MSR Cresson (ongoing)...

First right is flat in an SM, and easy. Big power cars you need to build up to it and each car may vary - there is a bit of a crest that will make the car light and you need to unwind the wheel a bit there and have figured that into the turn as a whole. The left heading down the hill is tricky and I still don't have it right, but I find myself entering what looks early. Something that helped was forcing myself to look thorugh the turn to the track out cone, as you get a better reference for where the car will end up. You can go off there without as much drama as you would expect, as long as you don't totally screw up the turn. Ask me how. The bowl or carousel is also tricky and I think there are multiple fast lines. I am presenty double-apexing it, the first apex well before the apex cone and I actually don't get quite to the apex cone; the car drifts wide and I just manage to straigten it out before the curbing on the left near the top of the hill. 2:35s in my SM and like you guys, I think there is more; Seth Higgins was doing 2:31s in his Porsche and a 2:18 is monumentally fast, IMO. Very impressive indeed and a tribute to JoseManuel's skill and the GT3 Cup - perhaps the fastest truly closed wheel car at MSR.

 

Here is what the PCA Club Racers put down in May:

http://www.pca.org/clubrace/2006_results/motorsport/Blue-Sprint-Qual.htm

2:14.1 by the fastest GT3 Cup car during qualifying


Update - I just saw this:

MotorSport Ranch (3.1 mi.) - PCA Club Racing Track Records 2006

Current Overall Record Holder
2:13.483 GLEN GATLIN '00 GT3 Cup 5/28/2006

 

Amazing! It's scary to think that he will get even faster with more time out there. Remember that patch of asphalt with low grip at the first apex that I described? Someone told me that Glen's solution was to straddle the patch, putting the right hand tires on the curb to avoid the patch. It takes incredible precision to run that line given.

Keith - thanks for the write-up. Sounds like you and I are taking similar lines in a few places, maybe I am not blowing the first left hander as bad as I thought. What is Abdalla running out there? I would expect my car to be capable of putting down times somwhere between George and Seth. What is the Turbo Miata capable of?

Seth is very quick in an underpowered car, especially considering the fact that he is usually dragging a few pounds of rocks and grass from his last OTE. I wish I was as fearless as he is, unfortunately sanity seems to be costing me a few seconds.

 

Turbo miata is uncertain - I lost my clutch (probably throwout bearing) on Sunday.

2:13 is just plain smokin'.

I will have to try straddling that curb! I have been off enough on the 1.3 now that I am not as frightened and drivng a turbo miata has fewer consequences to OTEs

Delivered my first customer turbo miata this weekend, but its stock clutch lasted 2 sessions. Guess upgraded clutch will have to be standard.

 

"""Amazing! It's scary to think that he will get even faster with more time out there. Remember that patch of asphalt with low grip at the first apex that I described? Someone told me that Glen's solution was to straddle the patch, putting the right hand tires on the curb to avoid the patch. It takes incredible precision to run that line given."""

The issue with straddling that piece of asphalt is that you have to get onto or very close to the kerbing. If you over do it there is abig fall-off on the other side and you are going to rip the bottom off the car. With the precision of a Cup Car's steering, I can see how it can be done but you need to be very well set up to be hard on the gas to hit that small marker. I suspect that Mark G. is making most of his time-up from the top of the hill to the sharp uphill left hander. My guess is that he can run that as a straight with minor braking for the corner before the sharp left hander.

Some day I will remember the names of these.

 

Rob - Thanks for taking Mike out for a ride, he loved it! Plus it took his mind off of work so it made my day a lot nicer.

I tried a different line into the toilet bowl, going deeper than I had before turning in. It seemed faster on those laps than my previous laps but it was very hard to tell as my rear tires were fighting for grip everywhere. It may simply have been a factor of worn tires liking a less aggressive slip angle. It was at least interesting enough to continue to experiment with once I get fresh tires.

I decided I stink on the first left hander before heading down the hill. Any advice?

 

Sounds like I am taking the correct line on that first left-hander, just did not execute well on Saturday. I did better my last time out but had some brain fade on how much speed I could carry since it had been a while on the 3.1.

