waddisme

This is one of the few clean laps I got in last visit to VIR. I am doing the Chuck Hawkes thing with Asphalt Ventures Mar 9th so hopefully skill level will go up. Tires are well used PS2s that would be good for another year highway if I went with track tires. Or maybe just go to street/track tire, but I have 18/19s so rear choices are limited. I dd car but will be towing to tracks. Not sure which way to go. Thoughts?

PS - Driving pointers accepted also.

Bink

Nice vid- love VIR.

Are you running with AH/TC OFF?

RAFTRACER

Id like to see more video, one lap is not really enough to see your "routine"and if you are consistantly hitting you marks all the way around the track. From wathcing the single lap, track tires would be nice but not a necessity at this time, from the video you still have some things to work on. First off you should concentrate on holding the steering wheel @ 3 and 9 instead of 10 and 2. This will enable you to have smoother steering inputs and allow you to further rotate the steering wheel without having to let go or shuffle steer. This will be increasingly important when you start driving more aggressively and have to make counter steer corrections quickly. 2nd thing that you need to work on is making your down-shifts in a staight line while braking. The downshifts should be completed early and used for additional braking. Downshifts should not be made while implementing the steering wheel. The downshifts seem awkward in the video...since the car is a DD, routinely practice heal-n-toe downshifting on the street until it is second nature. I drive my manual transmissioned cars on the street just like I drive them on the track...up through every gear, down through every gear when slowing or coming to a stop. Practice makes perfect. In the video , it seemed as if the whole time you were in 4th gear except for T11 and T12. I am gonna get flamed for this, but use the gear box more. Max acceleration at all times.....additionally this will help the car handle and "rotate" better in the lower speed corners allowing you to use the steering brakes (steering wheel) less. The steering wheel is a frictional loss. Get the car pointed and get on the gas EARLY. It is not who gets into the corner the deepest, it is who gets back on the gas the earliest. Planning later apex's will help you achieve this. The entry into the lower esses on the 2nd lap on the video shows that you were using ALOT of steering wheel on a straightaway. You turned in awful early on that particular segment which could create some less than favorable momments on that particular part of the course by running out of track.

Chuck and gang will be able to help you, but if that is not enough and you need more come to the 10/10ths event shortly after and I'll spend some time with you myself..

These are just brief observations and some things to start working on

Back to the original question.....More seat time will benefit you more than race tires unless you just want to not kill your street tires on the track. Start monitoring lap times and when you are driving the car consistantly on the edge then worry about race tires. Ps2's are great dual purpose tires. The first time I ever drove VIR was during OLOA in '06. With a stock motored C5z I believe AunGel clocked us @ a 2:07 on those PS2's which is pretty respectable for any tire..

Pumba

You need a good seat and a 6 point restraint system.

You are leaning way too much as you go into corners. The restraint system and seat will hold you upright and let you concentrate on driving, instead of leaning to counteract the cornering forces.

rustyguns

looks good more seat time and more speed and less brakes !

oh and............more seat time! never ever get enough!

mikahb

Note to self.. don't ever lend personal car to Danny.

Agree with what Danny said. It's always tempting to go after more tire because you will instantly be faster. But, don't confuse "faster" for "fast." The best time to upgrade is when your street tires are the number one thing holding you back.

RAFTRACER

I think you know that I meant from a routine standpoint...not the aggression....well maybe every now and then

Basically what I meant is that I go back down through the gearbox using heal-n-toe and rev match everytime. I know no other way to drive now....

waddisme

TC off, but AH on - I think it is called "Competitive Mode"

Actually ordering Corbeau FX1 Pros tomorrow. Already have harness bar and G-Force 5 point straps.

WNeal

I have come across Mr. Popp on I-75 and I can attest he drives on the street like he does on the track

m3to335

When did you get a decent day to go to VIR? Last few events have been rained or snowed out. The weather has plain SUCKED the last couple months.

If you dont want to step up to slicks, try some R888s first. Worked nice for me.

