Doc Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 So...our numbers seem to be dropping off significantly as the season progresses. Any input from you all as to why this is happening? I think the racing has been great and the commentary on YouTube by Justin Michael and Andrew Fawcett has been excellent as well along with the camera work by Michael Derby. I will see if we can get some other prizes finalized with Mike and announced soon. I know for a fact he is watching the races with great interest and we (CCES) are firmly committed to the success of this series now and into the future as evidenced by the grand prizes of a free actual race being offered to the 2 Championship winning drivers. I would really like any input you can give me... Thanks, Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvumtnbkr Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 My issue is time. We have a 2 year old and an infant now. I did a few races and got in the way.... it has been awhile since I did iracing.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morganf Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 27 minutes ago, wvumtnbkr said: My issue is time. We have a 2 year old and an infant now. I did a few races and got in the way.... it has been awhile since I did iracing.... Same situation and for that reason I hate the monthly pricing structure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcford80 Posted April 16, 2018 Report Share Posted April 16, 2018 As the actual race season (April is packed) has started I've been less able to hop into the Thursday night races. I hope that free's up soon though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvot Posted April 16, 2018 Report Share Posted April 16, 2018 I feel like there are still nearly as many cars finishing in front of me as there were two rounds ago but not near as many "backmarkers" to run around with me in the back. I assume since the prizes only go to the winner most of us that have zero shot have left. I dunno. I haven't. I bought the steering wheel and built a cheap PC just to do iracing with this league. I'm not in it to win it and am using it as a convenient scheduled way to race with regular folks on real tracks I may go to or have already been too while learning how it works and having fun. I personally would prefer some basic alterations to the car be allowed (sway bar and tire pressures maybe if possible). Maybe a different night would work for more people. Might be worth a survey. The day of the week works for me very well and the time is great. I would likely have way more difficulty if it was earlier and definitely wouldn't want it on a weekend. Possible random small prizes for participation to increase car counts. Maybe a caveat that to be eligible you have to finish within one lap of the leader and have less than "X" incidence. Just something to give an incentive for increased participation. Donations from series sponsors? The points system and structure maybe could use some work. Its a little disheartening that if I had entered as a street stock in every race I would have a higher points total running last than running the miata which simulates my car better and hopefully carries over to the real world better for me. The live streaming is phenomenal, the racing has overall been great and I'm having enough fun to stick with it but if falloff continues significantly I will likely lose interest. Just some thoughts and I don't think I have any real solutions, just ideas. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jass Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 @Doc I have a lot of ideas, some of them are actually good. Here is one. 1) Show up money, $5-10 per round for championship event paid in ChampBux only if you make X of the thirteen races. I would say 13/13 because I am hard core but Mike might be more generous and go for 10-11 rounds because we all have something thats more important than racing in our lives. This would pay for the racers annual license much in the same way that some people use their iRacing credits that are paid quarterly for regular participation in official series to pay for their annual iRacing license fees (subscription). I have another or two I'd like to discuss after an upcoming video is released. Let's wait and see what Bill caught Mike committing to on camera. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC_CRapshoot Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) Personally the long practice and qualifying sessions are my main issue. 30 minute practice followed by 30 minute qualifying and a 60 minute race would condense the time requirement. Plus it would reduce sessions that are waaaay to long and get us to the good stuff...racing. Edited April 17, 2018 by JC_CRapshoot wording 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1071 Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Thursdays are tough for me, and its race season, been working on the car. all summer i also run an r/c racing track on most thursday nights. Monday nights would be better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) @JC_CRapshoot - to your point, you don't have to be present for the whole session, most times I register at 8:45pm, do 4 laps of quali and then get ready to race - the extended practice is there as an option for those drivers who would welcome the practice time in this specific car/track/weather combo. Edited April 17, 2018 by Rapido 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC_CRapshoot Posted April 18, 2018 Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 15 hours ago, Rapido said: @JC_CRapshoot - to your point, you don't have to be present for the whole session, most times I register at 8:45pm, do 4 laps of