Macca

That's great news Matt. It's going to change the whole line into that corner, make it flow better and knock some time off our PBs. Best of all it will be kinder on the cars as we were going from the fastest part of the track to the slowest within 50m and murdering brakes there. Can't wait to give it a go during our next NITT....

Macca

few pictures from my 014rebuild to show how those gearsets with dog dear, synchro and sliders all mesh together in final assembly...

nzskater

Pete, does the change at Taupo impact passing opportunities? Imagine it will make things a little more difficult due to making it easier to carry speed through.

peterC2S

Ironically there was more passing there at the race meet. Its still a braking point so the differential between 'brave' and 'not so brave' still exists. Plus it makes it easier to go through side by side (the ripple strips and grass saw some action) and set up a different pass onto the front straight.

That's race conditions though. No difference on an RSG day - the straight is long enough to handle all normal passing except for the most stubborn!

Macca

Its got to make a difference. restores some flow to the track through those "S"s which dont work so well at the angle of approach you are forced to take with the tyre barrier. The track was never designed for that to be there. Here's a view from my car a few weekends ago which will help those who have forgotten how dramatically the existing tyre wall changes the line through there.

I noticed that the cars were all a bit quicker this year Peter. I assume the slicks helped but looking at the 997 GT3 Cup times compared to previous years would suggest a second in that corner for some?

Macca

....

peterC2S

My comment re no difference on RSG days was in response to Jake's question about whether it would impact passing opportunities - I don't reckon it will. Its still a pretty heavy braking zone.

No question it improves flow.

Re times, hard to tell what was in it for the tire bundle and no downloaded AIM data to be definitive. Tyres shouldn't be a big difference for most as the GT3s and some 44's were already on full slicks last year. Mostly cool, dry conditions though. Could be lots of cumulative factors, including (some) cars going on diets!

For reference in the last PCNZ round last year was 1.46.6 on used 214's.
At the Enduro in May I was 1.45.5 on new 214's
Last weekend best was 1.44.2 on new slicks, no tyre bundle and a dodgy clutch!

Hard to tell relative impacts.

Macca

Fair points and agree will unlike yield additional overtaking opportunities under RSG rules.

Looking at it in simplistic terms I would expect mid corner speed as well as entry and exit to the first right hand corner in the S complex to improve but conceded the benefits probably don't continue much beyond that with the exit onto the front straight likely very similar to before.

Should be fun finding out. I used Marcos best lap times as a guide over previous year but as you say many variables at play.

I did some research on tyre wear at manfield extra extension and found an answer to the cupping on the shoulders my then brand new tyres received there. Seems the surface to that extension is quite a high grip emulation formulated for GP bikes and a gives car tyres a real hammering. Very abrasive compared to main track in case others noticed funny or accelerated wear there and a total inability to get slip angles and rotate the car through that complex. Be glad to miss that section out next year if for nothing more than tyre longevity. Pretty sure Bubas rear tyre tread is still out there somewhere lol!!

996tnz

Maybe I'm alone in this but I quite liked that big yellow drum at the end of the main straight at Taupo as it made for tight technical esses off an approach at that layout's vmax. Fun late braking and rotating the car under brakes to flick around it.

Opening it up does make that corner safer of course as there is much less constriction, and you don't have cars at vmax heading at almost a right angle towards others that have slowed and turned to head past that barrel. It wasn't much of a looker either - more like something thrown up for a street circuit than a racetrack fixture.

I do wonder though if removing the barrel means they've provided better protection around the start of the pit wall near the esses exit/track-out on the start-finish straight. With the barrel gone I can see people carrying more pace two or three abreast into there while juddering over the grid markings. Good fun too but the consequences potentially higher there.

Hey, it was yellow - maybe I'm biased?

- Am digging your SmartyCam data view BTW Macca.

O2GO

Shameless plug....

I'm selling one of my sets of 964/944 Porsche D90 track wheels and thought I'd let any RSG 964 owners on here know - saves your good road tyres on track days plus you can run something stickier.
2 x 16" 6" ET52 - takes 205/55R16 tyres
2 x 16" 8" ET52 - takes 225/55 R16 tyres

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=967742184

Bit of luck they'll fund 1 x new Boxster tyre, LOL.

John McM

Those are actually original equipment for the 1990 964 C4.

nzskater

Careful John, you'll scare Herman with thoughts of having to wear Lola's discarded 80's styled shoes.

John McM

They are actually a strong relatively light wheel so good for the track. I'm now moving to style over substance show car aesthetics so not for me

964X33

Anyone looking at doing the Prestige Twilight on 25 Nov?

Macca

Interesting POV there Walt.

I definitely think you have a valid point regards exit onto pit lane straight. I call that "Whitaker Corner" after a member here stacked his car into that barrier on a PCNZ bent sprint day here a good few years back (sorry Graeme but I always think of you when Im hooking up there!). The concrete barrier is not forgiving. Currently when you nail that exit correctly the momentum throws you to the outside of the track near the wall. Its not like the old Puke track did as you are letting the car drift a bit there but its still momentum. I figure if you could exit that corner another 5-10kmph faster you would be a bit more on edge where that barrier starts. They probably need a bigger pillow on the edge of that barrier!

Overall the improved flow through the Esses with slightly higher speed. It just gets rid of the "single file" nature of that complex and allows an opportunity for even the lower powered but well driven cars to worry the larger heavier cars through there more and stay in touch with them a bit closer etc...


Here's another still from my sighting lap session in September in case some are not familiar with the area discussed here..