waddisme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2TDc4qm4Tc

This is 3 routine laps from mid day session. I was at 2:34 - 2:38 before and now around 2:26 - 2:28ish. Would like to get down below 2:20 before going to track tires. I am left foot braking at turns 4, 5, 10 and 16. Is there a certain part of the track I am losing too much time or not being aggressive enough? All inputs welcome!

BTW here is a vid of backstretch before the David Farmer alignment. Big difference.

http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...0stability.flv

AU N EGL

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Do not worry about times, until you can hit your marks, lap after lap after lap.

Be smooth into the corners and smooth out. So smooth and consistent that you get board.

Then guess what when you start timing yourself again, you just dropped 10 secs a lap.

Dan I have you set up with a great instructor for the NCM event.

One other note, watch you video again, Notice how your body leans with each corner? if you turn right, your upper body leans right. if you turn left your upper body leans left. Dont do that.

Keep your upper body still, and turn with your arms.
When you turn right, pull the steering wheel down with yoru right arm, Not push over the top with your left arm.

When you turn left, pull the steering wheel down with your left arm.

This simple little technique helps smooth simple inputs.

Looking forward to meeting you next week

tom

Knucklehead Racing

You need to contact Chris Ingle. He has great track tapes that will offer you the right line. You can totally trust the line he gives you. You can find him with a quick search on this forum as he contributes with some frequency. He drives the heck out of his car there. . . and a lot of other places too. He has an array of track tapes for most of the tracks. Good luck.

Maynor29

Only watched the first lap and have a few additional suggestions for now:

1) Why are you left foot braking? Especially in 10? A slight tap to set the front end is okay on the straight leading to 10, but after that, throttle, squeezing in as much as you can stand by the apex and full throttle down the hill.

2) You've got long arms. Use them. Put them lower down on the wheel (9 and 3) and use that additional leverage to keep yourself planted in the seat. That will reduce the amount of steering input needed and stabilize your upper body while reducing the non-productive leaning that takes away from smoothness.

3) You're generally braking early/coasting into most of the turns. You can make up some useful time by changing the braking point on just one turn for instance. Start with the end of the back straight. The uphill left hander leading into the Carousel is a great spot to brake much later than your used too since you get free brake help with the uphill. I usually brake by the 2 or 1 marker (depending on speed).

More later but those are early observations. Great job asking questions like this. That will only help!

John
E36 LS2

6SPEEDZ

Like the others said I would not worry about your time. You need to focus more on keeping your body straight up move your hands to 9 and 3 . It looks as though your whole body is pivoting about the steering wheel. I think you also need to look further down the track and you need to turn your head and look through the corners. This will smooth things out and build speed. Try to get a ride with someone that really knows the track and observe the line from the passenger seat while also checking out how they sit, steer, and look down the track.

tcmc5

More gas, less brake!

waddisme

Corbeaus are done and ready for next track day. Hopefully that will eliminate the body roll. I see now why I am so worn out by the end of the day!

Unfortunately, I am not signed up for the NCM event as I have state playoffs in Pinehurst for our tennis league then. It looks like Rd ATL is my next 2 track events.

The braking thing I do need to work on. I have been using the PFC 01s last year and the first 2 times at VIR this year. I swapped them out after the second session as they were useless 15 min into session (I have vid of that run off in T1 if anyone needs a laugh). Went back to my XP12s. They make it thru the whole sessions. First time I had used them in over a year.

All my marks have changed seeing I am going faster than before. That may be the key to improving times. Better braking and more consistent marks.

Thanks for the input. It is much appreciated.

wtknght1

Thanks for the plug Phil!

Waddisme,
Here's a Hot Lap write up of VIR that I think will help you. And yes, I have lots of video too if you're interested. http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/VA/VIR.html#HotLap

You are actually driving pretty well; but the biggest places I see for improvement is 1-2. You're keeping the car tucked inside too much exiting #1. I don't track all the way out because it's slippery out there, but unwinding the wheel to about 1/2 to 2/3ds of the way out will get you lots of speed and time.

At #2, you're being very conservative. I actually hit the apex at 2, then unwind the wheel and stand it on its nose and trail brake 3.

Here are a few more:
5a: When you turn in, do a quick drop throttle to rotate the car. That will point you right down the center of the lower esses so you go flat (full throttle) almost immediately. And since that turn essentially leads you to a long straight, that will get you big speed/time.

Upper esses: Hit the curbing on the left, but just tap the curbing on the right. That will help straighten them out more and get you a little time.

Stevie Wonder: You are not hitting your apex. It's hard to tell from the vid, but I guess you are missing it by 1-3 feet. Space is speed - hit those marks!!

16-17 complex: When you turn left, just before entering that right hander (Hog Pen), remember not to hit your brakes coming down that llittle chute...you don't need to. I couldn't tell from the video if you did or not. And you also left a lot of room on the exit of Hog Pen. Again, space is speed - get on the gas sooner and let the car unwind all the way to the curbing out there. You'll know you're doing it right when you exit hog pen and use up all the exit curbing!

Here's a quick vid from back in 06 to help: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVES715qL0w

Since they resurfaced the place a while back, I'm now doing 2:01s there in my T1 car. You should be able to hit 2:20 with stock tires. And you also did the right thing by going to the Carbotechs!!!! Pound on 'em!!!!

gkmccready

PFC 01s aren't my favorite pads, but they shouldn't be going away 15 minutes in to the session -- especially on street tires. I ran several front sets and I can tell you the pads were never an issue but I never got happy with how their bite got stronger the longer you were on the brakes.

If you're overheating PFC 01s, you're probably over-braking?

wtknght1

No, that's actually about right for the PFC 01s. I could never get more than about half way during a race/session (many years ago) without the pedal going away. The Carbotechs stay nice and hard.

longdaddy

when your passenger starts fiddiling with a handheld camera, drop him off in the pits.

gkmccready

I had a few soft pedal experiences my first two or three track days in the Corvette but chalked it up to lack of brake cooling, stock calipers, and over-braking while trying to learn the new car... fluid looked ugly when I bled it. But the pads didn't seem like the limiting factor once I got the car working a bit better I ran them for a few more events without issue.

When I went to the Wilwood SL6Rs I changed to H compound pads and have been super happy ever since. Night and day difference for me, much more faith in the brakes now... figured that was more the calipers than the pads...

Yet another thing I guess I'd like to go back and try something different with. :-)