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      07-22-2008, 01:59 PM   #1
T Bone
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Learn VIR with Videogames

I am doing the 2 day advanced M school in a few weeks at VIR. Anyone know if VIR is in any video game on the PC or XBOX360? An accurate version anyway.

I want to learn the track abit before beating on the new M3
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      07-23-2008, 06:58 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T Bone View Post
I am doing the 2 day advanced M school in a few weeks at VIR. Anyone know if VIR is in any video game on the PC or XBOX360? An accurate version anyway.

I want to learn the track abit before beating on the new M3
I'm pretty sure there aren't any (yet anyway). Hopefully that will change in the future. Your best bet is to just review the many on-line videos of the track. I think at the M-school you run Full course, South course and Patriot course. They also make you use DSC the whole time, so for a very experienced driver, you don't really get to learn how to drive the car properly (but it will keep 95% of people out of serious trouble). Full course is a boat-load of information for a 1st timer to learn, especially novice drivers. Don't underestimate the difficulty in lapping Patriot course with a good time -- it is profoundly challenging to do "right".

Enjoy! It will be a fun experience for sure.

Chuck
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      07-23-2008, 09:34 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by CSBM5 View Post
I'm pretty sure there aren't any (yet anyway). Hopefully that will change in the future. Your best bet is to just review the many on-line videos of the track. I think at the M-school you run Full course, South course and Patriot course. They also make you use DSC the whole time, so for a very experienced driver, you don't really get to learn how to drive the car properly (but it will keep 95% of people out of serious trouble). Full course is a boat-load of information for a 1st timer to learn, especially novice drivers. Don't underestimate the difficulty in lapping Patriot course with a good time -- it is profoundly challenging to do "right".

Enjoy! It will be a fun experience for sure.

Chuck

Thanks Chuck, good to see you here.

I actually turned on MDM at the regular M School without people knowing and will likely do the same here.

Not as free as DSC off but then again it isn't a race.

Just want to try out the new M3
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      07-23-2008, 09:59 AM   #4
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Here's a write-up by Chuck Hawks on driving the Patriot Course. It won't make any sense without studying a track map of it in addition to watching video though.

My biggest comment would be to remember to NEVER lift as you crest the hill through turn 3. If you're in too hot, stay on the throttle with maintenance throttle and use the track and/or grass. People have had a lot of trouble in that spot and the end up in the Armco on the right after they panic and lift.

You'll find that the Patriot course is full of camber changes coupled with elevation changes. Like I mentioned before, it is very challenging to do right. We had the 2005 BMWCCA Oktoberfest autocross competition on it (with added cones to keep speeds in check) by the way.

Somewhere I have some video a friend took years ago of a lap -- I'll check later to see if it is on-line someplace.

Cheers,
Chuck
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      07-23-2008, 10:05 AM   #5
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Nevermind...found a nice video with Mike Skeen driving at my local club's time trial a few years back. You can hear him getting pretty light going over the crest at turn 3 (and see why this is a place that you don't want to lift ).

Chuck
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      07-23-2008, 01:17 PM   #6
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There's a great PC game called rFactor. You basically buy a license to the game for about $30 (it comes with about 6 tracks and 10 cars or something) and after that you can download tons of cars and tracks for free from the community. The game is awesome, extremely real if you want it to be, but it takes a little while to configure it to your liking becuase it's so detailed. After that, there is NO WAY you can't improve your driving by playing it, especially if you have that g25 wheel with the shifter and pedals (it also works on ps3 with gran turismo 5).

Game:
http://rfactor.net/index.php?page=downloads

Wheel:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826104028

Download VIR track:
http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail...inia%20Raceway

Download M3 GTR conversion (they don't have e92 M3 yet, this is closest I think):
http://www.rfactorcentral.com/detail...%20M3GTR%20Cup

Good video of the game in use:



The rest of the cars/tracks are great as well, you can get them all from www.rfactorcentral.com, try out the ones liested in their "hall of fame" section.. good stuff.
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Last edited by slikk66; 07-23-2008 at 04:26 PM..
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      07-27-2008, 05:34 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slikk66 View Post
There's a great PC game called rFactor.
Thanks. I was referred to this game by another friend. I downloaded it last night along with VIR, Mosport and few other mods. What a great game!

I have alot of experience at Mosport and the track in rFactor was really good. You could almost feel the elevation changes and the road camber changes.

