Slave to the Game

Replay screenie.

Getting in - The Registration

Finally after registering middle of July, I received an invitation to take iRacing for a run. Our Madnoren took one year to  get an invitation but of course iRacing werent ready for testing until only recently. They have sent out quite a number of  invitation to fill up the number of race series and season that have been newly announced.

So i got my Promotional code and follow the link to the subscription page. The invitation is currently just for USD20.00 per  month and I have sign-in just for that. U can choose other subscription packages (3, 6 or 12 months if u wish to). After a  succesful transaction, i received an email with link to their member page and login from there. I was known as Scarlett  Johannson coz the payment was made with my girlfriend's credit card. The member name automatically follows the one on the  Billing form. I looked at their FAQ abt changing the member name but i found it in their forums. A quick email to the support  team and i got a reply in half an hour or so. By less than an hour, my member name was changed without much issue.

One clever thing abt iRacing that it asked me abt my current system specs and gave me a chance to see if my system is  suficiently able to run iRacing (before paying up).

I had the installer downloaded and ready to run (its only 160mb). After im done, I had a program group with the link to the  member site and an iracing background task running as a service. Once Im logged in on their member site, the page notify me of  the service if its active or not. The main page takes me right away to a concise Quick Start guide for a new member to be  briefed quickly abt the simulation and how iRacing environment works. This guide includes the explaination of their iRating  (safety rating) and ttRating (time trial rating) and how this affects the licensing and drivers reputation. It is quite pretty  well laid and easy to understand even for a new member like me. There is a more detailed Guide and Sporting Code in the works.

From the main page, I can choose to download the updates and contents right away. For quick access to testing and races, I  chose to download one car (Pontiac Soltice) and one track (Mazda Laguna Seca) which was 190mb and it was auto-installed upon  download completion.

I jumped to the Test session right away. Loading takes almost as long as a full grid offline race weekend in rfactor (with my  system spec anyways) and I was taken straight to the system config panel to configure the graphics and controller mappings.  The Wheel calibration interface reminds me so much of Grand Prix Legends calibration panel which was a slider bar with min and  max value. Kind of like the DxTweak2 thing. The calibration panels also checks ur max wheel rotation (which is 270degs for my  momo) and automatically match it with the cars lock to lock. Then the usual button mappings procedures.

For the graphics, I chose for iRacing to choose the auto-configure my graphics according to my system specs.

The Driving - finally

First thing i see is the cockpit and it is hi-res modelled with shadows falling nicely on it, following the curves and faces.  The engine fires up automatically and i hit the throttle. The sound quality is as good as any simracing platform out there.  Then I realised that my momo axis was inverted. The simwheel turned left when i turned my momo right. A re-calibration,  in-game failed to fix this. So i Alt-TAB (Yes, it didnt crash) and quick Logitect Profiler invert axis fixed the prob.

So then drove down the pit lane to the Laguna Seca famous hairpin pit exit. When i braked for the hairpin, i realised that the  brake pedals are very sensitive. I drove slowly without spinning (How can i spin if im driving slowly, duh?) for a few laps  and i come to appreciate the brake pedals range and sensitivities. Even with my momo pedals, a slightly harder tap on the  brakes (im talking about milimeters here) and the u can somehow feel and know that the car is responding differently to it.  Even on a straight line. I squeeze on the brakes not even half way at around 150kmh and the tyres smoked. I then adjusted my  braking (squeezing) style. i found out that the braking range is perfect in putting the load into the front end of the car and  the car responded nicely (apart from iRacing are being generous with the starter car, Soltice is a very obedient and  responsive car, plus I know Laguna Seca).The tyres screeching noise is particularly impressive. Combined with the sublime  force feedback, right after turning into a corner (say, the downhill, lefthander after the Cockscrew)i can almost tell what  the car is going to do next, how much grip i have and if i can take the corner at the current speed or not. O yeah and  throttle, is just as sublime as the brakes. Into the 7th laps, i could already throw the car into the corners and able to  balance the car with brakes throttle and and steering input, which was pretty fun to do. The laptimes tumbled down from 2.20s  to 1.55s and 1.52s. Not to boast abt the laptimes but to show how intuitive the physics model of the car and with the correct  approach (on how to learn to drive a new car), you can just get more and more comfortable and confident of the ride and able  to throw the car more and more. U will get to know the beast and its attitude, they say. Plus 20 laps non-stop for one hour  says it all on how fun (yes, it has to be fun as well) the car physics is. (Plus, this is just a Soltice - Rookie version and  I had to have it on auto blip and auto clutch, coz i dont have a clutch pedal). But the physics are nontheless are wut i have  expected it to be and more. I could feel the accuracy and painstaking detail and the effort of what the physics model team  have put in (manufactures data on tyres and various mathematical database on the cars specs) are translated down to my senses  (hands feeling the ffb, and how the hearing and visuals clicked together to produce the appropriate response and reflex).

