. Joni the recieved a second penalty on lap 3 for picking up cut tracks and decided to retire. This promoted Remco into first and then Ron Burgundy to second. Ron then had a rocky battle and dropped back behind Vfast1, Geoffers and DannyWilde. He later recovered to finish 3rd. Geoffers challenge was cut short aftre receiving a S&G

for cutting track. Battles were fierce in the mid pack with Arppa, RBhamb, Laverda, Howard and Tokin all swapping positions. Remco eventually led to the end with Vfast1 behind. Race 2 qualification was dominated by Joni with his main competitors not qualifying for finishing in the top 5. He was hot favorite for the race but was jumped at the start by Geoffers, Kartoffel and Howard. Kartoffel made contact with Geoffers in the tight section and this let Howard through to the lead. A train formed behind him as the other fast drivers worked their way through the pack and got stuck behind the leader. Because of the closeness of the pack any unsucessful passing attempt caused the

overtaker themselves be passed. Eventually on lap 7 Remco passed Howard but both drivers out braked themselves at turn 1 and lost positions. Howard further through it away by spinning while holding off Vfast1. Ron Burgandy crossed the line first to seal his championship! Congratulations! Nurburgring SP Race 1 Results 1. Remco 2. Vfast1 3. Ron Burgundy 4. Danny Wilde 5. Peter Close 6. RichardB 7. Howard 8. Kartoffel

18:24.664 +0:04.767 +0:04.907 +0:10.535 +0:11.635 +0:17.742 +0:19.527 +0:22.567

Mini League Season 11 Standings after Nurburgring 1. Ron Burgundy - 202 2. [GC]vfast1 - 156 3. Joni Jurmu - 142 4. Danny Wilde - 105 5. [GC]Remco - 103 6. Geoffers - 63 7. [GC]Howard - 58 8. [SWE]Jimmy - 57 9. [GC]Laverda - 54 10. Peter Close - 45 11. Mikko_Skinnari - 44 12. Tokin - 36 13. Kartoffel - 28 14. Swanny - 18 15. Arppa - 16 16. Richard Bhamb - 9 17. Paul Cowan - 4 18. GTL R Brown - 2 19. Nick - 1 20. PIPPIE - 0 20. Pizzaman - 0 20. Dany41 - 0 20. [GC]Professor - 0 20. MartinNS - 0

Top: Syncronised spinning with Vfast1 and Joni Jurmu Left: Close racing sometimes in Abarths Above Left: The Race2 chasing back Above Right: Howard and Remco both out brake themselves Below: A rare moment for Howard to be in the lead.

Nurburgring SP Race 2 Results 1. Ron Burgundy 2. Joni Jurmu 3. Remco 4. Vfast1 5. Howard 6. Laverda 7. Geoffers 8. Kartoffel

18:29.804 +0:00.450 +0:01.375 +0:04.653 +0:10.263 +0:10.623 +0:11.097 +0:17.313

After being put into the shadow of the news and controversy over the League A disconnections and the League C accidents the Premier League decided it was their turn to take over the forums on both fronts. Fernando Rees took pole in his Saleen for the second race in succession although he was unable to break into the 1:49 barrier. Six drivers were disconnected at the end of the qualifying session and it was decided to restart the session and reinstate all the times. Problems continued as Batfink and Michael Rasmussen did not make the grid, and Daen appeared to be left on his grid slot when the lights went green. From the start Michael got away better but then was off into the grass as the Fernando moved across to the right and we had some side by side contact.

Race Results

Michael was not happy as the pair have come together during the run down to the first corner in the both races so far. At Dunlop Curve Michael wobbled onto the grass on the inside and came across the track to knock off Filip. Filip reported a problem where he was driving through some other drivers cockpits at the start, and was only able to rejoin the circuit after the field had passed. Filip then made an excellent recovery through the field to finish on the podium. TLARs was the big winner at the start moving up to second while Fernando stayed out front. Connection problems reoccurred as Daen was eventually disconnected while running in 5th position on lap 7. TLARS made an error and ran wide at the Dunlop curve allowing Michael back into 2nd place. Levi and Graham Steven were having an

excellent battle until Graham lost speed and contact was made spinning him around. LeGod called it a race after struggling to stay on track and then making contact with the leader while being lapped on lap 15 At the pitstops Fernando held on more laps than anyone while going faster than anyone and maintained his lead. After this it was almost plain sailing to the finish for the leader, only making a couple of errors on the grass while pushing for fast laps. It should be interesting in a few weeks RC to see what incidents have been reported and what people feel is ok! But no one can complain that Fernando ran away with this race.HJ Want to write this report? or create the images? Get in touch!

