stujelly

Is anyone here attending the California Festival of Speed next weekend in Fontana?

I am registered for the time trial but have never attending this event.

Not sure what to expect but really looking forward to it.

Any advice out there as far as how to prepare the car and what to expect?

jrgordonsenior

What tires including complete sizes (like 245/25/19?) and what hot temps do you normally run on a track? I ask because a common mistake folks make at a highly banked track like CS for the first time is to underinflate their RR tire. Consequently there have been numerous instances of RR blowouts on the banking at turns 1 & 2 with both slicks and R compounds. The track is run CCW and so the RR tire takes the majority of the load thru the banking. Your beautiful RS is fully capable of taking the banking at 140 or more. The RS wing produces a large amount of downforce at those speeds which are transfered mainly to the RR wheel and tire. It's important to make sure you're not underinflated there, and if you're running low profile 30 series tires, you should run even a little more than normal.
Hoosier put out a warning bulletin a few years back about their 285/30/18 series R6's. I can't find it on their website now, but the gist of it was to over-inflate your outside rear tire if you're running on banking. They go a bit to far with their suggestions, but it was written with liability in mind after their tires suffered blowouts at Daytona and similar banked tracks.....

Laguna_Dude

I will be there. First PCA event and first time at Fontana. I will be in my '10 Cup running the TT group as well. Still working on my qualifications to do the races. Not sure what to expect, but it should be fun. I am looking forward to the infield.... a little intimidated by the banks.

tcsracing1

I need to move to california!

MJones

Come one Come all

jrgordonsenior

A couple more tips if anyone's interested....

First off don't follow someone's lines until you've driven the track for yourself. There's lts of bad lines people take there.....

At the end of the straight entering T1 you should be about 2/3 up from the infield but not any further as there's marbles up high. Start dropping down and look to apex down by the white line at the far edge of the wide access road. You'll see it, it's about 3/4 of the way thru the banking. Once past that point start tracking out up to the wall and stay up about a car width from the wall. That's your straight-line braking zone for T3, the 90 degree turn into the infield which you'll take in 2nd. gear. Important: you can't make that turn with any speed at all if you're down low as there's a tire barrier there. And also look in your L-side view mirror for flying Bozos as someone always want to defy the laws of gravity and take the turn too fast down low. I've probably seen 15 wrecks there over they years so keep your eyes open....

Here's one from a few weeks ago with NASA. It's on the first lap less than an minute into the video. If it doesn't open up to the Cal Speedway event look for it in the right margin.

http://www.youtube.com/user/american.../2/__55WqI4opo

I don't want to bore you guys but I've got lots more if you want to hear it....

Laguna_Dude

Thank you JR! Please keep the tips coming!

In the braking zone into 3, does the banking unsettle the car when braking hard? Wouldn't the banking change the corner balance/weight creating some squirreliness during braking? Also, in cups, do people take it in 3rd? Downshifting from 6th to 2nd while braking hard from over 150mph is a lot of work in a short time.

Are there any turns that have walls to watch out for? Or is the infield all open run-off?

I've seen you race. I got my cup in late-Oct and have done the last 3 POC events in the car. 2 at Willow and 1 at Spring Mountain. You look really good out there. Giving a lot of the 997 guys hell in your 996. So please, any more advice would be greatly appreciated.

mobonic

JR is da man!

He's got more laps at Fontana than Kyle Busch!

Carsbin the shop, but I will be there in my go kart track watching you guys have fun and getting my speed fix in.

gmgracing

Feel free to stop by we will be in garage #1.. Cant miss the GMG transporter and cars.

Always happy to help out.....

Or give us a call for set up for the event if needed.

jrgordonsenior

If you look at the video I posted at around 37 seconds in he's coming out of T2 and you can see that the track flattens out. So your braking zone is pretty flat and not influenced by the banking. Your LSD will help you there regardless and should keep you from jumping around. T3 is definitely a 2nd. gear turn whether in a cup or RSR. It's a 90 degree turn and you want to get back to the left as much as possible to get a jump into T4 and down the short straight.

Get over to the right for the turn in to T5 & 6 which you can single or double apex. Many go wide of the first apex and loop around but I prefer to go in low next to the entry gator braking hard. You'll be down shifting from 3rd or 4th to 2nd again and you want to run over the flat exit gator. Hopefully you'll find yourself carrying so much speed you need to use the runoff area to the right and onto another short straight before you reach the left-right chicane and a short straight to T9.

T9 is a declining apex, 2nd. gear turn that leads to the back straight. Consequently it's the 2nd. most important turn and hard to get it right. Many people set up for the turn by drifting out far left next to the grass and late apexing into the apex which is way around the corner. I prefer the middle of the track approaching T9 as the track goes off camber to the outside and I want to turn sooner and get back to power ASAP. Try it both ways and see what feels fastest (and safest) thru that turn. There's good track out to the left and they recently lengthened the concrete runoff area there.

Here's CS's track map. Click on the Sports Car map....
http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Trac...B7C1671E1.ashx
More later....

stujelly

Thats great that GMG will be there. A place to go and get some technical info and assistance with the car.

See you there

jrgordonsenior

The last 2 turns onto the banking are obviously the most important turns on the course. Looking at the track map linked above, take the LH T16 as fast as possible (note that T17 doesn't exist) and punch the gas on exit. I choose to intentionally miss the apex at T18 so I can carry more speed and nail T19 full throttle and exit up onto the straight/banking. There may be cones and perhaps those bleeping stacked tire barriers as you exit T19 so you'll have to adjust for them. The sooner you go throttle up the faster you'll be down the straight and thru the banking. Try stretching out your braking zone for T3 a little more each lap, and getting on the gas onto the banking a little earlier each lap. Oh and you don't need to brake for T1 or T2 into the banking, just lightly lift for a second to tuck the nose in as you go back to full throttle....

Enjoy, there's nothing quite like going full throttle thru the banking.....

Laguna_Dude

They are doing my support as well. I think they have several cars for the event. should be insane. Always fun to hang with the big dogs (Sofronas) and learn new tricks....

Laguna_Dude

JR, KILLER ADVICE! THANK YOU!

Looking forward to puckering up as I go full throttle into turn 1 haha...

jrgordonsenior

Here's Safronas's impressive 'last to first' run a few years ago that you found. This is a great look at how to drive this track....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO41sabiSPQ