psmd

thanks for that explanation.

does anyone have a recommendation for a coach near mid Ohio?

thanks in advance-
Paul.


QUOTE=Veloce Raptor;17496688]Thanks for the question! Some coaches work only a specific geography--typically near where they live. However, some of us, myself included, travel to wherever the client wants to drive. So yes, it is definitely possible to find a coach who knows Mid Ohio, and see if their schedule can sync up with yours.

How does it work? You pay them a professional fee (plus any applicable travel costs) to be dedicated to helping you become a better on track driver. Some will ride with you, many won't. All should be willing to drive your car to lay down a baseline lap for video and data. Your coach should be very familiar with any in car data system you might have. They should also be an excellent communicator, and spend a lot of time discerning what your goals are, and articulating clearly their step-by-step plan for accomplishing them over the day or days you're working together.[/QUOTE]

MarcD147

you no longer have a mandatory instructor but you can go to the chief and ask for an instructor to join you for a session so they can give you pointers what to work on the rest of the day.

yes working with a professional coach is amazing; its not cheap but if you get one that works well with you its worth every penny.

dgrobs

I can vouch for this 100%

ProCoach

Would first reach out to the Mid-Ohio School to see if Brian Till, Scott Harrington or Tommy Byrne are available. Inexpensive daily rate for the quality of instruction but may not be available your desired date. https://midohio.com/courses/get-on-t...ching-programs

For private coaches, Anthony Magagnoli, a Ford chassis development engineer and a World Challenge class champion, runs a professional coaching business www.drivefasternow.com Super nice guy, great coach, solid engineering background, good with data and FAST.

It may be worthwhile to pay travel to one of these guys. If so, I recommend Grant Maiman and several in Indy, including Dan Clarke and Ryan Lewis, as well.

The last three are exceptional.

Courtshark

Just back from Summit Point - Main, with Track Daze. Cargo shorts everywhere. Anyway, it was my second weekend on this track, and it confirmed that I just don't like it for my 928, at least not yet. This is disappointing, inasmuch as it's the track closest to home for me.

This time around, I played with different gear choices and it got me to thinkin'... dangerous I know. Keep in mind, too, that the 928 doesn't like going above 6k rpms, especially in turns, due to oil frothing issues. I have addressed that with a special oil pan spacer & pickup, but I still try to keep it under 6k.

The Q for the coach: What are some tips for dealing with a situation where your car does not seem suited to / geared well for a particular track? My 928 seems more ideal for Watkins Glen and VIR, and I think it's because of transmission gearing. Or maybe I'm just a bad driver lol. At Summit I'm often left feeling like I should either grab a higher gear but only for a moment, or even shift in turns, which I hate doing (and I know is a no-no, ya know?). FWIW, my 928 has a lot of suspension and brake modifications, and I run on Toyo R888s.



Summit Main for me, turn by turn, with what I consider problem spots for me/the 928:

1 - Drop from either 3rd or 4th (more on that when we come around to 10) to 2nd
2 - hold 2nd, catch 3rd on exit (since it's not exactly a turn)
3 - hold 3rd all the way to turn 4; this is a "problem" area for my car, as about 4 seconds before I'm getting to T4, I'm hitting 6k rpms in 3rd. By the time I shift to 4th, it's time to shift to 2nd for T4. So, I end up coasting / holding 6k rpms, for what feels like an eternity but is really only a few seconds
4-7 - catch 2nd, hold 2nd through T7
7 - once out of the turn, catch 3rd
8-9 - hold 3rd all the way to and through 9
9-10 - I tend to carry some good speed out of 9, so I have room to catch 4th before T10, but again only for a moment
10 - the moneymaker turn... definitely in 3rd here; my favorite corner on the track
Front straight - coming out of 10, if I hit that turn right, I'm up to 6k rpms right around the flag station / S/F line, if not sooner. I have plenty of room to catch 4th and typically do. But sometimes I don't, and just keep it in 3rd, especially if I'm getting passed. It just doesn't seem "worth" grabbing 4th sometimes, depending on the typical variables. So I end up "coasting" at 6k into the corner in 3rd until I drop to 2nd for T1.

So, I guess I'm wondering what else I can do to stop worrying and learn to love Summit. Or any other track where my track car doesn't seem happy with the circuit.

TIA!

Veloce Raptor

A couple of thoughts here: there is nothing wrong with shifting in corners, as long as you do it properly with good timing, and account for the fact that the transaxle may be slightly twisted due to lateral load. In addition, there's nothing wrong with running a higher gear and just not braking as much. In other words, carry more momentum, and do a lot less shifting at peak RPM. And finally, if you truly are always worried about that car on that track, maybe don't take it to that track. Take it to other tracks where you can focus on fun and pure driving, and or not stressed or worried or concerned.

