OMG well, our racing season is nearly over and after a hectic August, September is really quiet (i.e. no races )

However our season finale is a double header at Spa at the beginning of October.

Hotel is booked, car has been checked, ferry booked, pre-race trackday booked (Thursday before the race), timings checked (test session + Scrut on Friday, qualy + race on Saturday, 2nd race on Sunday), need to go to Halfords to get headlight deflectors etc. for the Land Cruiser, and have been spending a bit of time on the XBox trying to learn the circuit.

I feel woefully under prepared never having driven there before, and I'm absolutely cacking my pants !

Any tips from our racers and/or trackday goers on here !?

 

I'll pass on what my instructor told me, as it's likely to be more useful than anything I can tell you.

"The way to pass people at Spa is mess up their corner entry, as it's all about exit speed with the long straights".

I can pass on his tips for each corner if you want to give me a call, too much to type really.

Watch this from 3 minutes in for some small tips on getting round. You can see the effect that a too fast corner entry has when I pass the Sierra at about 8 mins in.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MMkzus9WbM [/media]

 

Some HD footage in from the Exige with the corner names added.

http://www.vimeo.com/5856530

Those laps were pretty much bang on what the instructor told me, apart from Eau Rouge which I was a bit out on.

I guess in a Caterham you can take Eau Rouge flat.

As Simon says, it's a power circuit so you do need to get good exit speed (Eau Rouge especially) and maybe some slipstreaming would work?!

At Pouhon, I was taking it as 2 corners instead of one big one and it really improved speed. Just a very small straighten of the wheel mid way between the 2.

You will love Spa - it's the daddy

 

I agree.
Because of the gradient of Eau Rouge / Raidillon followed by the long climb after its worth being brave here.
You could IMO pick up a LOT of time at this point, more than anywhere else.
Bear in mind I'm no race driver but if you analyse the gradients etc...

On entry clip hard on the rubbles to your left and immediately swing over to the right AND STAY THERE as long as possible up the hill.
Don't swing back to the left in anticipation (it's a crest and you cant see the exit until later so your tempted to panic and start apexing to early) wait until its visible and then dive for the left apex on the brow.
Then run out very gently and wide to the right strips near the endurance pitlane exit slip.
You should then max it out on the top Kemmel straight.

Further along at rivage I watched the F1 boys all hugging the inner line.
This was opposite to my instruction but how I did it blind and with no knowledge.
I think hugging the inner line and not just going in deep and apexing it is faster. Let me know!

Look to Satavelot, also very important as exit speed will make or break on the straight as Mark says.

HTH, hope you have snow chains - the wost winter ever is forecast this year at Spa.

Its a steep mofo.. but see my car hard over to the right waiting to see the apex left at the top of Raidillon?

 

I've not done spa, but learning any circuit is the same.

Firstly watch lots of videos of the track. They're generally as helpful, if not more so, than playing games for learning the track.

And finally to re-iterate above. It's exit speed.

And if it rains be very very wary, there's a rivulet that runs across the eau rouge hill at just the wrong point. Kobe found out to his S2000's cost.

 

Thanks guys - I've been using the XBox (with wheel/pedals and a Caterham) to learn at least where the corners are and I have some tracknotes from someone else. I know it's not exactly a gauge but I agree you can make loads of time at Eau Rouge if you ignore Xbox suggetsted racing line and use the other guys, and straight line the right/left (EauRouge/Radillon) - however in real life I'm not sure !!

It's almost bound to rain so I'll keep an eye out for Eau Rouge thanks Chilled.

I also have access to our Championship winner's video from last year so will start studying that this week.

Absolutely cacking myself, but will be proud just to finish both races in one piece I think!

It's going to be a strange setup - all 3 classes on the grid at the same time, so there is a pretty-much-certainty that the quicker cars from the middle class will be in front of me on the grid. I don't think we'll be lapping the slower cars so hopefully that won't cause too much of an issue, but I'll have people in front of me who are still contending for their own championship, whereas I'm just going for points (there's one particular person I want to beat!)

 

I don't know much about Spa other than what I've read here and that *everyone* loves it.

It's likely I'll be racing there next year whichever racing route I take so I'll be looking forward to the report.

Good luck!

 

CSCC race at Spa, so could very well be there next year
Enjoy it!

 

Don't think we'll be there next year Graham, have you had any more thoughts on next year's plans??

Fieldl - are you starting next season then !? Fab!

 

Ah OK, I might not then!

I had a fantastic day at Brands on Saturday so the decision is just getting harder

I probably won't decide until the car is sold but it's difficult to put much effort into the sale when I'm having so much fun with it

Any news on the the upgrades for the Megas yet?