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| Drivers' Education | |
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Two of the best online CART Precision Racing
players we've seen recently are
EUR_Tilus
and
The_Sandman1
. Recently, the Zone conducted an e-mail interview with these two racers to see if they could impart some driving wisdom, and help us get around the track just a little bit faster.
Participants:
EUR_Tilus (the EUR stands for his team, the All European Racers. Tilus is the first person we've interviewed from Hungary.) The_Sandman1 (whose real name is George Sandman, and who races for Stealth Racing ) Zone: How many games, or how long, did it take for you to become a top CART Precision Racer? EUR_Tilus : Hmm, I've been racing CPR from the beginning. I did not win the Gold competition, but I was there in the Trial room from the beginning. [When the game came out in the US], I ordered it by post. It's a shame that the game is still not in stores in my home (Hungary). I did as many races as I could, and hours and hours of offline practice, and setting up. I always accepted all challenges on the ladder, even on those tracks that I wasn't up to par. That's why I have numerous losses on the ladder, but my wins make up for that. The_Sandman1 : I joined the ladder as soon as I found out about it. I didn't have much practice before ladder racing. But I did hold off till the patch was released before running most of my matches. Zone: Describe your path to proficiency. How did you learn about the game in order to get so good? EUR_Tilus : Practice, practice, practice; setup, setup, setup. Probably more setup then practice, but really these are the most important things. You need a good controller (wheel only) and a lot of patience. The_Sandman1 : I have had almost 3 years experience with racing sims. I had only raced ICR2 by Papyrus and have won 4 championships there, and have had 3 different World Records in ICR2 until receiving CPR . Now I am hooked on CPR , and I plan on doing the same here!!! Zone: What is your favorite way to play the game? EUR_Tilus : I like it if all players are at the same difficulty level. I don't like pace laps (they are full of bugs). I especially like LONG races. I like to turn on the realism settings, as much as possible. The_Sandman1 : I race all my races at pro level! Zone: Do you ever play single player, and if so, do you feel it helps you in multiplayer? EUR_Tilus : I only race in single player without cars (there's not enough AI for me). But it helps a LOT, to get the setup and strategy right. You can't check all the aspects of the racecar online, adrenaline is usually too high. The_Sandman1 : Yes I run a lot of practice laps in single player. I don't race against the AI in the game. I just race alone so I can learn the track very well! Zone: What is your favorite track? What about your favorite car? EUR_Tilus : Of course, everyone has his favorite circuits. I like Cleveland, Elkhart Lake, Laguna Seca, and some more. My favorite car is the #9 Hogan car of Dario Franchitti, but I use the #2 Penske of Little Al [Unser] at the moment, 'cause it is the team's car. The_Sandman1 : My favorite track is kinda hard, 'cause I like all the road and street courses but I would say it's between Australia and Elkhart Lake. My favorite car is Jimmy Vasser's #1, and I hope to have my own car painted soon! Zone: Tell us about your best times and setups (if you like) to achieve those times. EUR_Tilus : If anyone needs my latest setups, they can e-mail me. Setups are improving from day to day, but the one that I am most proud of is my 59:98 at Laguna. It was run before the patch, but I feel it was a great ride. You can find the setup on the Zone. [Previously, this time was listed as 1:00.50 but as Tiluska has said, his setups improve from day to day and now he's cut it under a minute.] The_Sandman1 : Well, since the newest patch, I haven't run at all the tracks yet. But I have run at Long Beach with a best so far of 50.60 and Australia is 1:26.20. Setups are Top Secret!!! Zone: Do you now, or have you ever, raced real automobiles or have anything to do with the industry? Has this helped your computer game play, how or how not? EUR_Tilus : [I have] nothing to do with the industry, but I raced Karts and CrossKarts for a while. I also tried a F3000 car once. That was great fun, and yes, it does help you in sim racing, and vice versa. The_Sandman1 : Well we have here the Malibu Grand Prix [nearby] which uses a scaled down version of an IndyCar. They have 440 jetski motors in them and I have been racing those, and have been in the winners circle club for about 15 years or so. I have taken a first and a second in two leagues run there. I started racing them at the Anaheim track (which has since been closed), and there I was able to get within .01 of Mario Andretti's track record. Never did beat it though! I have set a couple of track records at various locations and took third in the Marlboro challenge held at Malibu Grand Prix in Redwood City, California. I also have driven some laps in a friends 100cc Kart but haven't run any races with it yet. Zone: Do you have any real world auto racing heroes? EUR_Tilus : No heroes here, but my fave driver is Nigel Mansell. I also feel that Michael Schumacher is the best racing driver at the moment, but I don't like him as a person. The_Sandman1 : Yes, Michael Andretti. Zone: Talk about some of the winning strategies you use when racing. Tell us about your favorite maneuvers, tricks, and styles of play. EUR_Tilus : No tricks here, just a lot of practice and the love of racing. The_Sandman1 : Let's see, I go fast by going slow! Moving slow in the cockpit is the key to going fast! Slow and smooth = fast times. Also another key is to take care of your tires. You can run a blistering time one lap but if your tires are gone, you won't be there at the end! I try to be real consistent! I usually run my fastest time on my third lap and run all following laps within a couple of 10ths of that. Zone: What are some of the common mistakes your opponents make? EUR_Tilus : Some think that if they use [driving aids], they will go faster. NOT! Try Pro settings, it takes a bit to get used to, but it's worth it, believe me! The_Sandman1 : I would say they try to push the car too hard and either spin or wear there tires out! Zone: What was your most satisfying experience playing this game online? EUR_Tilus : I won the first WCPRT race. That was a great feeling, adrenaline was soooo high, my hands and legs were shaking, and I couldn't even type. [Check out the WCPRT or World CART Precision Racing Tournament at the All European Racers Web site.] The_Sandman1 : It's got to be the challenge of racing another human instead of computer cars. And winning of course. Oh and I just moved into the #1 spot on the Ladder! Yeahhhhhh! Zone: What was your least satisfying experience or alternatively, your most embarrassing experience playing this game online? EUR_Tilus : I had a lot of disconnections lately, but once I changed my ISP, it's all gone. The_Sandman1 : Probably running a race in the rain and not using rain tires! Wow, real slippery! Zone: Is there anything else you'd like to share with other Zone members? EUR_Tilus : Please, anyone who plays this GREAT sim, don't use cheats, that kills all the fun of racing. I do this [play CART ], because I like challenges, please don't kill this feeling. The_Sandman1 : Practice, practice, practice! We want to thank all of our CART Precision Racing interviewees for their participation and we wish them luck out on the track! |
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