My Lotus keep exploding, and I'm getting slower, not faster

I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after 7-10 laps into a race at the Glen, my engine explodes. Bang! I shift at or before 9000 and I always let off while shifting. This keeps happening. What am I doing wrong? Also, I've observed a peculiar trend in my lap times: they're getting worse, not better. I drive the Glen more than any other track, and I haven't come with a quarter second of my best lap there in exactly one month. I've only been driving GPL for 2 months. My gplrank keeps falling because I'm driving the other tracks. But why can't I go any faster at the Glen? I can get within ~1.5s of my best lap in most of the cars. After posting a 1:06.49 last month in the Lotus, I've only been in the 1:06's twice since, and both laps were today: one during training, one during a race. Have I managed to _forget_ how to drive? I've been using Alison Hine's setups the whole time. --Jeff

What are your downshifts like? Would it be possible to upload a replay of you "breaking" the engine somewhere (if it happens within 10 laps, the filesize might be reasonable)? I don't think you've forgotten how to drive, but rather have started to develop your own style of driving. Whether you're going in the right direction or not, I don't know, but it's fairly obvious what you expect from the car no longer meshes with Alison's setups. It takes a long time to figure out how to drive a given layout/car effectively and how to balance setup/approach/driving style to acchieve that. One of the fascinating aspects of GPL and part of the reason for it's longlevity, IMO. Jan. =--- "Pay attention when I'm talking to you boy!" -Foghorn Leghorn. Jeffrey Rowe wrote...

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> I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after > 7-10 laps into a race at the Glen, my engine > explodes. Bang! I shift at or before 9000 and I > always let off while shifting. This keeps happening. > What am I doing wrong? > Also, I've observed a peculiar trend in my lap times: > they're getting worse, not better. <snip> > Have I managed to _forget_ how to drive? > > --Jeff

> What are your downshifts like? Click-click. 5-4-3. I downshift quickly, with no throttle, I think. > Would it be possible to upload a replay of > you "breaking" the engine somewhere (if it happens within 10 laps, the > filesize might be reasonable)? Unfortunately I only saved the laps from the most recent blowup. But I do have a replay of 10 laps of training that I did in the same sitting, right before the race (2MB). I don't blow the engine, but the driving style is very close to the race. Would you like me to email it to you? Thanks for the help. --Jeff "Jan Verschueren" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> What are your downshifts like? Would it be possible to upload a replay of > you "breaking" the engine somewhere (if it happens within 10 laps, the > filesize might be reasonable)? > > I don't think you've forgotten how to drive, but rather have started to > develop your own style of driving. Whether you're going in the right > direction or not, I don't know, but it's fairly obvious what you expect

from > the car no longer meshes with Alison's setups. > > It takes a long time to figure out how to drive a given layout/car > effectively and how to balance setup/approach/driving style to acchieve > that. One of the fascinating aspects of GPL and part of the reason forit's

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> longlevity, IMO. > > Jan. > =--- > "Pay attention when I'm talking to you boy!" -Foghorn Leghorn. > > Jeffrey Rowe wrote... > > I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after > > 7-10 laps into a race at the Glen, my engine > > explodes. Bang! I shift at or before 9000 and I > > always let off while shifting. This keeps happening. > > What am I doing wrong? > > > Also, I've observed a peculiar trend in my lap times: > > they're getting worse, not better. <snip> > > Have I managed to _forget_ how to drive? > > > > --Jeff > >

I presume then, if you do all your downshifts in a short space of time, that you leave them to the end of the braking zone? You should be able to tell whether your shifting is hurting the engine by listenning to the engine note, or by watching the needle. If either spike high, then you timed your shifts badly. A little study and a little practice is all you need. :) "Jeffrey Rowe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9es6u8$gap$[email hidden]... > > What are your downshifts like? > > Click-click. 5-4-3. I downshift quickly, with no throttle, I think.

