A fantastic article on tyre wear from Evan...
I started testing in the practise session area in GT5 before realising that we'd be racing in the lounge with different grip - turns out it makes a bit of difference, giving about an extra lap before the tires burn out at Monza. I scrapped everything and started again running 2 15 lap races in the lounge. Here goes...
The test:
1 race on Primes(Racing Mediums), 1 race on Options(Racing Soft). Both 15 laps at Monza with Penalties set to low &Tire Wear on (I couldn't find any further adjustment, just on or off). The car? A detuned to 650pp Minolta Toyota 88c-v. Pretty quick in a straight line and demands respect in the corners or it will bite.
The results:
Too close to call! Overall both times were very close (nice race selection Andy), in fact within 4 seconds of each other with the racing mediums winning out although 8 seconds was lost on the softs between an off at turn 1 and a 90º spin on the Parabolica after dropping the left rear off the track with full throttle. If I managed to avoid those, the overral time would still have been within 4 seconds, just in favour of the softs. So, how long do they last? Outside of the race runs with Softs I managed 6 good laps, a 7th average lap(+5seconds) and the 8th became almost un-drivable. Mediums lasted a bit longer with 8 good laps, an average 9th then a 'why bother' 10th lap.
A 15 lap race opens up a few strategies,
-100% Soft. 2 pits stops
-100% Mediums. 1 stop
-Start on Mediums, pit after 9 laps, switch to softs for last 6 laps or vice versa. 1 stop.
On paper the combined mediums/soft looks like the fastest overall strategy and in the race the early 'slower' laps on mediums would benefit from boost. This could be risky though, with racing in a pack often meaning that cars are sideways sending smoke signals-maybe they won't last that long once the red mist descends. With this in mind the extra grip and tire life flexibility(could pit every 5 laps when the tires last 6 on a clean run giving you a chance to burn some rubber) offered by a 100% soft strategy could well be the way to go. There's also the chance a different car will use tires completely differently. I think it's safe to say there are numerous strategies that can work, the good thing being this should deliver the close racing we're used to.
The Stats:
Average flying lap time over a race distance on mediums was 1.42.875 and about 1.3seconds quicker at 1.41.565 on softs, or about 1.6 seconds quicker if the lap with the spin is excluded. Flying lap times have standing start, in & out laps excluded.
Fastest lap times were a 1.41.110 on mediums and 1.39.502 on softs.
Pit stop = about 30seconds at Monza.
The key to a good lap at Monza:
So how does a time of 1.39.5 stack up? Who knows, without other 650pp times it's difficult to say. When I started I was running laps around 1.45 and I thought a 1.42 would be achievable. Then I started to learn a few things about a track. You work out you can carry an extra 10-20mph here and there, try a different line and all of a sudden you've found a half or a full second. Sometimes they're obvious, other-times not so much. I know a few of us practise a lap taking ever corner in a gear higher than usual - it's quite common to find 1 or 2 corners on a track where you'll make a significant gain by using a higher gear and carrying more speed through the entire corner. One of the secrets at Monza, make the car work riding the curbs. Mario Andretti once referred to his job as a race driver as being 'to straighten out corners'. Monza is a track that really rewards riding the curbs to straighten out corners, especially turns 7 & 8. Here's a guide to a lap around Monza with my learnings.
Track Walk:
#1 - Rettifilo Chicane
Brake for an early/shallow apex and let the right hand side of the car ride over the rubble strips before turning left and riding the curb with the left hand side of the car.
#2 - Grande
Be gentle with the throttle exiting 1 or you'll find your self in the grass, gently apply full throttle then leave it there and upshift all the way to 6th, this 'corner' can be taken flat out.
#3 - Della Roggia
Back down to 2nd and riding the curbs again on the left then the right, again be gentle with the throttle here, very easy to spin exiting this corner.
#4 & 5 - De Lesmos
Have all braking done before both these corners and apply throttle for a much faster mid corner speed than I initially thought, for turn 4 be right next to the ripple strip, for turn 5 have 2 wheels across it. These are both corners where are higher gear than I thought was quicker, leaving in 4th gives a much better exit speed, especially worthwhile with turn 6 following which is essentially a straight, you can carry that extra speed all the way through.
#6 De Seraglio
Not really a corner, In Jeremy Clarkson voice - more powarrrrhhh
#7 & 8 Del Vialone & Ascari
Key part of the track, must have 2 wheels over each curb through this left-right-left complex exiting with the right had side over the curb onto the stright, being slow through here hurts your speed all the way along the next straight until you hit Parabolica.
#9 Parabolica.
'Don't put your foot on the accelerator fully until you're sure you can leave it there' -James Hunt. This quote applies perfectly to Parabolica, a corner that feels like it goes on forever. I initially found myself braking too early for an early apex needing to coast quite a way before being able to get on the throttle again. In the 2nd last lap (the 1.39.5) I was around 0.5 of a second down on the previous best before reaching this part of the track. I left braking a couple of car lengths later then normal before easing off and trail braking while turning the car towards the right hand side of the track and then gently applying full throttle. Changing braking and lines at this corner was worth somewhere around a full second.
Cheers
Evan
You know you follow to much motorsport when you start thinking the last words of the national anthem is 'Gentlemen, Start Your Engines'