quali and then get ready to race - the extended practice is there as an option for those drivers who would welcome the practice time in this specific car/track/weather combo. Oh I know. It still ties up a large chunk of keeping track though. I just believe it would be easier for many to dedicate 2 hours in its entirety. Just my 2 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technical Advisory Committee NigelStu Posted April 20, 2018 Technical Advisory Committee Report Share Posted April 20, 2018 I was just chatting with one of the guys from Attrition group (number of them ran with us early on, then most of them have missed most of the recent races), who mentioned he never sees races being hosted. For anyone NOT on the forum or is not so iRacing savy, limited advanced warning on iRacing League sessions may have something to do with it. And with that said - current points system with 1 prize may have been part of reduced counts. No drop weeks, 1 prize, a few incredible drivers = everyone already sees that there is no potential prize for them. Recommendations: -Allow drop weeks -Keep points system for ChampCar members only (already have the adjustment column, could use it to separate out those from other groups) -Take some prizes down the order. Nothing special costly needed, but we all like to win fun things. Is it possible to make digital trophies as cool as the real ChampCar ones? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 West coast practice races are boring. It’s usually me and maybe 3 others. For a race we are lucky to have 10. East coast races are way more fun but making it home and getting into the game before 6pm pst is damn near impossible. I say bump the east coast race to 10:30 EST/7:30PST (same thing the NHL does) and cancel the west coast series. This later start will help the east coast drivers with families (kids are probably in bed) and help the west coast drivers have enough time to get home from work (liberals don’t have kids). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaron_roch Posted April 22, 2018 Report Share Posted April 22, 2018 Going back to a single series (no east vs. west) would seem to make sense at this point. We will never settle on a good time for both east & west coasters. I would humbly suggest anything after 10pm eastern race start is pushing it too late in the east. How do we effectively solicit participation from Champ racers who don’t read the forum? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boyd2241 Posted April 23, 2018 Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 (edited) I would also say that having 2-3 drop weeks for the season would be my vote. I have gotten lucky so far with my work schedule. I was able to get on an earlier flight back from Denver for the Daytona race. I would also like to see some more clarification on how the rules/ points work. The whole one winner but 2 cars running for 40 points a week is a bit surprising. Especially if you run a street stock in the west coast , instant winner of 40 points. Then there are also people running both series. I don't plan to do any of the practice races, just official. Don't you all have real race cars to work on?! Edited April 23, 2018 by Boyd2241 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0m4d Posted April 23, 2018 Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 (edited) 19 hours ago, Jamie said: I say bump the east coast race to 10:30 EST/7:30PST (same thing the NHL does) and cancel the west coast series. This later start will help the east coast drivers with families (kids are probably in bed) and help the west coast drivers have enough time to get home from work (liberals don’t have kids). This 100%! I stopped participating after VIR because it was just too stressful getting everything settled with the family before scurrying off to play race cars. Also, because I'm effectively coming in last place nearly every race. My strategy in real life is to drive as fast as I can while not going off track and not having contact with other cars, which works good because the drivers who are uber fast but tend to off track and bump frequently are more likely to get penalties. It's kind of a strategy to go one way or the other (or both if you have the talent), and that's just the way I've committed to. The sim series really has no viable conservative race strategy so I'm kinda struggling with being the aggressor vs the calculator. Not really a criticism of the series, it's my own shortcoming, but it's why I personally stopped running since Feb. I do plan to jump back in, I just needed some time to work on some sim skills. A schedule change would help a ton though. I was looking forward to the original schedule that had some 10pm races because they would be easier on my schedule. Edited April 23, 2018 by n0m4d 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbaker480 Posted April 23, 2018 Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 I raced week 1 along with @wvumtnbkr, went as far as to upgrade my PC to triple monitor and new CPU/GPU, but time is in limited supply. In order to meet the requirement to have a license I need to invest hours into racing outside the ChampCar Sim Series that I simply don't have right now. For someone who's fighting for the free CCES entry I totally understand how getting some clear simulated track is important but for someone like me who was intending to use the time in track with other Champs/Chumps to improve real world awareness on track I sort of lost interest once I was told I wasn't welcome. I may still do some sim spec Miata racing and get back into the CCSS but for now I have a car to finish for Nelson Ledges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technical Advisory Committee