Tracking my Pista at Laguna Seca Raceway

I had a chance to track my Pista for the first time at Laguna Seca today and I can say I am left stunned by this car as to how good it is. My best time ever at this track is 1min 39sec with my 991.1 Porsche GT3. On the first track outing with the Pista I hit 1min 40sec as the best lap time for the day (both cars have Cup 2 tires, even though the Porsche is N spec and Pista is K spec.) The car is very capable and clearly I am not able to push it to its limits. I also had just over 650 miles of break-in mileage, so I did not go full throttle acceleration and did not let more than two, very rarely three LED's to light up on the steering wheel.
The steering, braking, acceleration, turn-in, balance, sound, and feel of the car; all are just awesome. I cannot say enough how great this car is. I will soon post a track day experience in my new GT3 RS (Weissach) and try to summarize my impressions (note: I have always been a fan of Porsche's as track cars; Pista might change this!!)
A video is below...I know it may be boring to watch a car going around a track again and again; but I tell you it was thrilling to me!!!

 

Excellent, thanks for posting, two questions: sound and brakes

no way you passed sound, what measures did you take?
and how did the brakes do, I imagine they 100% factory spec?

Enjoy the hell out of it though, looks like a great day

 

It does sound like you we’re babying it. Thanks for the video I’m on the east coast. I’ve always wanted to drive that track live. Done it a good bit in my sim. One of my favorites.


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Yes, definitely had to upshift and lift. You can see it on the video. I also drove further away from the sound booth - you can see how I deviate from straight line after turn 5.
Sound is amazing. I know there are non-believers, I am not one of them. As I said elsewhere, the sound is pleasing in any RPM; not too loud, not too quiet, not too growling, not too soft...it's just a beautiful sound.
Brakes are awesome. I was trying no to brake too hard due to car being so new. So, you can see I could have been braking much later in some corners, but I did not to control the pedal pressure. But the feel is absolutely solid and it stops the car in no time. I had a chance to drive a McLaren 600LT for a 20 minute session on the track too; no comparison...the Pista is much much better. I am assuming 720s has better brakes than 600LT.

 

Love seeing it in it's proper place--the track. Nice driving as well.

Those Macs left you in the dust though...catch them!

 

Obviously I had more HP and torque than 570s, 600LT, or 12C; so if I wanted to challenge them, I could have. It's not a race. If I am babying the car and they are 3-4 seconds a lap faster, no point to hold them back. You lift a little so that they can enjoy their session and go for their lap undisturbed. The right thing to do.

 

It was great seeing the cars on track yesterday. I sat out in the session that you posted.

Thanks for posting the video. I would've thought that many people on these forums would have had great interest in this video and your comments (Kind of surprised with the lack of questions/comments).

The driver behind you in a 720s had a 360 degree camera on the car and I'm sure he will post the video in the next few days. It's always nice seeing exterior videos of one's car in motion on a track.

 

Thanks for sharing video, I enjoyed watching it.

 

Props for posting video. No need to make excuses for your driving. You're doing what 90% of Pista owners aren't which is taking your car to the track.

 

Which car were you driving? I was the only Ferrari.
The orange 720s McLaren is a close friend. I have the video from his perspective when he was behind me. He is a fantastic driver and could have lapped me if he wanted! He was also getting used to his new car as he just switched from a 650s.

 

No excuses...if you listen to the car you notice the short shifting. I merely mentioned since I fully expect in the right hands (and no lifting at turn 5 due to sound limit issues) this car is easily capable of 1min 35sec on street tires at Laguna. That is a very respectable number... a 2013 Porsche Cup Car on slicks used to do 1min 33s around Laguna!
There is lots of debate as to whether Pista is as good as a 720s or a GT2 RS; every bit it is. By no means I am one of the fastest drivers in these events; if I can do 1min 40sec in the first outing despite all babying; imagine what it can do with a fast driver behind the wheel. Awesome car! Thanks for props!

 

Look forward to your comparison between your GT cars and the Pista when you've broken them all in.

 

Well done! Can you give us a little sense of the fun factor of the Pista?

I agree with @exoticcardreamer that you would think more would be interested but maybe they haven't yet seen this thread?

I can't wait for mine to arrive!

