pontifex4

There is a good chance that you can't tell anything from a video, but to those who know Mosport International Raceway, do you have any suggestions based on this fairly typical lap from my first time at the track?

I'm a stone cold novice, and had never driven the track. When I wasn't letting GT1 Corvettes by, I was hovering just below two minute laps for the whole day, but I get the sense that this is overly conservative. The track was dry, and seemed uniformly sticky, except at Moss corner, where things were a little slidey once I got into second gear.

The car is a 944S on street tires.

TeamDrugMoney

WOW! How much did they charge you to rent the track by yourself for a day? Next time call me and I will split it with you

pontifex4

Ha! There were only about 15 cars there, and it was a pretty lazy day. Watching the video afterward was pretty boring because you rarely see any other cars! It's just too bad I didn't know the track better to make better use of all that space.

dblapex

did not watch the video, but my imediate response is to tell you not to record yourself yet and to not even time yourself, yet. Spend more time concerning yourself with the basics. Learn the rules of the road, your flags, passing procedures, and all around concentrate on hitting every braking zone, turn in, apex, and track out perfect. If you can not get them perfect, slow down until you can. If you can not do it perfect slowly you will never do it perfect fast. As with any science or art it all starts with a solid foundation of discipline.

Van

It looks to me like several of your turn-ins are not "smooth" or "fluid" - which upsets the balance of the car as you transition from straight to the turn.

I'd focus on that smoothness first. Then you can focus more on the line. Then, should should be able to get those tires to squeal in all corners - not just 5b and 9.

ZAPmobile

I don't agree, a video is a great learning tool. With knowledgeable input you can learn a lot

pontifex4

I know what you mean, here, and I'm catching myself trail braking often, too. I find that I'm doing the most hesitating at 2 and 4, since I can't see where I should be over the hills. Any advice for these two, in particular? I really feel as though I'm crawling over the tops of the hills, in entirely the wrong place.

So it's good for them to squeal that way, so long as they have traction? I realize that this could seem like an ironic question, but it's genuine: I figured that tire noise and speed were mutually exclusive.

Thank you for your input! I wish I'd had a chance to have someone coach me in-car, but there wasn't really anyone around that day...

RickBetterley

Hi Charlie
Talk to Bill Newby, who has a 944 (though its a turbo) and is at Mosport a lot. Bill was a big help to me this summer during the DE portion of the Club Race.
You will find him posting here on occasion

krystar

u can def tell you're rocking back and forth at 1:35.

it didn't look like they put out apex cones on the corners. i saw mabye 2? you should be trying to at least follow the basic line since there wasn't any instructors.

pontifex4

Thanks, Rick. I'll see if I can track him down in the spring!

Yeah, I couldn't figure out where I should be at 1:35 (turn 4). There's a lot of crown to the track surface there, and you can't see over the hill. I think I'm also going a lot slower there than it is possible to go, but I was really worried about ending up on the off-camber portion and going off!

krystar

here's some reading for ya

http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Turn_...national_track

pontifex4

Krystar, thank you -- that's a great resource.
...not that I necessarily have the skill to convert these directions into reality, yet, but any information will help.

Bill N

[QUOTE=pontifex4;7066630]Thanks, Rick. I'll see if I can track him down in the spring!

Hi, Charlie, nice drive for a stone cold novice. I'd be pleased to hook up with you in the spring...

Meantime, here are some thoughts you might want to consider:
T1...maybe turn in a little later, and come in to clip the end of the turtles and then come further in to the wall. It makes for nice track out.

T2...come out a little more between a and b, make sure you snug right up to the bottom at b

T4...stay out a little more at the top, after coming out from under the sign

T8, 9, 10...you drove the "traditional" line pretty well, but there's a route through there that I prefer more. Peter Carrol has done a nice writeup on this here:
http://www.driversmeeting.com/forum/...ndex/581/1#648

Have a good winter

Bill

Potomac-Greg

Street tires should be squealing all the time (if turning). You need to learn the sound the tires make when they transition from squealing to squalling, the latter being an indication that they've washed out because you exceeded their grip. Squalling is a lower-pitched sound, accompanied with the illusion that tire barriers are getting bigger and bigger.

pontifex4

Interesting. Do you still have a degree of control when they squall? Is that the step between the squeal I heard and full-blown sideways screeching?

Thanks, Bill. Do you typically start the turn after the sign in T4? Those off-camber downhills had me plenty confused.

As for the Esses, I find it fascinating that that strategy could result in a faster lap, since it would seem to require you to do more turning at T10. Is the payoff that you can be smoother through the whole complex if you're not braking and turning in several times? I really want to try this.

Also, Bill, I do hope we can meet up in the spring at Mosport. With whom do you normally run?