I played VIR (full track) last night with the M3GTR and the 08 BMW F1 car. Awesome. I got down to sub 2 minutes in the M3 and 1:28 in the F1 car....

I just hope it is accurate


Quote:
Originally Posted by CSBM5 View Post
My biggest comment would be to remember to NEVER lift as you crest the hill through turn 3. If you're in too hot, stay on the throttle with maintenance throttle and use the track and/or grass. People have had a lot of trouble in that spot and the end up in the Armco on the right after they panic and lift.
I will be driving the north, south and full courses and unfortunately not the Patriot.

In the game, the Roller Coaster and Oak Tree were really tough to get a handle. The snake took a lot of playing around to see where to life / brake etc....

I look forward to driving it in person!
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      07-27-2008, 07:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T Bone View Post
In the game, the Roller Coaster and Oak Tree were really tough to get a handle. The snake took a lot of playing around to see where to life / brake etc....

I look forward to driving it in person!
There seem to be two common lines into Oak Tree, one used by lower power cars and one by higher power/heavier cars. I'm generalizing of course...just an observation. Driving the M5, I drive the latter, usually entering Oak heavily trail braking and maybe 2 feet off the apex at 11 and then rolling on full throttle with the car pointing to the turn-in point for 11a, heavy braking and sharply turning into Oak, hitting the apex and then a nice balancing act of opening up the wheel and rolling on the power on exit as it is downhill and somewhat off-camber. The track from 11 to the 11a turn-in point is slightly uphill and on-camber, you can get some really good braking into the turn-in point. A good exit speed out of Oak really yields benefit as you have over 4000' of back straight.

I think in the M-advanced school you'll walk some of the corners, so really pay attention to the camber and elevation changes while walking -- it's a great experience to walk the corners followed by driving them.

I'm far an expert on VIR, but here is a write-up by Peter Krause about VIR full that you might find useful.

Make sure to report back on the fun...perhaps over on m5board!

Regards,
Chuck
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      07-28-2008, 01:33 PM   #9
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They actually did release an e92 M3 mod for the game, I got it the other day, it seems pretty damn good to me. Check out the interior view!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YZUIFNU2
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      09-09-2008, 06:50 AM   #10
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I made it down to VIR. Starting the 2 day Advanced M School in 40 minutes. Great facilities here.

I will be driving SMG M5 / M6s and 6MT M3s. Dang, I wish I could have tried out the MDCT at the track.

Should be fun. By chance anyone else here?

I did about 200 laps in rFactor to learn this track....hope the video game is accurate!
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      09-09-2008, 07:45 AM   #11
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Enjoy! You'll LOVE the elevation change that you can't get a good sense for on the video game. The weather looks ify today and tomorrow looks like rain here, so you'll definitely get some wet track practice.

If you get on Patriot course, really mentally soak up the elevation coupled with camber changes as those are the key to doing it well. You'll find that you really need to manage the throttle well heading into the corkscrew uphill else the front will push away (or in the M-school case, DSC will be going off heavily).

I think you do South course also which is a blast. You get to do the corkscrew the other way, and there are some interesting lines you can take down through there.

The BMW guys are great though. They make events like this so much fun.

Chuck
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      09-09-2008, 01:24 PM   #12
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Since this thread started, they've released www.iRacing.com They claim its like a simulator "service" rather than a game, you have to pay monthly and it's all done over the web.

They do have VIR in the game, as well as Laguna Seca & Infineon (plus others) with all the course configurations and they claim to "laser scan" all of the tracks so they are perfectly accurate, including trees and surrounding buildings used as reference points.

Compared to any other sims I've played this one seems the most realistic by far, I ended up getting the yearly membership and I enjoy it very much, haven't really touched rFactor since switching to it.

I think I have an extra promotion code, if anyone wants it PM me.
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      09-09-2008, 04:48 PM   #13
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First day went great. The M3 6MT was alot of fun.....you can definitely feel the need for more power on the straights but cuts a sharp line.

The M5 / M6 have the power but not the turn in finese of the M3.... We did the North and South courses. We had 40 minutes on the full course.

The track itself is amazing....I absolutely love the esses and corner 10 and the roller coaster.

We are going to do lapping on the Patriot and Full courses in the M3 and M6 tomorrow. I will do a full report in a couple of days.....

BTW, get rFactor video for anyone that wants to learn a new track.....very accurate....clearly it doesn't replace the real deal.....

I will try the new game....
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      09-16-2008, 08:00 PM   #14
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see http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...79#post3329479
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