Top: CONTACT! - Michael and Fernando off the grid. Above Left: The start of trouble for Filip Above Right: Getting to close to a backmarker Right: Hecto and Henry battle cleanly Below Left: Graham and Levi battle and touch Below Right: Excellent battle with Brad and Vfast1

After the simply awesome first round of Zhuhai, the league A teams and drivers packed there bags and headed to Japan, for round 2 at Suzuka. After the drama filled qualifying of Zhuhai, many were hoping for a cleaner less problematic quali which most of them got. First to really set the pace was Richard Hownslow, setting a 1:51.627, However, Segnit had other ideas, getting pole with a 1:51.537. 3rd was Rob Blandford, 4rth was Alex White. The grid was shaping up to be a fantastic race. The race stared well, with Alex getting an absolute flyer and finding himself in 2nd after the first corner. Rob didnt get away well at all, and found himself in 6th. The best start was

Race Results

made by Malcom, gaining 5 positions by the end of lap 1. Unluckiest of the grid was joosto, finding himeself last, loosing 7 positions. The first laps went well for pretty much everyone, with very few incedents throughout the field. Alex was really struggling to keep up with Segnit, who was in a class of his own. Alex then ran wide at spoon curve, letting ben and richard through. He set about catching them, but his pedals disconnected from the wheel, and he blew his engine coming out of 130r. Segnit continued to drive away from the rest of the field, now with a 15 second lead over 2nd placed Ben. Dav and Gassniffer both had incedints causing them to loose positions. Nanno's

pc then crashed , allowing everyone behind him to gain a positoim. Coming up to the pit stops , Segnit had a 20 second lead, Dav Ral was the first to blink, with what seemed to be a strategical desicion to pit early, closely followed by all the lambo drivers. Again, Segnit showed he was in a class of his own by staying out 6 laps longer than anyone else, coming out 30 seconds ahead of richard. He than started hotlapping, and beat his quali time with a 51:529, which is simply stunning. After that the positions were pretty much settled, with Segnit winning by 25 seconds over richard houndslow, and 43 in front of rob blandford. AW

Above: Segnit leads away and dominates the race. Right: Everyone is invited to Alex's BBQ Below Left: Contact with Kevs at turn 1 Below Right: Excellent battle with Pat/Rob/Malcolm.

League B at Suzuka was a highly contested affair with three drivers posting qualification times in the 1min 50 bracket. Mikko Korkiakoski took pole position in his Saleen. Away from the start and Berger jumped up into the lead with Blaar also moving up into second place. On the run down to the first corner Gibbo was forced right very close to the wall but still managed to make up a place. On the exit of the second curve Konstantinos was tapped from behind by Gaiajohens Lister and spun right into the path of ZAC444. Also having

Race Results

problems was Mike Trusler in the second Rothmans Lambo having contact with other drivers that really bent his car out of shape. Mikko and Blaar had a great saleen battle swapping places four times before Blaar go further ahead at his pitstop. Out front Berger led right throught to lap 34 when he dropped to second in the pits. Lap 35 was no better as Mikko passed him for second place. However Mikko did not stop their and caught and passed Blaar to take the win. Konstantinos battled back from his first lap incident to finish 4th and the last car

on the lead lap. Nemeth put in another consistant performance in the lister to come in 5th ahead of Alex Gibbons.HJ Want to write this report? or create the images? Get in touch!

Top: Racers streak away from the grid Above Left: Gibbo gets squeezed towards the wall. Above Right: Onto the gravel then back onto the track and into the rest of the field. Below Left: Mikko and Blaar fight at the 130R Below Right: Mike Trusler hoped it would TCUT out but sadly it was more involved.

