I typically don't post driving videos (unless I wanted to do a HWFMR application), but it's the middle of freakin winter here and I'm bored, so I figured I post my last two laps from 07 to both remind the guys in the North-East of the great new track we have here up north and to get some tips for 08. So fire away. Beyond the few obvious mistakes, what can/should I be doing differently/better?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHGW5Wm7mI

 

Very nice.....

It looks like you had the track all by yourself......

I hope to get up there with Rennsport this year and enjoy that beautiful track again....

 

Holy crap, did they pave that just before you went out? Last time I saw pavement that smooth was when I came for the ribbon cutting of a new Wal-Mart I supplied the concrete to!

 

Are you pushing the accelerator pedal all the way down?

 

I assumed it was a "Track Tour" video...

 

<SNAP!>

 

Looks good to me! Nice track too.

 

1) You need to brake much harder and learn to trail brake. You can see from the G graph that your lateral Gs normally are higher than your decel Gs...that just ain't right

2) You need to shift faster...this ain't a grocery run!

3) What is the redline on that thing? It sure seems that you are way down in the power band, to the point where you could be one gear lower in a lot of places.

4) I've never driven that track, but looks like you are taking a DE line. Forget the cones...the apex of a turn is usually closer to the beginning of the curbing (rule of thumb).

 

I typically brake earlier and "softer" to concentrate on corner entry. I've never been a hard braker. Trail braking is the main thing that I've been concentrating on this year with limited success.

I call it "mechanical sympathy".

I typically shift at 6K. There are two places where I could probably use second gear, but the time it takes to shift negates the benefit of extra boost of using second (according to the data).

I don't look at cones or any other reference point, but I do agree that I'm taking a late apex in most places. To apex earlier, I would need more rotation from apex to track out than I currently have. My goal this season was to develop my trail braking skills more to carry the rotation through the corner, but the car seems to understeer on exit (either the car or me, but one of us understeers).

 

I was following the paving crew. They are a second faster than I am.

 

Hi Stacy, Nice. I like you am suffering from withdrawl.
Im looking at mine siting in the garage, with a fresh motor, almost ready to start, yet its -20 this morning, and summer feels so far away. Last time I went to Calab. I got bit by the 50¢ peice. I cant wait to go back. I finished the season with a definate lack of satisfaction.........

Cheers mon ami

p.s., Cant wait to feel this rush again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5JLAi34uJw

 

I didn't say to brake any later, but to brake harder. Look at the data...it does not lie. You are leaving many seconds on the table.


You can be nice to the equiptment and still shift faster. You take ~1-1.5 seconds per upshift, yet do downshifts way faster.


Late apex + late on the gas = slow. In general, you are way late getting back on the gas -- look at 1:48...you are on the gas until you are basically straight!

None of the driving is bad...it's very safe...but slow. I'd suggest taking rides with the fastest people in your region (who will not necessarily be the ones wit the fastest cars.). Learning to break the late apex, late on the gas, not trailing braking habits will take time..but you'll be much faster in the end.

 

If your setup is understeering, trailbraking will help get you some rotation in the slow corners. You want rotation prior to the apex, not after. After the apex you're trying to unwind the steering wheel as much as possible and still make the corner. Steering input post apex = scrubbing speed. Don't forget that you can always do a quick lift to get the fronts working prior to the apex. If you're still having trouble, you need to revisit your suspension setup. I actually like a little understeer because the car feels better on the high speed sweepers but I can use trailbraking or breathing off the throttle to get some rotation on the slow corners.

 

Wouldn't braking harder necessitate braking later (or overbraking)? My braking is probably the thing I've on concentrated the least on so I am interested on how to improve it.

I've never noticed that.

Actually, I'm on the gas just after the apex, but I'm only at 3Krpm (3rd gear) so it looks and sounds like I'm coasting . This is the corner that I've had the hardest time with since it leads to a steep uphill. I've tried 2nd gear, but run out of revs by trackout, so I've been using 3rd, which has me accelerating up a hill from 3K. I've tried turning in earlier, just to understeer to trackout and not get a good run up the hill, so I started turning in later so the wheel is straighter out of the corner (you can hear my motor "free up" as I unwind). So far, this has given me the best results, but I know there is more time there which is why I'm looking for input.

agreed, it's just hard to find time when everyone has students. I think what I need most is to ride with someone that is really good at trail braking. I seem to either not trail brake enough, or go into the corner sideways.

One thing that I've noticed when riding in other instructors cars that are similar (i.e. 964's etc) is that when they are accelerating out of the corner, the rear slips just enough to give the car some rotation. I cannot seem to do this with mine (I understeer on throttle at corner exit). I don't know if it's a driving style thing, a HP thing (I have 185 lb/ft & 200hp at the wheels) or a setup thing (i.e. I don't have a LSD).

thanks for the input.

 

I realize that trailbraking will get me into the corner better (and that's what I've been working on), but I do feel that some rotation on corner exit will help me unwind the wheel quicker and thus let the car accelerate better. I absolutely agree with "Steering input post apex = scrubbing speed". I can hear it, feel it and see it in the data, and that's why I moved back to a later apex so I can remove some of the understeer. I can (and often do) use a small lift to get the nose into the apex, but that is more of a band-aid solution than a driving style. WRT my setup, I've been making small changes all year to see what works and what doesn't. The day this video was done, the car had slightly more understeer than normal since I was trying to force myself to trailbrake more.