macfly

DJ, the GT3 is such a pleasure at Willow because it is so easy and balanced there, the openness of the track really suits it. Doing a 1:38 cruising is a good speed indeed, I have never bettered 1:37, and doing 1:31 in a stock 993 means you are one of the most capable drivers on the planet, as a stock GT3 on MPSC's will only just do that in the hands of a Cup car racer. I didn't realize that the 993 C4 was as fast a car as the GT3, guess all that water weight makes them slower than their air cooled cousins.

As you say it is a momentum track, but the one place I have always been told is vital to get on the gas hard is in 9. I have never looked at my apex speed, but in general I'm at 128 at the braking point between 8-9 and my track left exit speed from 9 is between 101-104 depending on how well I got my turn in and gas balanced.

I generally do around 100-150 laps a day when we rent the track, and I work on being as consistent as possible, so I know exactly what my throtle and steering inputs are at any point on the track. Having done around 100 days there over the last 4 years I could close my eyes and talk you round the track in exactly that time here at my desk.

I guess you can have too much chocolate as they say, and maybe I'm guilty of over using WSIR, and that, along with hearing many other folks say they found it a little dull at different times, is why I was thinking of something to make it a little more interesting to drive.

It is true I don't race, and don't have any interest in racing, but I can see it's current config could be very fun in a race, but to drive it as often as I have it does end up making you wish for a little more. Those here who have said try Streets, it is too tight for a 3,000 lb car, to me it is a perfect shifter kart track, not a street car track. Big Willow is an awesome learning track, and it's speed is fun, but I always preferred Laguna, what I was dreaming about is giving big Willow a little of Laguna's and Sear's driving experience.

That really has nothing to do with how fast you drive, how big your ***** are, or how wonderful you think the track is as it is, it is simply wondering how you would improve on what is there, without messing up what is there.

Since we have got not one interesting suggestion of how anyone might change the track, and we've had lots of "my faster's faster than your fast" talk I think this topic proved to be pretty dull, and thus I'm outta here on this one.
See you at the track, and can I drove your Radical please, I love just those things!!!

Jack

Yes, that was the GT3 he "drove" and he was taking it easy, as a good friend should do with someone else's car.

DJ is a great driver and his contributions to this community are invaluable. Have I got you blushing yet?

Btw, DJ, I need you to try this new baby out and give me your impressions.

Bob Rouleau

Andrew- to spice things up, would it be safe to run Willow Springs backwards? I don't know about safety but I bet it would be a very different experience....;

FWIW, I think that anytime someone suggest changing a track config the results are the same - the majority don't want to mess with it. This isn't the first time someone has suggested that a track could be improved with a few tweaks. Don't be discouraged, the idea was not silly as far as I'm concerned (not that my opinion counts).

The guys who have already mastered the signature turn (or turns) of a track have plenty of momentum (resist change) and that's to be expected.

FWIW, I'd love to know what your lap times are when it is cool enough to turn off AC. In my GT3 I get my butt kicked by my pals if I forget to turn it off. I have read that AC has no effect - it turns off at full throttle etc; but I can only relate to my personal experience where it adds a second or two to my lap times.

Lastly - comparing lap times is pretty useless. There is a well known commonality between claimed lap times and the size of fish not caught. More importantly lap times vary day to day since track conditions vary. If I compare my lap times from one event to another I can see several seconds variation with no rhyme or reason except that on the slower day the track didn't have the grip it did on the faster one. Racers know this and for them all that counts is qualifying quicker than the other guys and getting to the chequered first.

Rgds,


Regards,

Mikey

"Since we have got not one interesting suggestion of how anyone might change the track"

McFly, I think you were too busy wrestling EJ in your mind, but If you go back and read all the posts, you will see that I gave two suggestions.

macfly

Bob, I think that most of it would be pretty good fun backwards, except maybe 2 could be a bit hairly, having and off by the kart track heading down that hill at a 100+ with the slope falling so steeply away from you.

It is very interesting what you said about lap times varying on different days, because each time I go I'm always able to put in consistent 20 & 30 lap sessions that are within 1 second of each other, but each time I'm there my average time for those long sessions varies by as much as 3 or 4 seconds even though I think I'm doing exactly the same pace and I never really understood why.

