Sebring: The Video Thread

#1

Hopefully Natalie and Al will post their videos in here. I only got 3 good videos out of my 7 sessions, and probably nobody wants to watch them, but I would love any criticism I can get:

Saturday Session 4:

http://www.vimeo.com/15680681

Sunday Session 1:

http://www.vimeo.com/15550028

Sunday Session 2:

http://www.vimeo.com/15583392

#2

Who was instructing you?

#3

Don Stevens was on Saturday, then John Black was for Session 1 on Sunday followed by an S2000 driver for the rest of the day, but I can’t remember his name.

#4

Cool…

I’m sure you already know but 17 seemed to be your weakest turn. I saw that (in Session 4) he was trying to get you to where the white line and black line intersect? You are either super early or super late. You want to be diving into 17 while trail braking… Since the E30 needs momentum, you need to carry a lot of speed into 17 and carry a lot more out of the turn. One you seem to be very good at, you just need to go in later and carry more speed. (I know the camera doesn’t always justify speed…) Also in the Tower Turn (13), you need to get everything done (shifting, braking) then nail it. 13, 16, 17 are super important to carry as much speed as possible.

It also seemed that you weren’t heal-toeing. Which is fine, but going into the hairpin will make things a lot better for you and also easier on your drive train.

How many days do you have at Sebring? Don and John know their way around it, so you were in good hands.

#5

Thanks for the comments. That was my first time at Sebring and only my 7th day on track. In the last session on Sunday my instructor had me try trail braking into 17 and braking less for 16. Both seemed to work out really well, and I wish my camera hadn’t decided to shut off and not record that session. I just can’t seem to get comfortable attempting heel-toe. I completely understand it, but I’m not threshold braking on the street so practicing it there doesn’t seem to help. I’m sure I will get it eventually, but focusing on threshold braking and turn in point are plenty for now.

#6

I have never heel-toed a car in my life. That said, I’m sure its a wonderful skill, just not one my brain can understand. I’m not convinced it is a vital skill in cars with synchronized transmissions. I do agree if you can master it you should. I just think there is a lot going on in turns to pay attention to, and my brain can’t do all that and also heel-toe

#7

It’s a vital skill because it controls weight transfer a lot more efficiently. The human brain can do a lot more complex combinations. It’s not needed right away, but it helps a lot. Plus, it saves time and your drivetrain.

Chris,

Have you done events with Chin? I’m not sure how much time NASA gives their students, but Chin offers at least four hours of track time.

#8

bavarian3 wrote:

[quote]Chris,

Have you done events with Chin? I’m not sure how much time NASA gives their students, but Chin offers at least four hours of track time.[/quote]

I haven’t done any events with Chin yet. I have pretty much been doing only NASA Southeast events since they are closest to my house especially Road Atlanta. I normally get 160 to 200 minutes with NASA for a weekend so 4 hours would be nice, but Chin events are pretty pricey.