The Laguna Seca in iRacing version is just as accurately modelled as the rfactor counterpart. (You know how the same track for  different game sometimes can feel like two different tracks?). But the immersion factor is higher. What especially caught me  is how the angle of the shadow casted on the cockpit and the steering wheel changed as u change direction on the track. That,  to me is a vital connection between the car and the track visually. That shadow help tremendously in the visual cue  department. Coz apart from the ffb, the gorgeous sound telling u wut the car is doing, the way the shadow dances in the  cockpit can do the same thing too - superb.

No comment on the ffb. Theres nothing i would add to it. I can feel the car on my wheels all the time, wuteva it is doing and  thats enough said. (Tried Lime Rock last nite, Im able to drift the car...yes....drift. Tap hard on the brakes, nose angle  changed and u are busy balancing the throttle and steering...and the tyres screeching noise is just sweetttt...) That was on  Soltice Advanced (I dunno the difference yet, feels the same).

The Online experience. 

There are a few running racing series that has been launced recently and with my Rookie license, I can only join the Soltice series. There is a session schedule being laid out nicely with daily session of Practice, Qualify, Race and Time Trial. And you can choose which session you want to join and at what time. e.g. There are 4 races, daily and for our time zone, that stretches from 3.05 am to 7.30 am. u can join the Practice session with ur laptimes goes down into ur permanent career record but ur iRating and ttRating wont be affected regardless of wut kind of incident or rules infringement u do. So its a good session to know your way with other racers.

I was at Practice, in Lime Rock, early firday morning (3 am) and was joined with 5 more racers. It was similar to free for all rFactor practice session. Except that i missed the LCD mode in rFactor. There is an F3 button where u can tell how far (in secs) ur opponent is running on track. But in my opinion rFactor radar is a better way to show it - Or im just too used to it. On track chat is condicted in the same manner. You can use the mic and chat with other racers. Its a built in teamspeak. The guys are very mature and friendly. Its a different feeling being there with strangers that u know are coming from other parts of the world. But we are there for the same goal. To drive and not to annoy one another and respect the Code. The rest is the same. I still drive just as hard. In terms of pace, the field are less than 0.5s apart in terms of best lap times. Its competitive as ever. I ran another practice session and hit the sack at 4.15 am. There is a race scheduled at 7.35 am and seems like a good reason to wake up early. But I woke up at 8 am instead. There was also a race as early as 4.35 am but i wasnt ready for it at that track yet. But already there is 16 racers on track, waiting at the time.

I cant wait for my first race.

Personal stats page (top) - It logs all ur official session and linked with the results (below) and the laps in the session (bottom). Each incident is logged. It is also useful to check ur opponents stats and their iRacing history.

On June 14th to 15th, MSR held its 2nd MSR Gathering at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Ten MSR drivers (together with their families) attended the gathering. They are : Madnoren, izzNatta, Soze, Ronmd, Bonn2020, ryugan, hisham79, pittqis, alan and evoHahn.

On Saturday, the main event was the COH LAN party, where the team of Madnoren, izzNatta and Soze dominated the team of pittqis, ryugan and evoHahn. (They are cheating, I tell you :p). On Saturday night, a BBQ session, handled by masterly chef, feted the attendees with fish, lambs, and chicken(It's finger licking good :p). While having the delicious BBQ, MSR drivers took the chance to get each other better.

On Sunday, the MSR drivers have the chance to apply their sim racing knowledge onto the real life racing - Go kart racing held at Xtreme Go Kart. Morning rain had threatened the event to be canceled, but the organizer waited for the track to dry. It was a two part race; a 6 laps qualifying race and a 10 laps feature race. Bonn2020 grab the pole position but Hisham79 aided by his real life racing experience won the feature race with pittqis coming in at second and Soze third.

Each of the attendees received door gift courtesy of izzNatta. The organizer would like to thank Madnoren for menyediakan venue for the gathering and see you next year !

*Guess whos who :

Our MSR Driver of the Month segment this time features PCcrazy, our very first MSR league champion. Penzman sometimes call him PCgravvy but the term 'alien' fits him nicely too. Without further ado, Q&A with PCgravvy… err I mean PCcrazy !

Q : Hello and thank you for spending time with us.

Pccrazy : No problem.

Q : So tell us when you started simracing?

Pccrazy : It was in 1996 if I recall correctly with GP2 by Geoff Crammond. I heard this game, read about it and fell in love with the descriptions. The first time I played this game I was rubbish, as my knowledge grows, my passion for real life racing grows. You can understand what the real life drivers are going through and why a decision was made on certain strategy.

But it was with MSR that I started to really encapsulate all my years of motor sports knowledge that I have in fragmented pieces and expand it beyond another horizons. I tell you when you start and keep getting better as your mileage increases, there is no way to stop now.

