rFactor Winter Racing SIM League

[Doug Carter]

Hey all, I'm not sure how many of you are into online SIM racing, but every year, a collaboration between ApexSpeed.com and Trackpedia.com runs an online racing league over the winter months. Last year, we ran SRF spec racers and it was a ton of fun. Large range of skills and abilities, and everyone had someone to race with, all the way through the field.

This year, we're planning the league right now, and they will most likely be open wheel formula cars, and possibly even the contemporary FV mod that is out there. The tracks planned are almost all US club tracks, too. If nothing else, they are really good for practice before you get to that particular track. My brother used the Mid Ohio version to put his FC on the front row for a National there without ever having been there before. It works well for sheer track time.

Anyway, while we prepare for the points league this year, we're also doing weekend "fun run" races, and we have the sever open 24/7 for online practice. I believe the cars currently being tested are the game-included rF3 cars, which are a blast to drive. I think the current track for the next week or two is Portland International, as well.

If you have rFactor and enjoy online sims, join us anytime. You can find all of the information about the fun runs HERE, and the upcoming league HERE.

I can also answer most questions about them here, too.




doug

[Doug Carter]

Looks like we will be using the game-included rF3 formula car this year. If anyone is interested in participating in either the fun run/testing or the full league, contact me here and I can point you in the right direction for all of the details to get you up and running.


doug


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[FV80]

Doug,
Just idle curiosity ... Do all of "you guys" have sit down pedal/force-feedback steering wheels to do this kind of stuff? Or do you do it with a mouse or joystick? I ASSUME you have the full pedal/wheel setups to make it moderately interesting, but thought I'd ask. What does one of those setups cost and where do you get them?
Not that I have TIME to mess with it ... again, just curious ... besides, after over 30 years of this, it's kind of nice to go a few weeks of NOT racing ...
Steve
PS. NICE looking F3 car....

[Doug Carter]

Steve,

Joysticks, keyboards or mouse controls for SIM racing are a waste of time. You'll get frustrated more than anything, and your experience will be limited, at best. Average lap times for someone struggling around a track on a joystick controller is 10-14 seconds a lap off of the quick pace.

Everyone racing or at least participating in online testing and screwing around will have a wheel & pedal setup of some sort. Some guys have old, cheap Logitec wheels and pedals, and some guys have ridiculously elaborate setups with seats, shifters, 3-pedal base with a clutch, 3 monitors for a wide horizon sight line, and some things that make some of our race cars look kinda cheap. LOL. The bare minimum for driving in a SIM at least halfway competently is a wheel and pedal setup.

My brother posted some wheel and pedal information last fall that is still relative today... with the new Logitech G27 coming out, you might even be able to get a hold of a G25 pretty cheaply, too.

I typically use the paddle shifters for all sims, but the sequential on the DFP does the job. I owned an early version that had weak plastic pots on the pedals so I recently upgraded to a G25 system. If I were to buy an inexpensive wheel today I would get the Driving Force GT most likely and then the Driving Force Pro if I couldn't find a GT. To give you an idea on the models I listed, here's a basic summary:

Logitech Driving Force Pro:
Older than the others listed
tried and true good wheel
good force feedback
plastic pedals (no clutch)
no clutch
inexpensive (around $100)
Rubber steering wheel
Sequential or paddle shifter (plastic buttons)
Lots of buttons on wheel
Can be used on Playstation 2 or 3 as well as PC

Logitech G25:
Arguably the best readily available wheel on the market for under $300
Beefy pedals which has clutch (metal pots and pedals)
Expensive (around $270)
Sequential, H pattern, or paddle (metal levers)
Leather steering wheel
minimal buttons on wheel, but lots of buttons on remote shifter
Smoother/better feedback than Driving Force Pro
Can be used on Playstation 2 or 3 also

Logitech Driving Force GT:
Newest Logitech Wheel
Good blend of features between the G25 and DFP
Force Feedback similar to G25
Buttons on wheel including a brake bias dial (not usable for PC though AFAIK)
Sequential or paddle shifter similar to DFP
Plastic Pedals similar to DFP
Can be used with PS2 and PS3
Approx $125

Fanatec Porsche 911:
Most expensive out of group and hardest to get at retail stores
Wireless
Force Feedback similar to G25

More really good information on racing SIMs on the ApexSpeed SIM forum, too...

[fvkartguy]

I bought the Logitech Momo setup from someone on Craigslist.
It stopped working well after a while (like computer didn't recognize it) and Logitech replaced it for me.