15 years
Posted by Vader
This year it's been 15 years since I accidently stumbled into the Granprixgames forums. It was Ye Olde Phorum back then and little did I know how it would change my life.
We had amazingly crazy threads back then and spent night and day posting stuff or talking on MSN/Trillian. I was on a dial up connection back then and my monthly phone bills were beyond belief.
This Phorum has seen many changes in my life. Going from being a loing haired mofo to become a Rock'n'Roll Skinhead, getting a job, getting married, becoming a father, buying a house and and and. This place always used to be my living room, my playground, my world.
My life wouldn't be complete without this place. And of course not complete without the great people I had the privilege to find here. Some of you I have met personally - like my brother Morbid or mate mortal - others I might meet in the future. You are all family.
You might think grumpy old Vader has become soft, but I just want say "Thank you" to everyone who contributes to this still amazing Phorum. And thanks to the people who run it.
REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2018 03:16PM by Vader.
We had amazingly crazy threads back then and spent night and day posting stuff or talking on MSN/Trillian. I was on a dial up connection back then and my monthly phone bills were beyond belief.
This Phorum has seen many changes in my life. Going from being a loing haired mofo to become a Rock'n'Roll Skinhead, getting a job, getting married, becoming a father, buying a house and and and. This place always used to be my living room, my playground, my world.
My life wouldn't be complete without this place. And of course not complete without the great people I had the privilege to find here. Some of you I have met personally - like my brother Morbid or mate mortal - others I might meet in the future. You are all family.
You might think grumpy old Vader has become soft, but I just want say "Thank you" to everyone who contributes to this still amazing Phorum. And thanks to the people who run it.
REHAB IS FOR QUITTERS
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2018 03:16PM by Vader.
Fun flies when you're having time! 
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
[www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Centralabsolutely agree with Vader, especially about the living room a.s.o., gpg is a big part of my life and i never want to miss it . Thank you for being a part of this community here and thank you to all the people who keeps this site alive
. Thank you for being a part of this community here and thank you to all the people who keeps this site aliveI echo your words, wise lord Vader. For me I think november will mark 10 years since I first stumbled here, though I didn't create my user until years later. If you manage to master the search function you can see my first post ever and it was awkward as heck. The adventure continued.
I was too young to have a pen-friend, but I like to think of you people as the closest I've ever gotten to have pen-friends. Something as simple as posting nonsense here means a lot to me, because I'm interacting actively with people from all around the world. Dammit, some of you already have me on Facebook and have seen my ugly arse face. It's crazy.
A little dream of mine is to travel around Europe one day, and of course I'd love to meet some of you. Just gotta save up the money now...
Stats: 139 Starts / 7 Wins / 9 Poles / 5 Fastest laps
I was too young to have a pen-friend, but I like to think of you people as the closest I've ever gotten to have pen-friends. Something as simple as posting nonsense here means a lot to me, because I'm interacting actively with people from all around the world. Dammit, some of you already have me on Facebook and have seen my ugly arse face. It's crazy.
A little dream of mine is to travel around Europe one day, and of course I'd love to meet some of you. Just gotta save up the money now...
Stats: 139 Starts / 7 Wins / 9 Poles / 5 Fastest laps
Vader schrieb:
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> And thanks to the people who run it.
This can't be stressed enough. There are not many forums around that offer the same quality when it comes to moderation
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
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> And thanks to the people who run it.
This can't be stressed enough. There are not many forums around that offer the same quality when it comes to moderation
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
Thanks! I'm just your benevolent dictator hahahaha!
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
[www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 CentralCongratulations Vader!
I joined in the olde phorum days too, maybe 2002 when i was into GP3, then eventually made the leap to GP4.
I loved those days where we could spend hours posting, it was almost like a live chat with continuous entertainment every evening.
then it got revamped into the new forum in 2004 and we all had to re-register.
the model cars thread started by LS in 2004 is still going, and it's still on-topic!
where is Chet with his barge boards and vortex generators?!
and Gui? LS, DaveEllis, Andrew_S?
nice to still see the old classic member's names pop up now and again.
RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael
I joined in the olde phorum days too, maybe 2002 when i was into GP3, then eventually made the leap to GP4.
I loved those days where we could spend hours posting, it was almost like a live chat with continuous entertainment every evening.
then it got revamped into the new forum in 2004 and we all had to re-register.
the model cars thread started by LS in 2004 is still going, and it's still on-topic!
where is Chet with his barge boards and vortex generators?!
and Gui? LS, DaveEllis, Andrew_S?
nice to still see the old classic member's names pop up now and again.
RIP Jules, never to be forgotten. #KeepFightingMichael
mortal schrieb:
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> Thanks! I'm just your benevolent dictator
> hahahaha!
LOL, you're welcome
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks! I'm just your benevolent dictator
> hahahaha!
LOL, you're welcome
used to be GPGSL's Nick Heidfeld
This is still my go-to forum for intellectual F1 talk about interesting matters, it's just a shame there is so little of it, but that's to be expected when the focus is GPx and obviously GP4 is soon-to-be 14 years old and I doubt many of the old regulars even have it installed any more... we might not be far off having a member or two older than the game. 
Dave Ellis just disappeared from the face of the earth. His Facebook wall hasn't had anything since August and he's not been on the Vader Trophy forums since last May either. I still consider him a good friend even though we've not met up for years. I hope he's OK.
Gui's on Facebook still, still posting pictures of himself
Quote
Muks_C
where is Chet with his barge boards and vortex generators?!
and Gui? LS, DaveEllis, Andrew_S?
Dave Ellis just disappeared from the face of the earth. His Facebook wall hasn't had anything since August and he's not been on the Vader Trophy forums since last May either. I still consider him a good friend even though we've not met up for years. I hope he's OK.
Gui's on Facebook still, still posting pictures of himself
This was my favourite forum, back in its heyday and when I had very little to do with my life I'll have been registered for 12 years come Wednesday.
I actually just uninstalled Grand Prix 4 a couple of weeks ago, along with GPL. I was happy enough to have a GPL Rank under +100. I check in on here once in a blue moon, but I think I visit less in part because I just don't find F1 as exciting as I did before. I used to hate missing races. I missed the last GP on account of being in Sweden, but when I got back, I just didn't find it very interesting to watch past lap ten. Not sure if it's because I've got older, have too many other things to do or just general tiredness of the faux-issues Mercedes have like clockwork towards the end of every race.
But I did always enjoy the threads. Especially the political ones! And some of the photo threads too.
[Website]
I'll have been registered for 12 years come Wednesday.I actually just uninstalled Grand Prix 4 a couple of weeks ago, along with GPL. I was happy enough to have a GPL Rank under +100. I check in on here once in a blue moon, but I think I visit less in part because I just don't find F1 as exciting as I did before. I used to hate missing races. I missed the last GP on account of being in Sweden, but when I got back, I just didn't find it very interesting to watch past lap ten. Not sure if it's because I've got older, have too many other things to do or just general tiredness of the faux-issues Mercedes have like clockwork towards the end of every race.
But I did always enjoy the threads. Especially the political ones! And some of the photo threads too.
Quality thread. I've been lurking on these forums since 2007, and posting since 2008, but in threads like this I still feel like a newbie. I'm definitely aware of the history of the forums(Including the Old Phorum. Back in 2009 I managed to access parts of it via the Wayback Machine. It was fascinating, a lot of main pages from different dates between late 2000 and early 2002 were accessible, and even some threads. I never came across the Blue Whale's Tongue thread though.) I tried my hardest to research everything to give myself the best possible understanding of the community, since I'd immediately liked it and felt at home here when I joined.
It bothers me that it's gone so quiet here(Anyone else who's regular will know I go on like a stuck record complaining about how quiet it is!) but it's really because I care about the place and want it to stay healthy and busy. (And I know there still is plenty of activity in the GP3 and GP4 forums too, which is great to see.) But I hope we'll have another 15 years ahead at least, if not more, and maybe we can draw in more new users and get more old regulars back here too, and have another golden era. I'm open to that possibility anyway, being an optimist and all that.
gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dave Ellis just disappeared from the face of the
> earth. His Facebook wall hasn't had anything
> since August and he's not been on the Vader Trophy
> forums since last May either. I still consider
> him a good friend even though we've not met up for
> years. I hope he's OK.
