Alan Herod

The numbers that correspond to the radius, ie. opposite side of the track from the line indicating where the radius is drawn indicate the turn numbers. Today's configuration the Turn shown on the chart as Turn 1 is Turn 1 & 2, which throws off the numbering. Look at the chart on the right of the track map which shows the radius of the curves and it only shows 9 curves. Their radii correspondends to the small bold numbers on the chart.

Chart -----Direction ---- Name ---------------Current Turn number
1 -----------Right -------Turn 1 ---------------- Turns 1 &2
2 ---------- Left ---------Wagon Bend --------- Turn 3
3 ---------- Right -------The Chute ------------ Turn 4
4 ---------- Left --------------------------------- Turn 5
5&6 ------- Right ------ The Carrousel ------- Turns 6 & 7
7&8 ------- L/R -------- The Esses ------------ Turns 8 & 9
9 ---------- Right ------- Paddock Bend ------- Turn 10

Visualize in your mind where the corner workers hang out (or sleep as the case may be). The Big Bold numbers are the original Corner worker stations. Note their location -- you should instantly recognize 4 as being the Black Flag station That is also why it is often confusing to listen to the corner workers when we are trying to control the event. The flag stations do not always (or usually correspond to the turn numbers - Watkins Glen, Shenandoah (particularly), Mid Ohio -- Summit may be the closest one we use - but, my memory does not serve me that well sometimes. Trouble is corners are sequentially numbered and so are flag stations, but there are generally more turns then there are flag stations.

What I have posted corresponds to their description, if you follow the links from the Summit Point Site

I was just curious about the year of the chart.

TD in DC

Hey Jim,

Stop by and say hi tomorrow.

Alan,

The map was a google find, so I don't know the year. Since the big 9 on the map is the area where I have actually had PSM save me a couple of times (I typically have not needed PSM to save me at SP or any other tracks -- well, ok, once at VIR's T1 and another time at the sharp right hander before snake at VIR), I think I subsconsciously blocked that side of the map out. Yes, out of every turn on every track I have driven, the 8-9 combo bothers me the most. It seems illogical to me that it does, but those are the facts.

TD

Alan Herod

The Big 9 on the track shows the flag station that covers entry to the pits and can also see over the crest and under the bridge. It is also moved back (the story is) because someone many years past tracked out to that location.

TD in DC

Yup, track out was where I had the problem, to the left of the track a ways before the big nine on the posted map. IIRC, I was at the limits because I had not completed 8 very well and I stupidly engaged in a steering input (to the right, away from the point I feared I would go off track) that was too abrupt (didn't take much AT ALL). I did learn from the mistake, and I hope never to make it again. I am all about commitment now (and getting the setup turn done correctly so I will not have a problem at trackout).

Professor Helmüt Tester

What RedLine Man sez...

Two reasons for doing the little dance to the left entering T1: give yourself a few extra feet of radius, and treat the entry like a rally driver would - think "pendulum turn". Get that *** end swinging. Opinions vary, but I nearly always do it.

Got lots of time at Summit - run 1/2 the laps of every 12 hour there (that's 7 so far, right ?), run every SCCA Nat'l there since the mid-90's, sprints & night enduros with EMRA for decades, misc. Regionals there, etc. etc. etc. Very technical track...and a great 'learning track', as it teaches 'consequence'. Screw up anywhere, and you're screwed for half a lap. It's a 7 hour tow for me, but I love the place.

Keys:
T3 needs committment from your right foot, as well as accuracy in your car-placement. It's faster than most people think it is. You need to almost fall off the right-hand edge of the pavement at entry, or you're giving up radius.

T4 is flat in anything w/less than 200hp at the wheels, just a throttle-lift otherwise. If you're on the brakes, you're a weenie. It takes me a session or two to work up to 'flat', cuz my vision generally blocked by my skirt blowing up in my face. Big pucker there. Suck it up.

T5 - racing line is always defensive, but it pays to experiment for when you get a clear shot. FWD line is different from RWD line - what works best is whatever allows you to pull the trigger earliest. If you've got a 'push' on throttle, use the middle to ~ outside 2/3rds and 'square it off'. What you don't want to do is wash off the exit to the right, cuz if you panic you're going to swat the inside wall.

