My best lap from the weekend at Road Atlanta (post hurricane). Shaved 1 second off previous weekend PB. 718 GTS4.0 on Yoko AD09's, J-hooks and DS1.11 on the front. Only performance mod has been the clear sidemarkers. I was trying to get to the 1:39's but it wasn't to be this weekend. This was my 10th day (5th weekend) at road atlanta.


Just from viewing I'm early on T1 and probably have speed left to gain there. Any other advice is officially solicited.

You can also catch Rexy setting up in the pro paddock at T1.

 

I'll give this a go, there seems to be a bit of a pattern that I can see...

Turn 1 - You are correct, you need to stay track left all the way until you get to the turn in point. Crabbing over to the right decreases your radius and delays your commitment to the throttle which you should be able to pick up sooner considering you will have the uphill section after the apex to catch you.

Approaching Turn 2 you get out of the throttle before the braking zone. Your line coming in should be about 1/2 a cars width further track right so you can point the car to the left hand side curbing more parallel with the curbing

Turn 3 - Nothing too bad, you're just being more conservative than I would be. My aim is to have the inside of my LEFT side tires as close to the curb as I dare.

Turn 4 - Try not to release away from the curbing as much as it compromises your entry into the esses.

The Esses - On the entry you are too far away from the left side of the track (just like in Turn 1) which results in you being early to the right curbing at the first Ess and the left curbing at the second Ess. This keeps you from being able to properly position the car for Turn 5.

Turn 5 - Assuming you are able to fix your trajectory through the Esses, you should keep the car against the last curb on the right and start the turn in for Turn 5 at the end of the curbing. In your lap you are too far away from the right side of the track at turn in (just like Turns 1 & entering the Esses) which tightens the radius and delays your ability to go to full throttle. Your position at track out is fine but you aren't carrying as much speed as you could be if the radius was open further.

Turn 6 - You brake and then coast into the apex taking a looooong time to get back on the power before the braking zone for Turn 7. Almost everyone overslows for this corner - the banking creates a lot more grip than most people really understand. You can really power out of there before getting to Turn 7.

Turn 7 - Wait until the end of the curbing on the left to turn in - you went early again (just like Turn 1, entering the Esses, and Turn 5) and you compounded the damage done by missing the apex on the right by several feet. Both of which delayed your ability to get to the throttle leading onto one of the longest straightaways in North America

Turn 10a - Again you are not all the way at the edge of the track before or at turn in and never hit the apex curbing on the left.

Turn 10b - Just use more curbing so you can get back to throttle sooner climbing up to the bridge

Turn 11 - Entry looks ok to me (others may chime in here with a different opinion) but you NEED to get the car all the way out to the left along the curbing before you turn in for Turn 12.

Turn 12 - See that cone about 2 car lengths after the curbing ends? You should still be out on the left side of the track until just at that point (this is the pattern I keep talking about), then decisively bend the car towards the apex of Turn 12. Your apex and track out points were pretty good but opening up the radius will allow you to carry more speed more safely!

Hope this helps...

 

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I watched the video and took notes - and they basically mimic Mike's
Most everything can be summarized into "slightly too early turn in", and that's not uncommon at Road Atlanta. Way back when, when I did more in-car instruction, I used to preach "late apex" so much I sounded like a broken record (remember records kids?) LOL. But seriously, if you think of the dynamic of hitting the back/far end of an apex curb, you're now already set up in the general direction of the track after the apex and can get on the throttle quicker and more decisive. If you 'early apex', you're entering the turn facing the wrong direction and have to over-slow to get the car rotated before track out.

I can say this all day long...in practice I yell at myself every turn "too early jackass"... ESPECIALLY turn 1 at Road Atlanta....

Overall the lap looked good and smooth. But don't drive the cones - drive the track. Cones are typically very conservative in their placement and are meant for the beginners to make sure they get through the turn comfortably. As you get faster, your braking, turn in, track out, throttle application gets quicker and more compressed into a smaller window.

Curious where the Garmin said you had opportunities?

 

T12, T1, and T6 were the ones it had as opportunities if i remember correctly. I am consistently mediocre enough at the other turns they didn't make the top 3.

 

Great commentary above. I know this track only virtually... unfortunately. But one of my very favorite to run on the sim, and it's remarkable how much virtual translates to real world.

Over thousands of time attack laps vs. iRacing pros, IMSA pros, occasional aliens, there are a few key make or break moments, i.e., corners/sectors where top tier times become possible vs. avg and sub-avg. Don't get these right and you'll be well off no matter how much you've optimized everything else.

- T5 return to throttle by the end of the inside curbing/late apex. Achieve this by staying track right along the curbing before entry. To start, recommend compromising entry/apex speed as necessary to get back to throttle at this point. Once that habit is established, then work backward trying to optimize your entry/apex speed. Consider: No matter how quick you are entry to apex T5, if you're not back to throttle on time, you'll lose all and more of the entry/apex time "gained" on the run up the hill and down the straight toward T6.

- T6, yes to much more speed being available here than you'd think. When done right, seems like a slingshot effect that lands you parallel to the outside curbing and properly set up for T7 entry.

- T7, stay track left and hit apex as above, and then (critical) return to throttle at apex. Once again, to develop the habit, can compromise your entry/apex speed, then work to regain it. You're not hugely late to throttle here, but even a delay of tenths compounds down the long straight.

Would suggest there's probably 1 second available just in these 3 adjustments, putting you well into the 1:39's.

Maybe you've seen and studied, but here's a real world lap for reference. Keen in a 718 GT4. Adjust for GT4 vs. GTS, but even with that factored in, the speed deltas are informative: ~9 mph just after T5 exit curbing. 5-6 mph T6 apex. ~2 mph end of T7 exit curbing. Seemingly small delta, but again, remember compounding factor down long straight. That 2 mph becomes about 6 mph as you pass under the Motul sign.

 

Thanks for the feedback and the video. Haven't seen it before and it's certainly illustrative.

 

I can’t add much to what’s been said. Too early on 5. You could definitely take 6 faster. You might try thinking of 6-7 as almost a half circle where your car needs to be straight only long enough to set up entry to 7. You might consider starting to add a little more gradually increasing pressure on the throttle just as you hit the apex. All that said, you look a lot faster than I was after twice as many sessions. It just takes a while for things to really come together. I should know. I driven that track more times than I could possibly count. You’re doing great. Just keep at it.