CorvetteZ51Racer

My Youtube account was corrupted, so I had to create a new one. But here's the link to the in-car from The Driver's Edge event.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZU3Hu3YDj8

quickc6

Sweet

WNeal

Always great to be on the track in a Corvette

Bills Z06

Nice job! I hope to be back on the track soon! I'm still mending from shoulder surgery

Kneel 8250

This is interesting as I was using 4th gear a lot more and making the straights slightly longer. Along the back straight when I got a clear run I was getting 124mph. I was on Goodyear runflats so lots more tyre noise inside the car around the corners.
We had pretty much the same line except in "The Carousel" where I hang out a lot wider like the Lotus did and that gave me a better entry into "Joe Bone" for the run along "Pit Straight".
Oh Yair I was running in a Z06 so we should be very similar.
Great vid tho.
Thanks for sharing.

Have a great day.
Kneel.

CorvetteZ51Racer

I may have been running RPMs than you before shifting. I was shifting just above 6500 in most cases. I was running right around 138-140 down the back straight.

The reason for the inside line through the carousel is that the inside is on camber, while the middle out is flat and in some places off camber. What I was doing was holding in tight to stay on camber, and towards the end of the carousel, I would slowly roll out of the throttle to allow the car to rotate a bit for the shot through to the pit straight.

FWIW, I was on Hoosier A6s

Kneel 8250

Yair I was shifting at 5500 as I felt the engine was not pulling hard after that. I had the backend squirming around under acceleration everywhere and could not get on the gas early enough for me so I put a spirit level on the wheels when I got home. Front is slightly negative camber and rear is slightly positive camber so a wheel alignment is required when I put new tires on. Nice for touring, not so nice for the track.
I definately want to try your line in the Carousel now. I was wider in 4th on a maintained throttle that I increased towards the end of the Carousel and I ran further down the curbing before I turned and used throttle to overcome the understeer before I got to the apex. It felt good and controlled and ran me right close to the pit wall. Not a line I would use in racing as it exposes you.
Have a great day.
Kneel.

CorvetteZ51Racer

Yeah, alignment is huge. I'm running -2.4F, -2.0R, with 1/16" toe-in at the back, 1/16" toe-out at the front. Being the engineering nerd that I am, I realign the car in my garage before and after events. Now that I have a Pfadt camber kit though, it'll make the swaps back and forth much easier.

The other thing is that the stock Z06 suspension has some nasty oversteer issues near the limit, as is well documented. I've put Pfadt shocks and front bar on the car, tuned it up, and gotten rid of that. You can see in the vid how quiet my hands are able to be. I think my fastest lap in that session was a 1:44, but I ran some 1:43s and I think a 1:42 in other sessions with clear track. BTW, I firmed up my rear shocks after this session, because of how unsettled it was under braking. The added rear rebound damping helped reduce weight transfer to the front.

Kneel 8250

This was the first real HPDE I have done and we have to drive the car to and from the track plus it really is a show car still so your alignment settings are a bit aggressive for us but if I halve your camber settings it gives me a starting point.
You are very stable mid corner and generate loads of speed from there exiting. The quiet relaxed hands have a big influence in that speed.
It is only from reading the thread after the event that I realised you guys were timing. Hope I didnt hold any of you up too bad. I will be faster next time out tho. New tires, new brake pads and an alignment should make a bit of a difference.

CorvetteZ51Racer

Don't worry about thinking you're holding anyone up. I did not notice anyone having an issue with pointing by when traffic was coming up from behind. I only time myself to gauge improvement. I haven't started racing....yet. I'm considering looking into NASA TT. I'm hoping that the fact that I don't have the time or the budget to travel much, meaning I'm less concerned about being the absolute fastest, means I won't have to spend big $$ on the car.

Kneel 8250

I thought I retired from racing at the end of 2008 and here I am doing HPDE. It's easier than racing tho. If you want to go racing decide what you want to achieve and go for it. Dont let yourself get discouraged by others and see if you can get good at holding on to sponsors. You never have enough money and even the big teams have a budget. Race day is payday.

MRIENG

Nice driving. What group are you in.

JVetthead

Yes yall need to join us in NASA Time Trial... I instruct with them and we need more Vettes! http://www.nasatxracing.com
I also prefer the inside line in the carousel.
here is a 1:40.8 and a 1:38.0

MSR

I'd love to! Had I known NASA was going to be there this past weekend I probably would have punted TDE and joined NASA instead. Nice laps!

Would you be willing to help us through the process to be licensed? Reading documents is one thing, it's always nice to have someone in the know walk you through.

