F1RMGP goes to Le Mans...?

[dinizintheoven]

As alluded to on the 2014 WEC thread, there's "something else" I've been thinking of doing, most likely in the down-time between F1RMGP seasons, but it's also the reason why I've left a gaping gap in the middle of the F1RMGP 2014 calendar - just in case.

As well as the WEC, one thing I'd been thinking of doing that allows others to participate and cheer on "their" team is an F1RMGP Endurance Race. As with the running of the WEC, though, I can think of a few pitfalls, chiefly centering on which game to use.

Grand Prix 1 was my preferred choice. Knowing that I'd most likely be migrating the Main Series to GP2 after the initial WEC experiment, I thought I might be able to use GP1 for this, as a means of keeping the link to the original ideas of the series. Say, we had a "24 hours of Spa" race; knowing that the races there in the 2011-13 F1RMGP seasons (using GP1) took 1 hour 40 minutes on average (roughly) to complete, I figured what I could do is simulate a 24-hour race by running 14-15 races at Spa, one after the other, and aggregating the results. I'd have to have a go and see if I could get it to work, and it wouldn't be exactly 24 hours, but... near enough. And I'd post a "result" each time, showing how the race was progressing each time. I know what you're thinking; there aren't any times available for lapped drivers, only those who have finished each "race" on the lead lap, but I can (and will) devise a way round that, just like I devised a way to get round GP1's problem of having very few cars retire. Now, that last point is the main reason to favour GP1; the lack of retirements. Aggregate all those retirements over 14-15 "races" and the reality is bound to kick in.

But then, I thought... Grand Prix 2 is much more customisable, and now that I know how it's done, why not do it that way? For a start, the modding community on grandprix2.de provides as many circuit as I could ever want; a mid-season Endurance Race could be held at Le Mans, and an end-of-season Endurance Race could see the teams all stay in Australia at the end of the season and go racing at Bathurst. However, I see the Le Mans circuit is "scaled down"... and I'd have to tweak the power of the cars accordingly so that they'd generate the lap times typical of an LMP car - or, likely as not, the GT class which I'd be highly likely to run this as. (I note a pole time of 3:25.738 for the LMP1s, 3:41.458 for the LMP2s and 3:57.592 for the GTE Pros.) Driver changes would be easy enough - it merely involves changing the statistics of each driver before each "race", hence effectively changing the driver. As for the retirements, I suppose if I whacked down the "Car Failure Probability" below the level I set it at for the most reliable F1RMGP car, it should work well. And I suppose the best thing is, I can enter 26 cars for the Endurance Race, cripple the 14th team in the original game, and make sure all 26 cars qualify every time, thus not running the risk of a car at the back of the field in GP1 accidentally not qualifying "in the middle of the race".

I've got some internet downtime coming up from the 23rd to the 28th, most likely, so get your suggestions in now. Would you all like to see an F1RMGP Endurance Race (or two?), would you like to participate, and have you all further suggestions on how I should run it?

By the way, the reason I've opted (most probably) for a GT race rather than LMPs is because of the diversity of the cars and teams that could appear. Already I see a Koenigsegg of some sort, run by Viking Racing and driven by Jan Magnussen, Þorvaldur Einarsson and Stefan Johansson... or maybe Kevin Magnussen could have a go? And then there's the F1RM Dream Team of HWNSNBM, Chris Dagnall and Jean-Denis Délétraz in... something big and Australian, maybe an old Holden Monaro with an extra-powerful engine shoved where the rear seats used to be (as if the original wasn't enough). Think also of Super Aguri with three Japanese drivers in a Honda NSX, how about some of the WEC teams join in so the women can compete with their menfolk on a level field, and it wouldn't surprise me if Timo Glock, Jérôme d'Ambrosio and Charles Pic turned up in a Marussia B1 painted in Virgin Racing colours. Oh, and Zoran Stefanovic trying to enter in a Zastava Koral that has a tank engine hanging out the back.

[dr-baker]

Now, where's the 'like' button?

[This]

great

i'd personally love to see as much possible 'national pride' racing teams, with manufacturers from as many countries possible. Always a plus if we never heared of a certain manufacturer.

[eurobrun]

Now, where's the 'like' button?

Seconded

[Ferrarist]

I smell epic things in the making.

[dinizintheoven]

great
i'd personally love to see as much possible 'national pride' racing teams, with manufacturers from as many countries possible. Always a plus if we never heared of a certain manufacturer.