Plus his Twitter has no activity at all since December 2014 and his Google+ page has no activity since 2011. (And looking back, 2011 was when he started to go quiet.) I don't think he's even on Instagram. He was posting about the Le Mans 24H last year, apparently he was at the circuit, and that's the last time I personally witnessed any activity from him on Facebook. Maybe this year's Le Mans might bring him back out of hiding.
I really miss Dave a hell of a lot. It's funny, we went to school together in Dundee and immediately bonded over F1, and he watched a few Grands Prix at my house back in 2002-2003(I specifically remember the United States GP in 2002, he came to watch the race dressed for work because he was going to be working a night shift which started an hour or so after the GP finished, and he was wearing a woman's shirt because his work had no mens' ones left at that particular point in time.)
The last time I actually saw him in person was when he came to watch the 2003 Malaysian GP at mine. We gradually lost touch after that and didn't have any contact again till 2009, when we had a reunion on these forums after I became a regular here. We've been in touch on Twitter and Facebook too, but we still haven't seen each other in person since that morning in March 2003, despite just living about 15 miles apart(He lives in Arbroath, which is technically a distant suburb of Dundee, and I live in the city itself). I've tried organising a catch-up with him a couple of times but nothing has materialised so far... I still hope we can sort something out eventually though.
I miss his posts on here, particularly the sheer bluntness and acerbic humour of them(I've nearly hurt myself laughing when I came across some of his replies to Bruninho and Red 5). So knowledgeable too, and so skilled at debating - for all his bluntness, I don't think I've come across a single post of his that flamed or criticised another user unfairly. I know he used to be a mod back in the day too, but still... That's a talent, right there. I definitely hope he comes back. I know from personal experience that quietness on things like forums can be symptomatic of difficult personal times, so I admit that for such a prolific poster to go so quiet bothers me a bit, as I too hope things are all good with him. Hopefully we'll get back in touch soon.
gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gui's on Facebook still, still posting pictures of
> himself
Gui is awesome. I don't think I've ever come across a guy who's so into selfies. Back in 2009 he Facebooked me a recipe for homemade pizza, which I still have somewhere in my old Inbox, and which I'm still waiting to use, but I'm determined I'll get round to it. Also, it was through having Gui as a mutual friend that I managed to finally find Dave and add him on Facebook first time round, as his profile wasn't showing up in normal search results.
Another user who I really miss who completely disappeared was mikef1. He was a regular poster when I first lurked and then posted on the forums, and I remember having a few positive interactions with him in threads when I first started posting - we always seemed to agree on stuff, and he seemed like a nice guy somehow, even through that minimal contact. Then his posts just seemed to die down and stop, and he never even logged in on his account again. I tried PMing him to invite him back for the start of the 2010 season, but there was still no response at all. He seemed to just vanish.
It bothers me that it's gone so quiet here(Anyone else who's regular will know I go on like a stuck record complaining about how quiet it is!) but it's really because I care about the place and want it to stay healthy and busy. (And I know there still is plenty of activity in the GP3 and GP4 forums too, which is great to see.) But I hope we'll have another 15 years ahead at least, if not more, and maybe we can draw in more new users and get more old regulars back here too, and have another golden era. I'm open to that possibility anyway, being an optimist and all that.
gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dave Ellis just disappeared from the face of the
> earth. His Facebook wall hasn't had anything
> since August and he's not been on the Vader Trophy
> forums since last May either. I still consider
> him a good friend even though we've not met up for
> years. I hope he's OK.
Plus his Twitter has no activity at all since December 2014 and his Google+ page has no activity since 2011. (And looking back, 2011 was when he started to go quiet.) I don't think he's even on Instagram. He was posting about the Le Mans 24H last year, apparently he was at the circuit, and that's the last time I personally witnessed any activity from him on Facebook. Maybe this year's Le Mans might bring him back out of hiding.
