SECTION 7

COURSE and TURN DESCRIPTIONS

7.1 SEARS POINT, TURN BY TURN

One of the things that makes Sears Point both challenging and a good course for learning, is that most of the turns must be addressed as part of a sequence of turns, rather than as individual turns.

To emphasize this point, the track description is broken into sections of the track rather than artificially isolating each individual turn. Arguably, the track could be divided into three parts: the upper track, the Esses and turn 11. Instead I used the short straights on the upper track to break it into four sections. These sections are not really isolated; you should use the exit from each to set your car up for the next.

For the purposes of passing, in a driving school there are usually considered to be three straights: The exit of the carousel(turn 6) to turn 7, the exit of turn 10 to the entrance of turn 11 and the exit of turn 11 to the entrance of turn 1. Even so, two of these straights have turns (turn 12 and the dogleg) in the middle of them. From the standpoint of choosing a line, two of the turns (5 and 9) are considered straights. Yes, there is an apex, but the car is flat out the whole way. In cars that have a lot of handling and not much power, even the esses can be considered to be a straight.

map of whole (old) track

TURNS 12-2

When you enter the track from the hot-pits, it will be at turn 12. Whenever you enter a racetrack ALWAYS check for traffic. If no one is there, checking won't hurt anything, if someone is coming up fast, not checking will.

Turn 12, the forgotten turn, is at the end of the pitwall, where the straight after turn 11 meets with the drag strip. It is included in the upper track section because the set of the steering you take in turn 12 is carried all the way past the bridge in turn 1.

As you drive past the pit wall, turn your wheel to the least steering angle which, without changing the angle of the wheel will carry you in one smooth arc under the S/F flagger. Apex on the left just past the rough spot where the upper part of the course leaves the drag strip. Under powered cars will apex all of the way to the left side of the track, the line for more powerfull cars will have them apex as much at five feet to the right of the left edge of the track. In the rain modify your line to avoid the puddle at the apex.

Your speed will carry you to the outside edge of the track just before the bridge. Continue this gentle arc, which will bring you back towards the left side of the track, until the steepness of the track increases.

The principle we are using here is the sharper the steering wheel is turned, the more speed you scrub off with your front tires.

When the track is wet there will be puddles in the line under the starter stand and at the apex at the bottom of the hill. The wet line is modified to stay on the drier pavement. When the track is damp (the line has dried) be very carefull about getting off of the line to pass. If you hit the puddle, even the gentle turn you are doing will be enough to cause a spin.

When the track steepens, there will be much more "weight" forcing the tires to the pavement. This will give them better grip, allowing you to turn-down more to line up for the entrance to turn 2. Line up as far to the left side of the track as possible while staying parallel to the short straight leading into turn 2. As the car settles on this straight, downshift. In many cars, lifting your foot for the downshift will be the first time you are not under full acceleration since before the apex of turn 11.

The principle being used here is that the increasing steepness of the track adds more weight to the wheels, giving the car better traction. If the lines are properly set up and executed, going all of the way to the right hand side of the track after the bridge, almost every car will be able to take this turn flat out.

In a car with a lot of horsepower, it may be necessary to follow the right edge of the track until the steepness starts to increase. If you are going fast enough, the added weight on the tires will be needed to get turned properly to line up on the left side of the track before entering turn 2. It is important to remember it is the speed exiting turn 2 that is important, not the speed going into it.

Turn 2 can be frightening. It is blind, off camber, and at the top of a hill. In the late afternoon, the sun is directly in your eyes making it almost impossible to see even what isn't obstructed by the hill.

Get lined up on the left side of the track, and turn-down at the "1" marker. Since you cannot see the apex, you have to aim your car based upon things you can see. A good landmark is the pole with the loudspeakers on the hillside. Apex a little bit past the crest of the hill, about 2/3 down the FIA curbing. Let your speed carry you across the track to the dragons teeth (the small red and white cement speedbumps) in the FIA curbing on drivers left. Use all of the road on the exit. Even if your speed doesn't carry you out there, open up your steering so you use the entire width of the road.