Jabs1542

Not a coach but SP is my home track. FWIW I shift from 2 to 3 coming out of turn 2, I’m shifting before I reach track out (while extremely laterally loaded). It’s a tricky shift but very rewarding once you figure it out. Turn 4, short shift into 4, it makes the downhill much smoother and allows you to stay on the throttle to hold the back end down. I learned that shifting from 2 to 3 while in the carousel (laterally loaded again) before 7 makes 7 and 8 so much smoother that I am faster through 9. As VR says, being up a gear isn’t bad.

Zhao

The easiest solution to me since you're running r888s is to run a far faster tire if you're not required to run a r888, end up going faster everywhere, and thus are now shifting far earlier, probably where it's a healthy distance before the end of the straight.

The next easiest solution is if you're not required to run a specific tire is to run different sized tires on the rear and adjust the ride height to compensate for the difference in rake that would cause (or run different tires on all 4 corners). If you go from a 25in tire to a 26in tire the few kph it'll through your speedo off may be enough to allow you to keep it in the lower gear without exceeding your 6000rpms. That worked for me with one car that was geared terribly for a track I ran. (now I run a rotary so I just exceed the redline as needed)

The problem is if by some chance you're still dropping time of your lap times from that track being new to you, as you go faster you'll likely run into the same problems all over again as you find another km or 2 or 3. Dropping to a 24in tire size may be more beneficial and shifting earlier where its comfortable. There is a racer I run with that will run 23in diameter tires when his car should be running 25in diameter to solve his gearing problem. combine that with a grippier tire and you'll totally change the way the track is for shift points compared to your current setup.

Alternatively you can change the gear ratios by having transmissions with different gear ratios (pretty sure 928s came with different gear ratios over the years?) and swap, or swap back and forth between tracks if you drive at multiple tracks if it's not a pain.

I only know one person that still races a 928, is it really catastrophic pushing past 6000rpm on a straight?

GPA951s

For conversation sake two very different examples,
1) T1 wgi. I find myself doing very very little trail in, as i start to turn i take a millisecond to settle but then apply throttle way before apex, from end of braking to apex its a sqeeeeeeeze till WOT at apex

2) keyhole at mid-O gotta trail in further .. like way deeper to keep the nose planted, i try to carry enough speed in that at the apex im just “ dragging” the brake a touch.. then squeeze the throttle out…

am i not carrying enough speed into T 1 at wgi that allows me get on the gas way before the apex?

ProCoach

Yes.

Veloce Raptor

+1

dgrobs

I usually catch you right there. We spoke about that before, didn’t we?

You brake more than I do coming into 1 and hold the drag too long before Apex.

I used to do that as well but I put a coach in my right seat and he picked up on it right away.

I still lift a bit turning into 2 to rotate the car, just a little lift, but other than that, it’s WOT from before the apex of 1 to the chicane.

I think it may have been Romanowski who told me to do that.

GPA951s

Thats actually good news… this is the lowest hanging fruit… this will be the one thing i work on.. if i can pick up some time there that would be awesome.. the dividends should pay off all the way to the bus-stop.
Bruce , need to do a lead follow for a couple laps with you.. … i am making some pretty radical changes to the car over the winter so corner speed should be even better…. Cu at the seminar in a few weeks! I just signed up for the morning data seminar with Peter! Look forward to it!

911T4ME

I'm new to Porsche and rear engine cars with a 2019 911T 7MT. I've driven it on track twice. My home track is Oregon Raceway Park. A highly undulating track with no long straightaway. What would you all say are the three most important tips to drive this car fast around this (or any track) especially given my current lack of experience driving rear engine cars on track. PS - I will be changing from OEM size MPS4S tires to 265/35-19 and 315/30-19 Nanking AR-1 tires next time out.

Thanks

Veloce Raptor

You don't indicate whether you have more track experience with front-engine cars, so it is hard to judge your overall track experience.

That said, here are some overall suggestions, in no particular order. Sorry, more than 3:

Don't worry about modifying equipment quite yet, unless it is for safety gear.

Understand your car. It is turbocharged, so it makes power and torque differently than (for example) a GT3. You also have a manual transmission (yay!). So....consider being in one gear higher than you think, particularly on a very undulating track. Your car will appreciate it, and you will be rewarded with a more settled, compliant, and easy to drive car.

Not only look where you want the car to go (far ahead) but also constantly scan. Never let your vision fixate.

Make sure you are breathing. Slow steady breaths over the entire course of each lap assure more O2 for your brain & much more relaxed shoulders nd neck muscles.

Don't be afraid to trail brake a modern 911! They like it!

Be patient with throttle in the corner, so you only have to go to it ONCE, and can fully commit.

Have fun!