I really miss Dave a hell of a lot. It's funny, we went to school together in Dundee and immediately bonded over F1, and he watched a few Grands Prix at my house back in 2002-2003(I specifically remember the United States GP in 2002, he came to watch the race dressed for work because he was going to be working a night shift which started an hour or so after the GP finished, and he was wearing a woman's shirt because his work had no mens' ones left at that particular point in time.)
The last time I actually saw him in person was when he came to watch the 2003 Malaysian GP at mine. We gradually lost touch after that and didn't have any contact again till 2009, when we had a reunion on these forums after I became a regular here. We've been in touch on Twitter and Facebook too, but we still haven't seen each other in person since that morning in March 2003, despite just living about 15 miles apart(He lives in Arbroath, which is technically a distant suburb of Dundee, and I live in the city itself). I've tried organising a catch-up with him a couple of times but nothing has materialised so far... I still hope we can sort something out eventually though.
I miss his posts on here, particularly the sheer bluntness and acerbic humour of them(I've nearly hurt myself laughing when I came across some of his replies to Bruninho and Red 5). So knowledgeable too, and so skilled at debating - for all his bluntness, I don't think I've come across a single post of his that flamed or criticised another user unfairly. I know he used to be a mod back in the day too, but still... That's a talent, right there. I definitely hope he comes back. I know from personal experience that quietness on things like forums can be symptomatic of difficult personal times, so I admit that for such a prolific poster to go so quiet bothers me a bit, as I too hope things are all good with him. Hopefully we'll get back in touch soon.
gav Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gui's on Facebook still, still posting pictures of
> himself
Gui is awesome. I don't think I've ever come across a guy who's so into selfies. Back in 2009 he Facebooked me a recipe for homemade pizza, which I still have somewhere in my old Inbox, and which I'm still waiting to use, but I'm determined I'll get round to it. Also, it was through having Gui as a mutual friend that I managed to finally find Dave and add him on Facebook first time round, as his profile wasn't showing up in normal search results.
Another user who I really miss who completely disappeared was mikef1. He was a regular poster when I first lurked and then posted on the forums, and I remember having a few positive interactions with him in threads when I first started posting - we always seemed to agree on stuff, and he seemed like a nice guy somehow, even through that minimal contact. Then his posts just seemed to die down and stop, and he never even logged in on his account again. I tried PMing him to invite him back for the start of the 2010 season, but there was still no response at all. He seemed to just vanish.
Now that was a quality post. Wonderful sentiment right there.
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to. [www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 Central
[www.mediafire.com] Some say you should click it, you know you want to.
[www.gp4central.com] <----GP4 CentralIt's crazy to see that it's been 10 years since I joined up on this forum and have gone through SATs, GCSEs, A-Levels and now a degree!
Have learned heck of a lot, annoyed a few (sorry!) and had blast tinkering around on GP4 by spending everyday on this forum and having a laugh. Unfortunately, not into GP4 these days, but still pop in now and again to see what is happening on here.
Thank you for the wisdom during my formative years
Have learned heck of a lot, annoyed a few (sorry!
) and had blast tinkering around on GP4 by spending everyday on this forum and having a laugh. Unfortunately, not into GP4 these days, but still pop in now and again to see what is happening on here.Thank you for the wisdom during my formative years
This thread will make me teary-eyed if it keeps on going at this rate :p
I know I was never one of the regulars (in fact, when I look back at my old posts, I sounded so immature I bet I was the seriously annoying one!) but still this forum has been something that I've grown up with. Even when I wasn't posting, you could be sure I was still reading.
I stumbled across GPG when I bought GP4 brand new from Game for about £5 - I actually went in to buy GP3, but they didn't have it in stock and I ended up buying GP4 instead (which I didn't know existed until then). I think GPG was mentioned in the manual somewhere, and that's how I found out about it. That was back when GPG was still in the old format. I don't think I started posting on the forums until a couple of years later, and I no doubt severely reduced the quality of the content with my posts. I still cringe with embarrassment when reading some of it!