More than 80 percent of new drivers make the mistake of not using the whole road on the exit. This slows them down because their wheels are turned more than necessary which just converts their speed into rubber dust. It then slows them down even further because they are not properly set up to enter turn 3.

If you are having trouble with the sun in your eyes on this turn, put a strip of tape across the top of your visor, just above your normal field of vision. When the sun is in your eyes, tip your head down, letting the tape shield your eyes from the sun.

If you apex too deep or early in turn 2, your inside wheels will solidly hit the steep berm on the inside of the turn. The centrifugal force, combined with hitting the berm, can launch a car onto 2 wheels, or possibly all of the way over. It is very important to late apex this turn.

Reference Points, Turn 12

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Reference Points, Turn 1

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 2

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

picture turns 12-1

picture turns 2-3a

TURNS 3, 3A

Coming out of turn 2, continue your arc so you line up on the short straight before the turndown of 3. This lets you enter turn 3 with your car straight and the suspension settled.

Going downhill into turn 3, the turndown point is where the pavement on the right starts to curve. Start turning at this point. Shortly after this, the track levels out and starts uphill. This curvature, like that in turn 1, will push the car into the track, giving it better traction. Turn your wheel so you are dialing in more steering as the car gets more weight on the tires.

The apex for turn 3 is where the FIA curbing on the left straightens out. Rather than briefly touching the left hand side of the track here, follow the curbing for a beat (one to two car lengths). You need to do this to set yourself up for turn 3A. This is a classic example of sacrificing the line through one turn to get a better line on the following turn, which leads out onto a straight, and is therefore more important.

About two car lengths after the apex of turn 3, your left front tire should be about six inches from the left hand side of the track. This is your turndown marker. There is probably still a dot of paint on the track there from when Bondurant taught at Sears Point.

Even more than turn 2, turn 3A is blind. There are some poles and a media box on the hill you can use as aiming points. When I reach the turndown point for 3A (about one car length past the apex of turn 3), I aim for the end of the berm at the top of the hill. The geography is such that you have to learn what things are supposed to look like as you come over the hill and across the track. Apex turn 3A just past the top of the hill, exit all of the way to the left side of the track. Continue down the left side of the track into the entrance for turn 4.

Turn 3A is place where people take the classic Sears point two wheels in the air picture at Sears Point. As at turn 2, the car is launched into the air by apexing too early and driving high up on the berm.

If you feel that you could take turn 3 flat out, except that your car has a tendency to understeer at the turndown, briefly and smoothly lift off the gas as you turn-down. This gives added weight (and traction) on the front tires as you turn down.

If your car has a lot of power and you must lift or brake for turn 3, do so smoothly. A jerky lift of the throttle, or stab of the brakes will upset the cars suspension and could cause a spin.

If it doesn't mean overreving your motor too much,you will probably be better off not shifting up into fourth gear between turns 2 and 3. As soon as the road starts uphill, the car will slow down and need the extra gearing to maintain its speed.

map of turns 3-6

Reference Points, Turn 3

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 3A

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

TURN 4

Going into turn 4, get all the way over to the left side of the track. The braking point will be somewhere between the "3" and the "2" markers. Get completely off the brakes by the “1" then turn-down quickly. Apex about two-thirds around the berm. The exit point is toward the end of the dragon's teeth. You may want to stay off of the berm at the exit as it will ‘grab ’ the tires of some cars.

The critical and difficult portion of turn 4 is the turndown. It is psychologically difficult to turn the wheel far enough and fast enough at the turndown point. The natural tendency is to turn-down too slowly. If you turn-down too slowly too soon, you will early apex the turn. If you turn-down too slowly but at the right time, you will miss the apex. The other reason people miss the apex at turn 4 is they don't slow down enough at the entrance.

If you haven't mastered heel-and-toe downshifting, you should probably not downshift for turn 4. It is on a steep downhill and not downshifting should not cost you much time.

Reference Points, Turn 4

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

TURNS 5-6A

To all intents and purposes, Turn 5 is a straightaway with an apex. From the exit of turn 4, turn the wheel once so that under full acceleration one smooth arc will bring you to the apex, then back across the track about two-thirds of the way to the left side of the track nd will line you up for a straight entrance into the carousel. Aim your car at the snack shack on the hill behind turn 2.

