Brilliantly, was really fun racing and I was really impressed by just how well it went.
Only two minor tweaks I would suggest as a result of it:
1. Tyres wear slightly more over a full, 100%-0% fuel run on green flags. As it was, tyres took twice the time as fuel to go up to 100% in pits, and weared to about 50% in the time it took for fuel to use up 100%. This meant in a long green flag run, there was not really much strategy in terms of tyres, because they were both finished at about the same time. However, if the wear was a little higher so that it was at say, 20-35% by the time you had used up 100% fuel (depending on conservation), then that would be great and would give you the option to take on fuel and only two tyres, or wait a little longer in the pits and take 100% tyres and fuel. This would only really come into play if there was a yellow at the end of a long green flag run..
2. Wear has less EFFECT on the tyres. When the yellow came out with 20 odd laps to go, fsv did a brave move and stayed out for track position while me and burnout went in for tyres (we were all well within the fuel window). It would of being nice, since his tyres were only worn by twenty percent, if he had had a shot at winning the race. I would say, a good guide for where a gamble of staying out over going in MIGHT pay off would be:
20 laps to go - 80-100% tyres
10 laps to go - 60-80% tyres
5 to go - 45-60% tyres
2 to go (so GWC) it may be possible on 30-45%
So the decision of staying out and keeping track position or pitting and having the tyres becomes very real.. it was nice to see a snippet of it with FSV this race, but it would of being great if it had worked.
Onto the racing and what I was impressed with, there was so much. The tyre conservation was really noticeable, somewhere in the mid race, I was driving the low line (more tyre wear) all the time and burn was driving up high about half a second back (lower tyre wear). At the start, I pulled away (we had equalish tyres I think), but then, as my tyres wore faster than his, he started to catch up. This was really satisfying as I could see that the conservation was working well, and different driving styles really where gonna produce drivers who are softer or harder on the tyres.
Like I said, when the last caution came out, it was exciting to decide whether to stay out or not, and it will be good with the real racing due to people reacting to the person in front on a whim just like real NASCAR.
Also, strategy is a lot less about luck now, as fuel milage doesn't really need to come into it so much since if you fuel just what you need to get to the end, your tyres will not be looking good.. although that will be another strategy decision.
As a side note, the racing at charlotte was indeed great, some great bump drafting going on, some places as burn described it it was like pacing at full speed, really great pack racing in formation. And some good three wide and at one point it was two wide all the way back two or three laps into a run. It was great to balance the advantages of each lane not just on speed but also tyre wear.
Altogether a great race and indeed, there will be some great screenshots from it
