U2SC GT2 Spec Race Series

Originally posted the idea for this series here: https://u2sc.forumotion.co.uk/t1017-spec-gt3-series-races-imsa-style

This was also something that V1agra had tossed around as a series (similar anyway)

When? This series will begin the week after the U2SC Championship Series end - 17-Aug-2013 (every Saturday at 22:00 Eastern like the current series), with the final race being on 16-Nov-2013 (14 weeks).  This should bring us right up to the Xbox One and FM5 Launch (which is set for November 27, 2013 as of this posting)!

The Format:

• Eligible cars are listed below (with build spec)
  
• There are NO engine upgrades, tire upgrades or engine swaps allowed. See each car for allowed upgrades what the PI should be.
  
• The Rims allowed are all of the lightest available (listed below).  
  
• Custom tuning is allowed (I will provide base tunes for each car by request via Xbox Live message please)
  
• Each week there will be three (3) races on the same track (#laps/race listed below)
  
• You may run ANY car you wish, as long as it is on the list.  This is a per race rule.  That means you can run up to 3 different cars each week. 
  
• Races will be a random grid
  
• Each week the winner will be the driver with the quickest total time combined from all three races (like the U2SC Championship is doing).
  
• (maybe) I may test out the heat system to see how that works.  It may provide a better way to conduct this series (we'll see)
  

The Cars (*see the allowed rims list below):

• 2010 BMW #79 M3 GT2 (Max PI = 759 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2009 BMW #92 M3 GT2 (Max PI = 759 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2011 Chevrolet #4 Corvette Racing ZR1 (Max PI = 757 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2006 Ferrari #62 F430 GT (Max PI = 766 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2010 Ferrari #83 F430 GT (Max PI = 766 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2010 Ferrari #89 F430 GT (Max PI = 766 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2008 Ferrari #90 F430 GT (Max PI = 766 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2011 Ferrari #62 Risi Competizione F458 Italia (Max PI = 764 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2011 Lamborghini #08 West Yokohama Gallardo LP560-4 (Max PI = 762 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Driveline)
  
• 2009 Ford #40 GT Mk7 (Max PI = 764 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2010 Jaguar #33 XKR (Max PI = 755 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes)
  
• 2005 Panoz #51 Esperante (Max PI = 755 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2011 Porsche #045 GT3-RSR (Max PI = 763 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2011 Porsche #17 GT3-RSR (Max PI = 763 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  
• 2007 Porsche #80 GT3-RSR (Max PI = 759 - Upgrades: *Rims; Race Brakes; Race Driveline)
  

*Allowed Rims:

• Buddy Club P1 Racing QF
  
• Dymag 9 Spoke
  
• Hole Shot Wheels Hole Star
  
• Hole Shot Wheels Solid
  
• Hole Shot Wheels Sun Star
  
• Konig Afterburner
  
• RS Watanabe Cyclone
  
• TSW Trackstar 4
  
• Volk Racing RE30
  
• Weld Racing Magnum III
  

The Tracks (3 races per track each week):

• Week 1 = Road America (6-laps per race)
  
• Week 2 = Suzuka Full (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 3 = Mazda Laguna Seca (6-laps per race)
  
• Week 4 = Catalunya GP ( 5-laps per race)
  
• Week 5 = Sebring Full (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 6 = Nurburgring GP (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 7 = Infineon Raceway IRL (6-laps per race)
  
• Week 8 = Mugello Full (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 9 = Road Atlanta Full (6-laps per race)
  
• Week 10 = Silverstone GP (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 11 = Maple Valley Full (6-laps per race)
  
• Week 12 = Twin Ring Motegi Full (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 13 = Hockenheimring Full (5-laps per race)
  
• Week 14 = Le Mans Full (with kinks) (3 3-lap races)
  

Scoring (points):

• The scoring is based on aggregate time from all three races each week.  The lowest total time will be that week's winner.
  