Like others here, so much has happened in that time. When I joined, I was just a school kid who was seriously into F1 and looking for the ultimate simulator. Since then, I've gone to uni and gained a degree in Motorsport Engineering, had hours and hours of driving experience in an F1 team's driving simulator, had chats with several F1 names, and come *this* close to landing my dream job. The area I specialise in is Race Engineering, so if I did get a job it would likely be in that area - heck, you might even hear me on the team radios one day (that is, if they haven't been completely banned by then)!
It would be so interesting to find out what had happened to those that have just... vanished. Good to hear that a few of them are still poking around, but what about the others? I wonder if we will ever find out?
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You know you want to. [judgegrudge.mybrute.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2016 01:11AM by flat tyre.
I know I was never one of the regulars (in fact, when I look back at my old posts, I sounded so immature I bet I was the seriously annoying one!) but still this forum has been something that I've grown up with. Even when I wasn't posting, you could be sure I was still reading.
I stumbled across GPG when I bought GP4 brand new from Game for about £5 - I actually went in to buy GP3, but they didn't have it in stock and I ended up buying GP4 instead (which I didn't know existed until then). I think GPG was mentioned in the manual somewhere, and that's how I found out about it. That was back when GPG was still in the old format. I don't think I started posting on the forums until a couple of years later, and I no doubt severely reduced the quality of the content with my posts.
I still cringe with embarrassment when reading some of it!Like others here, so much has happened in that time. When I joined, I was just a school kid who was seriously into F1 and looking for the ultimate simulator. Since then, I've gone to uni and gained a degree in Motorsport Engineering, had hours and hours of driving experience in an F1 team's driving simulator, had chats with several F1 names, and come *this* close to landing my dream job. The area I specialise in is Race Engineering, so if I did get a job it would likely be in that area - heck, you might even hear me on the team radios one day (that is, if they haven't been completely banned by then)!
It would be so interesting to find out what had happened to those that have just... vanished. Good to hear that a few of them are still poking around, but what about the others? I wonder if we will ever find out?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You know you want to. [judgegrudge.mybrute.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/27/2016 01:11AM by flat tyre.
This forum will always remain a classic with very fond memories for me which I'll never forget. Nice to see all the familiar names here still
Wow, this topic is just awesome! It really showcases the depth this community had and still has. I'm only a tiny part of it - apparently, I joined 8 years ago in 2008, but I only lurked for years -, but it is amazing to see how venerable and rich in history it become. And I thoroughly agree that it is an exorbinant amount of 'THANK YOU' (yes, in full capitals) that should go out to the moderators and the site admins of GrandPrixGames.org.
Vader's OP is also rather moving considering I was 19 in 2008 and 27 now - but I'm not at all that far down a path to be settled as he is. I gotta pick up the pace, I guess, lol.
My workthread - [www.grandprixgames.org]
Full of classic F1/non-F1 track layouts
My blog about F1 performance analysis - [thef1formbook.wordpress.com]
Vader's OP is also rather moving considering I was 19 in 2008 and 27 now - but I'm not at all that far down a path to be settled as he is. I gotta pick up the pace, I guess, lol.
My workthread - [www.grandprixgames.org]
Full of classic F1/non-F1 track layouts
My blog about F1 performance analysis - [thef1formbook.wordpress.com]
Just logged on after a few years away.
Amazing how long this forum has been going.
I started off coming to the orginial grandprix3.com just to look for carsets and GPXPatch updates but found the forum to be the best place to have conversations about F1 on the internet. Good to see a lot a few of the old names still here.
Also good to see that the conversations and debates have remained at a similar level rather than just a load a fanboys abusing rival drivers as is the case in most F1 discussions online.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2016 02:06AM by Imran.
Amazing how long this forum has been going.
I started off coming to the orginial grandprix3.com just to look for carsets and GPXPatch updates but found the forum to be the best place to have conversations about F1 on the internet. Good to see a lot a few of the old names still here.
Also good to see that the conversations and debates have remained at a similar level rather than just a load a fanboys abusing rival drivers as is the case in most F1 discussions online.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/02/2016 02:06AM by Imran.
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