Im heading out to the NASA event this Friday and it's supposed to be 49~50deg. Will you be there by chance?

waddisme

Raftracer -

First of all, thanks for the taking the time to write down your observations. The 10 and 2 vs 9 and 3 I will give a try. I understand what you are saying about the downshifts after watching video paying attention to shifts. I am not sure what happened in Turn 1 but it wasn't smooth nor soon enough. If I understand what you are saying about the gearbox, apparently I am not pushing the car hard enough? I am thinking maybe I should be in 3 thru Roller Coaster, but where else are you thinking? Hopefully, after the clinic I will have a better idea of how to handle the esses. I don't feel that fast thru there and I feel like I am on the ragged edge.

Because I am not racing, I just want to make sure I can get all I can out of my car and skill before going to a racing tire. When I am below 2:20, that may be a good mark. Thanks again. Hopefully I will see you out there sometime.

davidfarmer

You are turning early and shallow at several places (5a, before 7) and as Danny says, not accelerating fully at many places (15-16 for instance). Tires can be an awesome improvement, and can often save money ( I can get scrubs cheaper than street tires), but you want to clean up a few spots for safety's sake before you add enough speed to make a costly mistake.

My $.02 based on a single lap........... I'm happy to clarify privately if you want more details.

Kanmer

As stated before, the time to change to grippier tires is when that is what is holding you back. Your instructor will be able to tell you that.

Yes, Rollercoaster is a 3rd gear section. You need to go from 4th to 3rd before you get to 14a. Get all housekeeping done (downshifts, braking, etc) before turn in. Accelerate from apex out or sooner if possible. It also looked like there were points where you were focusing too much on what was right in front of the car and not looking up. You have good fundementals, just need seat time.

Danny , David, and others are right on with their comments.

Look us up at VIR at any NASA event.

Bob

waddisme

That was actually last Sept. It rained that day also. But I have had flukey stuff keep going wrong with car so I missed the complete fall season. The R888s were like the only 19" tire besides PS2s I could find. Not doing anything until Mar 9th at VIR.

waddisme

I think the first video I saw of VIR was a vette spinning down thru 16 and so I am sure I leave some time there. I will post more video after my class Mar 9th then I may hit you up for some more help. My gut feeling is I think my car is on the ragged edge and it is probably not! Thanks.

Bink

I wouldn't move to DOTs until Comp Mode is turned off. Until you are happy running without Comp Mode.
My 0.02.

mikahb

I knew what you meant, but it was more fun to take your comment out of context.

I do the same thing, and I think it's actually often quite a bit harder to pull off a smooth heel-toe downshift on the street because you're not braking as hard. Makes you realize just how bad the pedal placement is on some cars too!

DansBlkonBlkZ06

I'll be heading to VIR too. It'll be my 3rd event there. I was running PS2s too, but got a set of Nitto NT-05s for this upcoming event just to save my expensive PS2s for the street. You had those PS2s squealing pretty good from the video.
Asphalt Ventures has some great instructors like David above and awesome classroom instruction from Chuck Hawkes and Peter Krause. Your instructor will have you nailing your turns in no time and your speed will pick up as a result.
I'll be in the black C5 Z06 number 6. I'll see you there.

wtknght1

The comments already made are correct. While you are doing well, more seat time is definitely needed.

Here's a "Hot Lap" write-up that should help you.
http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/VA/VIR.html#HotLap

A few things I noticed... You're still looking at the lower and uphill esses as turns instead of straightening them out. In other words, you're not using much of the curbing. That tells me your vision is not quite UP...it's still down just in front of the hood. When you start visualizing a series of curves as a straight line, then you're starting to "graduate."

The other part that I noticed is your comfort level thru hog pen. You didn't track out much at all. There was still at least 1 full car width until you'd touch the curbing. When you're really comfortable behind the wheel, you'll use every inch of pavement...and then some. The fact you are using Comp mode also tells me you're still not quite comfortable. Turn the nannies off and really learn to control the car.

It was only 1 lap and I hate to judge or comment without seeing much more, so please don't take the comments wrong. Without seeing your consistency for several laps, it's hard to get specific. Tires are the 2d best improvement you can make, but for now, I'd stick with improving the MOST important part - you. Keep at it!

m3to335

Off the subject, but what kind of camera and mount are you using? I have a hardbar and a machined aluminum mount and my HD camera still jiggles like a ****. errrr!