Gofishracing

Bruce- you are out of control. Addicted. Need help. It's gonna take years to heal you.

dgrobs

Was I ever "in control"?

So looking forward to LRP this weekend with you guys. Would appreciate a right seat session from you if at all possible. Thanks.

ProCoach

The best drivers use marks at track level, eye level and above, peripherally and straight on, to establish positions for every foot traveled on the track. You're on the right track taking in as much as you can.

I've done high 1:21-low 1:22 with 150 bhp at TBolt and I've looking around all the time. I use the left side of the tree line to site the desired trajectory entering T2. All kinds of good things there.

sbelles

Well, they might in the sim but don't count on them being in the same place in real life. Now that I think about it, Thunder is one of the only tracks I can think of where all of my marks are on the track. Mostly curbs.

dgrobs

For sure the curbing is helpful in terms of visuals, but the visuals I use most at that track are at, or just a little bit above my eye level.

As an example, the bleachers dead in front of me as I make the hard right in the Octopus are useful to me as I use them to line up that right hander.

I also use the flagger on the left immediately before the bridge coming onto the front straight as a guide as to when I slightly lift to rotate the car at turn in for that high speed right hander onto the front straight so I can take that right sweeper at full throttle and track out all the way at the end of the curbing on the left (if I'm not on that curbing to begin with, which happens 2 out of every 10 times.)

Please keep in mind that I am still at the learning stage for most of these tracks. I guess I could drive the track without using the visuals, but at this point at my driving skill level, they are still helpful to me.

Bottom line is that I still suck at track driving compared to a lot of the people I run with, so any help I can get (including visuals), I will take.

I have never really thought of using the curbing only as my visual reference points at TB, but Iwill surly pay more attention to them the next time I'm there.

Thanks for the advice.

sbelles

I'm not suggesting that you try. Now that I think about it some more, I do use the tree line going into 4. Use what works for you. Long range landmarks at or above eye level are always good. Much easier to orient yourself quickly when you are in a group of cars and can't see the track.

ProCoach

I'm fond of the curbing at TBolt. In August of 2009, I was hired as a consultant by the track to validate placement and height of the curbings at Thunderbolt before final paving. My good friend Dennis Macchio is responsible for the curbs on Lightning.

I think the curbs at TBolt really help visually and to get around the track...

Here's one of my runs at the time:

sbelles

You did a good job, some of them work like magic.

For some reason I especially like curbs that you cross a little sideways like 4. The last turn at Pittrace (Beaver Run) is a great one too.

kevin135

It's a matter of priorities. We can only build so many tracks every year and have to choose what makes the most sense for the entire user base (current and future). Unfortunately NJMP is just not a track that has world-wide appeal.

dgrobs

What? What's not to love about glorious Millville, NJ?
J/K. Makes perfect sense. Thanks for the info.
Would love to see the full versions of both tracks on IRacing someday though. Maybe a package deal for the both tracks? I'll be your first buyer...
Please keep us posted. Thanks.