I was going to mention, Team Wales and Team Australia, who did not get into the F1RMGP Main Series, might want to give this a crack.

Bear in mind, this is still a long way from being reality - or at least as close to reality as Alternative Championships can ever get.

[eurobrun]

Team Australia is interested

[BlindCaveSalamander]

great
i'd personally love to see as much possible 'national pride' racing teams, with manufacturers from as many countries possible. Always a plus if we never heared of a certain manufacturer.

I was going to mention, Team Wales and Team Australia, who did not get into the F1RMGP Main Series, might want to give this a crack.

Bear in mind, this is still a long way from being reality - or at least as close to reality as Alternative Championships can ever get.

Well, HRT should also get a shot at this, given that they are the Spanish national team as well.

[DanielPT]

I love this idea and I put forward a suggestion to another team. An all Portuguese team led by UMM. They went to Dakar but never had the chance of building other cars due to a lack of investment. Imagine if things went other way... Besides there are plenty of former F1 drivers around and possible prospects (like Parent, an ex-almost Virgin testing driver and of course the former RoC champion Albuquerque). We can also have Domingos Piedade ( a journalist) as team manager since he once had close ties to F1, namely Ayrton Senna. For the design and mechanical team you also can chose to have this. It came around a couple of years ago and has never been spoken of since but it still counts as an effort! It is everything beautifully rejectful (except Monteiro who is a lucky bastard).

[dr-baker]

I love this idea and I put forward a suggestion to another team. An all Portuguese team led by UMM. They went to Dakar but never had the chance of building other cars due to a lack of investment. Imagine if things went other way... Besides there are plenty of former F1 drivers around and possible prospects (like Parent, an ex-almost Virgin testing driver and of course the former RoC champion Albuquerque). We can also have Domingos Piedade ( a journalist) as team manager since he once had close ties to F1, namely Ayrton Senna. For the design and mechanical team you also can chose to have this. It came around a couple of years ago and has never been spoken of since but it still counts as an effort! It is everything beautifully rejectful (except Monteiro who is a lucky bastard).

If Pedro de la Rosa can come back for HRT, Pedro Lamy could drive for a Portuguese team couldn't he? (After all, he's still active in sportscars isn't he?).

[FMecha]

Interesting. Team Wales is interested in nations endurance idea. The unraced TP14 shall be usable for this.

[DanielPT]

I love this idea and I put forward a suggestion to another team. An all Portuguese team led by UMM. They went to Dakar but never had the chance of building other cars due to a lack of investment. Imagine if things went other way... Besides there are plenty of former F1 drivers around and possible prospects (like Parent, an ex-almost Virgin testing driver and of course the former RoC champion Albuquerque). We can also have Domingos Piedade ( a journalist) as team manager since he once had close ties to F1, namely Ayrton Senna. For the design and mechanical team you also can chose to have this. It came around a couple of years ago and has never been spoken of since but it still counts as an effort! It is everything beautifully rejectful (except Monteiro who is a lucky bastard).

If Pedro de la Rosa can come back for HRT, Pedro Lamy could drive for a Portuguese team couldn't he? (After all, he's still active in sportscars isn't he?).

Yes he could. He is an official Peugeot driver and usually drives at Le Mans and Le Mans series whenever an official Peugeot team participates.

[This]

i hope you can make a Team Holland Spykerpulling a caravan, we just need stereotypes If not possible, a backwards-driving DAF would also be suitable.

[Wizzie]

Besides there are plenty of former F1 drivers around and possible prospects (like Parent, an ex-almost Virgin testing driver and of course the former RoC champion Albuquerque).

The fact that no F1 teams have even considered Filipe Albuquerque for a drive is a travesty. Even in A1GP's dying days and the depleted field, he stood out as someone who had big things in his future.

[DanielPT]

Besides there are plenty of former F1 drivers around and possible prospects (like Parent, an ex-almost Virgin testing driver and of course the former RoC champion Albuquerque).

The fact that no F1 teams have even considered Filipe Albuquerque for a drive is a travesty. Even in A1GP's dying days and the depleted field, he stood out as someone who had big things in his future.

I think it is because he went a bit AWOL in his second season of FR3.5 and never really settled in GP2. His career was going down fast until he fluked that RoC victory. If he manages to succeed in DTM perhaps he can do a Di Resta but I doubt it since he was a bit anonymous this year and in the shadow of Mortara.