thunderhill backwards...WOW...very different
10-03-2009, 06:00 PM
#1
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thunderhill backwards...WOW...very different
Just got back from driving thunderhill backwards for the 1st time....WOW...talk about different....it was like I had never been there before.... It took a few sessions of crappy driving to find the groove...but by the end of the day it was fun.....different, but still fun? I'd say the main straight is 10+mph faster...since I was getting 130 in the widow pretty easy and better than 115 in a spec miata...
Has anyone else done thunderhill backwards?
Has anyone else done thunderhill backwards?
10-03-2009, 06:56 PM
#3
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Heres the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqvet8PTb_g
I did manage about 1.5 seconds slower in a miata later in the day
10-03-2009, 07:29 PM
#4
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The track actually should be 1-2 sec/lap faster backward. Unfamiliarity usually make most 1-2 sec/lap slower. Maybe Eric (Early Apex) will point us to his wannabe-GT1-flipping-at-Road Atlanta esque experience on running it backward and using the bypass!
How's this for perspective...........when DJ (not here anymore) and Mark (Sunday Driver) ran their Radicals in the Open Track Challenge one year they were flat through 15 and only braking on entry to 14. I never did that the one time I've used the Radical backward, just not enough time to get my head into it to that point. But you definitely have to drive the track like a rally stage. Drop a wheel off the "exit" of 8 at your peril!
How's this for perspective...........when DJ (not here anymore) and Mark (Sunday Driver) ran their Radicals in the Open Track Challenge one year they were flat through 15 and only braking on entry to 14. I never did that the one time I've used the Radical backward, just not enough time to get my head into it to that point. But you definitely have to drive the track like a rally stage. Drop a wheel off the "exit" of 8 at your peril!
10-03-2009, 07:42 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
The track actually should be 1-2 sec/lap faster backward. Unfamiliarity usually make most 1-2 sec/lap slower. Maybe Eric (Early Apex) will point us to his wannabe-GT1-flipping-at-Road Atlanta esque experience on running it backward and using the bypass!
How's this for perspective...........when DJ (not here anymore) and Mark (Sunday Driver) ran their Radicals in the Open Track Challenge one year they were flat through 15 and only braking on entry to 14. I never did that the one time I've used the Radical backward, just not enough time to get my head into it to that point. But you definitely have to drive the track like a rally stage. Drop a wheel off the "exit" of 8 at your peril!
How's this for perspective...........when DJ (not here anymore) and Mark (Sunday Driver) ran their Radicals in the Open Track Challenge one year they were flat through 15 and only braking on entry to 14. I never did that the one time I've used the Radical backward, just not enough time to get my head into it to that point. But you definitely have to drive the track like a rally stage. Drop a wheel off the "exit" of 8 at your peril!
Running backwards really shows the lack of runoff on 8 through 6....you drop off of 8 or 7 you drop a few inches then into a ditch then your rally style down the hill.....I came CLOSE in the miata to dropping a wheel off 8....carrying good speed and turned in too early.....barely kept it on track.....luckily the miata I was driving was setup on the loose side....if it was any tighter I would have been off track for sure!!
I also heard its faster backwards....but I think it would take me at least one more day to get up to pace backwards....my best of 2:16.43 in the miata is about 4 seconds slower than my previous best going over the bypasss the normal direction....which is still far slower than the track record at 2:05 or so..2:14.96 in the 928 is about 4.5 seconds slower than my previous best with a passenger, but that was going over the top too...
10-03-2009, 08:18 PM
#6
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Yeah, Thunderhill backwards is a hoot. 15 was flat and insanely terrifying. Exit at 1 was risky - I figured that if I thought I was going to run out of room, the best move would be to open up the steering and bail out into pit lane.
First hot lap, I went off at Cyclone (I think that is the name at the top of the hill). On the warmup lap, I realized that as soon as I saw the cone I would turn in. Unfortunately at speed, it appeared way to fast, I missed the turn in and went off the back side of the hill. Man, is it ever steep back there. I must have gone 40 yards off track - I just disappeared from everyone's view.
The most dangerous corner (at least at that time) was T8. There are (were?) some very deep ravines out in the weeds. They would never be a factor going the normal direction, but if you went very far off there running backwards, it was gonna be REAL ugly.
First hot lap, I went off at Cyclone (I think that is the name at the top of the hill). On the warmup lap, I realized that as soon as I saw the cone I would turn in. Unfortunately at speed, it appeared way to fast, I missed the turn in and went off the back side of the hill. Man, is it ever steep back there. I must have gone 40 yards off track - I just disappeared from everyone's view.
The most dangerous corner (at least at that time) was T8. There are (were?) some very deep ravines out in the weeds. They would never be a factor going the normal direction, but if you went very far off there running backwards, it was gonna be REAL ugly.
10-03-2009, 08:24 PM
#7
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holy crap! bailing out into the pit lane at over 100 MPH 
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10-03-2009, 08:40 PM
#8
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Thread Starter
Yeah, Thunderhill backwards is a hoot. 15 was flat and insanely terrifying. Exit at 1 was risky - I figured that if I thought I was going to run out of room, the best move would be to open up the steering and bail out into pit lane.
First hot lap, I went off at Cyclone (I think that is the name at the top of the hill). On the warmup lap, I realized that as soon as I saw the cone I would turn in. Unfortunately at speed, it appeared way to fast, I missed the turn in and went off the back side of the hill. Man, is it ever steep back there. I must have gone 40 yards off track - I just disappeared from everyone's view.
The most dangerous corner (at least at that time) was T8. There are (were?) some very deep ravines out in the weeds. They would never be a factor going the normal direction, but if you went very far off there running backwards, it was gonna be REAL ugly.
First hot lap, I went off at Cyclone (I think that is the name at the top of the hill). On the warmup lap, I realized that as soon as I saw the cone I would turn in. Unfortunately at speed, it appeared way to fast, I missed the turn in and went off the back side of the hill. Man, is it ever steep back there. I must have gone 40 yards off track - I just disappeared from everyone's view.
The most dangerous corner (at least at that time) was T8. There are (were?) some very deep ravines out in the weeds. They would never be a factor going the normal direction, but if you went very far off there running backwards, it was gonna be REAL ugly.
8 also was scary...I didn't realize how close 8-9 is, since were going up hill usually...not downhill....if you dropped a wheel on the exit of 8....your done....that would be a wild (hopefully rubber side down) ride...
10-04-2009, 12:19 AM
#10
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10-04-2009, 12:35 AM
#11
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I like T-Hill backwards but prefer the normal direction- mainly because of the issues already pointed out T1 and Pitlane wall and the dropoff if off comming out of 8
10-05-2009, 02:15 AM
#12
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air time
You get allot air time running the bypass in the CW direction.
