Stock except for Michelin PSS.

Tips welcome! First time at that track and only my 3rd track day. I spun out at the end at turn 1. Not really sure what happened. I am thinking too quick of a turn in and maybe tires overheating? Do PSSs overheat very quickly?

Thanks everyone!

 

I think your doing good for your first time there. Sounds like your letting off the gas early (normal for 1st time, I was the same). Turn 9 you can use more of the track coming out and Turn 10 there is a shit ton of room to the right. Besides those your doing great.

 

Once you know you are going off out of control, remember to "put both feet in". That means depress the clutch and press the brake. It gives you a better chance of keeping the engine running and prevents you from rolling back onto the track after the spin ends.

 

I wasn't able to listen to the sound (at work), but for the spin it looked like you turned in too late and too abruptly. The entry to turn 1 requires a shallower line off the straight (early and gentle turn in) than typical. You want to use all of that curb triangle (car may jump a bit) and keep as shallow a line through the initial chicane as possible, to stay on the inside through the next three apexes of turn 1. Brush the brakes a bit before turn-in off the straight, completely off the brakes as you turn and jump the curb to keep the car pointed in the right direction, then hard onto the brakes as you stay on the inside the corner and set up to use maintenance throttle through the rest of the little turn 1 apexes. The reason you want to stay inside through 1 is that the camber drops off at the outside of the corner and there is no grip there, plus you want to be set up to have a good line and maximize speed out of the turn 2 sweeper because turn 2 leads onto a straight.

I really like Thunderhill West because almost every single corner requires you to do something "non-standard" to get through it quickly. It's not a point-and-shoot track like most of Thunderhill East. West's turn 8 is another good example, where the faster guys go in shallower than you'd expect because they use the compression of the uphill to improve grip and turn the car, instead of "standard" 2D line of apexing late and wasting the hill's compression because they are already pointed straight. I really like figuring out the puzzle of West.

 

Thanks! Any other tips will help. Thill west was definitely fun - passenger thought it was crazy because the track looks like turns (kinks and Ss) where you just go flat through in a straight line.

I'll try the tips for turn 1. I definitely think I am losing time there and at turn 8.

 

You stopped driving the car after the finish line. Done. Oops! Still lots of speed to bleed off -- and stay on the pavement!

-- Chuck

 

Coincidentally I saw this article today. I've never driven there so can't vouch for how good this advice might be.

 

You can gain plenty of time all around the track. The number 1 thing to improve is to avoid lift and coasting before braking for a corner. You want to transition from full throttle to full threshold braking whenever possible. This just takes some seat time but for sure this will gain you a ton of time all around. It is usually going to be faster to brake a bit too hard and early than to coast into a corner and brake hard later. You want to try to brake hard and consistently in each braking zone so you can slowly adapt and optimize your braking point lap after lap. The S2000 allows you to brake quite deep into a corner once you get the hang of it.



Turn 5 and turn 8 are where a lot of time can be gained on West. In a stock S2000 with good alignment and tires you should be able to take them flat with a good setup to the corner and turn in.

 

 

Awesome, thanks for sharing Andrew!