GT3 2021 Pre Qualification

[Cgyracer]

We are getting closer to the start of the 2020 GT3 Proxy! Next week we will have the GT3 proxy underway ....one of the first steps will be to run a pre-qualify round to determine who the lucky folks are that will make it to the field of 27 cars in this proxy.

The Plan:

1) I would like a fair way to ensure the best cars make it into this Proxy. I have thought about running cars a specific amount of time and having the cars with the most laps enter the qualified group but this will not work if there is a crash. Just not fair for that car. I have thought about the cars with the fastest laps making it into the field but in the end, I believe the fairest way will be the cars with the best Median laps. I have seen in Proxies where cars qualify high with very fast laps but do not run as well in a race. I want to try and make it fair for everyone and not have cars that possibly have a lucky very fast lap pushing out consistent fast cars. The car with the fastest lap time will however get a bonus 2 points for achieving the fastest lap time…so not all is lost if you do manage a fast time.

2)I will run each car for a three minute race and the cars will get points 20, 19, 18, 17… down to the last car based on the Median Time.

3) The 2 points for fastest lap will be added to the points received for your median time placement. The top 13 placings make it into the 2021 GT3 Proxy for a total of 27 cars.


2021 GT3 Slot Car Proxy
Limited to 27 Entrants


Qualified Entrants
Returnees from the top 16 2020 series & Previous Champions
1) Cgyracer 1^st last season
2) F1Fan 2^nd last season
3) Chrisguyw 3^rd last season
4) Camber 5^th last season
5) Jimmy-slots 9^th last season
6) Courtney S 10^th last season
7) Brumos RSR 11^th last season
8) SuperSlab 12^th last season
9) Aloha 13^th last season
10) S R Hawaii 14^th last season
11) Fast Co. 15^th last season
12) Audi1 16^th last season
13) Gascarnut Previous Champion
14) Heli_ca Previous Champion


Pre-Qualification Group
Top 13 cars from this group to join the above. These cars are not in any order.
1) GT6 #6
2) Steeveew #888
3) Arroldn #63
4) BigDuhg #99
5) cj74 #74
6) Leadfoot46 #46
7) DFRacing #93
8) Redlynr #5
9) Pepsi 62 #62
10) Rleog #34
11) DMN17 #17
12) ALS #11
13) 53BN1 #8
14) Barc 1 #20
15) Lance #24
16) Austin #15

[cj74]

And the tension starts building.... Good luck to all(ish). 😂 I obviously want to make the dance.

[Brumos RSR]

There are some big names on this list. Rob, is qualifying on one lane or all 3?

[Cgyracer]

Hmmm I think I will run these cars for three minutes on the Center lane.

My reasons:

- I want to only run for three minutes total so there is the least wear and tear on each car.
- I thought of running a minute in each lane but that will take too long with the interruptions and also it will not be like a race situation where I can get in a flow for three minutes (hopefully!)
- The two outside lanes which I have been using for Proxy races for Covid reasons are much more difficult than the Center lane and I do not want to look like a complete amateur on video hahaha!!! Very selfish of me I know!

Another note:

I also will like to announce I am planning to perform a presentation video as I open all the boxes as the first video next week. It will be like Christmas as I open every box! The viewers will get to see what I see.

Rob

[War Eagle River]

Don't have a dog in this hunt. But just wondering why is the cut off at 27 entrants? There’s only 32 on the list, wouldn't it be nice if all entrants were able to have their cars represented? They have taken the time to build, tune, ship the cars, at an expense. Just asking

[Fast Co.]

Don't have a dog in this hunt. But just wondering why is the cut off at 27 entrants? There’s only 32 on the list, wouldn't it be nice if all entrants were able to have their cars represented? They have taken the time to build, tune, ship the cars, at an expense. Just asking

Scott makes a good point, though it does add a little more time to each race.

I think using the median times is the best way to qualify them Rob. It forgives the driver for any offs he may have getting accustomed to an unfamiliar car. Best of luck to all pre-qualifiers!

[Cgyracer]

Great question! Some proxies cap the number of entries and the rest of the cars go on a “waiting list”. This Proxy however gives the opportunity for the best built cars to make the show and not to be stuck on a waiting list never to appear. I have had a car on a waiting list and I know I could of possibly done well if I made it in! So this is a big reason we have the visibility of a pre qualification and no waiting list.

27 is a good maximum number of cars that most hosts can handle (about a 3 hour day). As the number of cars grow from there I have talked to hosts that it becomes more difficult time wise to host more cars for the volunteers. The proxy is also capped at 27 entrants because the box that’s been designed for shipping has 27 compartments.

Thanks!
Rob

[Fast Co.]

Three hours does make for a long day, especially considering the additional time outside the actual racing to get the track ready, have the drivers acquaint themselves with unfamiliar cars, setting up live feeds, record keeping, and reporting the results.

And having a purposefully constructed shipping container for exactly 27 cars certainly plays a role in it! 🙄

[Cgyracer]

Good point. I have hosted a 37 (or maybe it was more?) car proxy once and it was hard on the guys. There was fatigue by the time the final few cars were ran and that is not fun scenario.

