Gentleman, I am really looking forward to meeting the NorCal crowd and sharing the track with the largest field SoCal has seen. I wish all of you good luck and safe travels.
Shoe gives good info on this one. I will add a few things that Shoe did not just to give you guys some info that I have not heard yet.
As for the track, CCW1 is the best configuration to run and is much more technical than you might think. You can get to speed quickly and to abou 85% within a a session. However, the last 15% is REALLY tough to get right.
From Start finish…Sunset (turn 1) has a dip at the apex and there is a good amount of grip in the middle. Just say away from the top 1/3rd of the turn on the start…that’s where the bad people live. If you are near there on any other laps, there may be a race going on but you’re probably not in it.
The Esses get tighter as you come into them. Stay off the burms and be smooth to the last one on the right…you can run that one over and set up for an early apex to a straight line brake effort in Star Mazda.
You gotta nail Star Mazda. Tun in is slighly later than you think and you want to open the wheel ASAP on exit. Track out all the way to the gators on the right and hammer down just before the apex to get the maximum run up the straight. Stay track left for best position for Phil Hill.
A left foot brake into Phil Hill is best to just slow he car down enough to get it lined up for the blind apex. Let the car get light and keep your eyes down track for where you want to be. The car will feel like it wants to slide off track right up to about 4 feet from the edge. If you keep your foot in it, you will hold and just clip the gators of the right. If you do, you got the corner right.
The small corner the right is not one to run over as you will have a head of steam and it really upsets the car.
Set up on the right for Riverside/Taladega. Turn in for the left edge and ride that edge until the car wants to track out. When it does, let it. Take it right to the track edge on the right and keep your eyes on the braking zone before the bus stop. If you do it right, you will never open the wheel and the car will naturally turn into the braking zone head.
Turn into the Bus Stop early and let the right side of your car ride over the dirt, but make sure to hold your line with controlled speed so you track out staying off the burm on the left. DO NOT GO OVER THE BURM ON THE LEFT WHEN YOU TRACK OUT! That thing has a rut on the left side that will take out your oil pan…or so I’ve heard.
Follow the curve to club corner and just breath the throttle to make the left. Brake once you come down off the dip out of the left hander and turn in mid corner for the set up for Cotton Corner. The approach is basically two left turns that, when taken right, are bascially one big sweeping turn. Apex late and keep the wheel turned at the top of the hill.
Power down the hill and late apex the right hander at the bottom. Don’t turn in early for the left hander leading onto the straight. You will feel like you want at first, but wait a half second before you turn in. Again, eyes up for this corner and you’ll be fine. The defensive line on the left side can get you in trouble as off ramp is slick. Feel the grip and judge your braking zone carefully. He with the best trail brake wins here as carrying speed is tough. If you can manage to do so well, put the power down for the short shoot to sunrise, which leads on to the front straight.
Sunrise is a longer turn than it looks like and most people make the mistake of apexing too early. BE CAREFUL with this turn. If you track out too far and end up on the gators on the left side, don’t try to save it if you are going to go off. You have an EXCELLENT chance of ending up in the wall on the right if you don’t go off straight. Go stright, regain control and follow the road ahead back to the main straight. Hammer down to the stripe.
There you have it.
Remember, the ruts here are deep, so you DON’T want to go off sideways. If you have to go off, do so straight and you will live to fight another day. Go off sideways and you have a more than 50% chance of doing major body work by the end of the weekend.
Oh, one more thing…this track loves orange cars and it tends gives them the optical illusion of being a foot wider than they really are. ;0)
Hope this helps…