Jeffrey Rowe <[email hidden]> wrote on 28 May 2001: > I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after 7-10 laps into a > race at the Glen, my engine explodes. Bang! I shift at or before > 9000 and I always let off while shifting. This keeps happening. > What am I doing wrong? <snip> Driving a Lotus <g> -- David. (GPLRank handicap -5.92; Monsters of GPLRank h/cap +279.42) The GPL Scrapyard: http://scrapyard.9ug.com "After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll, really" - Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.

I'm slower in the other cars at the Glen (and a few other tracks). On some tracks I still find the Lotus undrivable. --Jeff "David Buttery" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

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> Jeffrey Rowe <[email hidden]> wrote on 28 May 2001: > > > I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after 7-10 laps into a > > race at the Glen, my engine explodes. Bang! I shift at or before > > 9000 and I always let off while shifting. This keeps happening. > > What am I doing wrong? > <snip> > > Driving a Lotus <g> > > -- > David. (GPLRank handicap -5.92; Monsters of GPLRank h/cap +279.42) > The GPL Scrapyard: http://scrapyard.9ug.com > "After all, a mere thousand yards - such a harmless little knoll, > really" - Raymond Mays on Shelsley Walsh.

I'm going to haxard a guess ( difficult without seeing you drive , obviously ! ) that you are trying to drive faster , sliding round the corners , instead of driving through them in a grippy way. Try using higher gears than normal , say coming out of the esses in 5th , onto back straight in 3rd or even 4th , round last bend in 2nd not 1st . Concentrate on getting best line and grip , not max acceleration / braking. Widest entry point etc. Slow in , Drive out. Good Luck. Lucinda W Jeffrey Rowe <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:9es4u9$7lj$[email hidden]... > I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after 7-10 laps into a race at > the Glen, my engine explodes. Bang! I shift at or before 9000 and I always > let off while shifting. This keeps happening. What am I doing wrong? > > Also, I've observed a peculiar trend in my lap times: they're gettingworse, > not better. I drive the Glen more than any other track, and I haven't come > with a quarter second of my best lap there in exactly one month. I've only > been driving GPL for 2 months. My gplrank keeps falling because I'mdriving > the other tracks. But why can't I go any faster at the Glen? I can get > within ~1.5s of my best lap in most of the cars. After posting a 1:06.49 > last month in the Lotus, I've only been in the 1:06's twice since, andboth > laps were today: one during training, one during a race. Have I managed to > _forget_ how to drive? I've been using Alison Hine's setups the wholetime. > > --Jeff > >

Jeffrey Rowe <[email hidden]> wrote: >I'm slower in the other cars at the Glen (and a few other tracks). On some >tracks I still find the Lotus undrivable. Yes, it's annoyingly twitchy. I'm having a difficult time deciding between Eagle and Lotus for our upcoming season. At the end of the previous season I did some serious Lotus training to cleanse my soul of the evil that was Honda, and improved my GPLRank by about 15 seconds while grinning like a maniac. Then I gave the Eagle another try and suddenly made PBs on four tracks without even trying. It's a bit clumsy in Zandvoort but I seem to be much more in control with it. The only problem is that if you even *think* about bumping a fence or another car, it breaks apart. But at least it doesn't blow up from bad shifts as easily as Lotus. - topi -- http://www.iki.fi/tjp/

Sure.. Jan. =--- "Pay attention when I'm talking to you boy!" -Foghorn Leghorn. Jeffrey Rowe wrote... > > <snip> > Would you like me to email it to you?

In article <9et05e$bvs$[email hidden]>, Topi Paavola <[email hidden]> writes: >Yes, it's annoyingly twitchy. I'm having a difficult time deciding >between Eagle and Lotus for our upcoming season. At the end of the >previous season I did some serious Lotus training to cleanse my soul of >the evil that was Honda, and improved my GPLRank by about 15 seconds >while grinning like a maniac. When you say 'serious Lotus training', what do you mean? Hours and hours of running laps? Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +24.63...F2 +151.26... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

