Week 9 Daily B: Watkins Glen International GR.4

Daily C this week proves my point very clearly I think. After watching Tidgney's video and some of Rory Alexander's and Digit's stream (all of who are in top split), you could see the effect of the slipstream especially in high lobbies. There were many occasions where, due to slipstream, there would form a huge pack going into a corner and it would lead to a huge crash (Tidgneys video has a good example of this). I usually would always do St.Croix B if it came up, but I was quite surprised to see it in Gr.4 and not group 1 or 2 maybe. When it was a Gr.3 race at the same track it was such a good race, but in group 4 the slipstream is way too strong and I would much rather do race B this week :(

I agree, in B with Gr3 there is quite some mess and irrespect of basic race rules, sometimes quite frustrating; but I remarked it is often linked to the day and time of playing. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays being the worst, leaving 4 days to race and others to practice :-) 

I think the issue with Gr.4, especially in A/A+ lobbies, is that since the cars are so slow that by the end of the week everyone is so even on pace - to the point where you could qualify like 3-4 positions ahead with a time that is a tenth faster. This added to the fact that the slipstream is so strong in Gr.4 and tracks like Watkins Glen with huge straights are used means that the racing is absolutely chaotic, with packs of like 5+ cars going into the same corner. Contact is almost inevitable at that point, and racing doesn't feel as fulfilling, as it is almost luck what position you end up in. Such short races with only 4 laps only increases people's aggression, and therefore increases the number of incidents. As someone who reached A+ for the first time by doing a lot of Gr.4 races, I always avoided doing these races on the weekend, where all of these factors are taken to the extreme - racing earlier in the week on Mondays to Thursday/Friday is so much cleaner (this doesn't always apply, but is a general trend I have seen almost every week). If they just reduced slipstream strength and increased the length of the race, this race would be a lot better in my opinion.

Gr.4 is the only category I stand a change in. Like Alvaro says in D rank gr.4 is ususally a lot more pleasant. There is some tapping but not the huge pileups you get Gr.3. That said I got punted off twice in a row today at Watkins, lol.

Hm....

Is it just me, or is Gr.4 , lets say, unsatisfiing?

Doesn't matter which track. Gr.4 seems to be full with crashkids and anoying drivers......

I am so done with Gr.4, I just sold all my Gr.4 cars......