Suspension Problems

Since we started testing we have been getting considerable vibrations and a lot of shaking, especially at high speed. The team has now been able to identify the problem as a programming glitch. This has been fixed and although there is still some vibration the driver cannot notice it.

This has been a big step forward as it enables us to use stiffer suspension settings without the car becoming unstable. As a result, the car has been lowered and speed has increased.

Next steps, fine tune the dampers and start looking at gear ratios to help boost the car's straight line speed.

Data Analysis

Team engineer has been looking over the data collect at our latest test. We're still getting a suspension problem so will have to play around a little more to smooth out the dampers.

Tire wear appears to be very low whilst our lat g-force easily exceeds 3g without any significant changes in pressure/temperature. This indeicates we have plenty of grip through the faster corners and should be able to reduce the wing angle and increase straight line speed and acceleration.

Gear ratios are poor. The car does not achieve its top revs in 6th gear which needs to be looked at. The plan is to lower the rev limit slightly and alter the lower gears to give us more time in 4th, 5th and 6th. Hopefully this will send us in the right direction.

Initial Test Results

After establishing that the only way to fix the PC problems was to use a laptop for the race, testing finally started out on track.

Over two hours was spent on suspension setup due to a major issue with the car becoming unstable over the bumpy areas of the track. This has been reduced as much as possible and the car is drivable. After putting in a few laps around 3:47 to 3:50, it was clear that the gears needed some work.

We got the car to accelerate smoother and reach a top speed of 184mph. This dropped the times down to 3:43 which is right in the middle of the other LMP2s.

Finally we did some work on the handling and tested the tires and fuel over a full race stint. From this we got our time down even further and finished the day with a best lap of 3:40.905. Tire wear is great with a hard compound and should easily keep us on track for two stints, saving valuable time in the pits. Fuel is ok but could be better, we can achieve 9 laps on a single tank but with some fine tuning we might gain an extra lap.

Overall this testing has been very helpful. We now have a base setup for the car and there is plenty to look at ready for our first full race.

Initial Testing

After a full day of testing on Saturday, the Doodleco team have made a number of steps towards the final goal of completing the full 24hrs.

First thoughts were to enter an LMP1 Audi R15 however comparing them to the Peugeot 908s we quickly realised how far off the pace we were. Trying out the Peugeot was certainly fun, but due the lack of experience from one of our drivers the decision was made to look at LMP2 cars.


After some time trying out different cars, we worked out that we were all best suited to the Lola Judd B12/80. Work then began on practicing and perfecting our laps. Unfortunately more practice is needed from the newer drivers and another test way will have to be arranged.

A great deal of information was gained during the day. The default car setup was far too slow and major changes are planned for the gear ratios, wing angles and ride height. This will increase the top speed of the car and help improve lap times.

As well as our own car, we started working on setting up the software. A list of competitors is now underway and we're hoping to have the race fully working very soon. Several problems have occured which are being looked at, mainly involving the performance of the computer. We have so far had to limit the size of the grid to 35 cars which is the minimum we want to race with. Further changes have taken things down hill though with the PC crashing at every available moment. We hope to fix this but we have a backup of everything on a laptop which works fine. This may have to be a compromise.

Overall then, things have got off to a rocky but productive start.

In the Beginning

Doodleco Motorsport News is all about enjoying motorsport. As such, the admins have created its own virtual race team. Using representations of real circuits around the world and a host of different cars the team aims to give you an insight into how we enjoy ourselves when we're not trackside.

Currently, the team is working on producing a virtual Le Mans 24hrs. This blog will update readers on team news as well as providing a general look at racing video games and gaming technology.