"EldredP" > >while grinning like a maniac. > > When you say 'serious Lotus training', what do you mean? Hours and hoursof > running laps? > > Eldred no no no Eldred. MAN you can be SOOOOOO dense sometimes. Serious Lotus training....as EVERYONE ELSE knows is powerlifting Lotus 49 race cars over your head while sitting with your knees wrapped around your neck which are circled by a garland of lotus leaves. Do we HAVE to explain everything around here????? dave(mr. obvious)henrie

"Dave Henrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:qGuQ6.71732$[email hidden]... > > "EldredP" > >while grinning like a maniac. > > > > When you say 'serious Lotus training', what do you mean? Hours andhours

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> of > > running laps? > > > > Eldred > no no no Eldred. MAN you can be SOOOOOO dense sometimes. Serious Lotus > training....as EVERYONE ELSE knows is powerlifting Lotus 49 race cars over > your head while sitting with your knees wrapped around your neck which are > circled by a garland of lotus leaves. Do we HAVE to explain everything > around here????? > dave(mr. obvious)henrie > > >

You forgot to tell him that you have to chant: Ommmmmmmagod this is heavy. Ommmmmmmagod. KFG

Go on to something else. Get a PB at one of the new tracks your working on and then come back to the Glen. By learning another track, or learning more about another track, you will learn to do things w/ the car that Watkins Glen didnt teach you up front. Apply and let dry :) and youll find yourself taking a turn different at Watkins Glen. BTW... I didnt have engine probs until I got to the ring (among other things lol) so I really learned to shift nicely while racing hard. This driving a race car thing goes alot deeper than that, but I think you know what I mean. Good Luck! Charlie L Wong <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:EDmQ6.17534$[email hidden]... > I'm going to haxard a guess ( difficult without seeing you drive ,obviously > ! ) that you are trying to drive faster , sliding round the corners , > instead of driving through them in a grippy way. Try using higher gearsthan > normal , say coming out of the esses in 5th , onto back straight in 3rd or > even 4th , round last bend in 2nd not 1st . Concentrate on getting bestline > and grip , not max acceleration / braking. Widest entry point etc. Slow in, > Drive out. Good Luck. Lucinda W > > > Jeffrey Rowe <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:9es4u9$7lj$[email hidden]... > > I'm trying to race longer races in GPL, but after 7-10 laps into a raceat > > the Glen, my engine explodes. Bang! I shift at or before 9000 and Ialways > > let off while shifting. This keeps happening. What am I doing wrong? > > > > Also, I've observed a peculiar trend in my lap times: they're getting > worse, > > not better. I drive the Glen more than any other track, and I haven'tcome > > with a quarter second of my best lap there in exactly one month. I'veonly

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> > been driving GPL for 2 months. My gplrank keeps falling because I'm > driving > > the other tracks. But why can't I go any faster at the Glen? I can get > > within ~1.5s of my best lap in most of the cars. After posting a 1:06.49 > > last month in the Lotus, I've only been in the 1:06's twice since, and > both > > laps were today: one during training, one during a race. Have I managed

to

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> > _forget_ how to drive? I've been using Alison Hine's setups the whole > time. > > > > --Jeff > > > > > > > > >

One Comment!!! U Definately Need Professional Help Dave H!! hahaha Dr Ruth & Dr Joyce would be ur best bet!! lmmfaorofl thom (mr. extremely obvious to me) _j. "Dave Henrie" wrote: | no no no Eldred. MAN you can be SOOOOOO dense sometimes. Serious Lotus | training....as EVERYONE ELSE knows is powerlifting Lotus 49 race cars over | your head while sitting with your knees wrapped around your neck which are | circled by a garland of lotus leaves. Do we HAVE to explain everything | around here????? | dave(mr. obvious)henrie

Dave Henrie <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>"EldredP" >> When you say 'serious Lotus training', what do you mean? Hours and >> hours of running laps? > no no no Eldred. MAN you can be SOOOOOO dense sometimes. Serious Lotus >training....as EVERYONE ELSE knows is powerlifting Lotus 49 race cars over >your head while sitting with your knees wrapped around your neck which are >circled by a garland of lotus leaves. Do we HAVE to explain everything >around here?????

