richard glickel

Geoff,

This was before I went to the turbo body and the (wider) Kinesis wheels, so the tires were 255's. "140ish" is probably correct, although it sure FELT faster. No matter, it's still the fastest I've ever driven on a track!

It's easy to understand why Geoffrey is so fond of the Glen. The stretch coming up through the esses, onto the back straight and through the bus stop is great fun.


Bill,

What does your track schedule look like for this year?

Richard

Bill Verburg

My track schedule looks like a lot of days out on the water, 16 regatta weekends scheduled so far. I'll try to sneak away when I can, but it'll be tough.

Ed Newman

The speed is indicated and no I don't look down... that is what the video cam is for. The car is at the redline, but not the limiter in 5th. The car does perform phenomenally. It is truly in its home at the larger tracks like the Glen. The cup cars have dramatically different gearing. They may be topping out on the straight or need an extra shift. Also depends on the cup car. The X51 and GT3 have more power than alot of the older cup cars. Anyone have access to a good radar gun. Would be great to clock the cars during the club race this year. That would tell the truth.

Rick DeMan

Hi all,

I see 180+ in my turbo car at the Glen....with lap times at 1:55......

This is all calculated by gear ratios and tire size.....

http://65.215.66.59/deman/index.php

Mark GT2

I know when I come out of the "S's" and onto the straight I'm doing about 140 or so - when I get up near the bus stop I'm way to chicken to look down - but I know I'm going pretty fast.

I actually went straight past the bus stop 2 times when I was discovering the "limits" of my PCCB brakes that seemed to fail me at high speed. To say the least.....that's enough to make you change your shorts.

MJR911

Mark, what are your plans with the brakes for this year? I hope you had some success with PCNA owning up to the limits of the PCCB!

Z-man

Geez - you guys are going pretty fast on that straight.

But more importantly, how fast and how well do you negotiate the turns?!

"Straights are for fast cars. Corners are for fast drivers..."

-Z-man.

Ed Newman

If you want to go fast at the end of the straight, you have to not only have a fast car, but go fast in turn 2. The speed in that turn (and keeping the gas pinned through the esses) is key to the top speed on the straight.

Z-man

Granted, but it is easier for a GT3 / GT2 to hit 150+ on the back straight even if the driver messed up the whole esses than it is to do the same with my 944S2!! (Acutally, my car tops out at 149 with stock gearing, so it is next to impossible to achieve those speeds with the 944S2)

Ah, the joys of driving a 'momentum car!'
-Z.

James Achard

Absolutely, I take a peek at my tach at the track out of turn 1. This gives me an indication of what my terminal velocity will be since I'm flat from there to the bus stop.

James

Mark GT2

I can't possibly go flat out through turn 2 and the esses. The car won't hold at those speeds.

MJR911 - I replaced the PCCB with Brembo GT complete set. Still pursuing Porsche on the PCCB issue.

The Brembo set is outrageous......and it only weighs a few pounds more than the PCCB - stops much better, rotors are cheap, pads seem to last a very long time.....AT LAST I can count on my car stopping without trashing my rotors at $8K each.

smokey

You can't take the esses for granted. I was following a 996 TT last summer, and he caught the curbing at the apex on the right side entering the straight, and hit the wall hard on the left side going backward. Wiped out the right side of the car and the corners. It's a very addictive groove, but I'm happy to have only 290 hp as I struggle up the learing curve.

Z-man

Gee, I'd be happy too, if I had only 290 hp.

-Z-man, driver of a 'puny' 944S2 with 208hp.

Mike S.

Z-man,

I think my friend with his 914 1.7 would disagree with you that a 944 S2 is a momentum car.

All,

140 at the top of the esses and 180 at the end of the back straight are so far beyond my novice personal DE experiece that as jaw dropping they are, I'm certain I can't appreciate just how fast this really is. The skills and concentration must be enormous and the consequences of a screw up are huge.

While not really part of this thread, but somewhat related, having driven at modest speed on a track, I can now appreciate the true skill(s) and difficulty it takes to "go fast". I used to be one of those ingorant folks who thought the real skill is in making the $$$ to buy a "fast car." Then you become a fast driver. So much for that silly thought! I guarantee you that if you took one of these uninformed folks for a ride with Rick or Mark, they'd plead with them to slow down.....actually, I'd probably be pleading too!

Mark and Rick,

Are you club racer Mark? If so, will you be at the Porsche Clash this year? Will you be there Rick (in GT1)?

Mike

Z-man

This is true.

However, I have heard it said that the 'cut-off' for a 'fast car' is around 250hp. All I know is that it is very difficult for me to keep up with 300+ hp cars that are being driven by drivers of similar ability to mine.

Side note: last week at NNJR's Lime Rock DE, it rained on Thursday. Rain being the 'great equalizer,' I found that the cars & drivers that were typically much faster than me were not leaving me in the mist! As a matter of fact, there were several cars that I was passing. (Whoo Hoo!!) Of course, there was that little spin of mine in Big Bend in the 3rd run of the day! By Friday, the weather cleared, and I was back to being passed by the high hp cars!

But I now very much enjoy driving in the rain!

-Z-man.