Q : GP2? Wow that was a long time ago. I've played GP3 and I love the game, but that time I only have a keyboard…………

PCcrazy : ???

Q : … err enough about me. On to the next question. How did you found out about MSR and why did you join MSR?

PCcrazy : I saw a thread in LYN that refers to GTR2, a game which I have set my eyes upon for a very long time. So I read up the thread a bit, immediately got impressed by the participants professionalisms and their knowledge in sim plus real life racing. Hence, I tell myself, this is it, I don't want to be left out and straight away I fork out some money to get a new pc and a wheel. (Congrats Madnoren - your poison works !)

Q: Ahhh…. GTR2… the memories of my first victory ……only to be taken away by a black flag……

PCcrazy : Excuse me?

Q : OOppsss….. back to the topic. Since you are one of the fastest driver in MSR league, does the reputation in some way put you under pressure to perform each race?

PCcrazy : Yes it does sometimes, particularly in the beginning of my sim career with MSR when I realize that I can win races if I put practice mileage into a proper design program. Like tyre, suspension and chassis testing.

I learn to put up with the pressure after gaining more experience. I begin to understand if you pressure yourself a lot, it wont help you. Trust me, I suffer the setback in the V8 series in season 2. You tend to follow the rhythm of the faster cars and end up upsetting many things and most of the time if not all end up with a date with walls.

Now, I'm cool because I understand the key is to work on the strategy, consistency, durability and knowledge of the condition. I believe in trying to master this art, thus wherever I go, I believe I can fork out something from races, at least a podium place.

When I feel the car won’t go faster if push, then I find solutions rather than keep pushing it. The pace will come automatically if I have a good car. I can feel it in an instant.
We can feel it, when the setup has potential, we knew it by heart and smile all day long knowing that in the race we will be competitive.

Q: We have received several letters on this Q&A session. Let me open the first one. Its from fiorano33. He's question is : Can I be the president of your fan club?

PCcrazy : Nope.

Q : Okay. Second letter from ILostTheMSRElection Guy. The question is : Can you show us your racing setup?

PCcrazy : Yes, later when I have camera. (ooohhhh looking forward to that -ed.)

Q: PCcrazy, looking at the current line up for this season (Season 6), what are your chances this season and who will be the main contender ?

PCcrazy : Madnoren is back to his usual quick form which is long overdue actually and provided he can attend all races this season I think he can win the title. Pittqis (or Pitt Jordan) again showing that he can be consistent, dzariq is a bloody fast guy no need to explain and at early stage suggest champion maranello55 is progressing bit by bit. I believe maranello55 can comeback just in time for the race, this guy a learner and very hardworking. If he gets the formula, he will be main contender as usual I believe. As for my chances, I always believe that I can win races and fight for the championship.

Q: Last letter for today is from marlboro09 and the question is : Have you ever thought of joining real life racing before?

PCcrazy : Yes, but I’m not a rich guy. So when I was still young (attending matriculation at that time) I race motorbike illegally. But I stop many many years ago because I feel it’s too dangerous. It’s a long time story. (que Incredible Hulk ending song).

Q : Last question for today. Any last thoughts on MSR?

PCcrazy : It’s a great community with great guys. MSR has established system of regulations and enforcement. This resembles the level of professionalism in MSR. We have people like Madnoren who sponsors the event, people like evoHahn who controls the administration, Iriz a forum wizard, maranello55 a brilliant rfactor photographer plus journalist, bro izzNata an artist, pittqis the modmaker, ryuganz the video maker, Penzman the junkie from Canada, and many others. From the way I see it, MSR is going to expand, people like what we are doing and how we administer the league. MSR is very serious to replicate the sensation of real life grand prix race weekend, I can feel it when the 20 cars roars its engine on the grid. Simmers like me must give back to MSR by putting serious efforts to help MSR propelled to its glory.

Q : Thank you for your time and good luck for the coming season.

PCcrazy : Your are welcome.

A late report on Round 9

0nly 14 runners made it to the grid, a rapid decline on participation is due to unavoidable personal undertakings where took place almost at the same time and day for the absentees.

Dzariq continues his domination after returning from the eye injury with yet another hattrick (pole, flap and a win) in the Vanport raceway. Although admitting on struggling on getting the track, he somehow managed to squeeze in some pace on the race day and appears unchallenged eversince.

PCcrazy looked to be on the same strategy with Dzariq and their pace looks similar. But violent scraps with Pitt and the backmarkers spells the end for him. Dzariq then took it pretty easy and crossed the finish line even though maranello, who was on a different, slower strategy tried to close in.

Sober07 has yet added another podium to his record. He qualified 8th but keep his head down and gave full concentration to finish the race. In a fierce tug with the Montoya-esque Pitt, he knows that it is not going to be easy. Pitt somehow looked as if has used all his rubber on lap 62 and tried hard to keep it on track. Sober07 was on full race pace closing in and was already on his tail in just one lap. Smoke was plummeting out from Pitt's car but its not engine problem. Sober07 took it at the end of the backstraight. Pitt tried the last attempt to close the door but resulted him to understeered badly into the last corner exit wall and losing a place and a front wing.

