When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Roval's a fun track, and while not as fast overall as WSIR, brings a bunch of similar elements to it. The Youtube videos out there will give you a pretty good idea of what you're in for, and the momentum line is a good one to watch for. Oli's line will show you what an C5Z can do handily.
Full map, and my bullet list below. YMMV, but this is what works for me.
- With the notable exception of caveat number 1 below ... T1 and T2 won't hurt you. Getting up on the bank the first couple times is an absolute trip, but the car will settle in and carry speed nicely. The Playstation line on the far inside is not needed, and there's plenty of grip mid-track. Settle the car at the entrance of T1, and focus on your exit speed out of T2.
- T3 and T4 are referred to as throw-away turns by many ... try to carry as much as you can out of T4 to set yourself up for the short straight. Enter T3 mid-track, late apex, and remember that the entrance to T4 is probably about 3 feet before the exit of T3.
- T5 and T6 are effectively 1 turn. Modulate the throttle as much as possible and use the apron on the exit of 6 ... split the candy stripe, but it's fairly slick there. The apron is messy, but there's tons of grip. Point the car to T7 and
- Drive T7 and T8 as straight as you can. You'll be hard on the gas out of 6 and may need to settle the car a little. Track FAR left out of 8 for the setup to 9.
- T9's a late late late turn with plenty of room at the exit to get back on the gas. Enter wide, balance the car and trail brake to the turn in. The exit for 9 is the set up for 10. You'll basically be back at WOT from the exit here all the way through that middle straight.
- Regardless of how it looks on the map .. T10 and T11 is a straight. There's supposed to be a kink somewhere in there, but usually there's just a couple of cones to tell you that you should be tracking left or right. You'll be hard on the gas all the way back at the exit of T9, and won't need to lift for T10. Get right up on the cone at the apex of 10 ... usually it'll move in to the line through the day if you're up on it close enough.
- T12 is a hard late braking turn. You'll see a ton of folk start their braking at the 3 marker .... there isn't THAT much braking needed (usually). You can take 12 late, but I usually take it a hair earlier and aim for the apex of T13.
- T13 can carry a bit of speed on the exit, and if you drive straight from the apex of 12 you'll track out nearly all the way and be close to pointed ... down to T16 or so. You'll pretty much drive from the exit of 13 straight through to T16
- T16 to T20-whatever is again, nearly one turn. You can modulate throttle as needed to get through the cones and that little pony wall before you're back out on the oval. Assuming they haven't fixed it yet .... watch out for the pot-hole. Track right the first couple laps until you figure out if you can split it, or not. You'll be hard on the gas before you hit the oval.
Caveats:
- The banked oval won't hurt you as long as you don't have a mechanical issue. Rubbing tires ... really really really bad thing since the suspension will nearly be at full compression. Do a really through tech before, focusing on wheel bearing play, any tire rubbing, etc AND THEN immediately after your first session.
- There are a few hard braking zones, however you should be OK with a fresh set of pads and fluid. The entrance to T3 and T12 are really hard on brakes because you're scrubbing a good amount of speed, and T5 / T9 fall in to "moderate" braking IMO. You'll know in the entrance of 3 if you're getting close to needing better cooling, or if you're getting down on pad.
If running with Speed Ventures next weekend (although some of this probably applies to most organizers):
* Stay below the blend line all the way into T3's entrance when entering the track
* Regular track out is at the midpoint of T9
* Point-by passing even in open passing groups between T9 and approx ~T11 (as indicated on the map, although SV doesn't run the full T10/T11 chicane).
You probably don't need much driving advice for the track, it's pretty easy. Do normal driving things like throw away T3 for T4, late apex T9, things like that. I am scared so I just loaf through T1/T2 in 5th, no real advice there.
Nothing remotely current ... would likely be a great example of what not to do, but there's tons of good videos for that.
IMO, 3 and 4 are only throwaway turns if you're hard on defense. Otherwise, there's a good opportunity to carry speed through the short straight. It's one of those few areas where "use every inch of the track" isn't a requirement since there's not much of a point to entering more than mid-track.
T1 and T2 are one of those spots where you can gain a TON of time, as long as you're brave. The banked oval is deceptive IMO ... and that big solid thing on the outside is probably the big reason. Approach T1 and T2 like you would T8 and T9 at big track. There's zero reason why you should enter T1 slower than WSIR T8 ... and as an added bonus, there's no rumble strip at the entrance of the turn that you have to worry about. Just because the "sand and gravel club" sounds better than "Hey, I just augured in to that wall" .... does not mean physics works differently.
All of the advice given has been good. On your first few laps take the time to see which walls are close and be a little more cautious there. For example you can take turn 1 quite fast.... but I would limit turn 2 to ~100 to 110 mph and then work your speed up a few mph at a time, because the turn 2 banking flattens as you transition to the straight before turn 3... and there is a wall to watch for. As you turn into turn 3 you will notice that the track goes through a brake in the infield wall which can be and has been hit on both sides of the track. The walls exiting turn 4 are pretty hard to hit, but you can if you really try. Exiting turn 5 there is a wall but I don’t know of anyone hitting it. The place you need to be cautious is the “playground “ area (turn 13, 14, 15). If you go off in this area you will likely hit a wall. Also be careful through turn 18 and 19 because you will likely be going ~100 mph and there is a wall and tire barrier before you transition onto the front strait. This wall and tire barrier don’t move much when you hit them and someone seems to hit them every track day. Also the track from turn 16 to 19 is bumpy which disturbs the car. It is a really fun track, but it pays to be cautious your first few laps out.