Which class are you in? Do you happen to know what the winning lap times were in TTS? (I think that's probably where my C4 would go.) Neither me nor John had any clear laps, so it's difficult to extrapolate. I ran a 1:44 2 weeks ago on my clearest lap where I had traffic on the back straight keep me down to a 109.5mph top speed, where I'm usually low 120s.

Since we're sharing, here's me at the August TDE event. The lap where I encountered the Miata on the back straight is also a 1:44. Both events were on V710s from 2004, but they still felt pretty grippy so I don't really consider that a penalty. The car is really working well at MSR-H, it's hard to imagine better. Maybe a touch better damping...

-michael

Kneel 8250

Thanks for the Video's guys.
Being that you all use the same line through Carousel and Joe Bone I must have it wrong. On the days, to me anyway, it seemed that I was faster on the wider line. Something to go back to and try next time. The reason I went for the outerside line was I had trouble picking up the transition from Carousel to Joe Bone. I do travel further along the curbing to Joe Bone before I turn in for Pit straight and pick up the corner apex. Could be that you do that to avoid the bump where the curbing has been removed.

Kneel.

MSR

Your line might be faster. I think I'm mostly guessing based on feel and experience. Since I can't get clear laps, I really don't have a way to rigorously measure how changes in line affect lap times.

And really, even if I had clear laps, I generally push hard enough that I lack the precision to be consistent. Then I'd be guessing why any particular lap is slower or faster than the rest. Also, it's pretty easy for me to make the tires go away, and sometimes the brakes. My car isn't the lightweight the newer cars are (and I strongly desire to maintain its interior "stockness" and streetability).

-michael

Kneel 8250

Getting clear laps was the frustrating part for me also trying to work out the track, find what the car was capable of and get back to smoothness behind the wheel. Too many cars were coming up from behind and I seemed to always be off the throttle and waving them past along the straights. I managed one good session right before lunch on Sunday tho. The last session on Sunday I was trying too hard and got in a little deep a few times over "The Launch" and into "Sugar and Spice" and had to move my braking point back a foot or so. I noticed that I wasnt alone.
Often times the key to precision and consistency is simply to do lots of laps. Some people have that naturally and some have to work on it.
When learning a new circuit pick a sector and work on getting that to flow then move to the next sector and so on till you can put it all together and have a lap where the whole lap feels good.
Whatever you do dont get discouraged if you enjoy it.
FWIW the car I am using is our Show car and we intend to keep it really nice for that purpose. Showing (waxing) is the easiest form of the car hobby I have found and we do it as a giggle never intending to get any trophies. Park and head to the coffee shop.

If you get in line and get out onto the track first then hang back onto the car behind for the first lap can you get say 5 or 6 laps clear to work on the precision and get some consistency? Try not to let him pass you but thats only one car if he does.
My other suggestion would be to not roll out of the throttle too early when catching slower cars. Personally I would rather overtake early at the start of the straight and trust that the car in front is going to stay on the line along the straight than wait for a hand signal but that is contrary to the rules being used.

Have a great day Michael.
Kneel.

yakisoba

I'll echo Joe's call to come to NASA. We had 30 people in the time trial group last weekend. It was great! Joe's 1:38 was the TTU time (5.5:1 wt/hp ratio, few restrictions otherwise). TTA (my class) turned in a 1:44, I believe, though there's a 1:43 in there someplace.

Something about NASA: It's a competition. It's not really a good place to practice, unless you're in the HPDE groups. That's what I use TDE for. I went to both events, since I had never driven MSR-H that direction before. Two students plus my own track time gave me LOTS of laps to learn, and it paid off the next weekend, when the Hoosiers were at stake.

So please, come out to NASA TT. It doesn't require a cage, passing is open, and it's a supportive, great group of people.

JVetthead

If you are allready running 1:44s you should breeze thru hpde on your way to TT licence as long as you are traffic savy and and aware of the rules.. If you have any questions pm me.
I run TTU. There were no tts cars this last weekend but TTa is strong with Vettes and stangs. We grid by lap times so clear laps are not an issue for 3-4 laps.
Also consider Hoosier contingincies! with NASA.. Of course you have to run Hoosiers to win Hoosiers but great incentive.
And if you just want to have a taste they are offering 1- 20min session with instructor for $40

Joe

JohnD60

Nice video. I especially liked that exhaust note in the background for your second lap. That was me in the pewter convertible you passed on the back straight....hard to miss headers and straight pipes :-)

I can add one more recommendation to Joe and Tim's about NASA TT. I also run with these guys. Great group!

John