Well, there's that... and pulling the car through the Ring in 10 minutes with your teeth :) As Eldred said, lots of hotlapping. Not quite "hours and hours", though. After getting used to the Honda, it was incredibly fun to drive a light, agile car with lots of power. I probably learned some good habits while trying to hang along with the good Brabham and Cooper guys, and that paid off when I moved over to Lotus. I improved my records by two seconds on most tracks just by driving a clean lap. I've now stalled at around -24, so I'll probably have to find better driving lines or something... maybe even get used to the alienish 45/60 setups. Then again, some 85/45 setups of the fast guys are quite nice and they're much faster than me with those. Sigh. - topi (finally broke 1:05 at the Glen; 1:04.96 with the Eagle, woohoo) -- http://www.iki.fi/tjp/

In article <9f09vf$mth$[email hidden]>, Topi Paavola <[email hidden]> writes:

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>As Eldred said, lots of hotlapping. Not quite "hours and hours", though. >After getting used to the Honda, it was incredibly fun to drive a light, >agile car with lots of power. I probably learned some good habits while >trying to hang along with the good Brabham and Cooper guys, and that >paid off when I moved over to Lotus. I improved my records by two >seconds on most tracks just by driving a clean lap. > >I've now stalled at around -24, so I'll probably have to find better >driving lines or something... maybe even get used to the alienish 45/60 >setups. Then again, some 85/45 setups of the fast guys are quite nice >and they're much faster than me with those. Sigh. > >- topi (finally broke 1:05 at the Glen; 1:04.96 with the Eagle, woohoo)

I'm not sure I'll ever get there. I ran a bunch of laps this weekend. While I was able to lower some times with the Honda and BRM, I didn't do anything for overall rank. I'm stuck, and I'm several seconds off what most people are running, which of course is a couple off the Aliens... I'm starting to believe I've reached my limit. Any further improvement(excluding the Ring) will probably only come in .10's now. :( Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +24.63...F2 +151.26... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.

EldredP <[email hidden]> wrote: >I'm not sure I'll ever get there. I ran a bunch of laps this weekend. While I >was able to lower some times with the Honda and BRM, I didn't do anything for >overall rank. I'm stuck, and I'm several seconds off what most people are >running, which of course is a couple off the Aliens... I'm starting to >believe I've reached my limit. Any further improvement(excluding the Ring) >will probably only come in .10's now. :( I'll have to take a look at your replays and throw in another two cents. For me, it was a case of reprogramming my brain. At some point I noticed that I wasn't going anywhere as near to the inside of corners as the faster guys. Then I really forced myself to brake a little bit later (and in a more controlled way) and use more of the track. Another big thing I had to relearn was avoiding wheelspin at exits, short-shifting if necessary. The pedals are more important than the wheel. Obviously I can't speak for others, but in my experience it's a psychological thing; self-control and concentration help a lot. I'll probably revise my opinion when I figure out how to drop another 20 seconds off my handicap, of course. :) - topi -- http://www.iki.fi/tjp/

In article <9f26ch$eqj$[email hidden]>, Topi Paavola <[email hidden]> writes:

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>I'll have to take a look at your replays and throw in another two cents. >For me, it was a case of reprogramming my brain. At some point I noticed >that I wasn't going anywhere as near to the inside of corners as the >faster guys. Then I really forced myself to brake a little bit later >(and in a more controlled way) and use more of the track. Another big >thing I had to relearn was avoiding wheelspin at exits, short-shifting >if necessary. The pedals are more important than the wheel.

I probably have the same issues. This is what I see from comparing with GpyGirl or Replay Analyzer - I don't get close to the apex, and I don't use all the track at the exits. Even when I *know* this, I can't seem to fix it on the track. I don't trust my ability to place the car exactly where I want it. Either that, or I can't SEE the track well enough to do it...or both<g> Eldred -- Dale Earnhardt, Sr. R.I.P. 1951-2001 Homepage - http://www.umich.edu/~epickett F1 hcp. +24.63...F2 +151.26... Never argue with an idiot. He brings you down to his level, then beats you with experience... Remove SPAM-OFF to reply.