This is his second podium this season after a demanding cool and resilience in the torrid race of Round 2 Laguna Seca.

So menacing is the pace of Dzariq, he lapped the whole field (the feat he did as early as round 2 in Laguna Seca) except maranello who finish oh so far 35 seconds behind, in an average 55 seconds lap around Vanport.

Incidents, incidents. This season go in the records as the most incident packed (Even without Shah around). Probably due to the track nature this season which comprised of mostly street-based tracks. This is also an indication of how tight the competition is.

Penzman

This was my worst race ever, spun at start, crashed on 1st lap and lost time with repairs and I just panicked and lost all my concentration from then on, wall after wall, pit after pit, repairs after repairs it almost got to a point where I was going to stop driving and stay in pit I was so mad. I also had blue flag after blue flag this track being so short, more time wasted.

Azrink

dam last corner. i hit the wall at full speed after 15th lap. could have finish a lot higher

Azrink had a great 3rd place at the starting grid and was on the pace for the podium but lost it all around lap 16 when he understeered exiting the last corner and hit the wall.

Bonn2020 had some problems with penalty. He was abt to be lapped by Sober and Soze but was too busy trying to shake Izznatta off his tail. As a result he was awarded with a stop and go penalty.

Another example is how lapping a backmarkers is an aspect that has a LOT of room to be improved. For instance, how maranello have touched the back of Izznatta here. Izznatta was battling RonMD and that nudge from maranello has ruined his race. He spun and got stuck at the kerb and already a lap down to RonMD when he escaped the curb. This is an example of how lapping someone should be taken seriously, as serious as overtaking someone on the same lap for position. It was a hard track to let someone way quicker than u to pass without affecting their battle and let alone your own battle. Its a tricky undertaking that should be enforced with strict rules and penalties.

So Dzariq finally clinched the title for Season 6. After coming ever so closely in Season 3, just to lose it to Pitt on the titanic battle final round, closing laps. He was dominating the early FSONE season 4 but had to give up the chase due to his studies. In season 5, he tried hard and the pace was there but he had few bad luck and few unavoidable race skips. He somehow started this season with a clear mind and indication even during the pre-season testing that he is the force to be reckoned with in MSR. He has chosen the correct strategy and his pace double that fatal shot. Although luck is a big factor in racing, his pace has brought him far from trouble brewing mostly for the runners at the back.

Dzariq

quite an easy race for me despite a bad start again, almost spinning .just avoid making any kind of mistakes that caught many drivers today..not much to say..just really happy to get my first title in msr!!..thank you all..

im set to miss the last race..ive got 3 exams next week..by the way i want to give chance other people winning.. ..great season racing with you guys..thank you all..

The battle is over for Dzariq, but not for the rest of the field. There is still score to be settled as the battle between maranello55 and Hisham79. Between Soze, Penzman and Azrink. Sober07, Aeon_Clock, Pitt, EvoHahn and Madnoren.

Midpack of RonMD, Harrishillan, Izznatta, Bonn2020 and Jacky. Too close to call.

Last round at the open track of Elkhart Lake

On the same high note : Around about Qualifying time, Lee Chong Wei was defeated by Chinese Lin Dan in Badminton Singles Final in the Olympics. First Silver Medal for the country FTW!!

A late report on Round 8 (Mid-Ohio)

Dzariq return from his injury with a blinder 3 pitstops to eliminate two stopper uber challengers, PCcrazy and Maranello. The three springed off from the rest of the pack all along the race and was swapping the lead. In the end, after few incidents involving maranello and PCcrazy, Dzariq flawless run gave him the win.

This is the first point-scoring finish for PCcrazy with 3rd placing 25 points. He was good for second place when the Season 5 - Sebring nightmare repeated itself - he got to pit at the last lap for fuel.

Maranello spun on his inlap for first pit stop and spend extra time on repairs which has cost him dearly.

Dzariq is now on target for his first ever championship title. A podium here is enough for him to do it, wuteva the result of the rest of the pack.

Hisham79 still second on the standings with 6 points separating him and maranello. Its pretty tight now between the two.

Only trough pure bad luck can Dzariq surrender this title to anyone else - which can be anyone within distance of clawing to the top if Dzariq do suffer a struck of bad luck. Even VRT_Soze has the mathematical probability to win the title still.

Mid pack - as close as ever. No one looks to be a clear leader there given 2 more rounds to go and the scoring would allow a fight even to the last lap of the last round.

Final round - title decider, Vanport - With festival turn.

