Carrera GT

Carreer as a driver. That's what I keep telling my wife and my accountant.

As for the 1:38, now I see where this angle is coming into play -- that was another driver, indicating the potential of the car (not me) ... another Rennlister, by the way.

As for times, I think Laguna is harder to drive now -- due to the bumps and the slippery surface -- for slower cars. They've made it faster for fast cars, but at full whack, I still don't use the whole track and my main focus of improvement is "shortening" the line.

mowblowgo

1:38 is a very respectable time. IMSA GT3 Cup cars with slicks, and SPEED World Challenge GT front runners are averaging 1:30-1:31's in full race trim. 3 more seconds and you would have finished mid pack at a pro-series event with a showroom stock street car. Nicely Done.

cosmos

Mooty and others can attest that I can do a 1:31 at Laguna in the 996 GT3 and we were doing very well in the Cayman and M coupe at I think at high 1:40 somthing.

Less then 1:30 is hauling. I am not braging, I am just pointing out that I would assume the 997 should be doing it much better then the 996. Unless the 1:38 was 996 times and I am misreading the post.

Johninrsf

You must have inhaled something this evening, Evan.
The 5 fastest POC cars at Laguna last year posted times between 1:30.8 and 1:35.0 times. These were Porsche factory RSRs, GT3Rs and in Loren Beggs case, a 900 HP Turbo. The POC lap record for a GT3 CupCar is 1:36.
You're saying that YOU, in your street GT3, are faster than the best and fastest cars and drivers we have in POC in their factory racecars, regardless of Class, and you're 5 seconds faster than the POC record for a GT3 Cupcar? I'd like to pass that on to others for a good laff.

mooty

i have driven with cosmos, and he is definitely faster than moi at every track. i dont want to put words in his mouth, i think evan probably had a typo above.
i can get to 144:3xx in my cayman s on RA1's, it is repeatble on different days. but i know for SURE, i cannot get below 140 in my GT3.

Wreck Me Otter

Huh? The track has HUGE grip now...in SM we dropped 2 full seconds across the entire field. The bumps don't upset the car either...

Carrera GT

Good grief. As soon as you introduce times into the thread ...

Anyway, my post was about the car (not me) driven before the track was resurfaced, which has introduced some bumps and made it "excitingly" slippery.

Surely the 997 can turn a quicker lap than the 996 apples for apples (track, conditions, driver) after all, it has more horses, a more refined engine, improved rear suspension, slippery aerodynamics ... and really cool Alcantara cabin trim ... it's exactly what you'd expect of Porsche given a couple of years to refine their best 911 since the 993RS.

Now. Let's all get back to this idea of me having a pro racing career ...

mowblowgo

That is a rediculous statement, and I'll bet the dog ate your AMB timing slip that proves it? If true, you are faster than Lawson Aschenbach's fastest lap at the season finale World Challenge GT race at Laguna. Lawson drives for John Groom Racing in a 997GT3 WC Cup Car. Incidentally, Lawson won the World Challenge GT drivers championship in 2006.

Johninrsf

Carrera GT,

I think many of us were simply looking for a valid comparison in lap times between the 996 and 997GT3. "Valid" meaning the same driver. It would still be nice to have that! Certainly, there's nothing wrong with a discussion about lap times when comparing two different cars, especially a new model GT3 replacing an older model GT3 for alot more $$. How else to determine whther you're really getting more bang for the buck? After all, the essence of what we all want to know is whether or not we can go faster in this car? Isn't that what it's all about?

Carrera GT

"HUGE" grip. Okay. I think that's because your car weighs, what, 500lbs? And puts down 77hp ... : ) ... I know, I know, that's nothing to do with grip ...

It's subjective, but the only place I had good grip was through T2. Drifting through T4 was a bit off-putting and finding good grip through T7 was another issue that a power car faces while a momentum car is probably not taxing the coefficients. The patchwork through the corkscrew was screaming crazy, the patch and bumps on the line from T9 to T10 was not fun.

Johninrsf

FWIW, at our POC event at Laguna this year, it was universally agreed that the track was much faster (for whatever reason) and all of our times reflected that (in every Class!). The driver/car in 1st place in our Red Group race said he thought the track was at least 2 seconds faster.

cosmos

Just testing the waters to see what people come out of the wood work with their opinions and such not. I am glad to see you back John.

Its low 1:40's thats on record.

I like to see how people here knows what they are talking about and who just seems to blow smoke.

Carrera GT

Okay, Okay. I'll have to find another excuse. I think there was unusual solar flare activity that day ...

Johninrsf

"low 1:40s"!. Like :41 or:42. That's sounds alot better AND an excellent time for a street GT3!

PogueMoHone

Interesting,

Because the FLying Lizard team at ALMS last October had exactly the same things to say as Carrera GT about the changes to the track, more bumpy even with new asphalt, esp turn 9 iirc.

Maybe because the SM are overall slower, the impact of the changes is less pronounced at lower speeds, and you are both correct?