Charley
Last edited by Charley Hoyt; 02-12-2018 at 11:38 AM.
PS, I'm the driver of the Silver car, David Ray in the Red.
Cool video, it is similar to the lines I use, with a few exceptions. Most of the track organizers I run with would give you a stern talking to if you enter the track that way. The safer method to enter the track is to stay between the blend lines all the way to turn 3. This can be a dangerous part of the track because you have cars approaching turn 3 at 130 to 140+mph so it is important to stay to the left and not pull into the path of the fast approaching cars.
The other minor differences are that I have always been told that the fastest line down the front strait is to the left side of the track which makes sense since it is the shortest path. Then in turn 1 I go to mid track then slowly come down to apex turn 2. This is helpful because the track is D shaped.... but there is nothing wrong with the lines shown (may be faster than mine ).
Last edited by Charley Hoyt; 02-12-2018 at 01:38 PM.
at ACS yesterday, here is my video. Stock 04 C5 z06 with 315 Falken 615k+ on z06 rear squared, and BBK. 1:50.07
I had some issues at ACS, but didn't at Streets of Willow last week:
1. oil puking out of air filter area. I think it is caused by me running 1 quart over.
2. sticky clutch - yes, I did the ranger flush like 10 times in the past month. but I didn't use super duper SRF. It happens after the 3 long straights. Just make sure you know it is coming and use your toe to lift up clutch pedal.
3. even with fresh Motul RBF660, it faded slightly. Already bought SRF online.
4. high transmission temp warning
and what Charley said. Never ever cross the blend line until you are well into T3. Someone could be doing 170MPH, threshold braking to 40MPH at entry of T3. Since op already have a ton of experience, I am pretty sure you will pick it up right away. It is a simple track to learn.
haha, that ain't "slower"... you just need a 2mph tail wind !!
I did search before I drove, but didn't see your lap (saw all your other tracks though). Nice driving as always !!!
I also am hitting higher top speed than you are ?
did you have sticky clutch pedal issue ? how you solve it ?
Last edited by bellwilliam; 02-12-2018 at 05:18 PM.
haha, that ain't "slower"... you just need a 2mph tail wind !!
I did search before I drove, but didn't see your lap (saw all your other tracks though). Nice driving as always !!!
I also am hitting higher top speed than you are ?
did you have sticky clutch pedal issue ? how you solve it ?
The sticky clutch problem has been slowly getting worse on my car over the years. But it has never been so bad that I really need to pull the clutch up and affect my driving.
I use the Ranger method when the pedal gets sticky and it definitely helps for awhile. I have never changed the fluid the "correct" way. I think limiting session length and cooling the car off helps a bit as well. Not everyone wants to do laps of Willow's perimeter road though.
I am not sure if high dollar fluid helps, the wisdom on this board seems to suggest stickiness is an issue with clutch dust infiltrating the fluid. I use regular DOT3, or RBF if I need to finish off a bottle.
Nice laps in some stock C5Z's by bellwilliam and wtb-z!
I recently completed a race weekend at ACS. My C5 is built for GT2 and doesn't really hit much higher speeds than a stock C5Z but has a wing/splitter and many other upgrades. The most effective being my brakes; Essex AP Radicals which I give a ton of credit for helping me get pole position both days and first place overall both days including the GT1 cars in our group. In my car there is no lift for Turn 2, just full throttle from entering the oval to turn 3. You will only have to lift for Turn 2, not brake. If you haven't driven an oval it will take some time to get used to the extra grip. Here's a short vid on my qualifying laps:
Cool video, it is similar to the lines I use, with a few exceptions. Most of the track organizers I run with would give you a stern talking to if you enter the track that way. The safer method to enter the track is to stay between the blend lines all the way to turn 3. This can be a dangerous part of the track because you have cars approaching turn 3 at 130 to 140+mph so it is important to stay to the left and not pull into the path of the fast approaching cars.
The other minor differences are that I have always been told that the fastest line down the front strait is to the left side of the track which makes sense since it is the shortest path. Then in turn 1 I go to mid track then slowly come down to apex turn 2. This is helpful because the track is D shaped.... but there is nothing wrong with the lines shown (may be faster than mine ).
Charley, I know about the track entrance protocol, this was video was done for a Chevy C7 intro event, when there were no other cars on track. But your right in staying below the line for the track entrance and low the shorter route. For me it really depends on the car and setup.
KDM123
Brake point for entrance for T-2, watch for the palm trees on the right and then work on your own visual point. Turn in is shooting for a late apex, staying on the left of the short straight to thee. Again it depends on the car/tires/brakes and the number of laps.
The sticky clutch problem has been slowly getting worse on my car over the years. But it has never been so bad that I really need to pull the clutch up and affect my driving.
I use the Ranger method when the pedal gets sticky and it definitely helps for awhile. I have never changed the fluid the "correct" way. I think limiting session length and cooling the car off helps a bit as well. Not everyone wants to do laps of Willow's perimeter road though.
I am not sure if high dollar fluid helps, the wisdom on this board seems to suggest stickiness is an issue with clutch dust infiltrating the fluid. I use regular DOT3, or RBF if I need to finish off a bottle.
Your problem may be like mine, and that the thought out bearing is getting dry and causing it to over heat, boiling the fluid.
02-11-2018, 09:11 AM
Auto Club Speedway (Fontana) advice