Dzariq

i had a bad start and pccrazy passed me easily..i need to get pass pccrazy because i need to build huge gap as i was on 3 stop but in the end it was 3 way battle in the 1st stint.i used only 11,500 revs at this track and i was really struggling to get pass pccrazy and maranello..as race goes by i got confused of pccrazy's fuel strategy ..i dont know if he was on 2 or 3..he stopped too early for 2 stopper and too late for 3 stopper..i kept on pushing really hard through the race and in the end i relieved to saw mara is 30 seconds behind and enough for me to do my last stop and get in front of him..

Maranello

A clumsy season for me. Full of mistakes and reliability problems. But what a great tussle between me and Dzariq. Very close but no touching. Now just have to push to the last...regardless.

PCcrazy

Great race, I was learning the condition all the time. It was difficult. The rythm finally came during mid to last stint. But didnt manage to get the car to the finish line. Had to pit, very very unlucky.

Btw, congrats dzariq for the win. A superb pace on a 3 stopper. And mara too on his 2nd position. It was a great race. It was fun seeing I had a faster car on the straights. These guys was all over my back but unable to slingshot past me.

Pic - The Detroit Street start. Madnoren is taking the challenge to Dzariq. 2nd row turned 4 wide.

A late report on Round 6 (Detroit Street) and Round 7 (StPetersburg).

Round 6 (Detroit Street) - Detailed results

Maranello scored another win after Assen eventhough starting from 15th on the grid. Dzariq had a moment with his computer and had to settle for 11 despite scoring Pole Position. Ryugan had the fastest laptime around Detroit.

Soze brought back 2nd place for the Veterans :

"First of all I wish to thank Azrink for sharing his setup with me. The setup suits me well and all I did was just changed the fuel strategy..and it worked!! Thanks bro! I had a bad start actually and at turn 1 as I go side by side with RonMD, we accidentally touched our wheels and RonMD lost control and spun which caused the SC to come out..sorry guys. From 8th I managed to climb to 3rd till I pit on lap 15..lots of time wasted in the pits as I have to wait for Azrink coz we're sharing the same pitstop..lol this is where I drop to 5th position. Had a very tough time later chasing hisham79 but managed to take the 3rd position as hisham79 had to pit on lap 19. I had to make a fast pitstop on lap29 so I decided not to change the tyres but hisham79 managed to grab the 3rd position from me. Later Ryugan was out and hisham79 pit on lap33 which left me on 2nd all the way till the end. My second podium this season, as what u said Mara, all the practices and all the patience really pays for me here. Lucky I had no spin..I was really scared of the walls actually."

Penzman is third! And after enduring a tough weekend in Assen with all sorts of rfactor installation problems, he put it all together and produce an impressive run to the end.

"Last minute decision: 11 laps of fuel at the start and 3 more stops like that again on red scrubs.

Had a good start in 8th on the inside at the green and hugged the wall around the curve as fast as I could to hide from the shrapnel behind. I crashed myself after more laps and lost a few positions, had to pit anyway but lost time. Repairs took a minute and I m on 3 stops, no more repairs like that I thought, so I drove almost flawlessly for the rest of the race. One thing I remember is keeping my mind on one car at a time in front when I realized 3rd was possible, one by one I went to get them, in 5th I wanted more and said I want 3rd and went to get it, lucky me as whoever was in 3rd then had to pit just at the end of the race

I want to to mention Bonn2020 ( I think) with a damaged car who let me by flawlessly every time I lapped him. I had to do the same for Mara once, I like the blue flag, it demands skills and I always appreciate seeing those courtesy moments in a race, almost like well timed choreography. Azriq and Mara helped with a setup

LONG LIVE MALAYSIAN SIM RACERS !"

Hisham79 is the black knight of Season 7. He finished a brilliant 4th and he knows that is enough to keep him in contention for the championship. He is the Kubica of MSR, capable of catching the top runners napping.

Round 7 (St Petersburg)

Pic - From Left - Penzman, Aeon_Clock, Hisham79

Dzariq is not on the grid due to a football injury. Maranello looks strong to reduce the gap. But he was violently unplugged from the race with a game crash.

It was a bumpy ride....literally. The bumpiest so far.

The grid were on 'DERBY' mode (can almost hear an eerie circus jingle at the background, fans_normal_1.wav), with the most sparkling incident involving Azrink and Bonn2020. Azrink slammed hard onto the back of Bonn2020, rendering him airborne airBonn...(Why so serious, indeed...)Both exchanged some words after the race but Bonn2020 finally made no charges after Azrink apologizes.

In the end, after breaking the Box Office, the Joker breaks the ice with his first ever race win! (Aeon_Clock wears the Joker avatar in our forum):

"thanks guys. Made a ton of mistakes at the end though...see over a lap's advantage go down to 3 seconds"

Penzman scored his second consecutive podium and so electic abt it he went down from Thailand to Johor to celebrate with the guys! A well deserved podium after a hard start of the season. Dedication and commitment finally pays off. Like Aeon have mentioned, Penzman was only 3 seconds apart at the finishing line from his first ever GP win! What a close call!

