Note that the Mazda Cup series is a fixed-setup series, which means all you have to do is jump in the car and race, because there are no chassis or fuel adjustments allowed (that comes later on, when you progress to the Advanced Rookie or D-Class series and beyond). The fixed-setup aspect means that everyone is essentially equal on-track, but it's worth noting that the right-hand drive MX-5 Roadster may be slightly slower than the left-hand drive MX-5 Cup version.
Safety Notes: Overtaking Discipline, Situational Awareness, and Track Re-Entry:
Overtaking Discipline:
Overtaking is an art in itself, and it's one of the most critical parts of any race situation, so I would strongly recommend that everybody take the time to read through the following inRacingNews article by fellow iRacer Nathan Aljoe, which should be required reading for everyone at the Rookie, Advanced Rookie, and D-Class level:
Link: Overtaking Discipline
Situational Awareness:
Pressing the "F3" key while driving will bring up the "Relative" black box in the lower right-hand corner of your screen. This display shows you the relative position and the time interval between you and other cars ahead of you and behind you on the track, which can be very helpful while racing. The F3 "Relative" display will enable you to see when you're gaining on another car in front of you, or if a car behind you is gaining on you as the laps tick off. The car numbers appear in varying colors to provide you additional information: White numbers indicate cars that are on the same lap; Red numbers indicate cars that are a lap ahead of you; Blue numbers indicate cars that are a lap down from you, and; Gray numbers indicate cars that are in the pits.
Use this information to remain aware of what's going on around you -- Please DO NOT hold up the leaders if you are a lap down, have damage to your vehicle or much slower. If a BLUE FLAG is on your screen that means that the leaders are directly behind you, or a car that is one lap ahead of you is approaching. Please adhere to the Blue Flag section 6.5 of the sporting code, and if possible be gracious and let the leaders by at a safe spot on the track, rather than trying to race with them to keep yourself from being lapped and risking taking out yourself and the leaders. In this situation, you're either being lapped or you've already been lapped, so you're not truly fighting the leaders for position -- so, don't be the person that changes the outcome of a race when there's nothing to be gained.
Track Re-Entry:
If you have a spin or an off-track excursion, a quick glance at the F3 "Relative" box will show you how far the car behind you is -- and if the car is within one or two seconds (or less -- it's probably best to wait until they pass and the track is clear, rather than risking potential contact due to a careless (and inconsiderate track re-entry on your part. Remember, avoidable contact is considered wreckless driving by iRacing, and as such is a potentially protestable offense per Section 6.10.3 of the iRacing Sporting Code.
Putting it all together:
Every time I place my car on the grid to race, I try to remind myself to take on the mindset that the car is real, the competitors on the grid with me are real, and damages (and virtual "injuries") are all serious repercussions of my on-track behavior, even though this is "just" a simulation. Incidents that only affect me, such as off-tracks and such, are always "permissible" in my book because that's all just a part of interacting with the track itself, but when it comes to interacting with other drivers, my goal is to never, EVER ruin someone else's race through car contact, no matter how hard we may be battling for position. Zero car contact is always my #1 goal, period, and if you follow the guidelines that Nathan has laid out regarding a disciplined approach to overtaking, zero car contact and close racing CAN become synonymous.
Save the "drive it like you STOLE it" mentality for the kiddie arcade racing games -- around here, when you've got your own Safety Rating and iRating on the line, and where you and your competitors are paying for the privilege of racing here, it's much better to adopt the "drive it like you OWN it" mentality.
Pre-race briefing and track analysis -- Summit Point Raceway:
Summit Point Raceway is a fairly fast circuit, and you'll be hitting your top speed the end of the main straight just before braking for T1, so this is a critical braking zone that can create quite a bit of drama. Take care when attempting to use T1 as a passing zone, and remember that unless you have a clean and clear-cut pass, it's probably best for everyone involved if you resist the urge to attempt those tempting but ultimately insane divebomb passes on the inside.
Once you survive T1, you'll find that T3 can be a fast turn, but it's also an easy place to lose it at speed -- and the sand trap on the outside exit can really send you flying.
T5 always seems to be problematic during race conditions, especially in the early laps when the field is still bunched-up, and it has earned the nickname "Yard Sale Corner" because of the cars you often find littering the grass here during the first few laps of the race.
T10 is another fast corner with sand on the outside exit area, so watch for people in front of you kicking-up a lot of dust as they head for the start/finish line.
For those of you who may be racing at Summit Point for the first time, please remember that T3 and T10 are typically not good passing points, so don't try to slow down to "let someone by" here -- instead, hold your line, maintain speed, and wait until the straight if you want to let someone get past you safely.
Anticipated MX-5 Lap Times @ Summit Point Raceway:
Anticipated Pole: 1:23.948
Very Fast (1% of Pole): 1:24.787
Fast (3% of Pole): 1:26.466
Good (5% of Pole): 1:28.145
[Note that lap time estimates based on lap times from previous seasons -- actual pole times may vary]
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