You can ignore the more advanced displays in the telemetry program to begin with and simply use it to view speed ('mph'/'kmh') at the various turns and straights - you highlight a turn by drawing a box around it (like you would in a paint program) and then the telemetry program will tell you what your minimum, maximum and average speeds were during that turn. If you compare it to a faster lap by someone else you can see exactly how much more speed they carry through each turn than you do - at some turns there might be nothing in it while at others you might lose lots of time. You can also check straight line speed by highlighting a section towards the end of the main straights and see exactly what speed you are reaching compared to a quicker driver.
Those are very basic ways of viewing the telemetry information - once you've learnt all of that you can try highlighting much smaller sections of the circuit; for example concentrate only on the entry or exit of a turn to get a more detailed insight into where you lose the time and it won't be long before you are comparing ride heights, suspension travel, tyre temperatures, braking inputs, gearing... it's all in there if you are prepared to spend a bit of time to learn it. If you are unsure about what certain things mean or you don't think you are reading something correctly you can always ask on the forums and I'm sure someone will be able to help.

Telemetry is an extremely accurate way of looking at your laps, comparing your laps with those of faster drivers or even just comparing setups and minor setup changes - I recommend it 100%.


13. Talent.

Does it really exist? Or can we all reach the level of 'best in the world'..?

Well talent certainly exists and I believe everybody has some - you should never under-estimate what you personally can achieve. I think one of the main areas where talent is clear is when you are learning you techniques - how long does it take to learn them? And how long does it take to learn them so well that they become second nature?
A few months ago (when F1 2002 was the main F1 sim) I was speaking to someone online about the game - he was quite quick and clearly had ability (driving with no aids) but because I was around 1 second per lap quicker he asked me how my lap times were possible, asking me if I knew some kind of "cheat" or something which made me faster. Of course I didn't have any cheat but rather than be insulted by the question I simply told him about the steering wheel settings and some of my driving techniques. A few days later he jumped ahead of me at the FindTheLimit hotlap site; he was on my pace almost instantly.

I'm not sure how he improved so quickly but he obviously learnt fast and he beat some of my best times. That to me was a good display of talent. I was a bit shocked of course but not actually 'bothered' by it - I am always looking to improve just as everyone else is, so whether someone jumps ahead of me in the process isn't important. I have improved since that time and I continue to work hard on my driving technique. Maybe I should email him again and ask him for some advice about going faster...

I don't consider myself particularly talented and yet I aim for the times set by the most talented drivers I have ever seen. Yes I do think they are more talented than me but they are also more experienced, they practice very hard and they know a lot about car setup and telemetry. I still believe that if I keep looking to improve I will one day reach the same level as the best, it might just take me a bit longer to get there.


14. Closing Comments.

Hopefully this guide will be useful for beginners as well as the more advanced drivers - some of the setup information might seem totally obvious to someone who has had the game for months but it might be useful to someone who is completely new to the game. Of course the information here is only based on my opinions and experiences - other people may have different ways of improving speed and use different techniques.
At least I can close this text knowing I have given everything; I have included all the information I have about driving F1 sims and I haven't held anything back. I have also done my best to make it as clear as I possibly can.
I used to be very slow; when I first started driving F1 sims my lap times were around 5 seconds per lap slower than they are now. The information provided here is what I used to improve my performance and hopefully it will help others to do the same.

Please don't expect too much too soon. If you have read this guide and you think you have found a few useful tips you still shouldn't go into your next practice session expecting to see new lap records - if you are changing steering wheel settings it will still take a good few laps to get used to them and if you are trying out new driving techniques it can take many laps of practice to get them right.
Practice is surely the most important process when you are trying to improve and I know it can sometimes be very hard - if improvements in speed aren't appearing maybe it is best to take a break but please don't give up. I've been guilty many times of thinking I can't go any faster but other drivers have always told me that I will continue to improve and in time I always have.

So I end the guide using the same advice with which I started - "practice"; And don't ever believe you have reached the limit of your abilities because there's a 99.9% chance that you haven't.

Don't doubt yourself.

ForthRight.
(Craig Cookson).
CrimsonSuicide@Hotmail.com

__________
__________


A huge thank you to these people for their contributions to the guide;
Dominik Binz, Eric Alexander, Markus Kononen.

And a very special thank you to all the people who have helped me with my own driving over the years;
Joze Rozman, Dom Duhan, Adam Dodd, Eric Alexander, Chris Phillips, Max Dell'Orco, Jonne Vink, Ivan Polendo, Stanislav Zabelin, Andy von Gerard, Dave Nicol, Brad McGiveron, Markus Kononen, Greger Huttu, Alx Danielsson, Dominik Binz, Dennis Johansen, Keiji Maeda, and Dave Collins (for making me see the benefits of creating my own setups).

Without these people I would never have improved as much as I have over the past 3 years and this guide would never have been written.. Thank you.


15. Useful Links.

The High Gear Forums;
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~hg/forum/index.php

F1 Challenge 2003 Season Addons;
www.emacf1.com

Formula SimRacing League;
http://www.formula-simracing.org/wo...nship/index.asp

The F1RST Main, Hotlap and Chapionship Sites;
www.f1rst2.com
http://hotlaps.f1rst2.com
http://rh2003.f1rst2.com

Tantra 2003 Track Downloads;
http://spider.m4driving.sm/download.html

Racesim Central Sim News;
http://www.racesimcentral.com

Team Redline Online Sim Racing Team;
www.teamredline.co.uk

01Ferrari-Fan's Speed Zone (lots of tweaks and utilities);
http://lvbf1sims.net

RacerAlex Car Setup Guide;
http://w3.enternet.hu/iroland/html/af1.htm

ForthRight.
(Craig Cookson).

Published on: 2005-05-11 (34176 reads)