League C is unique among the divisions in GC for it is the first league that newcomers start it. As such there are newcomers to online racing and also experienced/fast drivers who have joined us from other leagues. The aim at GC is for everyone to enjoy their racing and this means respect and help between all racers. For the most part I am pleased to say that this happens although this race was not a shining example of the Crib. Suzuka itself is very tough, it is quite fast and narrow and difficult enough to drive on your own without trying to pass and fight people. Most comments have been about bad conduct from backmarkers but it certainly works both ways with faster guys eager to pass where there is no space. Bad attitude, language and insults should result in an immediate punishment as

Race Results

this is separate from bad driving. Another thing about this race was the RC not able to attend which is something GC will have to make sure of in the future. ADVR-Blake took pole position with series leader Fernando Roseiro immediately behind him. On the fast lap Blake got away well while Roseiro was passed by the Saleen of Saeuros. On lap 1 at the 130R the leaders touched as Saeuros tried to get ahead, Blake spun off into the gravel and down the order. Fortunately he stayed in the race to mount a comeback to 3rd position. At the front the lead between Saeuros and Roserio was close with regular changing places. Saeuros eventually got away when Roseiro ran wide at Degner Curve. The first person to be lapped was the professor unfortunatly Peter

Munkholm ran into the back of his car during Dunlop curve, this spun peter back into the unfortunate Blake. Much of the controversy was over an incident between Saeuros who was leading and Ziom. Saeuros tried to pass on the right hander approaching Spoon Curve but was on the grass and went wide. Later that lap at the chicane had been turned around by Mains as he was being lapped. The recovering Saeuros came around the chicane and caught the front of the lister spinning himself into the gravel. Ziom remained stuck on the outside kerb for a short while. Saeuros then retired from his comfortable lead allowing Roseiro to claim a second victory.HJ Want to write this report? or create the images? Get in touch!

Top: Blake leads away as Roseiro and Saeuros battle. Above Left: Most lapping was clean Above Right: The result... Right: ... of a badly attempted pass Below Left: The first incident begins between Ziom and Saeuros Below Right: Just before the second incident!

Test Drive Unlimited has recently underdone something of a revival amongst members on GC. On the face of it this game is an arcade race game that is now two years old so what has it got to offer. The game is a free roam racing game with the added benefit that most of the time you are online, logged into one server and able to see other drivers moving around the island. TDU is set on a fictionalised version of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, mainly it omits some details of the island but adds a lot more roads. This game gives you

a 1000 mile sandbox of roads to play on, and then over 125 distinctive cars and motorbikes to choose from. From a sim racers point of view the handling is not right on them, tailored to be easy to drive, over fast and easy to stop. From a fun view though they are enjoyable to drive and each car has it's own features and traits. Particularity nice is the cockpit view all individual and accurate to the real cars. For GC the games appeal is to get away from the ultra competitive and tricky nature of the sims and have a cruise with your mates,

speed is not important. It is very enjoyable to have 8 drivers in unique cars cruising about, chatting and seeing the sights of the island. The island itself helps, being a lush paradise. The graphical engine helps as well, it is fantastic compared to GTR2 in terms of depth and clarity of the foliage and other roadside items. This really puts you into the mood for the cruising and relaxing. Possibly when the game first came out we could not get everything turned up to enjoy with a lack of computer performance.

Top Tips for a Successfull Cruise 1. Set at start time and start roughly on time. No one likes to wait around. 2. Choose a comparable car to everyone else so you are not leaving people behind or being left behind. 3. Choose a location out of the city so drivers can join the session easily. 4. Try to have a good cruise/run rather than getting to a location and stopping after 10 minutes. 5. Try to drive the car as your own and not crash. Stopping a run every minute is not fun. 6. Final destination important, the journey is!

not

7. TDU allows the use of mp3 files to be played in game - provide your own sound track! 8. Pick a car and stick with it swapping mid trip only results in delays and problems reconnecting. With 125 cars to choose from and performance in cruises not being important there is no excuse to choose the same car as anyone else in a cruise. One of the big strengths is the variety of cars, we have classic sports cars such as the Lamborghini Muria, muscle cars such as the Camaro, small sports cars like the Lotus Elise, saloons like the Audi A6, super cars such as the Ferrari F430 and hyper cars like the McLaren F1. Such is the choice we can set a class limit or and other limit such as American cars for cruises and still have individual cars.

