HSO DRM 1981 Division I 1.0

HSO DRM Division I mod version 1.0 :

I. Installation :

This add-on requires the previous installation of the DRM Revival mod updated with its patch 1.1.
It will not create any mismatch with the original DRM mod as our add on comes as a new mod with its own rFm file.

II. History :

Up from 1977, FIA Group 5 cars, -silhouette bodies with turbocharged engines that only kept the general look of the base car- were allowed to race in the DRM, immediately attracting many automakers, anxious to showcase their models and technology. Of course, those cars dominated the field and far outclassed the original Group 4 GT cars, hence from 1979 onwards a second championship was introduced for them and the smaller Group 2 cars, called the “Deutsche Automobil Rennsport Trophäe”. As with the bigger cars, the field was divided between bigger and smaller than 2 litres engines, which raced with the corresponding Group 5 cars. Thus, on each event weekend there were actually two succesive races taking place, one with the >2 litres (Division I) Group 5,4 and 2 cars, and a second race with the <2 litres (Division II) Group 5,4 and 2 cars. There were however excepcionally some events where the whole field was mixed, like when running in the old Nordschleife circuit.
As it also was to be expected, factory support increased exponentially the costs and caused more and more reduced fields and less interesting racing with ever more fascinating and powerful machines. By 1981, the series reached their peak with the latest model coming, the powerful M1 Turbo, and for the following year FIA rules were modificated and the Group C sportscar era begun. That meant the immediate decline of the older Group 5 cars, which could not compete with the new sport-prototypes of the C class, purposedly designed as racecars and not simple evolution of street ones.

III. Description :

This mod recreates almost the exact field of the Division I championship for 1981, with following cars:

A) Group 5:

1) M1 3.2 Turbocharged:

The most powerful car in the field, but also the heaviest. Delicate handling, but has the edge on fast tracks.

2) Porsche 935:

A veteran with many successes on its record, it has a powerful engine with impressive performance, but the chassis is always lagging  ehind. The handling is not very complicated if you accept and understand its rear engine layout and how the best can be extracted of it. A machine for consistent drivers that think about the race end rather than about hotlapping.

3) Ford Capri Turbocharged:

A balanced car with not as much power as the M1 and not as primitive handling as the 935, it has a bit of both.

4) M1 3.5 aspirated engine:

The first M1s to enter Group five were powered by the normally aspirated engines from the Group 4 cars, the M88 6 in-line 3.5 litres one. With some additional tuning, the engine developed a maximum output of around 500 bhp for a weight of around 970 kgs. While in terms of raw speed this car is no match for the turbocharged Group 5 ones, contrary to them the chassis and grip are much superior to the engine, which results in a car that is much easier to drive and benefits from a lighter weight. On longer races in difficult tracks, the aspirated 3.5 litres Group 5 can be fighting for honour places if driven by a skilled and consistent driver. There are two such cars in the mod, #56 and #58.

B) Group 4 :

1) M1 group 4:

A big GT that feels heavy and is delicate under braking, due to the high weight and powerful brakes. With good and progressive engine power due to its non-turbo engine, it has an oversteering tendency and must be driven with determination. Its fuel consumption is high, but more moderate than the Porsche 930, and while it has more engine than handling, it has a distinct advantage over the 930 when it comes to cornering. There are no differences in the mod between Goodyear and Dunlop shod cars.

2) Porsche 930:

A car where the powerful engine far outclasses the primitive suspension layout of front McPherson struts and rear semi-trailing arms, and only can be more or less kept under control thanks both to the powerful brakes and the good traction available from the rear engine layout (Plus huge tires). The other disadvantages of the car besides the suspension are the gearbox, with only four forward gears, and the heavier weight due to the rules demanding a higher minimum because of the turbocharging. There are two places where it can be a match for the M1: In fast tracks like Hockenheim, where its acceleration will beat the M1s on the straights, (but it takes a skilled driver to keep it ahead of them in the chicanes and on the stadium part of the track) and in the twisty sections of narrow circuits like Zolder or the Nordschleife, where its reduced track and aggressive corner entrance will make it very agile.

3) Porsche 934:

The factory built “official” 934. The differences between 930 and 934 are in the weight distribution, aero and engine output (15 HP more for the 934, which will also have a higher fuel consumption). The factory car had a moveable ballast of 30 kgs because it was able to beat by far the minimum required weight and the oil radiator was placed in the front, so it was closer to a 58% weight on the rear (Adjustable), while the ordinary 930 was less flexible when reducing weight and ended up with a fixed 60% on the rear. The 934 has also thanks to its bigger front bumper splitter some more front downforce (but at the price of increased drag).

IV. Know issues :

There some known bugs in the 930/934 graphics that will be fixed later:

-Textures in the car might appear corrupted unless it has high or full detail!
-Some body parts might not reflect in the floor when viewed in the game menu
-Some light reflections on the rear mudguards might have incorrect angle

Those will be addressed in a future patch.

V. Thanks, sources and acknowledgments :

Original DRM Mod created by DRM Modding Team (Dennis Matzies, Nil, CK73)

BMW M1 Group 4 and Porsche 930/4 by BITDT: Carl Larrad (Skins), Alberto Ibañez (Skins, modelling & physics), Gianluca Desposito (Skins & modelling),Karel Marziniscyn (modelling)

Betatesters: Carlo Pozzi, Steve Parker, Jukka Maatanen

Research: Frank Verplanken

HSO suppport: Antoine de Mautor, Guillaume Siebert, Ben Paulet

M1 Gr4 & Gr5 3.5 sounds by Wolferl.

ISI and SimBin for their respective work

Special thanks to Dennis Matzies for allowing us to make the addon and use the 935 as base for the 930 physics as well as its sounds.

Thanks to Niels Heusinkveld for allowing us to use his tyre model on the M1.

CAUTION :

==> HSO DRM Patch 1.1 <==

///////// HSO DRM 1981 PATCH 1.1 /////////////

CONTENTS:

- Solved a bug that caused crash to desktop when last player with a Gr.4 car left the server
- New pace car added, which is an orange BMW M1 street version (Is also part of the bug fix mentioned)
- Solved a bug where you could not adjust properly the rear bumpers of some M1s
- M1 Gr4 has now more available settings for antiroll bars
- Porsche 930/934 can now adjust brake pressure (Previously fixed at 100%)
- Now only the 1981 cars will appear in the menu when selecting in the player profile this mod. The original cars of the DRM Revival mod are still available switching to "DRM Revival v1.1" in the player menu
- Added some driver helmets that were missing
- Reworked the skins of cars #70 and #81 with more accurate colours
- M1 torque curve slightly reworked for better mid-range. Top power is still similar.
- Added an icon in case the user has multiple installs and wants to easily differentiate the shortcuts :-)

INSTALL:

Drop in your main DRM folder and let it overwrite the older files

BITDT December 2011