[Wally]

Marty has a server up at Brands Hatch to compare lap times for the Ferrari GT2, BMW GT2 and Corvette C7R.  This will be ONE OF the options for next season, not THE option (there will be the usual poll at the end of the current season). I want to work out some ballasts to even up the cars for this option, like we've done with the Japanese cars. Jump on the server and post some times in each of the cars - we're only running Medium tyres to compare lap times.

[marty]

Stracker data can be seen here for the server. Server is set at optimal and fixed conditions on mediun tyres only to gwt a good idea of what times people can manage in each car. There hasnt been much running in the ferrari yet but seems the corvette is a little quicker then the bmw.

Its also good to have a few guys try all the cars to see if most find the performance difference the same between all. Once there is enough data at a few tracks we will test some ballast to get an idea of what would be needed to balance the field if we ever run these in the future.

http://52.65.162.16:50041/lapstat?currservers=acserver3

Its set to MR AB only but as with all my servers the guys on the xgn whitelist can get in even if they dont have a rating yet.

I will go through the list of future server options and put some of those combos up for people to have a test in them.

[marty]

Having ran some laps in all 3 cars, the C7 is fairly clearly in a class of its own. Way more stable and higher top speed. The Ferrari and BMW seem fairly close though. C7 is about .7 per lap faster here then the other 2 which also need more setup work to be more driveable and quicker. C7 just small change in gearing, lowered and more front aero with less at the rear. The BMW likely could do high 1:24 too but its much less stable at least with my setup from entry through to exit. C7 feels like it has a bit left in it with 1:24.3 but overall I think it would just need enough ballast to take about .7 off at this track to level things up.

[Wally]

Having ran some laps in all 3 cars, the C7 is fairly clearly in a class of its own. Way more stable and higher top speed. The Ferrari and BMW seem fairly close though. C7 is about .7 per lap faster here then the other 2 which also need more setup work to be more driveable and quicker. C7 just small change in gearing, lowered and more front aero with less at the rear. The BMW likely could do high 1:24 too but its much less stable at least with my setup from entry through to exit. C7 feels like it has a bit left in it with 1:24.3 but overall I think it would just need enough ballast to take about .7 off at this track to level things up.

Although I see Gratulin was much quicker in the Ferrari than the other two. We'll still have to gather more comparative times from more people.

[Guybrush Threepwood]

It also depends how many laps and how much practice each driver has in each car.  I popped in for a quick few laps in the C7 but if I put my mind to it I'm sure there's probably another half second at least.

[Matthew111]

Yeah my findings also from my quick run at imola a week ago, c7 was so much quicker i think it was 1.5 over the bmw

[Gratulin]

The Ferrari was the last car I tried so maybe getting better? But I found it the easiest to drive fast -  to it's limits. The C7 was next but I think I wasn't really pushing as much. It feels like you're driving in a lounge chair - not bad handling just very calm. The BMW was real twitchy and difficult but fun.

[marty]

Number of laps and then setting cars up would have an effect, default setup wise the c7 felt best of the 3. BMW I tried most things and most of them didnt work as I hoped. Thats the one I felt I was least comfortable with but get a better setup and more laps then probably at least .5 in each of the cars.

[Wally]

I've averaged the times for all the cars on the Brands Hatch server (83 driver/car combos, excluding the very slowest outlier times), and so far it looks like this:

1. Corvette - 86.9 secs
2. Ferrari - 87.7 (+0.
3. BMW - 88.0 (+1.1)

Althoooouuughhhhh.... when you look at people who have used multiple cars (which is not many, admittedly), people are mostly slowest in the BMW, but some are fastest in the Corvette, and some are fastest in the Ferrari. What that probably indicates is that both the Corvette and the Ferrari need the same small amount of ballast, just to bring them back to the BMW a little.

It would be good if people could set some times in different cars.

Here are the laps so far: http://52.65.162.16:50041/lapstat?currservers=acserver3&page=0

[marty]

Looking at the overall fastest laps though c7 clearly is the fastest, over the weekend I will try get the most out of each of the cars. I spent a bit of time in the BMW as it has the worst default setup of the lot. Looking at actual fast laps even though overall average is faster in the ferrari over BMW the top few fastest laps are considerably faster in the BMW then the Ferrari. Most of my laps in the beamer were racing from the back of the field so not getting anywhere near its actual potential where I should be able to match my best time in the c7 and looking at my delta during good laps this seemed to be the case.

The C7 I ran the least amount of laps and barely touched setup as its fairly quick as is, but pushing it a bit more I think at least another .5 in that. Maybe it doesnt have so much more but probably at least another .5 or so in it and the only car I think could relatively easily go under 1:24

The Ferrari there is only 2 times below 1:26 and I think nowhere near the c7 but actually quite close to the BMW, again a bit more time in it and mid to low 24's should be quite possible but I cant see it being much quicker then the BMW.

Neither of the other 2 will I think ever be that close to the c7 but potentially I don't think there is that much time in the beamer and ferrari. Looking at total laps in the 3 cars the ferrari seems most popular. 458 laps atm vs 353 in the other 2.

http://52.65.162.16:50041/lapstat?track=ks_brands_hatch-gp&cars=bmw_m3_gt2,ks_corvette_c7r,ferrari_458_gt2&valid=1,2&date_from=&date_to=&currservers=acserver3&ranking=2

[grat]

I hope to find some time to give a little contribution to this study this weekend. But I also wanted to ask: do you think Brands Hatch is a representative track?

[Wally]

Don't forget guys like Cherno and Guybrush have only done laps in the Corvette, so it can look misleading to see a lot of C7R near the top. And there is the fact that for a few guys, they were faster in the Ferrari.

All I want to avoid with ballast is the situation where no one drives a particular car because it's too slow, not necessarily to even them up to the nearest tenth, because everyone drives different cars differently, as the times show. At the moment, it's looking like the BMW might be a bit unattractive, and it might turn into a 2 make race.

[Wally]

I hope to find some time to give a little contribution to this study this weekend. But I also wanted to ask: do you think Brands Hatch is a representative track?

I think so. No really long straights like Silverstone, Mugello or even Imola, not too tight like a Magione or a Vallelunga, with a good mix of corner radiuses.

[grat]

I hope to find some time to give a little contribution to this study this weekend. But I also wanted to ask: do you think Brands Hatch is a representative track?

I think so. No really long straights like Silverstone, Mugello or even Imola, not too tight like a Magione or a Vallelunga, with a good mix of corner radiuses.

I am sure you know better. I would have thought tracks like Vallelunga or Catalunya would have been more representative, as they have a mix of straights, fast and medium corners, and tight sections where stability over curbs and traction off slow corners matters. At Brands Hatch you need a good diff lock setup out of t4 and aero balance on the sequence of medium speed corners, but I thought raw power and traction counted less. But then again: my understanding of these things is really bad, so you are probably right.

[Wally]

I regard Vallelunga as pretty tight, with those very slow corners. Catalunya is probably a good track too. There's no right or wrong; every track is different. We'll probably mix it up with another track like we did with the Jap Pack ballast testing.

And don't forget, this is all just to prepare for one of the next season's options. We may not even use it.