Sounds like paradise, well sadly it has a few flaws, net connection is tricky and not perfect with lag. With only 8 players per session it is tough to get the 8 drivers you want in a session as other drivers on the map get into your session. This problem can be reduced by starting cruises in an area with less drivers (i.e. outside the city). When you get your players in if there are connection problems some drivers will be stopped then warped, while other you will be able to drive straight through. Then there is the handling again, some people cannot

take it for real because it easy with to much grip. This can be rectified a little when you get to champion level by setting the game to hardcore mode which results in less grip, but less gravity as well so it is harder but not perfect. When it was new this game was not for everyone, but now it is two years old and available very cheaply which makes it a good buy. If you want to chill out, enjoy a drive with friends then this game is definitely worth a go!

The fourth season of the GTC-65 seqason is here. This GT Legends series has quietly been finding it's feet on a Thursday and is attracting a grid of friendly drivers. The GTC-65 class in GT Legends is very varied from American muscle cars to very nimble european coupes. Some cars are a lot faster than others and over previous seasons the car list has been adjusted to get a good varied grid every race. For season 4 there are 17 cars to choose from, with 7 GTC-65 cars, the 5 TC-65 cars and 5 add on cars. The Elan, TVR, Corvette are the notable absentees as these would have dominated the field. The add on cars are on the list because they are really well though out and put together and it is only right drivers should be allowed to choose them. This season the rules are

relaxed allowing you to choose any car at any time and not to commit throughout the season. Last season was tough with only allowing drivers to use a certain car in one race. This also led to races being spread out with the fastest cars dissapearing into the sunset. This season there are to be ten rounds each of a single 45 minute race. The points system is is a fairly standard 12 points for the winner with a bonus point for pole and the fastest lap. Last seasons championship went down to the wire between Vfast1 and Joni Jurmu. Joni won by only 4 points finishing 4th in the last race after Vfast1 missed the last race due to being disconnected at the end of qualifying. Mogget is the man we should all thank for organising this league he

and has interview.

agreed

GC E-MAG: What is your name and where do you come from? Mogget: My real name is Christopher Low, and I live in Ulverston, Cumbria, England (just south of the Lake District National Park). GCM: How and when did you start sim racing, what game got you into racing online? Mogget: Grand Prix Legends was the game that started my sim racing career. Whilst I never played it online, it was the first racing game I owned that required a great deal of skill to drive the cars fast and keep them on the track! The game that got me into racing online was GT Legends. I started racing in the NoGrip WNR events in September 2007, and GTC-

65 @ Snetterton 1964 was my first online race. GCM: How did you find Gamers Crib and what made you stay? Mogget: When I was in the GTL lobby, I noticed that the Gamers Crib TC65+ server seemed to be quite popular. I checked it out, and that in turn lead me to the Gamers Crib website. Gamers Crib feels like a nice, friendly community. The vast majority of GC members are very respectful on the track, and Whoopster is always keen to help organise leagues, sort out any problems, and boot troublemakers! GCM: What made you want to organise the GTC-65 League? Mogget: I volunteered to

organise Season 3 of the (G)TC-65 league primarily so that I could have some control over the format. I wasn't happy that some guys chose the fastest cars in every race during Season 2, because this lead to a situation where the same three or four guys were winning each time. I wanted to change that for Season 3. In addition, it allowed me to select the tracks, and I already had an extensive list of the ones that I was keen to race on. GCM: Why did the league decide to race add-on cars and add-on circuits? Mogget: It's worth pointing out that we don't exclusively use addon tracks. One or two races each season have been on default tracks, and we will

be racing at the Nurburgring GP track in Season 4. I decided to add the Aston Martin DB4, Ferrari 250, and Triumph TR4 to the car list for Season 3 because I felt that they were of a sufficiently high level of quality to be included. In addition, they were all raced in the real FIA Historic Championships. GCM: The first seasons you could choose any car for any round, Why did this change for the second and third season to each car being allowed once? Why has it changed back again this season? Mogget: The rule was changed for Season 3. I wanted to try and make the races more exciting, and give every driver the