Crest the hill about 1 car width from the right side of the track. After the car settles and has weight on its wheels, brake for the Carousel in a straight line. If you are going too fast to comfortably wait until after the crest of the hill to brake, then brake before the crest of the hill, but let off the brakes slightly when there is little or no weight on the wheels at the top of the hill.

Start the turndown before you get to the edge of the track. At the time of writing, there was a paint spot exactly where you want your right front tire to be when you turn-down. Cross under the bridge about one cars width from the left edge of the track. The change in slope at the bottom will help the car around the turn. The apex is a little before the bottom of the hill. The exit of 6A brings you across the track at about the rough pavement.

The inside line around 6 also seems to work just fine. It is a long enough turn that there is no particular fast line, at least not that I have found. Corollary: Within reasonable limits there isn't a particularly slow line either. Stay out of the marbles and off the dirt. If the car is fighting and complaining, there is probably a smoother way around. Find it. I often found (based on RPM at the exit) it wasn't worth fighting the car to make the apex. If I had been going faster, I might have run out of track at the exit though.

Turn 6 is a good place to learn how getting on the gas and the change of slope of a track can both improve a car's stability.

Reference Points, Turn 5

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 6

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 6A

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

THE DOGLEG

After exiting 6A to the rough patch of pavement, continue the arc so that you clip the dogleg apex then line up with the left edge of the track. Follow the left edge of the track until you could drive a straight line to the left side of the sign without driving off the right side of the track. Now, drive in a straight line towards the left side of the sign. Before you run out of pavement and drive into the dirt, and brake in a straight line.

By driving this straight line, you minimize the speed scrubbed off by turning the wheels. This straight is uphill, so conserve as much of your speed as you can.

TURNS 7-8A

Turn 7 is the start of the Esses. It is a decreasing radius turn at the end of a straight. At the “1" marker, smoothly let off the brakes and turn-down. This will have you rotating deep enough in the turn so you will be able to get onto the gas long before the apex. The apex to turn 7 is on the FIA curbing, past the break for the dragstrip. Exit to the left edge of the track towards the end of the curbing.

Come a little bit over to the right to set up for the left hander. Apex onthe left about two-thirds of the way down the curbing. Make this a late apex to allow you to set up for the right hander that follows. Between the left turn and the right turn, straighten the wheel and let the car settle.

Apex the right hand turn just past where the access road meets the track. Follow along next to the armco for about a car length. Again, the steering wheel should be straight, to allow the car to settle.

Again, take a late apex in turn 8 (the left hander) to set up for 8A (the right hander) since turn 8A effectively leads onto a straight and is therefore the more important turn. Again, it is important to straighten the wheel for a beat and let the car settle between turns 8 and 8A.

Apex 8A about two-thirds of the way down the berm and make sure you exit all of the way to the left hand side of the track. When you first start coming through, you will not be carrying enough speed to need the whole track. As your skill and confidence increase on the earlier portion of the Esses, the speed you carry through 8A will carry you all of the way to the outside of the track. It is important that you get used to being there. Besides, keeping the wheel turned sharper to keep the car on the inside just scrubs off what speed you do have.

The entrance of 7 is a good place to practice threshold braking. Because it isat the end of a fairly long straight, most cars are carry a lot of speed going into it. The entrance of turn 7 is also one of the few places at Sears Point that has a lot of runoff. Making sure there is no one immediately behind you, apply your brakes as hard as you can, hard enough to lock up your wheels. When your wheels lock, let off the brakes just enough to unlock them. Practice braking so that your wheels are on the threshold of lockup. This is called "threshold braking". Most people do not realize how much braking their car is capable of.

When practicing threshold braking, if the car is not slowing down enough to make the turn, keep the steering wheel straight and drive straight off of the track. When you exit the track, let off the brakes enough that the wheels do not lock up in the dirt. When the car has slowed enough, turn the car around, make sure that traffic is clear, and drive back onto the track.

