www.samiad.co.uk

(this page is currently hideously out of date – I’ll update it at some point!)

Here’s my thoughts on the cars I currently own in iRacing, and the paintjobs that I race under. Click the graphic to see all posts relating to the car.

Rookie Solstice

The Solstice does attract its fair share of haters but I have to say I love it! It is underpowered, yes, and it isn’t a race car, granted, but a slower car tends to bring out closer racing and with a fixed setup the racing is very close. It’s a momentum based car and you really have to keep the speed up through all the turns because any speed lost is not easily recovered (there’s only 177hp under the hood after all).

Advanced Solstice
This is more like it! It is the same car as the rookie variant (same power) but it is provided with a racier, stiffer setup by default and allows some basic chassis adjustments (caster, camber, toe and tyre pressure). I love the fact you don’t get bombarded with setup options at first as they would be overwhelming to a beginner. I find the limited setup choice is still sufficient for me to overhaul the handling of this car as I like, and whilst there is no hidden speed to unlock in the setup I can drive more consistently when I have tailored the setup to my liking. For example, I run the car with high caster settings as this helps make the front end more responsive (more ‘darty’) and I can induce more road feedback from the higher forces transmitted to the wheels (the car has power steering which takes some road feel away).

This is the main car I am driving in 2008 Season 3.

Skip Barber RT2000

The much loved Skip Barber RT2000 was the first purchased vehicle I bought in iRacing. It offers a completely different experience to the Solstice, and has a driving feel straight out of Grand Prix Legends. It’s not the fastest car by any means but the way the chassis handles more than makes up for it. It is sensitive to setup changes and requires a good knowledge and understanding of weight transfer to get the most out from it. It is a very good trainer car and offers the most competitive and well populated races in the entire iRacing service.

Formula Mazda

A very different experience altogether from the cars above. The Formula Mazda is a fast and nimble downforce car, that is very pitch sensitive. As of September 2008 I haven’t logged many laps in the car, but have participated in a few races. I loved the feel of this car, and it seems to drive best when you rev the hell out of it. From my early experience it seems to drive best when kept under control (it’s so twitchy it can easy generate ‘tankslappers’). It’s really amazing taking this car to a previously raced track and then being surprised by how quickly the next corner is upon you!!

Radical SR8

Purchased September 2008. It’s not ‘radically’ (har har) faster than a Mazda, but it is a completely different driving experience. I find this car really demands absolute concentration at all times – certainly through the corners, but even the straights are consumed so quickly that there is little respite. When matched with a good setup and a good track, the feeling from lapping at the limit is sublime…

Riley MkXX Daytona Prototype

And the oval cars…

Rookie Legends

I do enjoy racing with this car but I am not fully in love with the chassis – it seems so alien to me. Racing this car can result in some really weird ’squirty’ slides that can be caught but feel like nothing I’ve ever driven. The beauty in this car is hopping onto the fixed setup races and having a race that is measured in hundreths and thousands of a second, as opposed to minutes!

Even as a fixed setup, rev-limited race car, it can be pretty amazing to see how the fastest of the fast can eek out the extra tenth it takes to win.

Advanced Legends

A bit more fun than the rookie variant, thanks to the unleashed full rev limit and extra horsepower on tap. It introduces a more likely feel to the car and this results in more care with the steering and throttle inputs to prevent spins. Ultimately this means a more involving drive, requiring more concentration than before but also more satisfaction at getting on the limit than driving the rookie legends car.

Also used as a road course car, the unorthodox chassis ‘feel’ (due to the extreme short wheelbase) means that I tend to prefer running ovals with it rather than road courses. I don’t expect to run too many events with this car due to the Late Model being available.

Late Model

For me, this is where the oval ladder truly begins. There’s a decent amount of power on tap, a great engine note, and it runs on some great ovals. I haven’t fully invested myself into late model racing yet, so I’ve not really figured out how to make setups, but I’ve had a good few races and most have been excellent. The car is very driveable and communicative, and it’s a rewarding drive. You can drive it as smoothly or aggressively as you like and the car reacts just as you’d want it to. Plus, if you do managed to get into some accidental contact with another driver, the car can shrug off any loss of grip or near spins admirably (unlike the legends car, which can spin very easily).

SK Modified

More thoughts to come when I log more laps in it.

Silver Crown

More thoughts to come when I log more laps in it.

Chevrolet Silverado

When this truck was released on October 29th I snapped it up. A remarkable addition to the service – everything about this car is just a few steps beyond what I am used to in previous Papyrus games. The sound, the steering feedback, the visuals – all amazing.

When the first session opened up to the public I was there at 00:00GMT and into the first public practice session with this car (along with 200 other eager drivers) and I wasn’t disappointed. Driving in a drafting pack at Daytona was a mesmerising experience and I’ve never felt anything like it before. It truly was as close to the real on board footage that I have ever seen!

More thoughts to come when I’ve actually started setting the truck up and actually raced it!

Chevrolet Impala SS

More thoughts to come when I’ve logged more laps in it.