Best Turn Ever

[Dr Who]

So, what is the best turn that you have ever taken?

In my very limited experience: here are mine:

1. Turn 1 at Mt. Tremblant.

The front straight is kinda wimpy. You come around a very slow right hand hairpin, and then work through a left hand kink. You then romp it to impress the chicks in the stands (not).

However, Turn 1 is a uphill right hand sweeper that disappears into the sky. Even better, when you come down, you have a downhill right hander that feeds into a sharp left.

Very, very, cool. Even the old bangers catch a little bit of air.


2. Turn 1 at Texas World Speedway.

Imagine coming out of a chicane that unwinds into the front straight of an old NASCAR track. High exit speed is critical (particularly in a Spec Miata).

You then floor it and hold it as long as you dare. Go ahead, make my day.

However, instead of going into a banked turn, T1 is a bumpy, slow unwinding left hander that feeds into a decreasing radius left that unwinds into a decent little straight, which had a 90 degree right at the end of it.

When you turn in, get ready. If you're going fast enough, your world can disintegrate into a mosaic of so many fantastic colors. You see, the hot shoe line is not to lift until you bottom off the embankment. You then brake for all it is worth and then lift for the left hander, which is so sharp that you have to the crank your neck as far left as you can, just to see the turn.

Say Mama, have you heard the news? Gonna make you sweat. Gonna make you groove.

*******

So which turn is your favorite? Come on, I'm a newbie. There are lots of you with more experience in your little toe than in my entire (too big) body.

Dale

[Kieran]

I've never taken it in real life, but my heart always skips a beat when I throw a car into "The Carousel" on Nurburgring Nordschleife on XBOX. Its a steeply banked hairpin that you don't want to fall off of!

[maxorido]

For me it's the carousel at Infineon. Huge off camber left hander, pretty fun.

[opencollector]

Originally Posted by Kieran

I've never taken it in real life, but my heart always skips a beat when I throw a car into "The Carousel" on Nurburgring Nordschleife on XBOX. Its a steeply banked hairpin that you don't want to fall off of!

I'm no Ringmeister, but I have driven the real Karussell and found it interesting (and bumpy) but by no means the best part of the course. I did have a fun time behind a very tail-happy Capri race car through Ex-Muhle, though...

[aedmon640]

Turn 9 at Laguna is a fun one.

[ferraripete]

one turn huh?

maybe the original turn 5 at the glen before they put the bus stop in to slow the cars down entering 5. it was a white knuckler when you really threw it in there.

the old dip at road atlanta was pretty great too...did wild stuff to load up and then unload the suspension at a remarkable speed too!!

[AC6]

Originally Posted by Kieran

I've never taken it in real life, but my heart always skips a beat when I throw a car into "The Carousel" on Nurburgring Nordschleife on XBOX. Its a steeply banked hairpin that you don't want to fall off of!

Absolutely one of my favorite turns I've ever driven on. The bank gives you so much grip and confidence that you just don't want to leave it. Also when you exit the turn one of your wheels would actually leave the surface and the feeling of that is astonishing too.

My other favorite turn is the one at Donington where Senna passed 5 cars in the 92 or 93 Grand Prix in the wet. (forgot the name and year sorry)

[WCH]

Very difficult, lots of contenders - I usually think in terms of series of turns/stretches of track, like Laguna from the corkscrew through 9, Road America from the carousel to Canada corner, Atlanta from turn 1 through the esses, Mid=Ohio 7-11, Lime Rock from the uphill through the downhill ...

The last turn at Sebring - 17? - is fantastic.

The downhill left at Mosport - turn 2? - was pretty amazing.

[stud100spray]

turn 5 to 6 at Road America.---> 90 degree left hander coming out of a long straight into a blind 90 degree left hander.
Corkscrew at Laguna Seca.---> if you dont know you shouldn't be here
Esses at Road Atlanta.----> Fast set of 3 sweeping turns into a quick left hander.

[tifosi12]

Some of my fav turns I have driven in no particular order:

- Eau Rouge at Spa
- turn 13 (or 1 in Indy parlance) at the USGP
- the carousel at Road America

[enjoythemusic]

Up the laces of the boot at WGI. When i get it perfect and have throddle fully depressed the car does a perfectly neutral almost-but-not-quite slide all the way to the small left added section of tarmac. You just hold on and let the car do her thing.

Of course the uphill at LRP is fun but have pretty got that so down that it now is almost boring Perhaps i need more power in the car and grippier tires to make more goes at higher speeds?

[1_can_dream]

I haven't driven any tracks myself but from the simulators that I've driven I'd have to agree with the corkscrew at Laguna, Karrousel on the ring, and I'd add the s-curves at suzuka.

[Fast_ian]

1. Paddock Bend, Brands Hatch, England - Blind entrance, falling away both downhill and off camber - Awesome! (I remember Ickx, in the rain of course, fishtailing a 917 all the way down that hill and up into Druids hairpin. At the time he was lapping 30 (thirty!) seconds faster than anyone else on the track.

2. The old Woodcote at Silverstone - *That* was a white knuckler if ever there was one! My cousin and I had stopwatches on JYS (Tyrell, smooth, and *super* quick) and Ronnie Peterson (Lotus 72, right on the ragged edge, sliding) They traded pole about 6 times.

On Ronnies last run we literally heard the breath coming out of the people in the stands (including ours) as he put it on pole...

Reminiscence over......

Cheers,
Ian

[naroescape]

- From Turn 2 through the uphill esses at Watkins Glen, keep you foot all the way to the floor from turn one to the bus stop if you dare....

- The final left hander before you make the right hander onto the front straight at Watkins Glen (no idea what number it is)....again, don't lift and let the car track all the way out to the rumble strips...

- Turn 5 at Road Atlanta.

- And for the local track junkies - the Kink at Carolinas Motorsports park. Flat out through it at about 125mph can make you pucker a bit.

So many turns...so little time...

[ferraripete]

that would be turn 11!

[naroescape]

Originally Posted by ferraripete

that would be turn 11!

Yeah, that one

[rpmtifosi]

Raidillon @ Spa-Francorchamps!
....actually almost every corner at Spa is a challenge!!

[DGS]

For me, the most memorable turn is probably a 5L-50-2R* I encountered during a rallye in NJ.
*(5th gear left, 50 yards, 2nd gear right)

Not only did the right hander not have a name, it wasn't even on the course notes!!

I remember it, because after I clawed through it -- by teeth and toenails -- my co-driver commented to me, "That's the first time I've seen you look interested in a turn -- not concerned, just interested".

Which was funny, because I was scared spitless. I never realized until then just how blank my face is when I'm concentrating on driving.

What actors portray as an expression of "concentration" isn't: Real concentration has no expression at all.

[fiorano94]

The Carousel at RA and the Ring.
And also Eau Rouge

[ferraripete]

Originally Posted by fiorano94

The Carousel at RA and the Ring.
And also Eau Rouge

carousel at road atlanta?? i have a mile or two on that track and i'm not sure i know which corner you are speaking of?

sorry...you are speaking of road america. my apologies.

pcb