• 1st = 25
  
• 2nd = 18
  
• 3rd = 13
  
• 4th = 10
  
• 5th = 8
  
• DNP = 6 (Did Not Place - awarded to everyone who finishes outside of the top 5 drivers)
  
• DNF = 4 (Did Not Finish - awarded to everyone who starts but does not finish all 3 races - eligible for makeup race)
  
• DNS = 2 (Did Not Start - awarded to anyone who participates in the series but does not race that week - eligible for makeup race)
  

Penalties will be as follows:

• Issues/grievances will be submitted to me (BiggLou55) via private message on the forums.  Preferably with replay and time index (if able), but week # and race # at a minimum   Replays will need to exist for reviews to take place, and a review will only be done if a grievance is submitted to me.  I will NOT be reviewing the races for the purpose of spotting issues.
  
• minus 5 seconds off total time for careless driving resulting in another racer being knocked off the track (per incident)
  
• minus 30 seconds total time for MAJOR corner cutting (utilizing "bugs" in the game to gain an advantage like on Motegi Beef ) - We all know that we will at time go in the grass or are forced to cut a corner here and there.  This is for repeated cutting/shortcuts to gain advantage on the majority of laps (per incident)
  
• Disqualification for intentionally ramming, spinning or crashing other racers.
  

Results Library on Imgur: https://imgur.com/a/Zzk89#0

Spec build, hooray!  Will we have to tune them?

Given my track record as of late, I am a shithead who can't ever make it to races.  As much as I'd like to make it to a championship race I just can't find the time to choose, paint, upgrade, and tune up 4 cars a week.  I don't know why I can't know when I could before, but I just can't now.

This sounds possible, depending on how frequently you change cars on me.  Fun, too.

It's your choice Nub...  You can drive the same car every race every week, you can change it up weekly, or drive a different car for every race...

There will be a specified parts list for each of the eligible cars.  All you need to do is tune the car(s) you are driving, and, since it's you Nub, I will send you a base tune or base tunes for the cars you want to drive.  I'll be setting up tunes on all of them anyway!  

Sounds great! I have always hated the reverse grid thing, but at least it has taught me to be a little more patient. Something tells me that I will be using the same car for every race in every week unless I end up hating it halfway through the championship. I can't wait for this!

I'm just going to throw an idea out there for this series. I think that making this a 2 person per team series would be very interesting. I think doing that with team and individual scoring would be pretty fun. Anyway, it's just an idea...

While I love the idea Beef, we have so few active members right now, I think individual scoring is the best way to go.  More to come...

I would try to get in this...time has been a fleeting thing lately, but I love R3.

I have had no luck in connecting to the few games I have been online during for lately tho....have to figure that out.

I enjoy GT racing, so hopefully can make this.  Summer is a very difficult time for me to race (often out and about, kids don't sleep as well because it's still light out, etc.), but by mid-August I may be more available.  Count me in and I'll do everything I can to be there!

Team scoring would be very cool, but it probably would be pointless with so few people.  On a related note, I think we should push for a system of standardizing times whether you race with a group or by yourself.  It would allow many more people to take part (like Frank, for instance, and often myself) who just can't make the official races.  They could run the race themselves, save the replay then add a standardized 'adjustment' to account for time lost in traffic had they raced with everyone else.  This would be possible, right??  I know it wouldn't be an exact science, but I'd be willing to put the time in to compare the average difference between racing w/traffic versus racing alone.  Maybe some of you have already done this?  I don't want to encourage people to race alone, but it will be pretty cool to see a nice big results list each week again (and not waste hours of prep when you can't make any of the race times).  Would creating a private lobby with a certain number of AI cars make sense, or is the AI just too inept to make it 'realistic'?  I'm not sure we've ever really tried to tackle this issue, so may as well start a discussion...

I think what would make Joe's idea the most realistic is making the AI have cars that are in the class above what you are racing on professional difficulty. That is the only way I have been able to keep the races somewhat close.