He is due to move back to Canada in September.

"Looks like we are moving back to Canada in a month from now on Sept 9th, tickets are booked, so, I will be able to complete season 6. "

He is going to push on for the rest 3 rounds! He has stated his intention to keep on racing with MSR eventhough he is half a globe apart!

Back to the race report, Hisham79 is shaping up to be a real threat to the championship leader Dzariq. Armed with his superd consistent results in races so far, he is inching his way up to take Dzariq head to head. He finished 3rd in St. Petersburg and currently a strong second in the championship standings. Maranello has dropped to third after the DNF.

The final 3 rounds is going to be a hell of a showdown between the top runners for the ultimate prize and the tussle in midfield is too close to call. The season now moved from Florida (St.Peterburg) to Mid-Ohio track by VLM (Hall of Fame).

With so much unpredictability proven to be the main feature of this season, the MSR crystal ball somehow is already showing a sillhoutte of a Champ. The question is....who?

Dzariq completed his domination with a 4 win streak with a win in Surfer's Paradise last week and Dzariq is back on his customary pole position. Maranello secured 2nd on the grid again and followed by a great quali run by Azrink and Jacky completing the 2nd row.

20 enthusiatic simracers showed up on the grid. Some have dared all to get their hands on the wheels and participate. Kudos to all for great participation.

There were a terrible bug encountered by Aeon_Clock when he collided with the submerged, rocketing SC appearing out of nowhere and damaged his car terribly. It was an violent and unprecendented bad luck for him as the SC was always drive off in a distance even in test races. Extra measures will be taken to ensure this will not happen again. (There were on SC rules in this race due to track bug)

At the start, Azrink capitalised on maranello's poor start and take the charge on dzariq, who start off quicker than anyone else. Meanwhile the rest have to cope with multiple spinnings and the evasive manouver alert was red. Jacky (front row), Pitt (mid row)and Izznatta (back row)spun at the start and triggered a grid-long full of mobile chicanes. Jacky was facing the opposite direction and cars were flashing by, dodging him. He had no choice but to wait till the pack clears of to turn and start his race.

Great scraps all around the pack but CyborgR went abit into the grass and understeered into the next corner and banged innocent Sober07 towards the gravel. He tried all his might to get out of the gravel and race again but gaining only few feet his engine let go. CyborgR server alittle bit of karma (car-ma) and spun at the first hairpin and lost 6 places.

Bonn2020 nearly lost it on the same spot where Sober07 retired. But he didnt went into the gravel as deep as Sober07 and managed to keep some momentum to escape. But he lost a handful of position due to that incident.

Maranello pulled an overtaking move on dzariq and took the lead, madnoren overtook both pitt and azrink, snatching 3rd position. Azrink pushes hard to get back the third position back.

Great scrap between CyborgR and Penzman for a few laps only for the Canadian to miss the braking point and send CyborgR to his retirement. Alan was inching away from Jacky for some laps but a mistake gave Jacky 9th.

The VRT trio (VRT_Madnor is already running 3rd) was locked for battle with Izznatta leading RonMD and Soze. But Soze was all in a beat-up mood after his podium in Surfer's took them one by one and lead the trio.

The merciless Pitt charged on taking the fight on Harishillan and was purusing Hisham79 but he got to pit in early for his schedule pitstop.

Pitt end up in a race long battle for 4th place with Azrink and Hisham79. Azrink lost the 4th place to Hisham when he pitted but got it back few laps later when it was Hisham79 turn to pit. On his outlap, he understeered badly into turn 2 due to cold tyres and pitt blasted pass him and took away 5th. Pitt was in range to attack Azrink for 4th.

On lap 22, Azrink lost ctrl at the final turn and damage the front of his car and it was just a breeze for Pitt to overtake him. But on the same lap, Pitt had to pit in for his scheduled stop. He almost took Maranello out while after losing ctrl going into the pitlane.

Resulting from that stop, Pitt lost 2 places back to Hisham79 and EvoHahn. But Evo then made his final stop and Pitt put his head down and focus on Hisham79 for 4th. Hisham went out of shape into the final sector on lap 32 and had Pitt all over his mirrors not long after. Pitt was closing in but too close. He banged the back of Hisham79 with his trademark combo move and send Hisham into the pits for immediate repairs (was not far from where the incident happened). Pitt missed the pitlane entrance (Kimi Raikonnen-Raining Nurb 07-style) and had to do another lap to pit in. To his dissapointment, he went out behind Hisham79. But Hisham79 yet again went off shape in the mid sector and Pitt was destined to get 4th on his return from a long voyage of the unknown.

Aeon ran a solid race and kept 6th place although Azrink was within range in the closing laps. He himself was closing in to Hisham79 and was only under 2 secs at the finish line!

