Despite the ominous forecasts, it hardly rained at all on Tuesday, so most people got to drive a dry track all day long. (My time trial group was one of the few that had drizzly rain during the session, which unfortunately slowed me down just a little. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.
)I had an instructor ride with me this time, and talked with lots of other people about lines, all of which resulted in a big improvement in how I drive this track. For the first time, I feel like I'm starting to understand how to put a quick lap together. After the time trial session yesterday we had an hour and 45 minutes of open track, which I used to practice and experiment. After an hour turning laps I was starting to get a little tired, so I came in early, but I learned a lot during that session, as well as the earlier sessions. I managed to beat my previous personal best by over a second, which made me happy. My goal was to get into the 1:25s, and with one lap of 1:25.996, I made it. Just barely, but a 25 is still a 25.
With what I know now, I know that I still have even more time to gain. Most of the top drivers in my class are capable of 24s, and for the future I will have my sights set on getting down to that range based on what I have learned. Which is:
(BTW, this for my Miata -- other cars will behave differently)
Turns 1-2A-2B (south chicane): I'm braking much later now than I used to (at the 1 mark now, though I think if try taking a lower line in, I might even be able to push that back a bit), and trailbraking into 1. This is a fast-in, slow-out turn. My big revelation came in deciding whether to brake for 2A or not. I discovered that when I braked to settle the car for 2A, I could get on the throttle sooner after 2A, and maintain full throttle all the way through 2B. As a result, my exit speed onto the back straight was a full 5 MPH faster than when I didn't brake. The evidence was pretty clear: brake for 2A, and get on the throttle earlier for 2B.
Turn 3: Another big breakthrough here. I'm now turning in at the second-to-last turn-in cone rather than the last cone, and putting all four wheels over the rumble strips at the apex. This gives me a bit of an early apex, but the track allows this. I'm at about half-throttle over the rumble strips, and I can get to full throttle as soon as I'm past them and the car settles. This makes me hit the compression leaving the oval towards the left side, but not all the way over, and I'm tracking out in Turn 4 very close to the left edge of the track up the hill. (I actually don't have much room to play with here, suggesting that I'm about at the limit.) I'm now 5 MPH faster at the apex (40 MPH instead of 35), and I'm carrying that speed up the hill all the way to Turn 6.
Turn 6 (the Bowl): I'm still struggling a bit with this one. I was first taught to take a straight line to the turn-in cone, which is how I've always done it. This time I tried doing the rim-shot around the right edge of the track before turning in, and I think I like it better. I'm actually doing a kind of modified rim-shot where I straighten it out just at the very end when I brake. I also realized that I was being hesitant about getting on the throttle after turning in; I would brake, turn in, and then not get on the throttle until I was almost to the apex. I learned yesterday that I can go to full throttle as soon as my foot comes off the brake, i.e. when I turn in. The banking helps a huge amount when you do that. The newly-paved section at the track-out of Turn 6 is also a huge help here. I was routinely dropping my right wheels onto that new pavement. It's ridiculously off-camber, so you don't want to go way out into it, but there didn't seem to be any penalty in putting two wheels onto it.
Turn 9: Another huge gain here for me. I was way over-braking for this turn, because it's scary and there's a big drop-off in front of you. Like Turn 1, this is a fast-in, slow-out turn. I should be trailbraking around this turn, but I haven't gotten there yet. In the past, I had been accelerating down the hill to Turn 10. This was an indication that I could have been taking Turn 9 faster. Once I started braking less for 9, I no longer needed to (nor was it possible to) accelerate down the hill.
Turn 10: This is a turn that I've always managed pretty well. Be full-throttle before you hit the big bump and the car will stay planted. If the car doesn't track out all the way to the left edge of the track, you could take it faster. (Monday I became personally introduced the sharp, nasty, hard curb at the apex of 10. The reports are accurate: Don't hit it.)
Turn 12: I started carrying a bit more speed through 12, which was a help down the front straight. I'm braking at the Turn 11 cone on the left as usual, but now I'm off the the brakes as soon as I touch the curb on the right. I'm on the throttle immediately, and full throttle as soon as I know I can reach the apex. Don't early apex 12, and you can get on the throttle sooner without paying the penalty at track-out (which is a big penalty in the form of deep holes in the dirt).
Fun times! The next COM event at NHMS is over the 4th of July, and is a special 3-day event, where Day 1 is HPDE, Day 2 is practice, time trials, and open track, and Day 3 is all-day open track. I'll be there there for Day 1 & 2. Anyone else?
