Motorsports (non-NASCAR)

[CBear3]

Can I use Apple Pay with it? Does it track my steps and heartrate?
These are questions I ask now a days.

Before my smart watch, I'd wear one maybe 3 times a month. Now, if I'm not wearing it I feel naked.
Honestly, if it did those things but only displayed them on my phone I'd be ok with that (in terms of design)

ETA: $162k pledged with a goal of $30k. I'd say it worked.

[dodint]

A race shop near VIR, www.tmiracing.com , dropped into the SpecE46 group on Facebook and offered Roux helmets to racers for $250. Their base model helmet is $399 so that's a pretty substantial savings. It's a relatively new company started by Juan Carlos LeRoux and Toto Lassally. Their hook is that their helmets are designed to have communications capability embedded in them from the factory so you don't have to deal with clunky modular systems. It also has a quick release function so first responders can remove it with less fear of neck injuries. The base model doesn't include the electronics but that's not something I need for the level I'm at right now.

https://www.rouxhelmets.com/r-1c is the helmet:



Anyway, that was really cool of the shop to make the offer. They didn't even charge for shipping and since it was out of state there was no tax. I was about to pull the trigger on the full face version of the ZAMP that I use now but this is a much higher quality helmet and after tax and shipping I probable saved $40 over the ZAMP.

Just not crazy about the white. Might vinyl wrap some blue stripes on it to match the car.

[shafnutz05]

That is a crazy story and I'm happy she recovered, but around the :33 all I could think of was the "I must go, my people need me" meme

[dodint]

Cross-quote:

While we're at it, why don't we just broadcast the Madden simulations of games? Do away with the human element altogether.

I've started watching, with genuine interest, high level iRacing. The one linked below is just a club race, but you can see the production value is pretty high. The top level sanctioned iRacing broadcasts are really well done too but I don't think you can get them on Youtube.

[tifosi77]

I subscribe to a couple sim channels on YT, but not because the racing is good. I like the presenters and enjoy their commentary.

[dodint]

There are a few that I watch in passing. I can't really watch them for long periods of time though. I'm talking the ones where it's one guy just driving with his rig and he comments on stuff as he goes. Super GT, Jimmy Broadbent, etc.

[tifosi77]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of Jimmy B. I liked that he recently got to drive a for-real racing car at Dunsfold.

[CBear3]

Every so often I get on a roll watching things like the iRacing World Championship or that and try to follow some of the drivers stories. Not enough to get fully immersed I gotta catch up on a race, though.

[dodint]

I'm really trying to get back into sim racing. Carve out some time to get seat time each week and really work on fundamentals. My cockpit has come a long way. Bad tablet picture but this is it:



It's technically an Oculus Rift rig but I had it setup for triples so people could take some laps during a party I had at the house recently.

G27 wheel with Momo Mod 88 mounted with custom button plate and extended paddles.
Fanatec Clubsport pedals w/load cell brake.
Next Level Racing F-GT cockpit.
DSD Button Box.

Next steps is to add a subwoofer and tie it into the telemetry so I can get some vibration through the seat. And I'd really like like to replace the shifter that came with the wheel with something that feels more substantial. Unfortunately it seems like the next step up is around $250, and then the next step after that is a huge leap to ~$1,200.
Down the road I'd like to get a direct drive wheel, but those are really expensive. They don't use belts and gears, it's literally a treadmill motor mounted to a wheel. . They're powerful enough that they include a kill switch you can hit with your foot so you don't break your wrists in an accident.

[CBear3]

Thrustmaster T550 or whatever
MDF Cockpit, stock seat from the RX7 we used for Lemons
Triple Monitors because I don't want to have to put my contacts in to go racing, lol.

I haven't convinced myself to do a button box (I have an F1 wheel prototyped but I never assembled it). I have a set of Frex pedals, a caliper from my old car, and a pressure transducer to build some good feeling pedals (I always feel like I get killed under braking still using the stock G25 or Fanatec sets).
I really need to finish the basement bathroom first before I get too carried away with the cockpit though.

[dodint]

I really wanted to build a cockpit with a real seat but the only one I have sitting around is out of a Ford E350.

I'm lucky that I can see up close just fine so the Rift works for me even though I normally wear glasses. Only problem I'm having is that it presses on my brow line and gives me a headache after a while, going to buy one of those nicer padded surrounds to help there.

Button boxes are fun. I *highly* recommend Derek Speare Designs. I don't plan to buy any more though because they're very hard to work in the Rift. I need an augmented reality solution.

[CBear3]

Yeah, the electronics on my wheel design came from Derek.

[dodint]

15 minutes into the Michelin Pilot (formerly Continental Sports Car) race and both classes have already set new track records.

[Dickie Dunn]

15 minutes into the Michelin Pilot (formerly Continental Sports Car) race and both classes have already set new track records.

Tuned in and immediately saw one of my brother's cars crash. Guess I'll turn this back off.

[dodint]

One of the Audi's?

If so, let me know WTF happened there if you find out because that made no sense at all.

*edit*

Yeah, forgot you posted this before: "He’s on the pit crew for eEuroparts.com’s race team."

[dodint]

Rolex 24 is such a shitshow. Here is one of the least dramatic offs:

https://twitter.com/McElroy47/status/10 ... 3594792960

Tony Vilander just totalled a Porsche with his Ferrari. Just decided not to stop for the bus stop chicane.

[tifosi77]

That was a very wet way to end the race.

[dodint]

Nasr has to be kicking himself.

Also, the 67 team deciding to pit from the lead for an 'alternate strategy' the lap before a red flag was a huge gaffe.

I like alonso but winning the 24LM against no competitors and now that R24 is asterisk worthy.

[tifosi77]

It's tough, but they can only race the race that's run. If that makes any sense.

[dodint]

Better to be lucky than good most days:

[dodint]

*fartnoise*



To follow up on NBCSN's two biggest story lines:

Alex Zanardi came in last in class because his special equipment broke the steering column. The other team car won the class.
The all female crew came in 13th because Legge ran into the back of a prototype.

Way to go.

[tifosi77]

I <3 Katherine Legge, and am just thankful she didn't explode when her airplane crashed at Road America.

[CBear3]

@dodint I assume you mean the 55 vs 57 incident Saturday? They were in still 5th in class after the morning red flag when I checked in. Not sure what the weather did to them after that.

And like Tif, I love me some Kat (gained new appreciation for her during the DWR episode)
And poor Zanardi. I wonder if something went wrong when they panicked after the first custom wheel didn't work.

Overall, even as a die-hard Alonso fan, I hope that doesn't set the tone for this year of racing. That was a total let down.

[dodint]

With Zanardi, they dropped the car off the jacks while he was trying to seat the wheel and it broke the steering column. Bad luck.

I like Legge, but after last year her antics got on my nerves and seeing NBCSN hitch up to her wagon rubbed me the wrong way. Hopefully they'll move on to something else as we move forward. I feel bad for Christina Nielsen for getting mixed up in what was basically a marketing ploy. She makes her own choices though.

[CBear3]

So what's Bryan up to? I noticed his professional sites haven't been updated since last summer?