Anyone have impressions from MSR Houston yet? I'm planning to race there w/NASA in Feb and I'm going this Sunday Jan 8 to do some testing and try to learn the track. I believe an MSR Cresson membership gets you in? Anyone going over this Sunday? I'm planning to bring a 355 Challenge, and probably a street car too. Mark
From 'The Driver Formerly Known as Maranelloman', a corner by corner primer: Pit straight: stay 1 car width ot left of wall. After wall ends, get as far right as possible, over the yellow hash marke, and brake/downshift to 3rd (if in 4th). Release brakes in straight line, turn in slightly late for T1 to late apex it. Immediately bring car to right & kiss right edge of track. Apex 1a, then let the car out toward middle "lane" of track (it was paved in 3 "lanes". Manage slip with increasing throttle all the way around the Carousel. Some short shift to 4th, my car was better & faster in 3rd. Gradually bring car towards track right as you begin to see track out yellow curbing on track left. Should be at WOT here. Apex. Let car out to track out, upshift at redline. Beware serious pavinng flaw/bump in middle of The Chute. Left foot brake slightly before T3, turn in slightly early to apex 3 & 4 in a straight line (threading the needle) and HARD braking/downshift. E36's only need to go down to 3rd. E46's and E30's may want to/need to get down to 2nd, esp. with SMG, for a hard launch out of T5. After apexing T4 under braking, take car all the way to the efge of the track right before turning in. Apex T5 mid to late, and open steering immediately, letting car get to rumble strips on right. MAKE SURE YOU APEX T5--you need to get right to the curb. Some folks apexed T6, some stayed mid track. My faster laps were with apexing it--the shorter line--but this may vary by car. I think 911's especially may be better off the apex. As you approach T7, a little LFB to slow the car slightly (SM's & SRF's can likely ignore this). and a late turn in, staying right of mid track. Gradually bring the car left for a super-late apex at 7. COme right to the apex curbing, then STRAIGHTEN THE CAR before geting HARD on the brakes & downshifting. T8 is like a right-hand T13 at TWS--total throw away. Treat it the same way: super late apex & set up for a hard launch out of T9. Get back to track left, slight LFB, and another sort of throw-away late apex into T10. For the Keyhole, I was best entering slightly fight of mid-track. 911's can run a tighter line, as can E30's. E46's probably want to stay slightly wider than me at entry. The Keyhole is like a right-handed Carousel at TWS. Treat it the same way by late apexing, IMO. I found I wa sfastest thru there by slightly using LFB a couple of times in the corner to help rotate my car. Late apex T12 with a slight lift (some high HP cars may need a touch of LFB here). You need to throw this away to get properly set up for T13. There are sort of 2 apexes at T13, on either side of where the "esses" pavement intersects. I displaced the first one & came in tight for the 2nd one.... BECAUSE, it allows you to get WOT well before the Hill, and also release steering input over the hump, in order to come off it fast AND STRAIGHT. With straight steering, you will track out all the way track right, then begin moving left. Stay 1 car width away from track left entering Big Bend, then move track right. You will see long yellow curbing track right...PARALLEL IT and you will have a straight shot to apex T15. You must do this in order to stay on the power longer. Brake hard & downshift into the track right curbing after T15 (my car went from 4th to 3rd here) and release the brakes in a straight line. Turn in & apex 16 (here is where my line diverged from nearly everyone else, and where I caught nearly everyone else in the instructor group). It is very important to apex 16 & carry some speed here. After apexing 16, let the car get all the wat track right (into the pit in lane--be very careful of pitting cars here), and then let the momentum carry you to aped T17 with throttle. I strongly advise a later apex here, in order to keep your track out away from the wall. There is plenty of room for track out (and believe me, you will need all of it if you carry lots of speed thru here), but you will have to get the car back away from the wall before the wall juts out into the track. Your first session, I strongly advise *****footing thru here. SERIOUSLY. Once you are straight, prepare to repeat all the above again!
Thanks! I'll print Dave's notes and tape them to the dash!! I forgot to ask is there a clean hotel nearby? Down around ChinaGrove? Mark