On your other points:

1) Agreed, I love that turn! You can plant your tires on the curb before turn in, gently trail brake, and get on the gas as soon as you are pointed in the right direction.

2) Also agree. I tend to be on the left anyway there, but after your comment in the garage I made a point of it to stay left a little more. What is interesting there is that I need to ship from 3rd to 4th right around that bump. If I handle the previous turn well I am shifting before the bump due to rpms. If I screw it up, I had been short shifting into 4th before the bump so that the car is settled when I shift. I now wonder if I don't need to short shift if I screw up the previous turn, maybe I can make the shift on the transition. At least that way when I make a mistake I won't compound it with a short shift.

 

Had my first track day with the P-car and it was exciting to say the least. My first session was a learning experience on the 3.1, and Dryhole (Mark) my next door neighbor rode shotgun and gave me good advice and helped me find the apex cones. We had a borrowed transponder from MSR and thought it showed me with a 2:38 best lap.
Then I had dryhole drive with me riding along to see his lines. He raced formula fords in the 80's, and has had a lot of track time, and he was really getting the feel for the 911. The biggest difference, was his later and harder braking, helping keep his higher speeds up until the last minute.
Thinks were going fine for some good lap times, until we got to the turns on the new section, just after the straight paralleling 377. He hits the first left fine, and as he was about to crest the hill with the hard left I knew we were going way too fast. He had come close to the right edge on previous laps, getting a little loose a couple of times. This time we got way loose, with the back end coming around going down the hill. Next thing I know, I see the west side edge of the track coming in to my window fast, and we exited the track going backwards at a pretty high speed. I braced for impact with the scrub bushes and dirt mounds, and the cockpit filled with dust.
Seeing that we were ok, he pulled back on the track to discover both right side tires had rolled under and were close to flat. We made the mistake of getting out of the car to check for something dragging underneath, and were scolded later for that. Nursed the car back to Texas Autosports, where they helped clean the dirt and rocks out of the right rims and air them up. They held fine, and we went to town to grab and bite, and see if the car was driving funny. It seemed fine, but we decided to not risk anything further, and packed up to go back to Dallas. We went by to get the laptimes, and it showed a best of 2:44. We knew then that what we thought was a 2:38 for me was someone else, as I was a good 10-20 seconds slower at least.
Before we got to the 35W split, our left rear went flat, and we were stuck on the highway waiting for a tow. Thought of taking a pic for jimpo for payback on my posting weeks earlier, but decided hell no. Even thought the left side tires looked fine, it was their inside beads that had taken a beating, and probably had a delayed rock issue that lost air later.
The good news is that there was no body damage, and only a small part of my new clear bra rolled up on the front end. Hopefully 1 tire, and some cleaning will get me back on the track soon. Other than the mishap we had a blast, and having Big Bend Villa for a between session break was a huge plus, thanks Rob C.!

 

Sunday 9/24/06 was a perfect day for MSR 3.1 driving. I hung the SM out a bit more, and was inconsistent, but did manage a couple of mid-2:33s. I think there is more, still, since my times varied by nearly 2 seconds from one lap to the next. I was experimenting with entry point and speed entering the first left hander after pit-out of the new track, and there is a lot of speed potential there. In the bowl, I have gotten to where I let the car load back up approaching the bottom before I brake, then I go down to second gear briefly after turn in, take a relatively early apex, and let the car track way out to the left. The exit is just too tight for me to carry much momentum out, so I just get it slowed, turn, and nail it.

then I Broke the pinion in the diff.

I think a fast time in a SM will end up being in the 2:31s when the stars align, and Rob is probably right - a challenge car shoudl be bale to taek 6-8 second off of that for 2:25s

 

Ran the 3.1 track for the first time at speed in the Ford GT. It performed flawlessly, and I wiggle the back end a few times, but no true spins today. I know there is a lot more I can get out of the car in time, especially braking, but a fun first session. Ran several 3:00's and then had a 2:54. Found I did better when I left it in 3rd for a lot of the turns, and just torque'd out of them, not risking wheelspin. Glad I escaped Carney and his Trailblazer SS on my tail. Saw Rob Jennie Mia and Jennie's brother and wife there. Rob was giving rides in the 355 Challenge. He left me in his dust.