Driver Briefing

Welcome to the drivers briefing for the inaugural ALR team endurance event around Imola!

REQUIREMENTS

Note, each driver will need to do a minimum of 1 stint each as a race requirement. There will be classes announced before the race based on the driver team lineups. Refuelling and tyre changes are allowed.

TRACK DETAILS

Imola is a 4.909KM (3.050 miles) circuit with 19 corners. It is a mix of medium to high downforce circuit with medium and slow speed corners, not to forget the long pit straight. Weather conditions should be mostly dry, with a small chance of rain. Drivers are reminded to be careful with their tyre choices and braking zones, and consider that other cars on track may be on a faster or slower compound for the conditions depending on their strategy. The track will evolve quite a bit during the day, usually starting from a ‘Green’ status in practice, going to ‘Fast’ and then onwards to the ‘Optimum’ conditions as more cars are on track. Pit entry at Imola is usually a straightforward one but be cautious overtaking on the final corner as some cars may be trying to enter the pit. Use indicators where possible to make your intentions clear. Pit exit is directly onto the straight into the racing line braking zone for turn 1. Note during the race the pit exit belongs to the driver exiting the pitlane, and not the driver on track. However, drivers exiting the pit are reminded to be cautious into turn 1 braking around traffic with low tyre pressures and temperatures.

DRIVER BRIEFING

To be first, you first must finish! Teams are asked to stick with the race no matter what and avoid rage quitting. A lot can happen in 3 hours, and it’s not over until it’s over. Any teams rage quitting will be noted and taken into consideration for future events. Consistency is key! There are a couple of strategy options available, so please do your research and what works best for your team. Drivers are reminded to be careful as other cars around you may be on a different strategy. Drivers are asked to avoid collisions at ALL costs, even if the other driver is at fault. Reports can be issued post-race.

This next one is MOST important, listen up at the back! For lights out we are asking that drivers are even more cautious than usual into the heavy braking zone of Turn 1, as the cars bunch up 2 wide into the slow left hander. We are asking that the start is taken quite passively, to ensure a clean lap 1. Please have extra consideration for the start and lap 1, as this is a team event. Any contact does not just spoil your race, but also a multitude of other drivers (your teammate, and the other teams of 2 drivers involved). Losing a couple of positions at the start but staying clean is far more important over a 3-hour race, compared to gaining 1 place, but taking out yourself and other cars. Any drivers deemed to be the cause of incidents on lap 1 will be heavily penalized post-race. Cars will also be the heaviest and most likely running with over 100L of fuel for at least a 1-hour stint compared to the usual 30 min stint in our 60min league races. Tyres will also be cold. There are a lot of overtaking opportunities over 3 hours! Remember, the race cannot be won on lap 1 turn 1, but it most certainly can be lost! Any drivers deemed to be the cause of incidents on lap 1 will be heavily penalized.

Blue flagged drivers are asked to pay close attention to the faster cars approaching, and plan/consider allowing cars pass on straights safely once they are within the .6 second mark. This can be done by upshifting early and light throttle lifts on the straights and not cost either driver much time. However, this does not mean that you must allow all cars pass on one straight, you are also racing for position. Use indicators to make your intentions clear. Being predictable is the most important thing! We recommend being on audio with your team mate, and the driver NOT driving can provide details of cars ahead or behind. If you lose control, please apply the brakes and stay completely stationary (even if you are on track) until the track is clear to continue. In the event your car is undrivable, teleportation back to the pit is allowed from the pause menu. Steward reporting system will be live for this event also.

SERVER DETAILS

Search for the server ‘aero’ and the password will be ‘aeroend’. Please ensure the team lead driver that is listed in your team on SimGrid joins the server first, allowing a few minutes before the other teammate joins. This is to reduce the chances of strange bugs with lots of teams joining at once. Please join the server a few days beforehand to ensure driver entries are correct. Admins will not be fixing entries just before the race as it will require a server reboot and impact the other teams preparations.

FINAL THOUGHTS Finally, the grid is a mix of skill, experience, new car choices and new ground with regards to longer races. Please show patience, respect and clean racing. Admins have put quite a bit of effort from their busy lives to prepare these events for everyone. That said we can only do so much to ensure good clean respectful racing. The rest is up to the drivers.

Lastly, have fun and best of luck to all teams!

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