Quatermile, many appologies, indeed you did! Thank you

DJ

Thanks for the welcome, Kevin. It was good seeing you the other day. I'll have to get out to some more of Jack's days and see you guys more often.

"Head on the roof". LOL. I almost forgot about that. It makes it a little more difficult to drive with a crick in my neck.

DJ

I didn't mean to imply that the 993 was "stock". I just said that the motor and bodywork were stock. It had some suspension mods, and was running slicks. I'm definitely not "one of the most capable drivers on the planet". I'm only fast compared to slow guys.

I think the GT3 will go a little better than 31's, but I don't know for sure, as I've not seen it done.



I'll admit that Willow Springs is not my favorite track, but the faster you go, the more "interesting" it becomes. If you're bored, go faster.



Willow is definitely a great place to race. There's not a single place on the track where you can't go at least two wide. Everywhere is a possible passing zone, and you have to defend all the way around. Laguna is a bit like that, but not to the same extent unless you have a lot better acceleration than the cars you're passing.



I don't understand why you think SoW is too tight for 3000 lb. cars. SoW is completely different from the big track, it's far more technical. I love it. I'd rather drive SoW in a 911 than in a Radical any day. The lower speed corners much better suit heavy production based cars than they do lightweight sportsracers or formula cars. The speeds are too low for the downforce to make much difference.



I'd make all the run-off areas smooth, and covered with nice green grass.

I think you might have taken that the wrong way. The faster you go, the more interesting/exciting it is. If all you'd ever done there was drive around at 55 mph, you'd certainly think it was pretty dull, but you don't do that, you go faster, and it's more exciting. Go faster some more, and it gets more exciting. Maybe it's because you're so consistent, and always doing the same lap times that it's boring to you. Everyone hits plateaus where you don't get any faster, and that can be boring. There's still a little left in your GT3, and maybe if you got a little more of it (a few tenths at a time), you'd enjoy it more. That, and lots of pretty grass.



No.

DJ

Thanks, Jack. Blush? Me?

The Lotus looks great, but will I fit? I guess my helmet could stick out the top...

ScottMellor

DJ, You'd look like Magnum PI in the episode where he drove the E-type Jag

DJ

LOL.

Didn't his head stick out the top of the 308 too? When I drove the 355 Spider on the track, I had to look over the top of the windshield header. LOL.

Philip in AL

macfly:
I'm curious, you said "I generally do around 100-150 laps a day when we rent the track, and I work on being as consistent as possible, so I know exactly what my throtle and steering inputs are at any point on the track. Having done around 100 days there over the last 4 years I could close my eyes and talk you round the track in exactly that time here at my desk".

With that in mind, does spending that much time on any single track give you the confidence to believe that you can run with ANYONE, on THAT track and with the same car? BTW, please PM me your number.

4 Kurves

DJ - I agree with you. I've done 3 days with the POC and 3 or 4 with another group and I find SOW quite enjoyable. The only thing that would make the car better there is lower gear ratios. But still, it is a highly technical track and I always feel like I am learning something there other then how big my attachments are (which is exactly what I learn at the big track).

I still like the big track a couple of times a year - that takes care of my adrenaline rush.

-Kevin

DJ

Kevin,

I agree on Sow. Also, I had short gears in my 993. Still, there are a couple of "*****" corners there: Taking T1 flat deep into the braking zone for T2, and also through the chicane. Scary.

macfly

With that in mind, does spending that much time on any single track give you the confidence to believe that you can run with ANYONE, on THAT track and with the same car?
Phil, I'm not fully sue I understand the question here? The reason I like private track days so much is I'm not that comfortable being around other cars on the track, I really like to have as much space as possible around me, which is also why I'm not interested in racing.

Kevin & DJ, as to Streets, I personally feel the GT3 is really suffering thru there, to my mechanical sympathy it just feels like it's over stressing the car, and it's always fighting it's weight. I feel the strain it puts on the machine, while a shifter kart is just so in harmony with the track, and so much fun there. If you haven't done a shifter kart a SoW please do try it, I promise you will not be disappointed!