[Keith317]

Hi,

I am not sure if this is best placed in this section or in the digital/SSD section. If I've got it wrong then please feel free to move.

The issue is this. I am in the process of building a SSD track that will be digital and designed for solo use only versus five ghost/pace cars.

This guy has no friends, I hear you say - go out and get a life.

The track will be in my home office and, as I work for an anglo-australian company I am often on the phone late night and early mornings. Furthermore, I am often listening to a presentation with the phone on mute. So, if it gets really dull what better to liven it up than a bit of slot racing.

Now - my question.

Given I will be racing only against pace cars, are there any real pitfalls I need to be aware of in designing the track for maximum enjoyment and longevity. My initial thought was to make the track fairly slow with limited passing places so there's a lot of work getting around the traffic. In setting up the speed of the pace cars, I assume I am limited to the speed that keeps them on at the slowest part of tre track. So, does that mean that R1 hairpins are a real no-no (a pity as they are space savers)? Are there any particular pieces/configurations I should avoid?

Any and all suggestions welcome.

 

[Ade]

hi
i have run five pacer's in the past with a R1 hairpin bend and as long as the track was dust free and the tyres were cleaned by rolling them across some sticky tape they would lap very nicely.

In the end though i did remove the hairpin and use the R1 sections in conjunction with R3 and R4 sections,this did speed up things a peg or two.

Just avoid squeezes and crossover chicanes as carnage is then a cert.

 

[MrFlippant]

No squeezes of any kind. That's about it.
The other important stuff:
1) Pacers should be stuck down magnet cars (silicone or other good tires, too)
2) YOUR cars should be slower, less/no magnets, lesser tires
3) set one pacer in each lane, with no lane change, OR 1 pacer with lane changing.
You could set multiple cars per lane with no changing, but each lane will just build up a train of pacers. If you allow lane changing with more than one pace car, you'll be lucky to get a few laps before they crash into each other.
Then, set your best lap with the car you're driving, and set the pacer to get just a little faster lap than yours.

 

[Keith317]

Thanks both

Some very good advice there. I can see the merit of "handicapping" my car vs the pacers. I had, though, thought that my life could be made harder by lots of chicanes restricting my available passing opportunities. Surely the only problem there is on the leadin so long vs short does not make a huge difference.

I was also keen on using five pacers on the basis there's more to pass. I like the idea, though, of having two of those that do not change lanes.

I shall certainly use the mixed corners approach as I think a key part of this is to keep up the challenge. Trouble is it presses the space a bit.

Maybe there is a sort of optimisation with number of cars vs track length?

Welcome all opinions as usual.

 

[MrFlippant]

Above all else, the track should be fun for you to drive, even just one car. To that end, here are my personal suggestions that seem to help keep interest in a layout high over a long period of time. Fortunately, with sectional track, you can always change it later.

1) get the LONGEST straight you can possibly fit, regardless of the shape of your area. Only one per lap, as you'll be doing MANY laps. Having a track that is ALL technical will lead you to long for opportunities to open it up and "see what she can do". Similarly, tracks with many long straights get boring with a lot of full-on/full-off driving.
2) fill the remaining space with a VARIETY of turn types: wide sweeping turn; hairpin; increasing radius; decreasing radius; parabolic... look for the "show me your curves" thread for a lot of great ideas shared by several members for inspiration.
3) Depending on your preferred type of racing and DIY skills, try to get the pit lane in there, and maybe a couple racing line CLCs. The pit lane usually fits best along side your long straight, but can also be nested inside a turn or two, or other clever ideas.

Once you get a good layout for your space, you can worry about what combination of pace cars works best on your track.

If you have some layout ideas, please feel free to post them up. We'd love to see them. Or, if you're stumped and need some suggestions, let us know what size/shape your table/room is and we can offer some ideas.

 

[Keith317]

Thanks for that. Yes, that approach makes sense - I was probably getting too hung up on the pacer aspect.

So, I'll make it fun to drive first and then add pacers as the track will bear.

Many thanks