Experienced drivers: What is the fast way thru T 8 WGI

[Mark Fox]

 With the exception of T-6, 7 and 9 where I trail brake,  every where else I just try to get back on the gas asap.  But after watching the video from some of the sessions this past week, I am wondering if trailing thru T-8 with the positive camber would have any advantage?

[bobt993]

Mark, 

Do you mean T9?  You said off-camber. T9 is the back left toward T10, tap and go, it actually not off-camber, but somewhat flat.  It feels off-camber because so much of the track has it.

T8 is after the toe, slightly down hill right sweeper.  From turn-in, you can look through the turn apex all the way to the track out.  It is the most visual turn at the Glen for lining up your exit.   Brake a little early, trail towards the apex and look for heavy throttle just at the apex, maybe a little before.  Watching the Cups race at the Clash, the pros were heavy throttle at the apex.  If your going to challenge the turn, do it at entry since the kitty liter give you good run-off.  Screwing up on exit says hello to the inside wall. 

[Mark Fox]

Bob wrote:

It is the most visual turn at the Glen for lining up your exit.   Brake a little early, trail towards the apex and look for heavy throttle just at the apex, maybe a little before.

 Agreed. That is exactly the way I approach it and it allows you to really pull or gain on cars.  

I am always scrutinizing my video and looking for areas to improve.  It is easier to scrub speed than regain it.  I trail thru the previous turns mentioned, which helps maintain momentum and was just wondering if the club members with 100's of hours at this track might be doing this at 8 as well.  Back to the gas ASAP at 8 definitely works. 

[fasthonda]

hi!

i'll be up at WGI coaching this weekend!  

T8 is a quick, hard tap of the brakes, turn in and just barely touch the inside curb, squeezing on the throttle (increasing to full throttle, for me;  my car is underpowered), and unwinding the wheel.  there is ALOT of room on the exit -- USE EVERY SQUARE INCH!!!!  unwind the wheel, give her the coal, and let the car run out to where 'it wants to be'.  i use all the white curbing on the outside, but i don't teach my students to do this....  if they misjudge, and touch the dirt/grass, it very often ends up as a spin and/or crash into the right side guardrail...

i am not totally sure of your experience level;  if you are advanced, i'd say you should start to use some of the white curbing (assuming it is dry, of course!).  if you are, shall we say, 'less than advanced', i'd still tell you to use all the track, but leave the white curbing as a safety zone...   see below for a few laps of me circulating around the glen:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...6520&hl=en

have fun!  the glen is my tippy top favorite track!!!!

todd

ReidSpeed

[Mark Fox]

 Great video. What engine is in that car and what have you done to it?  I"ll post a couple minutes of video next week from WGI and Mid Ohio.

[Mark Fox]

Hi Todd,

Here is some video from the instructor day at WGI.  It starts from an out lap and is misting, but you can't tell this do to the grainy quality of the download at Google.  Let me know if you see anything. Thanks.

 

Traffice at Zone 1 PCA 

[bobt993]

Mark, looks like you guys had fun, but the slow traffic in an instructor's group is surprising.    Out of the bus stop, stuff it in sooner and carry the speed around the carousel.   There may be a slight throttle lift as you see the apex/track out, but when it's perfect, your flat out in 4th from the moment you exit the bus stop.   T10, you can use a little more track to the paint, get the wheel a little more straight as you exit  to avoid the TTO manuever that awards driver with blue paint in the inside.  T11, turn in a little sooner and track out sooner again using some of the paint ( in the dry, use all of it if your comfortable).  Car will be straight and run parallel to the wall way before the short bridge.   Watching Leh Keen (Rolex driver) run a 1:47 last year at the Club Race, Tom D and I adopted this line and it was worth .5 secs a lap. 

[Phokaioglaukos]

bobt993 wrote:

Watching Leh Keen (Rolex driver) run a 1:47 last year at the Club Race, Tom D and I adopted this line and it was worth .5 secs a lap.

1:47? Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

[bobt993]

Yep, he started lapping cars on the second lap.hock:  It was an RSR running unrestricted, but still.  I think he has a vid of the session on his race site, Google and find.

[Mark Fox]

Bob,

  Do you think the race line being tighter earlier at the carousal is the faster way through there and are you gaining a rotational advantage (rear engine) that I am not with my front engine.  

I felt by staying out a little and bringing it in, straightened out the early part of the corner and allowed for earlier power.  I am flat in forth at about the access road.  The same can be said for T-6 where I didn't feel like I could get into the power as early if I was tight left upon entry.  I know this is the protection line, but wonder if it's the fastest.

Friday was a wet track with multiple different levels of grip, sealer, concrete, macadam and sealer on concrete.  My car really bounces through T-7 and T-11.  I was not happy with T-11 as this is like Oak tree for me, trying to maintain momentum while just barely resting my foot on the brake and rev matching, without getting tooo much brake.