Training Results - Week of 4/20
04/27/09
I spent 167 minutes riding the prototype last week. 146 laps, almost 3 hours. My best time around the course is now 1:01:68, and I cranked out a couple of sub-1:09 laps while daydreaming, so my technical skills are improving.
The image above shows my per-lap performance during the first 20 laps of Friday’s game play. I spent the first five minutes warming up in low gear. It looks like I shifted up during lap 5 and got in a fast lap while daydreaming.
The Sub-1:00 Lap
Getting around the TORCS racing simulation requires a combination of pedaling effort and technical skill. In order to achieve my goal of a sub-1:00 lap I’m going to have to improve both my steering skills as well as build up my high-end cardio endurance.
For example, the course I’m riding on has a nasty curve right at the start of the lap. I’m gradually increasing my average speed through the curve but if I’m sloppy I’ll crash, coming to a complete stop for ten or more seconds while I try to get my car situated back onto the track. Some of the slower laps (like lap 7 and lap 20) are due to getting my car stuck on the guardrail or doing 3 360’s and sliding off the track.
I raced in Practice mode on Friday (no other cars), so I didn’t have to deal with opponents who bump me from behind or block the track. These are also a big cause of wipeouts that bleed off my momentum around the track.
Racing Strategy
My current strategy is to warm up in low gear, then shift up a single gear and ride a few laps in the higher gear. I don’t decide to go all-out for a record-braking attempt unless I get to a certain point on the track by :40, at which point I’ve found that I can get to the finish line within 20 more seconds if I drive perfectly.
I’m still trying to find the optimal point on the track where I begin pushing all-out to the finish, as well as the optimum gear setting. If I start too soon I get fatigued and my steering gets sloppy.