IFCA Super Spec Saturday's!

Greetings TORA fans, your friends at the IFCA would like to inform you of an ongoing weekly event every Saturday at 7pm EST called the IFCA Super Spec series.  It has evolved from experimenting with various formats over the past 6 months with an emphasis on how to allow slower drivers a more equal chance to compete against faster drivers.  We start by placing everyone in a specially prepared Spec'd out car and then allowing slower drivers to upgrade to sport compound tires.  

Because everyone clamors for better BoP and really enjoys a good spec series this is the direction we have taken. All drivers will be in the same spec car except for tire compound.  Those of you with an IFCA rating of less than 1950.000 will upgrade to Sport tire compound. Those above 1950.000 must use Street compound unless otherwise noted.  Those above 2150.000 must use the Stock compound unless otherwise noted.  All tires must remain stock width.  No upgrades other than what is posted may be used.  To see what your IFCA rating is (if you have one) go here http://ifca.highforum.net/t6516-ifca-forza-7-ratings-and-world-rankings

Our aim in doing this is to bring the field closer together for closer racing, and give the slower guys a real taste at competing on more equal terms with the faster guys.  Too often it is the case that a slower guy ends up in a slower car even when the cars are the same build.  This can get depressing after awhile and suck the fun right out of you.  By giving slower drivers a slight tire advantage resulting in about a 20 P.I. increase they can feel confident that it is not their car holding them back. At the same time the faster guys carry no shame even if they lose.  Being on lesser tires means they will be able to showcase just how good a driver they really are.  Chances are they will still win, but not by as much as usual.

If you want to give it a go just send me (GTDon2) a FR and I will invite you to the lobby.  There is a single qualy prior to the doubleheader race.  A Champion is crowned each Saturday for having the lowest combined time of the 2 races.

read more here
http://ifca.highforum.net/t6528-ifca-super-spec-saturday-s

As some of you know by now, Monza being the long and fast track that it is, isn't going to allow much of a tire advantage for those of you on sport tires vs street tires.  The NSX with its all-wheel drive also contributes to less of an advantage here at Monza.  But the sport tires are marginally better still, perhaps as much as 0.500sec per lap.  My own testing shows them to be closer to a 0.300sec per lap advantage in this situation.  Tighter tracks and cars with less grip is going to make a much bigger difference.  

But, if you can gain a half second per lap you wouldn't normally have that's a good thing.  We have seen as much as 1.500sec per lap on other tracks and cars.  This would mean that if you are 2sec off the pace normally, you might only be a half second off the pace with sport tires.  That's going to keep you a lot closer to the pack.  But bear in mind that your car will only be faster in and out of corners, and not down the straight.  You'll get a better run out of a corner and onto the straight if you do it right, but if you don't, a faster guy even on the lesser street tires probably will.


Send FR to GTDon2 to get an invite tomorrow at 7pm EST

*After a careful review of the lap times, it appears that the intended effect was not achieved with tire compounds.  Slower drivers were as much as 4sec off the pace even with better tires. There is still too wide a gap between the fast and slow drivers in other words.  To narrow this gap we will revise the tire compound rule so that slower drivers will have a better chance to keep pace. See below:

Here is the new scale based on your IFCA rating:
2150.000 and above = Stock Tires
2000.000 - 2149.999 = Street Tires
1900.000 - 1999.999 = Sport Tires Full Width
below 1899.999 = Race Tires Full width


Congrats to the "greatest Forza driver of all time" GTDon2 for winning the crown this past Saturday at Monza.  Read more here: 
http://ifca.highforum.net/t6529-ifca-super-spec-saturday-s#135198





Next Saturday
Mugello Short
1980 Fiat 131 Abarth 
Upgrades: Race Cams
D359 Street Tires/D378 Sport Tires/D386 Sport Tires Full Width/C420 Race Tires Full Width


Each Super Spec car has a base build of race brakes, race anti-roll bars, race driveline, and race diff.


If you want to join the race next Saturday send a FR to GTDon2

Need to make a correction, the P.I. for the Abarth with Sport tires and widest width is D397, not D386.  This includes the Super Spec base build of race brakes, race anti-roll bars, race driveline, race diff, and a single upgrade to race cams.

If you are somewhat "velocity challenged," this weekend event is for you.  The only format that gives the slower drivers among us equality with the fast guys.  You'll be on superior rubber, the rest is up to you.  Send GTDon2 a FR to get an invite.