chance to gain a podium position, or even win. Unfortunately, I rather shot myself in the foot by suggesting that we add the TVR Griffith and Shelby Daytona to the list. In the end, all that did was increase the number of "fast car" options available, and made the "one race per car" rule less effective. To be honest, I have wanted to remove the faster GTC-65 cars from the list since Season 2. However, I was concerned that some guys might choose not to race at all if I did that, so the Season 3 rules were a bit of a compromise. Now that I have more confidence with respect to organising the league, I decided to put my foot down! Thankfully, many of the guys agreed with me, which is why the top 6 cars have been removed for Season 4. I am hoping that this will "close up the field", and result in more exciting, action packed races. GCM: What has been your highlights of the league so far? Mogget: I think that the main highlight of this league so far is that, in the right situation, some of the TC-65 cars can be quite competitive with the lower end GTC-65 cars. Now that the faster GTC-65 cars have been removed from the list, some guys will probably be more confident to try their luck with a TC-65 car that they really like to drive. A large number of GTL drivers are aware of my love affair with the Mustang, but others enjoy the Alfa, or the Mini. With the improved car list, I can really see some of these driver/TC-65 car combos proving to be quite effective this season. It's also worth noting that I specifically selected several tracks for Season 4 with this idea in mind.

Car List Austin Mini Cooper S - TC65 Ford Mustang - TC65 Ford Falcon - TC65 Alfa Romeo GTA - TC65 Lotus Cortina - TC65 Shelby GT350 - GTC65 Renault Alpine - GTC65 Austin Healey 3000 - GTC65 Jaguar E-Type (Coupe) - GTC65 Lotus Elite - GTC65 Mercedes 300SL - GTC65 Ferrari 275GTB - GTC65 Aston Martin DB4GT - Add On Ferrari 250SWB - Add On Triumph TR4 - Add On Triumph TR4A - Add On Shelby GT500 Shelby GT500 - 1967 - Add On (except Super Snake) Race Schedule 01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10.

2009-03-19 2009-03-26 2009-04-02 2009-04-09 2009-04-16 2009-04-23 2009-04-30 2009-05-07 2009-05-14 2009-05-21

Long Beach 1979 - 25 laps Misano - 24 laps Lakeside - 43 laps Nurburgring GP - 19 laps Goodwood - GPLEA -30 laps Ledenon 2008 - 26 laps Valencia (GP) - 23 laps Ahvenisto - 28 laps Teretonga - 38 laps Snetterton 1964 - 27 laps

GCM: Has there been anything that might have made you stop organising the league? Mogget: In short, if there had been universal opposition to removing those faster GTC-65 cars, I probably wouldn't have wanted to organise the league. I really do think that getting rid of them could be the key to making this league better than it has ever been. GCM: With a massive amount of drivers signed up this season have you any worries about the numbers this season? Mogget: I am slightly concerned that the server may struggle if every driver turns up for the first race! I will need to speak with Whoopster about this, and decide what is the best course of action. Nevertheless, several drivers have already stated that they are unlikely to be able to compete in every race, so I am hoping that fate treats me kindly. If we can get 25 drivers for each race, I will be very happy indeed. GCM: Do you have any predictions for the upcoming season Mogget: Well, it's a given that guys like Joni Jurmu and vfast1 will be hard to beat! As for the tracks, I would like to think that at least some of these will test even the very best drivers in the league. I would like to see a greater variety of names appearing on the podium this season, but only time will tell if that proves to be the case. GCM: Is there anything else you want to add? Mogget: It would be nice if one or two of the races in Season 4 could be shown on Gamers Crib TV!

Are you new to online racing? Then this article is for you. So, you’re grandma gave you this race simulator for your birthday. You install it, you fire it up and you take the fastest car on some track and immediately realize you found your calling. This Halo above your head appears, a rainbow comes out of nowhere, you hear the sounds of a harp and a blond virgin on a unicorn tells you that you are the reincarnation of Ayrton Senna (ok, I know, there might be unicorns, but no blond virgins). However, after turning lap times of 2 min 45 sec., on a track that you hear about others doing 1 min 50 sec, reality sets in and you realize you might have some work to do, before you get there.

Step one: Make sure your installation is running at its best with your hardware. I could write pages on how to setup the Sim on your computer, but there are many helpful posts and helpful people on Gamers Crib and other forums and you should have no problems finding help. 15fps is unacceptable, try to get at least 30fps at the lowest point on the track. Since you are a serious Sim racer, you’ll need a wheel. There are people who kick butt with a keyboard, joystick or game pad, they started that way and adapted to it, they have a hard time when trying a wheel for the first time, but you’re not one of them. A good wheel, like the Logitech momo can be found for under $80.00, this is a dinner with the wife/girlfriend or some extra

yard work, snow shuffling or garbage duty for the once that have no real life, yet. Now that your sim runs great and you got that fancy new wheel and your wife/girlfriend/mom/dog looks at you, like you went completely nuts, it’s time to come up with a plan. Step two: Set a goal (a realistic one). This sounds easy, but is probably the most difficult part of a common “newbie mistake”. Since many newbies on Gamers Crib already raced on Zhuhai and Suzuka, I’ll take these two tracks as an example. The goal simply determents, how much time you’re willing to put into this game and how gifted you are to begin with. Let’s make it simple and categorize the drivers into 4 major categories.

