R3E Racing Club - Multi-Class

[Michel Bélisle]

I have been searching around and I have found that multi-class is a topic that has been discussed before but I have not found any discussion that is focused on using multi-class for the racing club.

I think that it could provide two benefits.

Recently, some members have expressed that the schedule for the racing club has become a bit of a humdrum. Widening the selection of cars for a given event, might spice things up a bit for members that participate in the club events regularly.

Also, for newbies such as myself, that might be a more comfortable way to participate in club events. Here is an example, if we were to have an event with both GT3 and GT4 cars. As a newbie, I would tend to favour the GT4 car as, at my current level of competence, it is a more manageable car. It's easier for me to keep a GT4 car on the track than a GT3 car at this time.

Also, if I am the only guy with a GT4 car, I could win the race for my class!

For me, it would not make any difference for qualifying, I still would be in the back of the pack anyways. I might get lapped by the front-runners a lap or two faster than usual which is no big deal.

I can see some natural pairings:

• GTR1/GTR2
  
• GTR3/GTR4
• P1/P2

Or, we could be a bit more bold and do something like they do at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where you have P1, P2, GT3 and GT4 all at once on the same track.

I wonder what you guys think?

 

[UMC 22]

I personally have various issues with multi-class racing. First is the way R3E handles the display of multiple classes while racing, which is a problem most of us are already aware of. It leads to confusion during the race at the very least, but that's not the only problem in my view.

Another issue is that every MC race we've run in the past has lead to constant complaints. The fast classes complain that the slower classes aren't diving out of their way the moment they appear in their mirrors. The slow classes complain that the faster classes are being too aggressive when overtaking or lapping them. The impatience/frustration on both sides leads to on-track incidents which are no fun for anybody.

There's also the problem of participation. We simply do not have enough drivers to even consider this kind of event. People already complain on a weekly basis that they are finding themselves in a so-called "no-man's land" during races. This is only going to get worse if you're racing 3-4 guys in your own class rather than the 12-15 guys making up the grid. Again, no fun for anybody. I don't sign up to the idea that running an MC race is suddenly going to result in a grid of 30+ drivers, which is what's needed to make MC racing worthwhile.

I have to admit that on a personal note, I find it hard to see what MC actually brings to the racing itself. I mean, it's fantastic from a spectators point of view because you have the excitement of multiple races all unfolding simultaneously in front of you. But as a driver? You're only racing your own class, the other cars are just obstacles or annoyances, depending how you look at it. I really don't see where the value is in terms of club racing, unless you consider reducing the number of drivers you're racing against as "value".

If/when numbers pick up to a level that would make MC viable then it's worth considering as a kind of special event, but not as a regular feature in the club.

 

[Yetch]

Not that I'm favouring either position but the new HUD is colour coded per class, so not really a problem anymore.
Multi-class is fun (or can be) but it's more for a league event or specific practice rather than fun racing, for as Ross already mentioned, for many it appears to be anything but fun and the numbers are low lately, having to ease myself back in slowly, just a few laps a day, so no rhythm, basically a warm up lap followed by 2-3 fast laps, so I'm not gonna help the numbers anytime soon. League racing seems awfully popular in RR, so a few have moved onto one or other of these and of course there is ACC, DR2, Sol in AC, rF2 improving ........ tough old game to be in, great for the punter, nightmare for Dev's and race organisers alike, I get about 10 races every night of the week popping up on my Discord, can't keep up with it all, even RR's own Mp is pretty loaded most nights, so plenty of drivers out there and it can't be the Sim itself as it just gets better and better. Trouble is we're all so old we're popping our clogs at one end with little new blood coming in at the tother end.

 

[RasmusP]

I can only relate to the mc races I took part in in rf2 but about the no man's land aspect of it:
For me that's not strictly about a race for position! Getting lapped or overtaking the slower class is both fun and if the guys say hello, or react to your "hello", that's pretty cool as you won't ever drive on your own for long.
There's always something happening for you

So for me, multi class is the anti-dote for no man's land!

I agree about the numbers though... 15 drivers is about the minimum I think that are needed..

 

[UMC 22]

For me that's not strictly about a race for position! Getting lapped or overtaking the slower class is both fun and if the guys say hello, or react to your "hello", that's pretty cool as you won't ever drive on your own for long.

In my experience, things are never that friendly even in our "friendly" club races. Instead of "hello", we usually hear "FFS, why didn't you get out of my way?", or "FFS, that really wasn't a good place to try and pass me."

I agree that for some seeing a car fly by at twice their speed may help with the lonely feeling, but to be honest I think most want to be racing people, not just watching them drive by in a class of their own.

 

[Lars Hansen]

Mainly I agree with Ross.
Though I'm also out of MP racing due to odd work-hours, so feel free to ignore me.
But I did want to comment on this:

As a newbie, I would tend to favour the GT4 car as, at my current level of competence, it is a more manageable car. It's easier for me to keep a GT4 car on the track than a GT3 car at this time.

Trust me Michel, as a newcomer you'll want the fastest car you can lay your hands on.
Being in a GT4 and getting constantly lapped by e.g. LMPs is one of the more stressful things I've ever done in sim-racing.
You always have one eye in the mirror, and the spotter is constantly screaming 'Blue Flag!'
It's. . . . Well, it's a lot of things, but 'enjoyable' would not be among them.