 

Can't answer for others views but since OP made it clear he was being careful I saw no point taking the discussion further until he was ready to put his foot down and hold the other cars to account. I recall the video from the ring taxi R Mitchell in his Pista and it was pretty clear that he was able to round anything up in it.

 

White 600 Lt . Jim was the car in front of you . I know Jim very well too . He’s got to get past my 1:36 in 720s -

Sam , was the guy behind you . (Don’t think you know him but he has a lot of video coverage.

 

Yes, in my video he was in front of me. I never passed him. He has a video of the first session where he was behind me for a few corners!!!
I don't know Sam. May be he can share somewhere soon. If it's loaded up on YouTube appreciate if you copy the link here.
Well, I guess you know Jim then. Soon he will get used to his 720s, puts the slicks on it and go around the place in 1:30!
I saw Ben's video in his Senna doing 1:30 in damp conditions.

 

I cannot say enough of fun factor with this car. The engine is lovely, really it is. It's a masterpiece. No turbo lag, very linear response, revs up so fast and effortlessly while making the most pleasing sounds (to my ear.) Steering is nice to hold and is weighted properly; giving you feedback all the time. I wished I had 5-pt harness in the car, the seats are not as tight as Porsche bucket seats, so you end up being thrown around a bit (I a sure that is 2s off my lap time right there) I also kept it on Race for the entire day. I am sure in CT or ESC it would be even more fun even though if you want the car to dance it will even in Race mode. Acceleration is breathtaking despite the fact that I did not go full throttle...it really pins you to the seat. The shifting is not the usual dual clutch smooth; I think they did it on purpose; it kicks when it shifts, which is absolutely lovely. The brakes are tremendous and the pedal is solid; almost race car solid.
And, the car looks beautiful. Many stopped by to complement the car (not the driver!!)

 

The 720 pulls like a beast on those straights. Impressive.

 

I've read about these noise level restrictions, but never really paid attention. If a Pista is right on the edge of pass/fail, how does a Speciale or GT3RS or Performante or ACR or Z06 owner ever drive Laguna?

Gotta love California - y'all turn a blind eye to people crapping and shooting up heroin on your sidewalks, but vigorously enforce noise level restrictions on track cars....at a RACE TRACK!!

 

Yes I believe Sam will post on his channel pretty soon! He has that new go pro that looks pretty amazing.


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That’s sam’s channel. I keep telling him he should become a full time YouTuber!
Hope to get meet u next time on the track!



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It's county ordinance based on neighbors complaints. The track existed way before those neighbors, but it is what it is.
It is a beautiful track. The scenery is amazing and yes you do notice it even though you are driving the hell out of your car. I don't know if there is any track with as much elevation changes as Laguna Seca. It's simply amazing. The sound is enforced only on turn 5, which makes it even more ridiculous because everyone as soon as they pass the sound booth, they get on the gas. Despite lifting and upshifting, I got black flagged at 94.6db (90db was the limit for the day) for the first session. I adjusted; no problem from then on. Same routine with GT3 RS or other louder cars and it will be fine. You can make a big deal out of it (some do) or just get on with it. It's just one corner...and there are higher db days on the calendar as well --- June 12th is one at 102db, unfortunately I will be travelling for business on that day

 

It's a common misconception that the sound limits only apply to Laguna Seca. There are plenty of race tracks around the States and globally that have sound restrictions.

Some test your car before you even get on the track. Others have sensors all around the track. We just have to manipulate in one area.

 

What happens if u have a valvetronic exhaust(with remote)can u Cheat the system?


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Thanks Kevin. This is just what I am looking for. It is exactly in line with what several friends who have Pista tell me. I like to hear real owners' opinions. I love that the DCT provides some extra drama- that is what I want in a Ferrari street car! (I was very impressed with the 488 GTB, but I felt it lacked some of the drama I tend to look for).

You could probably get a harness fitted to the car but it can be involved. It's too bad about the seats, I suspect you ordered the large seats as most of us do. If they leave a little room it means you likely are in good shape so that is a positive! I have found Ferrari allows you to slide the car around even in the lower modes like wet! Its old info now, but I'll never forget sliding 430s around a skid pad even in wet mode! Race will definitely give you some latitude and then CT off will be where you want to be once you are fully broken in. This way it doesn't grab then rear brakes to help you out, thus wearing them- well, I guess it depends on your driving style.

Btw- I loved watching the video, thanks for sharing!