Jacky, after that reversed start on the grid, mad his way up to 8th. Then his path and Aeon crossed. Aeon was in a hot pursuit, chasing him up. Jacky finally got out of shape in the midsector to give Aeon the lucky 8th place. He found himself racing Bonn2020 at the final stages of the race. There were some intense side by side moments but Bonn2020 put on an equal resistance thru out and kept 10th place while Jacky have to be content with 11th.

Azrink, Soze and Penzman kept it cool and maintain the gaps between themselves to finish the race at the same lap with 7th, 8th and 9th position.

Harishillan played it cool after gaining a place while VRT_Izznatta was pitting to run a consistent 13th place and later 12th when Evohahn had his shunt.

Everyone down to 14th place moved up a place when EvoHahn had a major shunt after at the hairpin into the backstraight. He lost all wings and suffered massive damaged on his suspensions. He then lost his position one by one, lap per lap (he seems to chose not to pit in for repairs). He was running strong at 6th with Aeon quite a distance behind.

Maranello and Dzariq was locked together in an epic battle for victory. In the first stint both was exchanging one fastest laptimes with another. Dzariq was always faster by tenth but Maranello put an equal effort in defence. After the first pit stops, both were ever closer. Maranello seems to struggle with new tyres and fuel. Madnoren was within range for the battle but had to pit for what looked like his one and only stop.

When Maranello and Dzariq were trying to lap Bonn and Penzman, the latterrammed into a stalled Bonn2020 at the grass and this has widen the gap between the two. On the second stop, Maranello came out comfortably infront of Dzariq. Yet Dzariq put on some blinding laps (despite of the damage) and refused to give up the fight. The 2 digit gaps are reduced to right under 10 seconds. Dzariq though had to pit in twice for fuel on the last laps as Maranello cruised to the win and broke dzariq's winning streak.

VRT_Madnoren had a quiet evening, unchallenged one stopper running 3rd all the way after that overtake on Azrink.

DNFs including VRT_RonMD - lost his engine while trying to let himself off the gravel trap on lap 16. Alan - Decided to retire after going off at turn 2 on lap 13. New member, JrEdward had a great debut but ran into Aeon on lap 10 and had a similar gravel ending as RonMD and Sober07 earlier on. Iriz was amongst the earliest (lap 3) to retire that way too. He was having a great race running with the likes of Jacky and Penzman, but lost it coming into the final corner and lost the fight with the gravel trap.

The league missed PCcrazy and Ryugan (site trip), Kimi (babysitting!) Edison and Camel90 (work and other personal commitments). The members hope to see the return of Acid. He decided to quit the season due to some technical problems running champcar. Karom and Mars is MIA.

The league would like to forward warmest condolences to RonMD who have lost a close relative coming into race day. Yet his utter commitment to the league is not detered. Salute.

The league also would like to welcome a new member JrEdward. Hope to see ur intro i our forum!

The season has reached halfway point and Dzariq is still a commanding 60 points ahead of the secondman which is maranello. Hisham79 is only a point behind, tagging along with his supreme consistent finishes. Hot in his pursuit in the standing is the Boss, Madnoren. The midpack is too close to call.

Second half of the season is ON - at the hellish street track of Detroit. May the force be with us all.

Dzariq is NOT on his customary pole position. Its the Boss, VRT_Madnoren took it from Dzariq this time. Maranello secured 2nd on the grid and followed by Dzariq who fumbled during quali and PCcrazy on the second row.

Great start from everybody thru the deadly turn 1 and turn 2 where u can only go thru there in single file. Concrete walls awaits those who blink. Great tussle anyway between the runners. But come mid sector on lap 1, Penzman slammed the wall head on in the notorious 'snake' section. Harishillan missed him by milimeters but Soze, Ryugan and RonMD collected each other. IR1z just weaved thru all unharmed. Ryugan somehow was touched by RonMD and spun into the walls damaging badly the rear of his car. Penzman sadly retired. This is his 2dn consecutive dissapoinment, retired from the race scoring no points.

Lap 1 is Madnoren, Maranello and Dzariq. And the SC came out (for unknown reason). And the pack regrouped again. Mara spun and lost his front wing and pit in for repairs and rejoined last. The SC period lasted 4 laps and when green flag was go, Madnor was still leading Dzariq and Jacky. Aeon_Clock, whos quick out of the box, on his race debut is running 4th.

Then the second SC period came for abt 3 laps.

After the green flag, there are few fatalities in the coming laps after the SC, while Madnoren leading the race being pursuited by Dzariq with just seconds between them.

A lap later whilst being chased down by his buddy, Aeon_Clock, Jacky hit the same spot where Penzman did it (the 'snake' section). Azrink was on the same section, unluckily collected Jacky but he moved on. Jacky did not. He retires from the fatal damage.

PCcrazy was pursuing Aeon_Clock hard but bang the wall in turn 1 and 2 hard befire decided to finish his race there and then.