NigelStu Posted April 23, 2018 Technical Advisory Committee Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 ^Time Trials are the easiest / quickest way to bump up your license to D and work on skills at the same time. You can clear the requirements to go from rookie to D within an hour. All it takes is keeping the car on track for 4-9 laps (depending on track). On most tracks, that can be done within 10 min per Time Trial (out lap plus required laps, then exit session and sign up for the next one). Just turn on the racing line and go, 1st session brake early everywhere and use that session to learn the line and approximate braking points and turn speeds. Don't have to worry about speed, lap times or other cars, just run clean laps. You will gradually pick up speed in each TT as you get the basics down on the track. Clear those 4 TTs and you'll have the required license level along with a good understanding of the track so you can concentrate on the others racers instead of where you need be placing the car. I prefer to run a few TTs in prep for any race. Gives me the opportunity to concentrate on the track and get a good baseline on where I'm at compared to other drivers on each track. Once I do a few of those, I'll switch to an open practice with a number of cars so I can get a feel for how the track races; passing points, areas to be cautious, where I'm losing a chunk of time, fuel usage in racing situation, etc. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDFyfe123 Posted April 23, 2018 Report Share Posted April 23, 2018 I run an Iracing league for the oval side of things and frankly that just happens as time wears on. Everyone has many different things to do and as the year wears on the participation starts to go down some. You all are offering pretty much in line or more than what most other Iracing leagues would offer during the course of a season. Broadcasts, prizes etc. I do all of the same things for our main racing series and I still see a drop off from the beginning of the season to when we reach our finale in November. Unless there is a massive drop off I wouldn't think too much of it and just look at it as a natural progression of the league. The trick now it is to find new members to join the league to keep things moving along. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 26, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2018 On 4/22/2018 at 10:55 PM, Boyd2241 said: Don't you all have real race cars to work on?! Why yes we do!!! I've been absent from the last couple of rounds for that exact reason. Daytona and Charlotte within 2 weeks kicked my real world race car's ass and mine with it!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido Posted May 9, 2018 Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 Thanks to everyone for their feedback in this thread, given a lot of good suggestions and ideas for how we can evolve the league going forward. To echo @Doc, we are committed to making this league a success and to grow to become an integral part of the ChampCar community. From my experience in administrating a few other iRacing leagues, growing pains are inevitable in the initial seasons, but it is important to be very receptive to feedback and to continue to encourage a sense of community and fun racing (which I hope we have been doing). The HJ team will be at WGI in a couple of weeks where I will hope to sit down with Doc and Mike to update them with how things are going and to discuss the evolution of the league. Such things we'll review are multiclass racing, drop weeks, points structure, west and east coast leagues, a "rookie" cup, and a prize structure that will extend to lower championship places on a sliding scale. We are also, as a team, in discussion with iRacing as to how we can strengthen our partnership with them and help to support the league going forward. Please feel free to stop by and visit at WGI to discuss anything related to iRacing or the Sim Series, or reach out to me privately on the forum. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 9, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 I've had to alter my plan for going to WGI. Bummed that I won't make it, but Mike will certainly be there. Thanks for everything you do Tom. I have my internet connection back so should be able to finally get back on track (assuming I get my skill level up) tomorrow during the day to meet the licensing requirement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Jass Posted May 9, 2018 Report Share Posted May 9, 2018 3 hours ago, Doc said: I have my internet connection back so should be able to finally get back on track (assuming I get my skill level up) tomorrow during the day to meet the licensing requirement You still have a week, the championship round isn't until the 17th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Hugh Jass said: You still have a week, the championship round isn't until the 17th. OK...I'm an idiot. I was even LOOKING at the schedule!!!! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapido Posted May 10, 2018 Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 See, plenty of time @Doc! Sorry we won't be able to catch up over a beer at WGI, but we'll definitely see you at VIR in August. I'll try and give Mike a quick update as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 9 hours ago, Rapido said: See, plenty of time @Doc! Sorry we won't be able to catch up over a beer at WGI, but we'll definitely see you at VIR in August. I'll try and give Mike a quick update as well. I will certainly be at VIR. Maybe even with my car!!! We will have to do another interview session!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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