Okay it's looking really good with the new tire BoP.  Slower guys on upgraded rubber are running the same times as the faster guys now.  The only difference appears to be a lack of consistency from the slower drivers at this point.  They can run the same times, but just not for very long.  

It is also apparent that the drivers on upgraded tires do have a good advantage going into turns, but less coming out.  The faster guys seem to exit way better even on inferior rubber.  Interesting.

The big day is here for all you underdogs who would like to have more than an even chance to win once in a while.  The IFCA Super Spec Saturday returns tonight at 7pm CST. 

If you tend to be on the slower side of Forza life this is your chance to even the score a little!  Slower drivers are allowed better rubber in this event to even the odds against the faster gents.  Please feel free to send a FR to GTDon2 and I will invite you in.

http://ifca.highforum.net/t6529-ifca-super-spec-saturday-s#135204


Great racing to everyone out there!  Very clean in a difficult car to be sure.  Not since week 1 of season 4 have we seen Volcano return as Champion.  It was almost not to be, however. R2P Volcano secured the pole with a very quick 1:09.896 over GTDon with a 1:10.065 and DJProfessor with a 1:10.301.  All three drivers were on street tires.  Vdubz the lone race tire entrant qualified a close 4th with 1:10.365.  The newcomer to the series ViperGhost03 was allowed sport tires (a mistake) and ran a dirty 1:09.628.  This hinted that he should have been limited to street tires given his skill.

With an amazing side by side start to race 1 in the first lap, eventually, Volcano would early pit and gap the field for the win. DJProfessor managed 2nd, and GTDon fighting all the way to the finish with ViperGhost03 narrowly took 3rd by only 0.076sec after Viper bobbled onto the grass out of the last turn while leading!

Race 2 saw GTDon start on the reverse grid pole and form a nice gap on the field in the opening laps. Volcano would again pit early while in 3rd but blundered his pit entry badly giving GTDon the chance he needed to win!  But it would be the under rated ViperGhost who would scrape out the win as Volcano caught back up and gained on him in the end while setting the fastest lap of the day of 1:09.613!

So the IFCA Super Spec Crown moves to R2P Volcano with a total time of just 36:12.097.  Second place ViperGhost03 36:17.300. 3rd place DJProfessorK72 36:21.692 just ahead of GTDon2 with a 36:22.608.  

Very well done to the new Super Spec Champion R2P Volcano!  Aside from the unrated ViperGhost, it was NellyDRacer as the top driver among the sport and race tire group.  Everyone was running very close lap times to the leaders as predicted.  But not everyone was able to consistently run their times, also as predicted.  This strongly suggests that the tire BoP model is working very well and will remain as it is. 

In the future, any new unrated driver regardless of what we think his skill may or may not be will automatically be forced to use street tires.  


Race 1
     

	Race Results
		Prerace	Expected	Actual	Performed	Postrace	Gained/
Plc	Racer	Rating	Finish	Finish	Like	Rating	Lost
1	R2P Volcano	2001.605	3	1	2112	2042.481	41
2	DjProfessorK72	2000.031	5	2	2068	2025.251	25
3	GTDon2	2100.106	1	3	2019	2055.613	-44
4	ViperGhost03	2000.999	4	4	2001	2000.999	0
5	STIGBatman	2036.814	2	5	2001	2016.850	-20
6	VdubzkiKazz	1897.994	11	6	1996	1934.207	36
7	LongPoleCole	1915.102	9	7	1981	1939.215	24
8	NellyDRacer	1992.469	6	8	1966	1977.828	-15
9	Poennaninova	1968.585	7	9	1939	1952.372	-16
10	SirKane2	1963.112	8	10	1908	1932.773	-30
11	Midnite Rider	1900.800	10	11	1899	1900.028	-1

Race 2
      

	Race Results
		Prerace	Expected	Actual	Performed	Postrace	Gained/
Plc	Racer	Rating	Finish	Finish	Like	Rating	Lost
1	ViperGhost03	2000.999	5	1	2117	2028.784	28
2	R2P Volcano	2042.481	2	2	2042	2045.476	3
3	GTDon2	2055.613	1	3	2034	2043.652	-12
4	DjProfessorK72	2025.251	3	4	2021	2022.941	-2
5	NellyDRacer	1977.828	6	5	2009	1985.253	7
6	SirKane2	1932.773	10	6	1989	1946.297	14
7	STIGBatman	2016.850	4	7	1965	1988.388	-28
8	VdubzkiKazz	1934.207	9	8	1946	1936.974	3
9	LongPoleCole	1939.215	8	9	1937	1937.838	-1
10	Poennaninova	1952.372	7	10	1933	1941.987	-10
11	Midnite Rider	1900.028	11	11	1900	1900.028	0

Some of you may be asking, so where is all this Saturday racing stuff headed? Is there ultimately a point or goal we are trying to reach? What's the end game? 

