Project Blueprint

[Pure GT]

Having just finished reading the current edition of Australian Muscle Car magazine, there is a very informative article on this topic.
How does everybody here percieve the initiatives that have been adopted from TEGA suggestions?

[moffman]

I don't really care what they do as long as the racing is more exciting

[woodbine]

But if the cars are the same will the racing be better?

[moffman]

Most probably not

[RaceTime]

How often does it have to be said?

The cars are already very close - Project Blueprint will only make then closer.

Sounds good - but how can one car that is capable of lapping in nn.nnnn seconds be able to pass a car that is, to all intents and purposes, exactly the same under the shell and capable of a lap time of nn.nnnn???

IOW - all they are doing is making the cars lap at the same speed/time - and this does NOT allow for passing in any way,shape or form.

IOW - nose to tail racing - whoerver manages to get pole AND has a good start in theory (and most likely practice) will stay out front knowing they cannot be passed on the track.

Thus the artificial pit stops...

[silvervsix]

Have to agree with racetime about boring races blueprint will make the races about how you get off the line and how the team goes with pit work. That is why they have made the races longer this year as it increases the chance of something going wrong for teams and drivers so we my not get a HRT cake walk this year and a surprise result. eg a non HRO or SBR or Prodrive winner .

[moffman]

Prodrive winner? I hope so but could be wishful thinking

[Rhys_00]

I think forget about parity altogether, but I think I already said that somewhere.., just say, "Here are the rules boys, go for it."
Not 'ooh ooh no front downforce on the Ford, too much rear downforce', etc, let them work that out. Same for Holden.
Should be that simple

[RaceTime]

But but but that would take intelligence to work out....the only intellgence currently being shown by the organisers is 'Money, money, money - let's get all we can get...'

[DAVID PATERSON]

...before the bubble blows.

[mmciau]

Other forums suggested OB is a subterfuge - the Ford reaer suspension mounting points were a contributing factor in non-handling, more so than aero packages

Mike

[275 GTB-4]

Originally posted by RaceTime
How often does it have to be said?

The cars are already very close - Project Blueprint will only make then closer.

Sounds good - but how can one car that is capable of lapping in nn.nnnn seconds be able to pass a car that is, to all intents and purposes, exactly the same under the shell and capable of a lap time of nn.nnnn???

IOW - all they are doing is making the cars lap at the same speed/time - and this does NOT allow for passing in any way,shape or form.

IOW - nose to tail racing - whoerver manages to get pole AND has a good start in theory (and most likely practice) will stay out front knowing they cannot be passed on the track.

Thus the artificial pit stops...

Race you really have hit the nail on the head, look at the Vees, FF or say MGFs and what do you see? a snake! The difference is that Vees and FFs are narrow enough amd nimble enough to inject some cut and thrust....

Blueprint = processions-are-us, kinda makes you hanker for the Group A days where a bunch of different manufacturers strutted there stuff and entertained a lot of people...

[RaceTime]

Vees and FF's also don't have the added problem of aerodynamics stopping overtaking moves - if anything each category is designed so that slip streaming and overtaking CAN take place. In V8's slipstreaming usually ends up with an overheated engine or, at worst, an accident...

But, as I said, the controller of this category can't see this at all...

[woodbine]

Vees and FFs also have less experienced drivers who are more likely to make a mistake and allow another car through

[RaceTime]

Not necessarily - there are some very experienced drivers in these categories.

But the point remains - they are designed with racing and passing in mind - unlike V8's.

[spook]

Your close to the money Racetime. When everything is equal - power, handling, brakes & balls - the only way to overtake is slipstreaming and arriving at the next corner first. But you must have cars that make a good hole in the air (that's why it's harder in a F/Vee than a V8), and circuits with enough straights to setup a slipstream - that's why the QLD500 racing was so good - long straights to setup slipstream and then passing moves happen.

[Crash Test]

Mt theory is still that the faster the racing series, the harder it is to overtake. F1 - CART - V8s - etc going down the line. Ok, CART's superspeedways etc make overtaking much easier, but heck, if you had a FVee race at Fontana, you'd probably get them 18 wide, with another 7 on the grass...

[RaceTime]

Maybe you would - but the point is the design of the car is such that overtaking and slipstreaming to overtake is encouraged - doing so doesn't put an undue stress on the cars aerodynamics of cause it to overheat.

[elephino]

It also helps that they have an extra few seconds along each of the long straights.

[Crash Test]

So what has changed since 93?

Surely the cars aren't that much different?

The tracks haven't changed that much?

Does it all come down to people having tyres that do different things at different parts of the race?

[RaceTime]

What's changed?

More efficient air dams, spoilers, brakes, suspension, transmission.

They have all been made so similar it isn't funny.

[Pure GT]

Originally posted by moffman
I don't really care what they do as long as the racing is more exciting

This is exactly the point. If the cars are travelling around Bathurst in a road train procession, running 2min 7's it's still going to be boring. However if the cars were able to overtake and out brake each other and the lap times fall back to 2.15's would we really care? I know that I wouldn't. I can go down to the local railway line and watch a goods train pass and obtain the same level of satisfaction that I have at the moment. As much as it pains me to say, sitting on top of the mountain after a little bit of rain the only category to put a lump in my throat has been the HQ's. Who knows what is going to happen when they come up to skyline

[RaceTime]

On the same tack - would it matter if they were only capable of 2min 20's if they could pass???

[pete55]

One good thing about this year will be that races will be longer bringing more variations into the factor. Now if we had say two or three pit windows between certain laps and cars had to nominate which two of the three windows they would come in and do their stop for tyres and the one for fuel that would add another variation to the race. I would still like to see 2 drivers in every race though , that would bring much more excitement to the series.
Leave the AGP and Surfers races etc as non championship races

[RaceTime]

What will be different about them? They will still only be having articifial pit stops.

If the pit stops were made mandatory from a finishing view point it might be different, but unfortunately to say you must pit between laps n and nn and not while the safety car is on the track takes any resemblence to using tactics and intelligence right out of the equation.