Z-man

Ok, all this talk lately of how to brake in a corner, the optimal line, and using DAS systems to determine what line is best got me thinking about various corners: which ones I like, and which ones I don't.

We all have our favorite tracks, but have you considered your favorite corners? It would be interesting to see what you all like and why.

So, post your top five (or more) favorite corners or sections of track.

Here are mine:
6. The corkscrew at Lagun Seca: I never actually drove that track yet, but I am looking forward to the day I can thread the needle through those world-famous turns! From what I understand, you approach the corner blind, commit, tuck in and go for it!
5. Turns 1 through The Snake at VIR: There aren't too many tracks where there are so many interconnected turns one after the other! That section is very, very busy! Based on my autocross background, I really feel at home in that section.
4. Turn 9 at Watkins Glen: (coming out of the boot where you meet up with the Nascar 'short-cut') Love this turn! Seems there's a little off-camber at the entry, and that gives me just a hint of oversteer, which helps me point the car in toward the apex. (If I get it right!!)
3. Diving turn at Lime Rock:A lift or a tap on the brakes is all that's required before the turn. Get in the apex tight, and the grooves in the road will hold you in, and then slingshot you out onto the front straight! Yummy!
2. The Esses at Watkins Glen:Get into T2 early and hug the apex until the turn falls away...cross over to T3...then T4...then out onto the back straight -- all at WOT! But don't forget to breathe!!
1. The Uphill at Lime Rock: MAXIMUM grip in the first part of the turn, but you'd better be straight at you crest the hill! What a thrilling corner!

So, what are your favorite corners?
-Z-man, really itching to get out there again...

Brian P

I think you can go faster if you don't hug the apex in T2. The track takes a bit of a drop near the apex and I've found that you have to turn so much that you are scrubbing off speed if you hit the apex. Maybe in a higher horsepowered car you need to be hitting that apex right to set up T3, but not in our cars.

If you are really itching to get back out there again, you should come on out to Summit Point in ten days.

M758

My favorite 3

Arizona Motorsports Park (Turns 10,11 into 12).
Fast left, then right into a tight right. Entry speed is about 90 mph, Touch the breaks to load the front. Start your turn early and get back on the power. Failure to do so causes the car to spin rapidly. Then track out just past mid-track. Touch the brakes again to get the car to rotate and pull around for the right turn. Power out to track out point and then stuff it into 12. Brake and down shift to 3rd drop the car in little trouch and power out down the straight. Get this section right and you can pass alot of guys into 12. Get it wrong and the car swaps ends faster than you can say oh.. Sh....


Willow Springs Turn 5
Dropping down off the hill in 4th gear down to 3rd. Get the car to rotate and use the camber of road and little gas to catch it when it oversteers. Get it right and you can all kinds of speed into 9.


Phoenix Intnernational Turn 1-2
Going into turn 1 is about 115 to 120 MPH even in a "slow car" Touch the brakes or not if you can. Gentle turn left and back on the gas. Go off the slight banking bouncing at the transition with the cars stepping sideways. This corner can really be take much faster than you first thing. Then hard trailing braking for the decreasing radius at 2. Getting it right through this section means alot time and an opprotunity to pass at 2.

Mike Buck

Don't know if these are my "favorite" turns, but they are definitely the ones that get my heart rate UP. Can only pick from the 5 tracks I've driven

1. Turn 7 at Mont Tremblant - off camber, high speed, slightly downhill right
2. Turn 1 at Mont Tremblant - high speed, blind, steep uphill right
3. Turn 4 at Summit Point - the chute, high speed, downhill right
4. Turn 10 at VIR (Full Course) - high speed left coming off "climbing esses"
5. Turn 9 at Watkins Glen - see Z-man above

Sun Ra

1 and 2 at spring mountain, with that bump at 2's apex

ColorChange

Turn 5 Road America, you come in hot, it's downhill braking (better have the threshold thing down cold), and it's real easy to miss your braking point.
Carousel Road America, go fast and stay at the limit, have lunch, change gloves, adjust your visor, look way ahead for the track out and go like hell on exit.
Turn 2 at Gingerman. Should be really simple but man that is one tough corner to optimize, 8 million lines, which is best?

Sorry, don’t have enough experience to add more.

944TURBOS

I would have to say you named some of my favorites as well....i love canada corner at RA as well. Turn 5 is fun but scary if messed up....I just love RA, and your explaination of turn two at gingerman is right on, what a unique corner

Greg Fishman

Gotta have turn 12 at Road Atlanta in there. 80 ft vertical drop over 300 feet is like falling of the side of a cliff.

Mid Ohio has lots of turns on my list. Madness is one, the entry into Thunder Valley another.

The upper esses at VIR. Fast and very busy. The Rollercoaster section that leads onto the front straight is great as well.

The Caroseul at Road America and the kink are my favorite. Hard to get perfectly right but when you do, you are flying.

Lowe's Speedway banking. An unforgettable experience to drive on 30+ degree banking and hit NASCAR 3 at over 140mph. Truely a scary experience.

Watkins Glen hard to name one as they are all worthy.

Sebring, turn 17 and turn 1. Bumpy, wide and fast. Lots of ways to screw it up and I think I found most of those ways.

trumperZ06

Turn 12 at Road Atlanta, just after you go under the bridge at the top of the hill.. your car gets LIGHT... as you dive down into a very fast downhill sweeper onto the front straight.

ColorChange

Greg you liar, the kink is just too damn scary to be a favorite for anybody.

Yea 944 turbos, Canada is great too, I thought twice about including it but if you hit it right it leads directly into the 13 and 13A, one great sequence if you hit it all right. And I have only done reconnaissance laps at RA. Can’t wait to work it up full bore.

Brian P

Rather than name my favorite turns, I'll name my favorite types of turns...

Interconnected turns that allow well balanced (and underpowered) cars to catch up to those high HP beasts...

High speed turns that us poor underpowered drivers are able to take flat out while the higher HP guys are scared to go flat to the floor. There's nothing like catching a 996TT with my 2.5L tiptronic boxster in a fast turn.

Mike in Chi

Colorchange

You mentioned last week that you are going 110 through the carroussel at Road America.

What are you doing through the Kink?

ColorChange

Mike:

I have never run RA flat out yet. I pulled the data from the smartest guys I know in the racing business (Northwestern Ph.D. + experience).

The guys at Precision AutoResearch offer a jam packed technical program called Race Data power. I pulled the following data off of that. With decent track tires, getting 1.25 g's should be easy. As you can see, you can pull 120 at entry on the carousel and 103 on exit. For kink, you are looking at 146. Yow!

My Countach can only pull 1.0 g's on street tires so I should have been able to get 108 at the carousel but I have not worked up to full speeds yet.

Mike in Chi

146 through the kink?

You can't in my car.

Mike in Chi

I should elaborate.

You couldn't in my car even if Fishman was driving.

If I'm reading that correctly, is the theoretical speed under Billy Mitchell bridge (13) 117mph and turn 14 70mph?