As you crafty veterans of the IFCA well know, there is always a long-term point to our competitions.  At the end of the year sometime, we hope to invite all the past champions to a special race of champions event. Plenty of time to get yourself a crown and be a part of it.  

The most popular idea being floated is a 2 man relay team format where each driver takes equal turns racing in real time during the race like a real endurance race team would. It is a popular format that the IFCA invented some years ago to simulate driver exchanges.  

Your teammate would not be of your choosing however, but rather, would be ratings based and paired for equality.  That way the fastest guys don't end up on the same team and runaway from everyone.   The fastest champion would be paired with the slowest champion, the second fastest with the second slowest, the third fastest with the third slowest, and so on based on your IFCA ratings at that time.  Then your ratings would be added together and averaged to determine what tire compound you will both use.  A special mini-tire BoP will be used at that time since each championship team will be relatively very close in performance.

So keep this in mind as the year goes, and we will have a great grand finale!

Tortoise and the Hare, is a novelty format that we are trying for Season 9 starting this Saturday. Basically, a fast guy acts as the tortoise and everyone else gets to be the hare. The tortoise must not move for a specified period of time at the start of the race, All the hares take off right away. The tortoise has a trick though, he's in a much faster car than any hare.

Typically the hares' will lap the tortoise even before he moves. The race has a calculated duration so that if the tortoise does very well he will catch the fastest hares on the last lap. Our designated Tortoise would be the driver who shows up with the highest rating that day. No one knows who the tortoise will be until the day of the race, it could be you! Our tire BoP will still apply for the hares.

The time difference between the two cars is based on fastest average laps in each car. This means that only very good tortoises and hares will have a chance at winning. The tortoise has his work cut out for him though because he must fight traffic and make quick passes. The hares must fight each other and occasionally the tortoise on their tail.

It's all very fun and intense as the race gets closer to the final few laps and you start to see where you are in relation to the tortoise and whether or not you can make it. Of course, in the child's tale, the slow turtle always beat the cocky rabbit. lol


Week 1

Homestead Mini 20laps x 2, 1 pit, standing start.

Tortoise Car (reserved for fastest driver in the field based on IFCA rating)
2017 Ford #17 V-Power Racing Team Falcon FG X
P.I. R853
808hp/592tq
3055lbs
This is a maxed out build, put everything you can on it.


Car for the Hare's:
2015 Ford Falcon XR8
P.I. A635
482hp/451tq
3245lbs

Race exhaust
Race flywheel
Race brakes
Race suspension
Race anti-roll bars
Race roll cage
Race weight reduction
Race clutch
Stock transmission
Race driveline
Race diff
Street tires
Lightest wheels
Forza downforce

Tire BoP still applies:
IFCA Rating:
2150.000 and above = Stock Tires
2000.000 - 2149.999 = Street Tires
1900.000 - 1999.999 = Sport Tires Full Width
below 1899.999 = Race Tires Full width


Delayed Tortoise start time 1:55.000

If you want in, let me know and I'll throw an invite to you this Saturday 7pm EST as always
http://ifca.highforum.net/forum

Week 1 of our Super Spec Tortoise vs Hare format!

What we've learned is that this format does work very well. Throw GTDon out of the mix and the Tortoise would have won the overall Championship by 8sec, with TomCat finishing 2nd, and Bubz 3rd 11sec back.

The Hares did have one thing backward however, they were a little too cooperative with the overtaking Tortoise, and fought too much with each other. This difference means that it could have made up for the 8sec gap the Tortoise won by over TomCat.

Next week GTO vs GTO! Sebring Short! Good luck!

Post race details and ratings here...

http://ifca.highforum.net/t6530-tortois ... ays#135219


http://ifca.highforum.net/forum