Great report Mike. I like how you structured it.


How much of the gains in speed and the increased comfort you felt in the car would you attribute to the safety mods you did?

 

Mike,

I saw your car on the track. I was running a black AP2 S2K with a hard top in the novice group. This was my second track day at Lime Rock and my fourth track day. This was my golden lap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9tmUVq-Dwo

I came by once or twice, but our schedule didn't quite fit. I also left after my last run, around 3:30 pm. Compared to the frigid temperature last month when I was there, yesterday was gorgeous. I hear you about trusting the car. Intellectually I know I can do more on the Big Bend and Downhill, but I just can't get myself to trust the car. I think with another day, I still have a lot of improvement still left on the table.

Steve

 

Half of the improvement is an easy mind knowing I'm safer in an accident, and half because I don't have to think about holding myself in the car. I can devote my attention to what I know about vehicle dynamics and what my senses are telling me as I drive around the track.

-Mike

 

Steve, thanks for posting up. I did see you in and around the pits. I was pretty busy during the day, sorry we didn't cross paths.

If those speeds in your video are accurate, you need to work on your braking before the corners. Your turn in speeds are a few MPH higher than me, but you are static or decelerating as you turn. I am on the throttle through all turns. My exit speeds are 10-20 MPH higher that what I'm seeing in your video.

I'd suggest over braking a little, and get used to going through a corner under throttle.

Keep up the hard work! I also liked seeing the hard dog bar in your car, safety is #1.

-Mike

 

Thanks for the tip! The speeds are definitely not accurate. There is a delay in the refresh rate on my iphone. So the speed comes up a few seconds late. It also doesn't capture the top speed at the last second before the braking point. I was hitting about 120 - 123 at the end of the straight. I am definitely leaving some speed on the table on the Left Hander, Right Hander, Big Sweep and Downhill. Like you, I think I should try to focus on one turn at a time. My plateau was 1:10. I think in the next outing, I would like to shoot for about 1:07.

 

I now see in your signature that you're supercharged. That surely explains your front straight speeds.

-Mike

 

This. Last season at LRP I carried braking further than the cone that was set up for turn-in. Able to get up to higher speed on no-name straight, and then use the grip offered by going uphill. Realized I did not have to brake as hard as I was in the earlier sessions. Just scrub enough speed to be able to safely turn-in for the uphill. Hug the inside and there is enough time to unwind the wheel and be pointed straight before the crest.

 

LOL. It's definitely a big component of my speed.

 

I will admit that until Mike posted about the Supercharger, I had a major crisis wondering where I was going wrong. That power must be nice.

 

Forgot to add, they didn't have the cones out. I actually prefer the challenge when they're not there.

Mike