New tracks & carsets - Michael82

[samsepi0l]

I have to write here all my compliments to Michael82 for his realistic GP2 tracks. And TdK too.

I'm travelling in Europe this two last weeks, and I had been in Imola (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari) paying my personal tribute in front of my childhood hero statue at Tamburello corner. And being present on the place, I can realise how it really resembles the GP2 versions of Michael82 (1993 and 1994) and the 2021 TdK GP2 version. Perfect!

I was in Monaco last Sunday. A magnificent place! And the 1986 Michael82 GP2 version is so realistic! The Loewis (now Fairmont) Hairpin, the Tunnel, the Ste.Devote, the Casino-Mirabeau area. Fantastic!

Yesterday I was in Brands Hatch, UK. And walking beside all the GP track, I realise how it resembles so much the 1984 Michael82 GP2 version! Considering the slight track layout changes since then, the track is so realistic!

The three European racing venues I managed to visit on this travel, I was surprised how it seems the best GP2 versions.

For money reasons, I wasn't able to visit Spa-Francorchamps (F1 GP there last weekend, making everything expensive in eastern Belgium) and Nürburgring (few options and time to go). But in few years I expect to be back in Europe, and visit that tracks, alongside Monza and Le Mans.

I'm familiar with the Senna statue. My mom was actually in Italy visiting several places on a vacation trip (She lives in Western New York, USA - while I live in the midwest USA Chicago). She was there over the 30 year anniversary that just passed for the Senna crash. I told her to visit the statue, but she was further down in Italy and could not.

For me, I am so proud of you guys who still make tracks. There are so few of us left. I don't make tracks for Gp2 yet, but I do make them for ICR2 and I know how much work it is. I study the place for the track that I am making so I can only imagine visiting it in real life. I would feel like I already know this place!

I would love to learn how to make Gp2 tracks, but I am not sure the best way to get started. Right now it takes me about 6 months to complete 1 icr2 track!

[Michael82]

Thanks Antonio and samsepi0l ! I'm happy to read your messages.
It is very interesting to see the comparison between track layout in Gp2 and the reality. I try to use satellite views but sometimes it is difficult to find the old layout without all changes. The only track where I walked on is Monaco.. I have seen Le Castellet and Magny Cours but not on the tarmac of course.. and it is quite impressive to see the bump near the casino. I had try to make that in GP2.
Currently I try to make some tracks of 1994 but without adverts and scenery details by now. (Interlagos, Ti Aida, Spa, Hockenheim, Suzuka are ready)
Next step : Barcelona, Magny-Cours, Silverstone...

About yours projects Antonio I can't wait to see its. samsepi0l your Icr2 track of Long Beach is fantastic. I would like drive it soon.

[samsepi0l]

samsepi0l your Icr2 track of Long Beach is fantastic. I would like drive it soon.

The latest versions of long beach 91 and 96 are both posted on the icr2 site. These are basically final versions and I have moved onto making riverside california 1982 now.

With regards to your Monaco, I just finished my second 100% race there. I used it in my previous 1994 season, and again the other day in my 1988 season. Although I always slightly tweak the magic data to adjust difficulty I was wondering if anyone has been able to pass other CC's exiting the tunnel and braking for the slow chicane. No matter how much I try to practice I can't get a good enough exit out of the Portier corner (where senna crashed in 88) to catch up and draft going down the tunnel. (even against slower lapped cars) However- I can pass almost consistently braking down in the slight curve headed into rascasse (I've done some marvelous passes here). I can also do a reasonably good job of passing going inside of the lowels hairpin by outbraking CCs coming downhill after maribou. (I had to turn the steering lock up to 21 degrees) I am still struggling to get the right setup for me... what are you guys using in terms of roll-bar stiffness, spring stiffness and damper settings? Of course my wings are at 20/20.

[ismael]

I was wondering if anyone has been able to pass other CC's exiting the tunnel and braking for the slow chicane. No matter how much I try to practice I can't get a good enough exit out of the Portier corner (where senna crashed in 88) to catch up and draft going down the tunnel. (even against slower lapped cars) However- I can pass almost consistently braking down in the slight curve headed into rascasse (I've done some marvelous passes here).

I wonder if that isn't exactly.... realistic?? I mean, yes, passing in the slight left turn before Rascasse is unheard of, but a couple of years ago Leclerc was able to pass into Rascasse itself. Loews/Grand Hotel is the overtaking spot "tout court" at Monaco. And for the chicane, at least since the last decade I think the overtaking is as difficult - and scarce - as in Grand Hotel. And, honestly, in the previous decades too. Can anyone remember a great overtake there, recently? Verstappen tried in extremis on Hamilton but failed. Hamilton on Ocon doesn't count I can only remember Mansell on Prost in 1991!!...

I've not yet tried such a big race at Michael's new and definitive Monaco, but seems a good indicator to me. Anyway, samsepi0l, keep up the good work!

[samsepi0l]

........for the chicane, at least since the last decade I think the overtaking is as difficult - and scarce - as in Grand Hotel. And, honestly, in the previous decades too. Can anyone remember a great overtake there, recently? Verstappen tried in extremis on Hamilton but failed. Hamilton on Ocon doesn't count I can only remember Mansell on Prost in 1991!!...

Personally I haven't paid attention to anything modern in racing- I only like the old stuff. When you say Verstappen, I know Jos, but not Max. Hamilton is foreign to me as well. My days are Senna, Prost, Mansell, Lauda...etc.. I have every f1 race downloaded from 1978-2001 (found a mega size torrent) so I really only watch those.

I would think the best opportunity places at Monaco should be braking for saintdevot (spelling) and braking for the slow Chicane, although everything is still difficult. It's almost if the CCs have an unfair advantage coming out of slow corners on acceleration which makes it difficult to pull off these moves. I wonder if there is a good way to minimize this some.

This might not be a popular opinion, but this is why I like making AI in icr2 more. When I make AI in icr2, I can model it off of my driving replays so the CCs are fast where I am, and they are slow where I am. This means you are basically racing against yourself. It makes it much better for wheel to wheel racing where sometimes in GP2 I have places where I am way faster than the CCs but way slower than them in others - even know I tune the magic data to make myself about competitive mid-pack. I aim to make my best ever laps about .7s slower than whoever gets the fastest lap time in the races. If I do better, I increase the CC grip magic data in magic data editor (and vice-versa). I would think this might be "fixable" in gp2 if I knew how to modify the cc lines without totally wrecking the track. For example in the places I am faster, I could slightly change the cc line to make the CCs slow down just a little more, say for example if they didn't take exactly the widest possible line but a very close line. This could all be done vice-versa as well. I almost wish there were individual track commands we could insert into certain sections of the tracks to make the CCs grip better or worse in those where it wouldn't affect the driver. This would accomplish the same thing with less work.