The 'snake' took out Ryugan too, who few laps before that spend lengthy repair time after hitting the wall in turn 3.

Leader, Madnoren is no exception. He tap the wall at the exit of the 'snake', pitting for repairs the next lap and hand Dzariq his to lead the race. Aeon_Clock then was running a solid 2nd in his debut race! Then momentarily gave it to Evohahn when he pitted. Evohahn then gave 2nd to maranello who charged through after a disasterous start, only to be dissapointed by a DNF (rfactor crashed). That was the last retirement of the race.

Elsewhere around the track, Soze grabbed 2nd and kept it for 4 laps before pitting in and giving the position to Azrink. He kept it longer for 5 laps after a tight chase with Hisham79. He then, of course, pitted and hand the 2nd position back to Madnoren.

Dzariq lead got stronger. Setting steady laptimes which is unequalled by anyone on track.

In the closing laps, Harishillan had a good chase with RonMD. That gave him a solid 5th at the finishing line when RonMD stop for pits with few laps remaining. Azrink survived and finished a solid 4th after Soze pass him during his final pitstop. Soze got the final podium spot, reminisence to his Macau podium. EvoHahn had to slow down after almost running out fuel and lost a place to RonMD.

Its a 2nd - 3rd Podium for Veteran Team Racing!

Dzariq won the race with Madnoren 50s behind. This is a record setting win for Dzariq, 4 wins in a row surpassing those hattricks done by PCcrazy and maranello in the past.

Points gap between Dzariq and the second man, ever-consistent Hisham79 is a staggering 53 points just into 4th round!!

Eventhough this is his 4th, resistance are building up. If the threat is consistent, Dzariq, looking good for his first ever championship crown, which is currently reigned by maranello for 2 consecutive seasons, will face a tough ones ahead - in Assen.

MSR would like to welcome a new member who finish his debut race, Aeon_Clock and Congratulations to Kimi on his new born baby boy!

On June 14th to 15th, MSR held its 2nd MSR Gathering at Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. Ten MSR drivers (together with their families) attended the gathering. They are : Madnoren, izzNatta, Soze, Ronmd, Bonn2020, ryugan, hisham79, pittqis, alan and evoHahn.

On Saturday, the main event was the COH LAN party, where the team of Madnoren, izzNatta and Soze dominated the team of pittqis, ryugan and evoHahn. (They are cheating, I tell you :p). On Saturday night, a BBQ session, handled by masterly chef, feted the attendees with fish, lambs, and chicken(It's finger licking good :p). While having the delicious BBQ, MSR drivers took the chance to get each other better.

On Sunday, the MSR drivers have the chance to apply their sim racing knowledge onto the real life racing - Go kart racing held at Xtreme Go Kart. Morning rain had threatened the event to be canceled, but the organizer waited for the track to dry. It was a two part race; a 6 laps qualifying race and a 10 laps feature race. Bonn2020 grab the pole position but Hisham79 aided by his real life racing experience won the feature race with pittqis coming in at second and Soze third.

Each of the attendees received door gift courtesy of izzNatta. The organizer would like to thank Madnoren for menyediakan venue for the gathering and see you next year !

*Guess whos who :P

It was the biggest start in MSR history. 21 racers on the starting grid, Madnoren and Camel90 was disconnected going into the race session. It couldve been 23 racers.

Its Season 6, iDT Champcar Mod season and it is the Round 1 in the infamous Long Beach street track. It was a 1 hour race non-stop with no driver aids and full flag rules. Safety car rules also been introduced to make races less predictable. Parce Ferme has also been introduce after the qualifying session to spice up strategy.

Dzariq, as predicted, sat on pole position side by side with second on the grid Ryugan. The start, for the guys at the back was a carnage as this Champcar is pretty wild off the line. Its a street track, tight and twisty and incident is bound to happen. Safety car came out as early as Lap 2 and another instance in Lap 15.

Even though on a 2 pit stop strategy, Dzariq and Ryugan proved superior compared to the ailing 1 stopper maranello. There couldve been 2 more 1 stopper, Madnoren and PCcrazy, but both is believed to have caught by 'GT Babes fever' prior to the race. :P

In the end Dzariq dominated the race, led all the way with Hisham79 and maranello briefly takes the lead. Dzariq has recorded a hattrick here with pole position, fastest lap (FLAP) and a race win which with the current scoring system, adds 2 bonus points on top of 31 points for the win. He is solid on top of the current standings with Ryugan 6 points adrift and maranello another 8 points behind. Canadian, Penzman scored 4th on the finish line on his birthday and gets and a bonus points for the most position gained in the race (started 20th, finished 4th). Jacky made an impressive comeback with 5th.

17 racers out of 21 finished the race.

Race marshals are busy attending to complaints and with few racers seen to crossed the forbidden yellow line, the results, coming into Round 2 Laguna Seca, might look different.

Stay tune for Podium finishers race comments.