The Aliens, the front runners, the midpack and the backmarkers. At this point forget about world records or hot laps, these are people who sit there day by day, driving the same car on the same track with one lap of fuel and just better their own lap times. You also realize that the crash derbies on public servers is not something you’d enjoy, that’s why you decided to join a League, like the once at Gamers Crib, hosted by the great one himself, Whoopster. You’ll start in the lowest league and you’re now a backmarker, but in some time period, you want to be a mid pack racer, then turn into a front runner and maybe even into an alien. Each step will take time, usually each step ahead, a

lot more than the step that came before. The Alien drivers have one or more of several traits. They might be real race car drivers and do this as practice; they make a living of racing cars. They are extremely talented and they spend hours upon hours on a daily basis, racing cars and they have done this for many years. You can see them turning 1’26’xxx laps in Zhuhai and 1’49’xxx laps in Suzuka. Lucky for you, they are mostly in the highest (Premier League) or on their way up to that League. The front runners are the once that are close to the Aliens, they turn laps around 1 to 2 seconds slower, which translates to 1’27’xxx to 1’28’xxx in Zhuhai and 1’50’xxx to

1’51xxx in Suzuka. The mid pack, is 1 to 3 seconds slower than the front runners, they run laps in Zhuhai in the 1’29’xxx to 1’31’xxx and even 1’53’xxx to 1’56’xxx in Suzuka (the difference in speeds by category will always change, depending on tracks and cars). The Backmarkers, in other words – YOU. They are the once who run 1’33’xxx and slower in Zhuhai and 1’58’xxx and slower in Suzuka. You now know where you are and where you want to be, if you haven’t figured it out, your first goal should be: Become a good backmarker. Step three: The biggest mistake, that newbies make, other than

choosing the wrong car (one that’s really difficult to drive or manage), is, spending way too much time finding setups and trying to turn laps like an alien. Take the default setup, change only the gearing to your liking, open/close radiator and brake ducts according to the temperatures, fill up the gas tank and turn laps. Can you do 30 laps in a row in the 1’33’xxx in Zhuhai and 20 laps in a row in the 1’58’xxx in Suzuka? In GTR2 you can adjust the AI to 80%, 90% or whatever; to get an idea about the lap times you should aim for. Some tracks have the AI “cheating” and the AI is unrealistic (you’ll hear about those on the forums), but at most tracks, you could say a front runner runs the times like an AI at 120%. Don’t worry about Qualifying times, you might get a lucky one in, but only to destroy someone else’s race at the first turn and it won’t take long to be passed by the once that turn laps 1 or more seconds faster than you. At this point, you should not be racing against anyone but yourself. Make it through a race without hitting a wall, without running into the gravel and without causing damage to anyone else and you’re on your way to be a good backmarker. Practice some small 20 lap races against a 120% AI, you know they will all run away from you and will pass you sooner or later, learn not to get involved in racing

them when you get lapped or catch up to them because of a mistake they made. See how your adrenalin rush, changes your abilities, when they are on your rear bumper, can you still do the same times without running off the track? Know what a good racing line is, watch videos, replays or the AI, stay on this line and never for any reason go off of it. Be predictable and know your brake points and acceleration points. When a faster car comes up behind you, don’t change anything, remember, your car on a straight, accelerates the same as an Alien driven car and he cannot pass you when you step on the gas, so learn to give him a blinking head light to make your intentions known and ease off the gas and he will pass you and thank you. Learn how to rejoin the track. When you’re off the track, look around you, can you see the cars coming from behind? Make sure there is enough space for you to come back to the track and accelerate before another car reaches you. If you spin on the track and face the wrong way, wait until all cars have passed you before you start turning your car around. These are some of the biggest problems where backmarkers ruin races for others. Can you drive 20 laps without hud, no lap times or anything else on the screen? Can you shift by listening to the engine instead looking at the rpm? How close are your times when you try this?