[Barc 1]

As a guy who runs near the bottom, I have zero issue with this. An uncompetitve car looses it appeal in a multirace proxy. This way, I build and I test, The car is either good enough or its on it way back quickly, without endless races where it is 2 seconds off the pace. Having said that though it would be a shame to miss out by 1/100 of a second and have your car returned, as over a long proxy a car the qualifies on the edge may in fact race very well and finish up the list. The practical approach of the box only having 27 spots has its merits though, so if 27 is the magic number, so be it.

[SuperSlab]

Good point. I have hosted a 37 (or maybe it was more?) car proxy once and it was hard on the guys. There was fatigue by the time the final few cars were ran and that is not fun scenario.

Selfish I suppose but: A while ago our group was really starting to suffer from proxy burnout. We had to host a number of proxies in quick succession and especially for the person that does the admin it becomes a grind. After that we requested proxy host to try and limit races to 25 if possible. 27 I can still handle. When it comes to 32, not so much.

[Pepsi 62]

Looking forward to the Pre Qualy competition, like the idea of using the median lap as delta to make it through rather than fastest lap, as you say the better driving cars Should be the most consistent over the 3 minute heat and that's what a proxy car is all about, being fast, smooth and easy to drive for the majority of the drivers and tracks.
Hopefully I can make the cut again this year
27 as a limit also works for 3 lanes ( 9 heats of 3 cars)
Good luck to all the Pre Qual group

[Austin]

Waiting to see the untested Viper hug your track and break all track records. , It has the motor, it has the lead, but does it have the tires ??? The tires are all ways my down fall.

[Cgyracer]

Untested! Damn this Covid buggered things up for ya!

A note: A car that tests well on a rubber track will run very well here.

[Fast Co.]

As a guy who runs near the bottom, I have zero issue with this. An uncompetitve car looses it appeal in a multirace proxy. This way, I build and I test, The car is either good enough or its on it way back quickly, without endless races where it is 2 seconds off the pace. Having said that though it would be a shame to miss out by 1/100 of a second and have your car returned, as over a long proxy a car the qualifies on the edge may in fact race very well and finish up the list. The practical approach of the box only having 27 spots has its merits though, so if 27 is the magic number, so be it.

This is an interesting perspective. I think we all participate in proxies for different reasons. Some racers have clubs where they race regularly or at least have a handful of guys they can pull together occasionally to run thier cars, but they like to participate in proxies anyway simply because it provides another fun outlet.

For me, I especially enjoy hosting proxies because it give me an opportunity to see how others build their cars and also to see how they perform firsthand.

But we should keep in mind that other guys are not so fortunate - they either do not have a local group to race with or they do not have a track to race on, and I think for them Proxy racing is a way to be connected with a larger community and compete and learn to tune their cars.

Proxy racing should provide these benefits to all those interested.

I'm not suggesting we change anything just now, but maybe for future series we should allow all cars to compete in the very first race and provide a live feed and some constructive criticism to those car owners whose cars do not make the cut. That way they get some level of joy from having participated in one race and some tips on how to improve their cars for future events and not just have their cars returned to them after a few laps of qualifying.

[GT6]

As another of the "not so fortunate" guys without a club or local track, I'm OK with keeping it to a limited number. I've made the long drive a few times to observe and assist in running proxies and concur with Rob that once you get up into the thirties, hosting becomes more of a chore than a pleasure. Both drivers and marshals can start to fade, which really isn't fair to the TQ guys who typically run last.
There are lots of proxies out there that don't fill their quota of entries that people can cut their teeth in (I never entered a proxy with a motor limit over 18K for the first 3 or 4 years I ran). This proxy has turned into one of the highest level events offered on the proxy scene, so I have no problem having to qualify to make the elite field that shows up.
cheers
Scott

[Barc 1]

I am not a member of any club. On occasion I do get with the Edmonton guys. Covid put a halt to that. Testing on their track was enlightening and quickly pointed to areas of improvement that I could just not experience on my small home track. Those of us without access to a big club track are at a disadvantage with respect to testing and tuning. However running near the bottom has never really bothered me. Like you mentioned it is fun to be part of a larger group, and running near the front or at the back gets you that. I understand this is a tough group to break into, but even some limited feedback during qualifying is something that might help develop a better car for next year. Just seeing how far you are off the pace can be feedback enough!!

Most proxies I enter are run with a chassis I cobbled together myself. I got good advice to buy a good chassis and work on tuning that, but frankly that is just not me. The fun is building and trying my own ideas. If the chassis is not competitive with the group I am running with, I almost want it sent home. I don't need10 more races of finishing last to confirm my suspicions.😊

Cheers

Dan

[F1Fan]

Scott you make a very valid point(s) and it is especially appreciated since you have been the recipient of the short straw before, so you speak from personal experience.

I guess I can be "blamed" for the limited number of entries allowed, and others have mentioned the reasons why, but in addition to what have been said before, the idea is to create a top class series that gives an opportunity for the fastest 27 cars to race against each other. At this time, based on the fact that we are running an qualification round once again, there appears to be a certain attraction in attempting to make it into the series. The hope is also that we will continue to raise the bar, but there is also an opportunity for newcomers to make it into the event, not to mention the "green jacket" that allows past champions a guaranteed entry.

Chris

[Brumos RSR]

Don’t forget F1Fan, you did increase the number of entries from 24 to 27, I remember questioning years ago, but now I understand and respect your decisions that have been made which completely align with your vision of proxy.