AI is a good idea as a last resort...  A standard day/time is good.  Saturday at 10pm Eastern seems to be working well.  We could add another day to that as well...  I'll put up a poll...

I'll do something else here as all...

1. If you take part in the series, your will get a DNF/S (did not finish or start) score for each race (1 point).
   
2. At the end of the series, we take the best 7 of the 14 scores for each member and tally the final results.  This way you don't have to feel bad about not making some of the races, and it will stay close.
   
3. We'll put together AI spec settings for make-up lobbies and requirements for submitting results...  Like...  Along with your fastest lap time and your final times for all three heats, you would also need to submit the replay and a photo of your results.  It's not fair to the organizer/scorekeeper to have to sit through all of the replays just to get the times.
   

I just had a great idea for a livery for this series. Now all I have to do is wait for a car from the list to put it on! 

Im hoping I can use the car from the other r3 series we were planning Ive been waiting to unveil it as I finished the livery awhile ago.

I am going to bank on the possibility that the M3 GT2 will be in the series and I am going to start designing soon.

I am working on the series today...  I'll hopefully have the specs up tonight....

OK...  Car List and build requirements added to the Original Post....  This is gonna be fun...

Thanks Lou! 

Wait...  Just added some more cars to the list...  They are DLC cars for those with the DLC's...  The cars should be pretty balanced.

If you find any cars that are just too good when you guys are testing please let me know and we'll remove them...  Same goes for cars that just cannot keep up... 

The Goal with this series is to make it fit for everyone...  From the member that just wants to piuck one car, tune it ant that's what they run every race, to those that want to have one of each and run a different car each race...  You can tune one or tune them all...  Your choice...

Also...  The default tunes on these are pretty good.  Since all we are doing is adding Race Brakes and a lighter drive-shaft and rims, the default tunes should be decent enough...  IF you are in need of one or two tunes, please let me know and I'll hook you up...

Updated Scoring and a few other tid-bits...  Please let me know if you have any questions

BiggLou55 wrote:

• minus 30 seconds total time for MAJOR corner cutting (utilizing "bugs" in the game to gain an advantage like on Motegi Beef ) - We all know that we will at time go in the grass or are forced to cut a corner here and there.  This is for repeated cutting/shortcuts to gain advantage on the majority of laps (per incident)
  

Hahaha yeah I don't want to lose 30 seconds every lap for that!  Looking through the track list, I can only think of 2 places where this might happen: The one you listed at Motegi, and Turn 3 at Road Atlanta. There might be more out there, so I will search for them.

[*]Week 1 = Road America (6-laps per race)
[*]Week 6 = Nurburgring GP (5-laps per race)
[*]Week 13 = Hockenheimring Full (5-laps per race)

[*]
Found some more major places where you can cut the track:

1. Turn 1 at Road America (on the outside allowing greater cornering speed)
2. Canada Corner (turn 12) at Road America (on the outside allowing greater cornering speed)
3. Second-to-last turn at Road America (on the outside allowing greater cornering speed)
4. Turn 1 at Nurburgring GP (tight hairpin with section on inside that allows for significantly less time to be spent going around the corner if cut)
5. Turn 4 at Nurburgring GP (on the outside allowing greater cornering speed)
6. Turn 1 at Hockenheimring (on the outside allowing greater cornering speed)

Thanks Beef....  If anyone sees this happening, save the replay and send it to me noting the lap/time (if you can remember)...

I finished the design for my car:





... and my favorite part:

L M A O.

Too bad I wouldn't ever be close enough to you to see that.

Very Nicely Done Beef!!!!

For those of you who might feel intimidated that we are using GT2 cars for this series, please remember that they are mid 700 PI, so they're actually easier to drive than an upgraded S700 production car...  ;-)

We are only adding Race Breaks, Race Driveshaft, and Race Rims where applicable...