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+--- Thread: Initial Impressions of NJMP Thunderbolt (/showthread.php?tid=1284)
- steveh - 08-06-2008
Greetings all--
Just completed a day with PDA/NASA-NE at Thunderbolt. The facility is still a little "raw" in spots (paddock areas are weeds and dusty sand), but the track is in great shape.
I have no video and no traqmate data, so a complete review will have to wait for RTR'ers with all the equipment (and skill). FWIW, here's my seat-of-the-pants, unscientific impressions of the track, with references to some of the other tracks I've driven. We did not run the chicanes (so my turn numbers may be a little off). My car was a '92 325i with "mild" track-setup suspension (M3 springs and sways, adjustable Koni's), on street tires, in NASA's "Blue" (HPDE 3), intermediate solo group.
Turn 1 -- very fast, slightly increasing radius right-hander. The challenge was to not over-brake at the end of the long front straight, as you could carry a fair amount of speed through here.
Turn 2 -- reminded me of turn 11 at Mid-Ohio -- uphill right-hander, clear apex, blind, over-the-hill track out. But it's a slightly increasing radius, so you can floor it as long as you're dialed out of most of the steering by the time you crest the hill. Less "air" potential than the crest of the uphill at LRP.
Turn 3 -- VERY fast right-hand sweeper, flat out in 4th gear, a little pucker as you realize that it's a slight decreasing radius (lots of puffs of dust as people realized there was a little less track out than they thought). I found I could 4-wheel power drift through here, and never left the asphalt. A black GT3 took an excursion at track out and ended up safe, but very brown, inside of a monster dust cloud.
Turn 4 -- another fast right hander. You need some brake, as you're cooking from the prior turn and a decent straight and you need to sacrifice the turn a little and go a little late-apex, because you have to "pinch" the track out to mid-track, as there's a sharp left coming up, and not quite enough room to track out full left and come back. First couple of laps, I downshifted here; later realized it made for a smoother brake/turn/gas to stay in 4th.
Turn 5 -- Late apex, hard left-hander. Seemed tighter than the map would suggest. To me, one of the hardest turns on the course, because there's a pretty long straight right after. Kind of felt like turn 5 at Summit Main.
Turn 6 -- 90 degree right-hander, pretty fast. Reminds me of turn 10 at Summit Main.
Turn 7 (8, 9) -- the "octopus". Opinions will vary, but I took this as a 3-apex complex. First "turn" is a standard 90 degree right, with a full track-out that sets you up for a second "turn" and more or less straight shot clipping the 2nd apex at the center of the bulb, then hard brake in a straight line to a sharp right -- similar feel to the way a lot of guys take turn 11 into the Oak Tree at VIR, except, like the end of the carousel at S.P., at track-out you have to stay mid-track or track right to make the next (left) turn.
Turn 10 -- another carousel-like turn, a left-hander. Need a little breathe of the throttle at the end to rotate to hit the late apex and set up the S's. Kind of like the "keyhole" at Shenandoah, but without the elevation change.
Turns 11, 12 -- very fast S's. Depending on where you are at track out from the previous turn, you can take these almost straight, WOT. The curbs are well-placed, and pretty forgiving.
Turn 14 -- very fast right-hander onto the front straight. There is a slightly raised concrete berm that separates the hot track from pit-in. If you're not too tightly sprung, it's a turning surface. I put both right wheels on it to straighten out the turn a little, and did not find it upset the car at all. Somebody in another group hit it hard, panicked, lifted, and spun here (and managed to hit the wall), so if you commit to it, you have to ride it out.
All in all, a fast track with some technical parts. I didn't feel even marginally smooth until the last run, and I'm sure I left many seconds (minutes?) on the table for the next time.
![[Image: icon_biggrin.gif]](http://www.dtmotorsports.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif){kind=icon}
Definitely a world-class track in our back yard!
- ninjabones - 08-06-2008
I was at the event today too. What a blast!!! Great track, and it only took me 1 hr 6 min to get there this morning (exactly 65 miles). Darren keyed me in to a slightly different line through the octopuss, but it is hard to explain (maybe he can chime in here). We were gaining 5-6 car lengths on all the vettes through this section.
Overall, the NASA event was fun... lots of interesting cars out there. Somewhat more of a free-for-all and definitely tough to get a point by from the high-horsepower muscle car guys.
- Darren - 08-06-2008
ninjabones wrote:
Quote:Somewhat more of a free-for-all and definitely tough to get a point by from the high-horsepower muscle car guys.
True. Part of the reason you couldn't get a point by is that those guys are not used to having someone faster than them.
I'm dumping a video for a separate post.