works_team

This is a repost from the 718 GT4 section.

So, I did my first full track day at Spa at the beginning of August. I am still fairly novice but willing to get a lot better. Car is full stock, std settings. I took an instructor for 1/2 of the day then was on my own.

Here is a 5 min video I recorded with my old GoPro (sorry for the sound quality):


Of course, I chose an extract where no one overtook me 😁 but am realistic about my current skills as well. Any tips of what I can do to improve my driving?

I already have the following in mind:
- use more of the track width generally
- open the wheel angle more at the exit of turns in some places (this is quite noticeable in the video I think)
- look even further down the road (not an easy one to spot on the video I suppose!)

Please, don’t hold anything back when answering 😜😁 and many thanks for sharing your know-how!

Thundermoose

I used an instructor for first two years. That's my general advice.

works_team

Thanks, that’s at least part of the plan.

Any other advice anyone else can share?

Frank 993 C4S

Couple of things I have noticed:
- Increase your steering speed in slow corners and more importantly, slow down your steering speed in the fast corners
- Don’t rest your hand on the shifter. Keep it on the wheel until it is time to shift. You are spending a significant amount of time driving with one hand.
- Your downshifts and blipping are great but your up shifts are a bit slow
- For your first track day, this is very nice driving

works_team

Thanks a lot, that is great advice, much appreciated.

Entirely agreed on everything, except the downshift prowesses : I must confess that the car has an auto-blip function.

I will definitely work on my tendency to drive one-handed. I will also keep your first point in mind, it makes total sense.

stownsen914

Nice driving for a first event. I agree with your plan to continue taking advantage of in-car instruction as you learn. One piece of advice - don't use up so much of the curbing / outer track markers this early in your track adventures. Sure, the pros do that, but as you start to push the car more, you will make mistakes. If you are already using close to 100% of the track surface, you'll have no margin for error and raise your risk of going off.

works_team

Thanks - good advice, although it is so tempting ;-))

breljohn

Very nice for a first event.

I would focus on fundamentals at this point:
- Seating position: You seem to me moving a lot and the harness seems loose. Tighten it up
- Turning: You move your whole body when turning, Try to keep your shoulders against the seat and turn with your arms
- Steering: don't shuffle steer, keep your hands in place
- Shifting: upshifts are really slow and you fully lift the throttle, you have room to improve there as well

Send more vids! Spa is such an awesome track

works_team

Thanks! See below:

I would focus on fundamentals at this point:
- Seating position: You seem to me moving a lot and the harness seems loose. Tighten it up

That’s something I will need to check because it is already pressing quite heavily on my shoulders.

- Turning: You move your whole body when turning, Try to keep your shoulders against the seat and turn with your arms

Good point! I did not realize that when driving.

- Steering: don't shuffle steer, keep your hands in place

I know, I know... old habits die hard. But thanks for pointing out!

- Shifting: upshifts are really slow and you fully lift the throttle, you have room to improve there as well

I will have to work on this indeed. Not sure where to start but I will find something.

Send more vids! Spa is such an awesome track

Will do. I am planning to go a second and last time for the season for an evening session towards the end of the month and will bring the GoPro!

9eight7

As Frank mentioned, you spend a significant amount of time with your hand on the shifter. I suggest getting comfortable with driving your car and shifting (at speed) so that it is a quick subconscious action. Once that becomes second nature you can focus on other aspects of driving. Great driving!

Was it open passing? I didn't see windows down or point bys.

CosmosMpower

When I went to Europe and drove Spa/Ring they used turn signals to signal passes. Spa was the most fun I've had on any track in the world. Makes COTA seem boring.

9eight7

Thanks for the info! Watching the video again I do see the turn signals.

works_team

Not everyone does that actually. But yes, you can pass left, right, as you wish as long as you don’t crash into someone!

MaxLTV

Not sure if you have been to Spa, but most of these curbs are very gentle or even just painted on, so they have almost as much grip as the track surface. Also, in some places not going on curbs would require a drastically different line (e.g., not getting most of the car on the curb between T2 and T3 would make the whole Raidillon section much more dangerous and the straight after that much slower). The green paint beyong the curbs is also grippy except when wet or damp.

To the original poster:

All the comments on the driving have been spot on, so I'll comment a little on the line. First, it's hard to believe this is a first track day ever - bravo! Also, these pointers are VERY hard to execute perfectly in practice, so do not feel like it's criticism - more like something to aspire to.

• T1 - you can probably get a little closer to the apex (wall) - there is favorable camber if you get closer. Just be careful of oversteer - progressive throttle. Also, you seem to be tightening the wheel for just a moment after the apex there while starting to accelerate. If you do that at the limit it will cause snap oversteer. Try to start opening the wheel right after the apex so that you can put the power down without oversteer and then you can very slowly unwind to the curb rather than holding tight after the apex and then unwinding a lot to drive to the curb.
• T2 and T3 well done! The trick is to do most steering when the suspension is fully compressed when leaving the curb of at the bottom of T2 and then steer progressively less and less as you go up so that you do not need any steering when you crest the top. In the S follow the right curb a bit more because you have a ton of grip there still (almost twice as much grip in the right curve compared to the following left curve), and are going slower, so it makes sense to create more space for the fast and unstable left turn after that. And then gently straighten the wheel over the crest and add a bit more left after the crest - the left turn needs to be very gentle. So ride the curb around on the first (right) turn and cut across it on the second.
• T6 - you can track out more, gaining more speed, and still cross over to get a good entry to T7 (no need to hug the left side at the exit as much)
• T8 - same as T6 - add more power at the exit and let it track out more. There is plenty of space to cross over to the right for the T9.
• T9 - brilliant!
• T10-T11 - what I saw is opening the wheel after T10 and tightening it up for T11. If you can tighten up for T11, it means you are not going fast enough (not at the limit). Otherwise, there would be no more grip to tighten the arch while accelerating. Ideally, this entire section is a single large arch of slightly expanding radius rather than two smaller-radius arches connected by a semi-straight in between. I think you could apex T10 earlier, that would carry you further out onto the curb between the turns (it's ok to get all the way on the curb) and you'd also end up turning into T11 earlier and from further away to the right, so you carry much bigger radius arch for T11, allowing for higher speed and less scrub.
• T15 - turn in from further left on the curb (at least 1/2 of the car on the curb at turn-in, not just at track out of the previous turn)
• T16-17 - get all the way on the green paint between them. The green has good traction but not as good as the pavement, so keep that in mind. You do not want to NEED to use much green at T16 exit because that would be risky but you want to get on the green anyway, to gain wider entrance to T17, which allows to carry much more speed. So exiting T16 you want to comfortably drive to the green rather than being pushed out and then start T17 from the green because you really need that extra space there.

I know that seems a lot, so do not try to do it all in one lap or even one session - pick 1-3 things at a time and when you can do them consistently pick another set of things. Also, again this was VERY good driving for the first time!

CosmosMpower

It looks like you're coasting through the corners quite a bit and not feeding in the throttle once you're past the apex. I think you also may be overslowing the car a bit and downshifting rather than carrying a bit more speed and keeping it in a higher gear. I know the GT4 has a super long 2nd gear but I think there are a few spots where you could keep it in 3rd or 4th (instead of downshifting to 3rd). Like others said, keep your hands on the wheel and off the shifter and try not to shuffle steer.