dgrobs

Yeah, those small seats and my hippy a$$ with a pinched nerve in the right hip wasn't gonna work.
No way can I deal with the pain of a pinched nerve in my hip again. Kept me off the track for a month when it happened a few years back. C took care of you though, yes?

If you are instructed with POT, then you will have a great coach in your right seat. Potomac has a great instructor core. If you are capable of driving solo, you will know that sooner than later, and so will they.

Their methods of promotion are the reason they turn out the great drivers, and in turn, the great instructors, that they do.

Your first time to Pitt Race, instructed or not, get someone in your right seat. You will be very happy you did, especially when the track starts flowing for you. That track just rocks, plain and simple.

steveP911

I was a little wealthy until I bought this car and slid down the slope.

I did Pitt Race for the first time last summer and really liked it. As Bruce says, it does take some work to put it all together. A few blind turns, especially #14, make it wise for a first timer to go out with a coach. 19 turns over 2.8 miles. Track Geometry - Brand Update (pittrace.com) Nice facility too. I don't think I ever did get a firm turn-in point for T14......

Cheers

ProCoach

From a track rental standpoint, for most larger tracks, the sport is definitely still growing. Pretty good uptick since pre-COVID, too.

Potomac is great. Long time commitment doing it right. Started working with Dan Dazzo almost three and a half decades ago. New blood is doing a great job, too.

dgrobs

14 at Pitt reminds me a bit of The Toe at Watkins or Oak Tree at VIR in that I've taken a hundred different lines through those corners and every freakin one of 'em feels wrong.

I do love 14 though at Pitt. That whole 13-14-15-16 into the braking zone of 17 complex is a real hoot. Basically, back-to-back kinks going in different directions at very high speeds. Love it!!

ProCoach

Most important thing to do with corners like that is to PICK ONE (turn-in point) and stick with it, get good at it, measure it. Then, pick a clearly defined ALTERNATE turn-in point and do the same thing. Then, compare.

Keep doing that until there is a clear winner. Remember, some drivers that execute the less optimal turn-in point VERY WELL are going to do better than others that never do the work to find the optimal one, or never fully commit to ANY specific point.

dgrobs

I know MY optimal lines through those corners, and they still feel wrong. You can add Namerow (sp?) at Tremblant to that list.

The only correct line through those corners is the Bourbon in one hand and the Cigar in the other at 5:30.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it.

Manifold

I think it depends on the driver.

I learned Pitt pretty well from videos. First lap, the track felt familiar. By the second lap, I was pretty fast. By the end of the day, I was 3 secs faster than my target lap time. Key for me was to memorize where the apex should be for each corner.

But I agree that it's a challenging topsy-turvy track, and most people will want to do ride-alongs if they don't have an instructor.

dgrobs

De Jeeper

Yes C did a good job but i have mixed feelings for her style of driving. Cause 2 weeks later i went back to WG and got 9.5 sec of the 12sec of low hanging fruit that Procoach had identified for me with an instructor that felt the car differently. I know its not all about lap times but it is a measure of performance.

Still happy to take an instructor at any point. There is always something to learn. Goal for this season is to take advantage of the free coaching and then move into paid coaching in 2024.

dgrobs

You dropped 9.5 seconds off your lap times at The Glen from the Potomac event to 2 weeks later? That's amazing. Good on you!!

steveP911

My problem with T14 at Pitt was I could not find or identify any useful physical reference point approaching that blind turn (downhill to the right). Nothing on the track or in the background. I ended up basing it on timing and position coming out of T13. Harder still when the optimal line makes it look like you will turn into the grass. Eventually I guess I settled into something effective enough. My best lap there last summer is below. T14 is right at the 2:00 mark.

dgrobs

Nice lap.

I turn in for 14 when the trees on the right disappear and I'm basically using the open horizon as my reference point. I always think I'm gonna go off to the right there but I never do.

Edit, also, be all over the right side of the access "triangle" between 1 and 2. Gets you back to WOT much sooner. I think your CI told me that, and that's what I do every lap right now.

There is a little triangular piece of pavement on the far right over there (right by that access road on the right). Get your right tires on that triangle. Will drop 1/2 second off your times.

sdm100

Love running with SCDA more practical than Porsche events.

steveP911

I can see that spot on T14. Thanks Bruce. I also know that I was weenying out coming out of T1, so I will try what you suggest there.

As I review that video, I remember there are a number of dropoff turns that really challenge you, and thrill you when you get it. Still working on that...

ProCoach

Looking forward to running the big course this year, but running the North Course when that was all that was there in under a minute was awesome!

T14 on Full is Turn 7 on North. No trouble finding a good turn-in.