SouthernSon

First, let me say this was not my best session. My best session happened years ago at an entirely different track. J/K. Seriously, Atlanta Motorsports Park is new and has very clean surface. The carousel is tricky and I didn't allow any room for error on this lap while working up a good line to build speed before the straight. My tires are old, too. Just ask anybody, I always say that. Track is a lot of fun but one just has to work up lines carefully.

CHJ In Virginia

Not to worry - you are not driving hard enough if you never have a spin of off track excursion. I'll bet that the tire wall looked HUGE at the end just before you came to a stop !! That track looks like fun, going to have to make the treck south to run it. Thanks for posting the video.

repman

You were having a nice session, that long corner is a hand full because you have the car loaded up and it looked like you got just a bit wide had to burp the throttle and we all know a C-5 does not like you to lift in mid corner!

I really like the track I was there on Saturday with my son I was in the red c-5 wish I would have been able to do Sunday too but had commitments.

Thanks for sharing the video. Did you have a red X on your license plate? I stopped by your car a few times to say hi but nobody was around nice car!

SouthernSon

Sorry I didn't get to meet up with you. Yes, I have an Alabama State flag on the rear, don't drive it on the street anymore. Sometimes I don't even drive it on the track.

JerryTX

Cool track, I've never seen that one before! We all spin and try to learn right? Not trying to prove anything, just to learn. I'd say the lessons from that one are probably:

1. Both hands on the wheel: you may have been able to catch it quicker.
2. Left Foot Brake: a dab of LFB with maintenance throttle would help slow it down without upsetting the balance
3. Consider driving it off instead of seeing if it would hold.
4. Both feet in: I think on a track like that with walls so close by I make a mental decision what I'm going to do IF I get in trouble. On that turn once I realized I was in too hot I would have told my self that if it let go. go both feet in ASAP to limit forward progress toward the walls.

Joe_Planet

Good save lol

varkwso

Can't take a Bama boy out of dirt for long...

WNeal

Glad you came out OK Arte

waddisme

The one hand steering seemed strange to me also. The LFB with throttle seems like a pretty advanced move. How would you practice that? I haven't spun in over 3 years, but I have driven off over 10 times. Does there come a time in the learning curve when you should start trying to save it? Of the two times I have spun, one was both feet in with no stall and second one stalled because I didn't put both feet in.

Looked like you were on the edge a lot and the track seems like it has a lot of guardrails and tire barriers close to track. That being said, it looked fun.

SouthernSon

I keep both hands on the wheel at all times (mostly). I was about to short shift to fourth as the car was skating. Left hand on the wheel and right hand to the shifter. But, there are a couple of tracks where I have a better feel on the slip angle of the tires with one hand in some of the turns. I felt the vehicle getting really light just as I floated the throttle to shift. The gravel that was thrown up on the track had me a little wider than usual and close to the edge. I arrived to the edge off camber, accelerating too hard in third and unable to lift as I needed for shifting. Sort of a perfect junction of bad timing. As the carousel unwinds farther around the bend, there is plenty of room to accelerate and steady the suspension. Since the track just opened this year, the video should help for those that have never been to the track to just be aware that coming off the hill too aggressively is really not necessary. Leave room on the edge for correction. Also, be aware of the bump on the inside a little more than half way in the carousel. One, also, needs to stay conservative with speed before the straight to maintain good throttle over the hump at the right hander for the straight in order to keep the rear end loaded. It is a little rough as you can tell from the video and you have to be careful of loading and unloading the suspension for track out. My car is stiff on the suspension and may not be as noticeable with other vehicles so careful attention must be paid.

And the stalling - I have an oversize camshaft and a little quartermaster clutch pack. With no flywheel, the engine dies easily while hunting an idle. Great at times, not so great at others.

varkwso

His other hand was on a beer....or a blonde.

JerryTX

I only try to save it when no one is around that can drive into me, but not if it means forward progress toward a barrier.

LFB: practice on the street only first. Do it for 3 months or more. Then try it in an autocross to settle the car and feel how with gas plus a dab of LFB you can settle a car in a corner. Then you can start to use it on track. I watched this as a student when my instructor had us 4 wheel drifting off a corner (ran out of track) and he used LFB to kill just enough speed to keep us on the curbing and heading in the right direction. I knew I had to learn after that. I switch back and forth between a vette and an SMG equipped M3. I only LFB in the M3. In the vette, I LFB in every corner there is no downshift. These leads to confusion and part of my mental review of a track includes a mental check of which corners I LFB and which ones I RFB. Confusing yes! But worth it for me.

Kubs

Practice on the street. Once you get the feel for it in your left foot, and can bring the car to a stop smoothly and quickly then you can try it on track. LFB with some throttle is great for long sweeping corners.

waddisme

I use the LFB frequently, especially at VIR. I did the Chuck Hawkes thing with THSCC club and that was one of the drills we practiced. But it is never more that just basically curling the toe on the brake pedal for T3 and T10 and maybe Oak Tree iirc. I use the right foot for heavy stuff. Just need to practice it with mtnce throttle in case I need it. It is like practicing drums - you do all that rudiment practicing with no specific need and then when playing, and there is a spot for it, it just happens without thinking.

SouthernSon

Before others reading this LFB technique get carried away with it, be advised that one can overuse it, boil the fluid and lose the brakes. This happened to me earlier this year. My student was new to road course, had been autocrossing and was driving an automatic. Luckily the pedal lost pressure going uphill in a salvageable turn. However, lots of good input here and it is greatly appreciated. Not all carousels are the same. Have caught a spin in several carousels from different tracks but this is the first one (well, would you believe one of few) that gave up completely on me. AMP is loads of fun and I don't know of anything else quite like it in the SE. Got to get back there!!

Massc5

Either one would kill him.

Racingswh

I thought it was fine. You went a bit wide and went off. I don't see that as any big deal at all. I am not sure how anyone can go truly quick and not go of at one point or another.

It's funny the other day I counted how many times I have been off either myself or with a student, off on the street or just plain crashed and destroyed the car. I stopped at 20 or so and it seemed like I was forgetting a few. I had one day at Limerock Park in the rain, it was pouring, and I was off twice in three car filled with mud and covered me as well and just for good measure I did a Danny Sullivan 360 degree spin as I crossed the dry line exiting the downhill on my way to pit in. That was impressive!!

I liked the way you were driving the car. That track looked like fun. Long tow from here just outside Philadelphia but I need to make it down there for that as well as Road Atlanta.

milt IV

Man, you were putting down some good laps before the spin out. Flying past everybody else. That BMW looked like he wanted to play at first and then thought better. Glad you and your car are okay.

SouthernSon

Yeah, but your BBQ would revive me.

Timz06

Southern Son is the fastest true southern gentleman I know. He blew me off the track that day!

It's a fun track, similar to barber, really favors smaller cars with sticky tires. My max speed in a c6z06 with street tires was 120, and that was with a good run through the carousel.

Tim