a short view back to the past

OPC1 Prototype Challenge - Preseason

Oldschool Endurance League's new series OPC1 Prototype Challenge is on. Races will be around 90 mins long, no driver swap allowed. Three different cars are available, the Dallara Audi R8S, the Dome Honda S101, and MG Lola Judd B01/60 X26. I pick the Dome Honda S101 for more power and top speed advantage.

Preseason testing has been difficult. The engine keeps blowing up and I have to keep short-shifting to complete a lap. It is not an enjoyable driving experience, and my lap times are slow. Maybe I should just switch cars or something. I open up the engine.ini file, looking for info about the optimum RPM limit setting. Turns out I set the RPM limit too high. With the proper setting, I can now wring the engine out to the redline and utilize the power.

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OPC1 Prototype Challenge Round 1 - Daytona Road Course 180 Miles

With Daytona's basic track layout and my straight-line speed advantage, pole position is a possibility. But Elia Tartari is still the superior driver and the reigning champ of OEL. I give it everything I have, and at the end of my Qualifying run my hands and feet are shaking and there is a jackhammer in my chest. I take pole position by 0.007 seconds.

The race is a different matter altogether. First, I consider the fuel strategy. The capacity of the fuel tank dictates at least 2 stops for a 51 laps race. With a long pitstop, lengthy pitlane, and very slow pitlane speed limit, 3 or more pitstops will take too much time and is not viable. So, 2 pitstops and 3 stints of 17 laps is the way to go.

There are six different tires available: 2 types of compounds, ZR and S4, with each compound having Soft, Medium, and Hard options. The ZR compounds have the better grip overall, but they heat up too fast and that makes them hard to use optimally. I lack the talent to use these compounds, so I choose the S4's. 

The Hard S4's are too slow, and I don't need the durability for a 17 laps stint. The Soft S4's offer the best grip but only last for 10 laps more or less, and then they fall off a cliff. The Medium S4 seems to be the correct compromise. But after checking my individual lap times and my overall stint time, the Soft S4's are still the best. Even if I slide around for the final 6-7 laps of the stint, the time gained during the first 10 laps are good enough for a faster overall stint time compared to using the Medium S4's. I might be wrong.

I get a good launch at the start and at the end of the first lap I am in the lead, 2 seconds ahead of the ET. For the next 10 laps or so I am able to maintain the gap, and then the tires die and ET reels me in. He tries some overtakes but I am able to defend until it is finally time for my pitstop. As I peel off into the pitlane, I brake too hard at speed limit line and spin the car. I lose a bit of time recovering and turning the car around. At the end of the pitstop cycle I am in 2nd place, some 20 seconds behind ET. I am able to nibble away at the gap for another 10 laps and then the tires are dead again. ET pulls away and easily increases the gap. Just as I enter the pitlane for my second pitstop I get hit with the dreaded disco and that is the end of my race.