Above: An avoidable first lap incident in league C Above Right: A mistake then accident in the premier league Below: Lights on to warn the backmarker it is a leader coming through.

This might take a couple of races or a whole season, it all depends what your goal is, when you want to achieve it and how much time you put into it. The faster guys will like you, they hopefully know how to do their part, you’ll get a good reputation and you’ll have fun just finishing a race without incident. Soon you’ll get to know who else is a backmarker and they will become your opponents. After a few races you’ll know your consistent track times and you know the times of the other backmarkers. You now know what it takes to beat them and to your surprise it turns out to be not the one that is one second faster, but rather the one that visited the gravel one less time. You should be working your way to the front of the backmarkers, never race any of the midpack or faster drivers and you soon will have what it takes to be a midpack driver. If you joined a League with powerful cars (like GC League C in Season 5), this task will be very difficult, it takes feel and finesse to keep those power monsters on the track and a lead foot will spin them around in every corner. Be patience and it all will come together. In the next issue I will tell you how to go on and become a good midpack driver. Now go and turn some laps, until next time and remember, you are being watched.

A little about the Author I consider myself a patient gamer of average abilities. I don’t have the time and commitment it takes, to be an Alien driver, or even a front runner. I’m not that good at qualifying and need some work in standing starts, because I haven’t spent much time working on that, just yet. But I know I can make it into the front of the midpack and here and there I might get a bone thrown and make it on to the podium. Just by showing up, finishing races and being courteous to others, I got the “nicest driver” award and finished my rooky season in 3rd place out of 25 drivers. I’m known as the turtle, so my philosophy has worked well for me, since it’s certainly not raw speed, which got me here. A note from the editor As you probably know I am not a person who likes to practice very much and am not as consistant of competitive as others. I still get along well in the races and leagues by living by a very simple rule: Be most excellent to each other! This means respect plain and simple. It is looking and seeing racers around you, and being aware so you can avoid incidents. If you want to get to the top then you need to do the practice and follow the advice by Data. Some Alien types have been noticed to put in 500 laps practice for a race and hence their knowledge and speed of the circuit and car is excellent.

Upcoming Races 15-3-2009 GT League A on GTR2 Round 3 Brno - registration closed 15-3-2009 GT League C on GTR2 Round 3 Brno - registration required and carpack 16-3-2009 Mini Leauge on GTL Round 10 Goldenport - register interest on forums, add on track and carpack. Last race of the season. 19-3-2009 GTC-65 League on GTL Round 1 Long Beach - register interest on forums, add on track and add on cars. Season opener! 20-3-2009 Add-on Friday on GTL - register interest and see forum for details. 22-3-2009 GT League Premier on GTR2 Round 3 Brno - registration closed 22-3-2009 GT League A on GTR2 Round 3 Brno - registration closed 27-3-2009 Add-on Friday on GTL - register interest and see forum for details. 29-3-2009 GT League A on GTR2 Round 3 A1 Ring - registration closed 29-3-2009 GT League C on GTR2 Round 3 A1 Ring - registration required and carpack 3-4-2009 Add-on Friday on GTL - register interest and see forum for details. 5-4-2009 GT League Premier on GTR2 Round 3 A1 Ring - registration closed 5-4-2009 GT League A on GTR2 Round 3 A1 Ring - registration closed 6-4-2009 Mini League on GTL Round 1 Falkenberg - register interst on forum add on track and carpack. Season opener

Guidelines for Fun Race Organisation Recently we have had a lack of fun races organised within GC. This has partially been down to people gearing up to race in the GT league but also because previous events have been badly organised and attended. This set of guidelines is not the law, merely some suggestions to try and make some fun races successful. 1. Solicit opinion on the forums for a race before deciding on any details. 2. These events work better with one person dictating the details rather than a committee. Take control but have at least two other racers seconding you so you have three drivers ready to race straight away. 3. Try to give at least one weeks notice before the race for racers to attend. Ideally if you need a special car mod or track give two weeks so that both the server and racers have sufficient time to be ready. 4. Post a thread on the forums with a clear race title and the date so racers will find it and sign up easily. 5. PM Mike Trusler to get the event posted in the news section on the home page.