Anyone track their Pista yet?

Chris Harris - [tips hat]....what a fantastic video. The car, the lap and the interview with the record holder, great stuff. And the Manthey GT3 RS MR seems like an amazing machine. Pliant and well-thought-out suspension settings are key because they keep the car settled, the aero consistent and most important of all, the driver confident. Many manufacturers use ultra-stiff suspension settings perhaps for the sake of added emotion?. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I want a car to feel emotional. But it’s surprising how stoked CH seemed when driving the Manthey. I owned a 991.1 RS, a car which went much quicker around the ring in Manthey guise - it was mostly a softer suspension that was different on that car. Colin Chapman’s theory was light weight and pliant suspension. Hmmm, might be something to this.

It’s clear that for €90,000 spent with a race team the car is going to be quicker around the track, otherwise who would buy the car? This fact shows the standard Pista on lesser rubber (if the R wasn’t faster Michelin would not have made it) delivered a very fast lap time which must have been faster than the standard RS on cup 2s would have achieved. At tracks like Silverstone the aero performance of the MR would have been incredible, added to the better suspension and rubber. That Manthey RS seems to be an amazing car - 2s faster than the P1 with scrubbed tyres?!

Given the architecture of the car and where it came from, the Manthey prepared RS humbled the Senna really.

 

I hope Porsche takes lessons from this and the 992 GT3 RS is basically a MR (KW coils + aero).

 

Actually, looking at the current state of play, Porsche doesn't require lessons. They are the master.....and it shows in the way everything on the car works as it should. The only lesson needing to be learned is to never underestimate Porsche.

 

I agree, they don’t screw around. But why didn’t they put serious coils OEM?

 

Is the primary goal for those who track cars, to go around the track as quickly as possible or is to have the greatest level of enjoyment while tracking, albeit if at a slightly slower time? Obviously everyone would prefer both but if forced to choose, what would it be?

 

They are one in the same in some respects. A well balanced car is fast, and also more fun. Even the most hard core street cars tend to suffer from understeer because it’s a safe setup, but quickly becomes annoying once you build up speed and confidence.

 

When I tracked my Lamborghini Balboni, not exactly a track weapon, the excitement engengered by controlling this runawy beast was among the most thrilling, fun experiences I have had on a track. The track time did not compare to my 997 Turbo S, but was much more compelling, and exciting.

 

The most exciting cars I’ve tracked were a Lola T-160 Can Am car and Porsche 935. I’d describe those experiences as more thrilling than fun. Mind you, they weren’t mine and it was before I started honing my skills through competition in my own race cars.

 

Only if one overcooks the entry speed. It's simple physics really, the centrifugal force wants push the car wide and the front tyres lose grip. The true balance of a car manifests itself mid-corner and there are many sports cars that are neutral to oversteery.

 

Thanks for sharing those white knuckle rides, but nothing new going on here between this lot other than showing the steering wheel shuffle on Pista and Lambo - driver having to lift hands to reach for those crazy fixed paddles!! One day hopefully these two will get with the program and follow Porsche and Maclaren and put the bloody paddles where they belong - on the steering wheel!!

 

Still quicker than taking a hand off the wheel to work a stick, no? And are you sure you would know which paddle is which once the wheel is turned more than midway point? So if you had to actually look, isn’t that worse?


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Out of all these track videos never seen anyone pushing these types of cars hard - who knows how to drive - get befuddled with paddles on the wheel. That said I have found myself short in MY Ferrari a few times requiring the hand to come off the wheel - usually at an undesirable time as what has been shown in these vids. What you suggest is a real driver doesn't really now how to drive - gets himself in a twisted befuddled mess with the steering wheel mid way into the corner along with not knowing what paddle is which? Any examples you can show of this happening?

PS . May pay to look at how CH and Lars drive a car fast. The wheel is not where you are saying it gets to become befuddled least of all having to take hands off off the s/wheel - i.e 9 and 3 o'clock position - to fish for fixed paddles. Maybe these guys need to take further training huh? I swear I have no idea how some of you guys drive but it sure sounds a worry if you're having to shuffle your hands around the the rim of the steering wheel mid corner off the 9 and 3. And there is such thing as a throttle and brake - all which can become part and parcel of the whole turning process where required - you do know that?

 

Yes, I put that in my F8 configuration - for my 488 the solution was the paddles set from Carbonio.
Generally speaking, Ferrari steering is more direct so that the extended paddles are OK because unless you are drifting in oversteer, you don't need to turn the wheel too much (even in the middle of a hairpin on track you don't need more than a half turn - just don' t change gear specifically at that point )

 

I have cars with the paddles on the wheel and for street driving they can be difficult as many times the wheel is turned more than 180 degrees and then it gets confusing which side is up or down. For the track where that driver was choking the hell out of the wheel it seems more simple. What really gets confusing is driving both styles off and on in the same week. Admittedly I'm not a great driver but probably similar to most Ferrari owners.

In this age of digital shifting maybe better to but the device on the floor to give your left foot something to do unless you like to use it for braking which I have tried and don't find it comfortable.

 

Never had a problem on the street or track with any of my Porsche's, only the Ferrari unfortunately and all because of the clumsy disjointed switch-gear and paddles, and I have the factory option long extended version. The 488's paddle shift travel is also unnecessarily too much which works against the lightening fast shift of that beautiful transmission! Go figure! The paddle travel could be half of what it is!!

To have the wheel turned 180 degrees and be lost which paddle is which, may I ask what kind of driving you are doing? Is it on loose dirt or ice? If driving on tarmac the hands really don't need to shift away from the 9 and 3 for anything other than reverse or very slow forward parking maneuvers and, at that crawl there is no need to change gears anyway as the vehicle is either in 1st or reverse. Plus 1st and reverse is selected from the stick vs that ridiculously clumsy disjointed arrangement in the Ferrari where you have to push the R button on the central bridge to get reverse and then to go forward pull the right hand paddle.....at the opposite end of each spectrum! Like WTF! This is a painful process to go through in any forward reverse maneuver requiring more than one bite....which is most of the time. Try do a three point turn on a road in a hurry in a 488 - wow not fun. You have to take your eyes off the road so many times just to guide your hands to the various locations where to activate next. Ridiculous! If this was on a shifter you can maintain you vision on the road at all times and just allow your hand to activate the stick into forward or reverse.

Agree the pro driver was choking the wheel which is generally considered bad practice but he had no reason to shift from the 9 and 3 which is the correct way to steer. Plus he clearly knew how to drive fast and keep control. Maybe the dude was overly stressing out in front of the cameras or something?

Having to shuffle around the wheel or, lift a hand off the wheel at any point to activate a fixed paddle causes a loss of grip and concentration. Don't get me wrong I love my Ferrari but man the controls are truly terrible compared to my 911's. Even Nissan's engineers woke up and shifted the paddles from the column on R35 GTR back onto the wheel. Even Mac got the paddles right and these guys are from F1....never build a road car before that. Go figure.

Ferrari please fix this mess!!! You can do it!!!

 

Definitely agree the reverse button position is crazy. I think they use it for theft protection as no one trying to steal it could back the car out! On a DD its nice to one hand turn the wheel when maneuvering in tight spaces like large parking lots or hard 90 turns at intersections. Sometimes I'll want to change up or down and just keep the gear because the wheel is skewed enough to where you have to think too much about it. I'm not talking about spirited driving just going to dinner and lazy type stuff. I saw a video of an F1 Clienti driver and he was one handing the wheel in turns because the cars are made to fit the original drivers and he didn't have enough elbow room. A lot of guts to do that at the speeds he was going.