Some warnings about this exercise:

Do not drive off of the track with the steering wheel turned. If the dirt is soft, or you hit the sand trap, this could cause your car to roll. Wait until the car has slowed enough to turn around safely.

Try not to get stuck in the sand trap.

Do not do this exercise when the ground is soft and muddy. You could get stuck in the mud or bring a bunch of it back onto the track. If you do go off into the mud, try to stay off of the line until most of it has fallen off of your car. The other drivers will not appreciate mud and dirt being dropped onto the line. For that matter, a lap later, you won't either.

The Esses are a good place to learn the rhythm of the track. Remember, it is important to let the car settle between each turn.

Reference Points, Turn 7

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 8 Left

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 8 Right

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 8A Left

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 8A Right

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

map of turns 7-8a

TURNS 9-10

Treat turn 9 as a straight to prepare you for turn 10. The exit of 8A will bring you all the way to the left side of the track. Follow the inside (left side) of the track until it starts to turn away. Turn the wheel just enough so your arc will carry you one-half to two-thirds of the way across the track and will line you up for the entrance of turn 10.

Enter turn 10 on the left side of the track. Before the track turns to the right, and just before the bridge, is a short straight section . Line the car up parallel with this straight section with the car all of the way to the left.

Just before this straight section, on the left edge of the pavement there is a corner where the left edge of the track makes a slight left. The turn-down point is somewhere along this short straight section of track, depending upon the car, and how much speed it is carrying. The faster you go, the earlier you need to turn-down to make it to the apex. If you turn-down too slow or too late you will miss the apex. If you turn in too early or too quickly, you will apex early and will not be able to get back on the gas as soon. Once the car is turned down and is aimed for the correct apex, remember to put your foot back on the gas. For some reason, when you are doing 90-100 mph through turn 10 it is easy to forget to add throttle.

The apex to turn 10 is about two-thirds of the way down the berm. It is marked by a small drainage hole. After the apex, allow the car to exit all of the way to the edge of the track. When you are do the Esses properly, you will carry enough speed through turn 10 to carry you all of the way out to the edge of the track. Even when you do go fast enough that you have to use the whole track, let the car go out there. It is important to know how to drive the course from where you will be winding up, so that you will be able to do it right when you get there.

If you do not turn-down enough at the entrance, you will miss the apex. In this case, the speed that would carry you all of the way to the outside edge of the track will carry you past the edge. If you go off of the track in turn 10, keep the steering wheel straight. DO NOT suddenly lift off of the gas (this will cause you to spin). Drive smoothly back onto the track.

Many small cars need no more than a brief lift off the throttle at turn-down. This "confidence lift"puts weight on the front tires to help the car turn.

Reference Points, Turn 9

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

Reference Points, Turn 10

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes

map of turns 8A-9

map of turns 9-10

TURN 11

Turn 11 is a classic hairpin turn between two straights. It is very important to use all of the track on the entrance and exit. Since it is a right hand turn, that puts the walls right next to the driver. There is no excuse for not using the whole track because not only can you easily see the edge of the track, you can darn near touch it with your elbow.

There is a turn-down marker painted on the track near the end of the tire wall. Turn down here. In the dry, apex all the way in across the red and white paint as near to the tires as you can get. In the wet, the paint is very slick and it is best to stay off of it. When this turn is done properly, the car is under heavy acceleration before the apex.

There are all sorts of paint and tire marks on the pit wall marking where you should exit the turn. Use all of the road on the exit and accelerate up the straight to turn 12.

A classic problem in turn 11 is not slowing down enough on the entrance. If you cannot hit the apex, chances are you are either not slowing down enough, or are not turning down quickly enough. Note that I said quickly , NOT soon . The difference being how much time it takes you to go from having your wheels straight, to having them turned as much as needed versus when you start to turn the wheel.

In the wet, it may be necessary to enter turn 11 about one car width in from the edge to avoid puddles.

map of turns 11, 12

Reference Points, Turn 11

Gear at entrance Shift to gear

Braking Point

Turn-Down Point

Apex

Exit

Notes