How to drive Esses

On Tremblant, they do make you sign waivers now, and offer a liability coverage for their advanced programs. As for the cone chicane they add, that is purely to reduce risk coming over the hump and reduce entry speed into T10 - which in normal mode is quick and has "implications" that at 120mph might be unfortunate...T11 (Gulch) people get wrong and the wall reaches out and grabs you; T12 (Bridge) is a blast up until you make a mistake on entry. The cone chicane also adds a hard braking zone which is good practice with zero implication, so as a training tool it's good.

As for "taking esses" - every track has it's own secrets. I've never been to TWS, so will defer to the experienced. At WGI, the uphill esses should literally be flat and fast-in, faster-out. At Sonoma, you adjust on entry and then accelerate hard on the run towards the chicane; done well you can get a run into the passing zone. A lot of the technique also has to do with the car- how much grip, how much speed, downforce....

A question like this is less about the "right" answer, more about comparing different ideas and then trying them. Ideally, you can compare times and data in similar cars and get an idea where time is gained or lost.

 

Another example is COTA....the fast way there is to haul as much ass in on entry, and as the esses tighten, you slow down and set up for 6-7.

 

I can ask my daughter for ideas re COTA that are games, not sure if COTA is on iRacing.

If you're really serious about preparing, I'd consider some serious and professional level stuff....GPX Lab | GPX Driver Development Lab | Miami GT Simulator Games will help you learn the track, and can be fun, but if you want to learn how to DRIVE the track short of being there with a coach sitting next to you, this is it

GPX is not a game, it's real, plus the coaching and feedback will get you dialed in.

As for chicanes, I love them. It's a combination of braking, maximizing your cornering speed and exit, and rewards good footwork. Once you can nail a chicane or two, everything else is just confidence in the car ha ha

 

TX - Have only referred TWS's esses referred to as 13-14-15, not 10-12. Odd.

Before you come to COTA, even the evening before, I can sit down with you, a laptop, and a beer helping you visualize it all, and work the spots out, so you'll get the flow, so you can work on the more specific skills with an instructor in car or coach working with your data. Just drop me a line.

Important part about T3 @ COTA, not to take it too wide. The attitude of the car requires too much steering input (IMO) and also drives you closer to the wall at T4, which eats cars. Similar to TWS, you are prepping for T6, which is a blind late apex that you must be patient to hit.

 

IRacing

 

COTA is in iracing. With solid hardware iracing is an excellent sim. With low end hardware it is much closer to a game.

For me it is more about being disciplined and gradually looking for speed in a corner or series of corners rather than just looking to apply a specific technique to the same kind of sections you might see on various tracks.

Data to compare with is always awesome. You might be surprised to see dramatically different ways of achieving the same result. I tend to carry tons of speed into corners, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'll be faster than someone who is slower on the way in. Their mid corner or exit speed might be higher. Also consider that one technique might be better for a race than a qualy lap.

 

Hahaha. There is a new flow section at Pitt race. Not quite esses, but impossible to pass. People still try. Fun to watch as a spectator ; )