T6 - Most people don't realize this, but this is the entry to the front straight. Once you turn right into 6A, every radius opens up toward the bridge and down to T10. You should be able to drive FLAT or nearly flat from 6A to the entry to T10.

T7 - If you haven't completely farked up 6B, you need to transition the car from 'right turn' to 'left turn' for T7/8 - the lefthander coming out of the Carousel. Good time to catch a shift, and use the throttle lift/disturbance/etc. to get the car unsettled and changing direction. Time the shift to help turn the car.

T10 - The fast line thru there involves putting all 4 tires outside the exit curbing, on the asphalt runoff. It's just about 1 car-width wide, but not that long, so you can't hang around out there. Really. That's the race line. Don't believe me ? Watch qualifying at an SCCA Nat'l. It's probably a little too daring for a HPDE, as you'll have your instructor screaming, but that's the fast line. I've even made an outside pass using that asphalt runoff, and made it stick (but it took all the way to T1 to make it 'stick'). The key is not overslowing at entry, and making sure that you get all the way to the apex curbing, in the right place. Early...and you're in the gravel...or worse. I love this corner at night - no good references, a sea of darkness out there. You have to pick up pavement marks, and have a cornering light dedicated to pick up the beginning of the apex curbing.

JCP911S

My $.2...

Barn door swing at T1 (go ahead and experiment) but I look for smoothest entry so I can get on the gas ASAP... its flat from there to T3.

Wagon bend (T3 has a very late blind apex... it is quite fast but unless you can nail the apex with your eyes closed, don;t try to be a hero here.

Chute (T4) is much faster than it looks...trick for me is to start turning in early and PULL the car gently to the apex... do not get alot of rotation in the car...in my experience the average DE driver makes this turn way sharper than it has to be (but work up gradually...you do NOT want to drop a wheel here)

T5/T6 are throw aways..cornering speed buys you nothing... if you try to take these turns too fast, two things will happen.... you will understeer horribly, or spin.... keep the car under control and take the shortest line possible IMHO

T7/8/9 combo:... this whole seqence should be driven to maximize exit speed from T9 onto the bridge straight.... this means traking out on the INSIDE of T7, and on the INSIDE of T8... (actually, if you imagine driving he track backward from the exit of T9.... it all kind of makes sense...)

T10 is the most important turn on the course... exit speed in key here... this is the poster turn for the "slow in fast out" technique... (but don't use the exit curbs for DE)

Have fun

kurt M

The T1 twich or left/ to go right only works if you do it in cadence with the car. If you twich the car as many seem to do all you do is upset it but if you drive out and dive in you can get a better radius and get the rear rotated some. I think this might helps with the entry into the apex as you want to stay out a bit from the apex gator as it is rough in there and this gets some of the turn done sooner. I sometimes swing and sometimes don't. I think it does little one way or the other overall and goes against the KISS principle of driving. With much more stick than git I also tend to hit T1, T3 and T10 a little bit early from what others would teach or drive and any kind of early kills the effect. "Do as I say not as I do" For me T3 is a flat out corner and when I get a bigger set of Yarbles T10 will be as well. The asphalt patch outside of the gators in T 10 is more than ribbed it is notched and can chew your susp up depending on how well it flutters over the notches. Some cars can drive over them and skip along and some cars get the snot knocked out of them.

Larry Herman

Flat out as in no brakes, no lift, nada? What kind of car are you driving?

TD in DC

Kurt drives a blisteringly fast 912. I tell myself that the reason he drives so much faster than I do is attributable to his overwhelming HP advantage (or maybe tires)

ed devinney

It's the Yarbles in my case :-)

kurt M

"Flat out as in no brakes, no lift, nada? What kind of car are you driving?"
Short answer. A P.O.S.

I don't think "blisteringly fast" and 912 belong in the same paragraph let alone the same sentence.

Did not mean to hijack this thread. It is a good one too.

Larry Herman

Well kudo's to you then! I still had to tap the brakes for T3 and T10 in my old 914 2.0, but then again my car had 10 more hp than yours.

JCP911S

Kurt M.... I suspect if you "moved up" to an SC or 3.2 you'd kick some serious butt...

BTW... love the stealth spoiler

Z-man

What spoiler? I don't see a spoiler....


-Z.