by Larry Colen
I need to digitize my incar footage and link to it from here.
Turn 12:
The key to turn 12 is to minimize speed scrubbed off. Take a MCR line. Watch for traffic coming out of the pits. Even so, you won't be able to see sports racers behind the wall. Glance at the esses, see if there are any situations to be aware of.
Turn 1:
Don't forget to apex at the wall on the left. Watch for traffic coming out of the pits. speed will carry you most of the way to the right side of the track.
Turn 2:
Stay to the right of the track until it steepens up. Turn down (to the left) when the track gets steeper. If everything is done right going through 12 and 1, you can be carrying a lot more speed going into turn 2 and may have to turndown earlier for the right hand turn.
I'm currently lifting for turn 2. I don't know how little lift one can get away, or if it can be done flat.
Research:
Mount tach or speedometer so that it is visible to the camera, figure out whether one is carrying more speed going into 2 in 4th or 5th.
I'm not downshifting for third, it slows down the car (lifting for longer) and if I carry good speed through 2, I'm not lugging in 4th.
I leave it in 4th through the carousel.
Turn 3:
I think that the secret to speed through here is a little bit of leftfoot braking at turndown to get the car to turn without lifting off the gas. With the wide pedal on the clutch as well as the brake I had a hard time finding the brake with my left foot.
I like to line up with the straight pavement on the right going in rather than coming in at an angle to it.
Turndown at the bottom of the hill when there is weight on the tires. I wonder if turning down when the front wheels get weight but before the rearwheels do would work instead of lifting, trailbraking or left foot braking to get the car to turn.
Turn 3a:
I use the classic bondurant line in 3a. Apex 3 about where the berm straightens out, about 5 degrees off parallel with the straight bit of the berm. When the car is at the end of the berm (front? back?) and the wheels are about one foot from the edge of the track, turndown for 3a.
Apex 3a at about the "point" of the berm. Any higher and you can upset the car and launch it on two wheels.
Turn 4:
Leave the car in 4th. It's steep enough that you'd need to shift back up soon enough if you grab third. Remember every shift means lifting off the gas.
At speed I need to bring the turndown back a bit before the 1.
I trailbrake just slightly to get the car to turn.
I'm braking about a braking marker distance before I turn down. probably about at the (two and a half) and turning down at about the one and a half.
If it's done right, you can be on the gas before the apex and your speed will carry you all of the way out onto the rumble strips.
Turn 5:
Apex 5 so as not to scrub off speed. Let your speed carry you out about 2/3 of way across the track.
Turn 6:
The zen secret to turn 6 is there is no one right line. As long as you get to the apex, at full throttle and your speed carries you out to the edge of the track, you're golden.
Don't go all of the way out to the outside edge of the track. You'll learn why the little balls of rubber that come off tires are called "marbles".
I like to enter turn 7 from about 2/3 of the way across the track (about a car width from the left side)
I aim at the blue flag /snack-shack on the hill in the distance, going over the top at an angle. I crest the hill about a car width before the right. I brake after the crest of the hill. Time can be made by holding off braking as much as possible. Entering on the inside is also totally comfortable, and a good place to pass. Just before I run out of room, I turn the car down so that I'll get to within about 3' of the right side of the track.
I've been apexing at about the bridge, trying to get on the gas as hard as I can as early as I can. My speed hasn't really carried me all of the way out to the outside edge of the track yet, so I suspect that time can be gained by apexing earlier and getting on the gas earlier.
Note: video tape research checking sector times would be handy here. Also, a tach mounted in view of the camera to check exit speed would be good.
Dogleg:
I've been leaving the car in 4th all of the way up to 7. I wonder which is faster, that or shifting to 5. With the hill, I suspect 4th.
Turn 7:
I've played with both 3rd and 4th gear in turn 7. I suspect that once it is wired, then you can carry enough speed to leave the car in 4th, and save a shift.
Here's a good place to check sector times.
I suspect that the fastest line through 7 may be a single apex on the second berm. Apexing both berms, howeer, is a bit shorter, and can be a more defensive line going in. If someone passes you going into the esses, it's not really safe to pass them back until turn 9.
Turns 8 and 8a:
(the esses)
Let the car settle between each turn. Start with the latest of apexes, get earlier each turn. Eventually as you work your speed up, start bringing apexes in.
I suspect that the car will take the esses flat.
I start off with the bondurant (school line) and bring my apexes in as I get used to the car. Early apexing in the esses is an easy way to total the car, though there is a lot more runnoff room, and no hills anymore.
Turn 9:
I just try to stay on the track at the exit of 8a. I try to only go as wide as I need for a good entrance into 10. scrub off as little speed as you can and drive as short of a distance as you can.
Turn 10:
There is a place where the yellow line peels off to the left before
turning right. I turn in right at that point. I notice that the
numbers that seem to go on the line vary from this line and don't
enter turn 10 from nearly as far to the left. I don't know if that is
because they are set up for cars with better handling, my line is too
conservative or what. I've seen enough cars wadded up in 10 that I
tend toward a more conservative line.
I've been lifting for 10, the car may not require a lift. Maybe just a slight lift or a bit of left foot braking. Be careful, you don't want to spin.
Turn 11:
I'm throwing away some time by braking too early for turn 11.
The secret for making it to the apex of turn 11 is slowing down enough on the entrance.
Use all of the track at the exit.
Apex somewhere around the last tires (do the stacks of tires move?).
Most recently modified by lrc at Mon Jul 14 00:58:56 PDT 2003