Monday, May 18, 2009 - 04:26 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I'd be interested to hear if you notice a difference in the handling with the wing on. I want to get a rear wing for mine to help with my high speed rear end grip (twice the rear has let go at high speed now). This is one of the wings I have seen on ebay.
I have not been able to find any figures for the wings on sale, ie 'x' wing generates 'y'kg of downforce at 100kmh.
Monday, May 18, 2009 - 04:32 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
No worries Ben, I'll post up after this weekend on differences (if any). Also keep in mind the base design will also allow you to adjust the angle, but I botched the hole position on my L brackets so I can't easily adjust the angle. I will have to redo the holes later on to allow for adjustment ... See how we go ...
any downforce generated will be completely reliant on the shape of the car as well.
I would also consider the amount of force that will be pushing down on that boot lid. The stock wing sits right at the back - a very rigid area, so any downforce it develops is transferred easily through to the car.
EG - If you develop a moderate amount of downforce (say 80kg) at 160km/h, then it'll be equivalent to putting two 40kg weights on the boot in the shape of the wing footprints.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - 08:36 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I have actually just read a few online articles about this. It would appear we are not trying to generate downforce, but lesson the lift generated by the overall shape of the car.
I understand that any downforce generated by the wing is reliant on airflow both upstream and locally. What I had hoped was for some downforce figures and statistics about wings in isolation so as to be able to make a purchase wisely. I want good downforce, with minimum extra drag. Asthetics are secondary. Unfortunately it seems that wings are sold only on asthetic grounds and no one either knows or cares what effect they have.
It was time again to get onto the track to search for improvements. For a while now, I've been less than enthusiastic about Winton, primarily because of the number of visits there and I have been unable to beat my PB of 1.42.60 set in July 08. I'd be happy with anything, any improvement is a good improvement. I didn't have high hopes for the day, but the conditions were perfect .. HMM!
[b]Changes since last visit:[/b] * Changed 20% semis (235/255 RE55) to 80% semis (235/255 RE55) * GT Wing install * Polyurethane front LCA bushes + alignment
No more power was required, I want to just learn to drive it better, the driver is the issue here, and looking back at in-car videos from the past, I could see a few areas which I could improve on, this was the main concern. In terms of car setup though, there was something that needed attention. Previously, I had the setting on the coilovers to 5/5 hardness on front and 3/5 hardness on rear, with a generally loose / skatey feeling, a different approach was required. I resisted the urge to wind the rear swaybar down to soft, instead maintaining the soft front / medium rear setting on the Whiteline adjustable sways. Instead, I wound the coilovers down to softest at rear, and 2nd softest at front, not because I knew which one was a better setting, but because this would give me more time to react to changes and let me concentrate on the basics. Keep it simple, as they say ...
[b]Session 2: (First session out for me)[/b] 1:46.7500 1:41.2000 [b]1:39.8100[/b]
Tyre pressures at 32 cold, the car felt quite good and I was surprised that it felt more stable through the fast corners like the sweeper and S bend (maybe due to additional rear downforce): The floaty sensation at the rear had dissapeared and I could concentrate on applying more and more throttle on. Out of corners, I could get on the power earlier and keep it straighter than before, and the Racechrono display already showed an improvement from the previous PB, very pleasing! Progress is being made ... The softer suspension was also a welcome, it could soak up the bumps through corners without skipping everywhere and cut across some ripple strips without problem ..
I lowered the tyre pressures back down from 41 hot down to 32 again, and realised that I forgot to put the octane booster in. No additional power, but safety first! I experimented with different gears in the hairpins. Traditionally I used 3rd/3rd/3rd, but this time I tried 2nd/3rd/3rd, or 2nd/3rd/2nd to see which one felt faster. By this stage I had become used to the 'relatively' large amount of bodyroll, it was easier to tell the momentum of the car, without any bottoming out that I could notice (apart from landing after jumping over some strips)
Lowered the tyre pressures once again from 35 hot down the 32 again, the fronts were getting noticeably higher than the rears, and the left side more so than the right, so I adjusted as best I could to suit these factors. Some good practice laps in, the overly oversteery traits from past track days were all but gone, replaced with what seemed like a well-balanced cornering poise. It was DO OR DIE TIME! Out came the passenger seat and a quick prayer to the car gods and it was time. I knew I had a window of about 2-3 laps before the brakes cooked so I had to time it perfectly ... Two warm up laps and we were off!
The 2nd hot lap out netted a new PB (improvement of 3.6 seconds), immense satisfaction! I was happy that the improvement came as (mostly) a result of driver improvement without any substantial modification or any increase in engine output. This could be one of the proudest moments in the old boat's life, being able to still cough up the goods when required, to show what can be done without lots of coin ... 12 competitive full-throttle events so far on a tired 18-yo 160,000km engine/chassis and nothing has gone wrong ... I promise to change oil after this track day this time
I think there is still more in it, but I probably need more laps / practice to get the most out of it. However, it's unlikely the boat will be back in action at Winton in the near future. Now I just have to figure out how to use this newfangled technology to export the Racechrono data.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 05:41 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Thanks fellas, was a great day .. That session with the Supra on my tail (pictured above) was my favorite of the day, that thing had 300+rwkw, T04Z, semis and a very good driver behind the wheel, plenty of fun!
Tuesday, June 09, 2009 - 06:30 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
They sent it out, not sure if it's on their calendar on their site yet ... Anyway if you're keen on heading over, I'll be submitted my entry in the next week or so .. I've hosted the documents here:
Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 09:42 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
It's been a while since the last update, both the car and myself have been in hibernation for the time being .. But time to get cracking again, in preparation for upcoming Wakefield (15 Aug) and Winton visits. First up, some simple stuff, some insulation for the fuel pump to hopefully reduce the amount of vibration being passed to the cabin.
Next up, Sabelt 4-point harness, 3" wide, rotary buckle, should do the trick. 3 of the eye bolts were quite easy to install, but there were no available holes on the left side of the seat for an eye bolt. I ended up changing the orientation of the side bolt on the Bride seat rail to point inwards, running it through the harness clip and then again through the threaded hole on the rail. One more nut on the other side just to be sure, very snug. Pics of completed install coming soon:
Here comes the tough one, the sunroof had to come out, and I've been putting it off too long! After disconnecting the appropriate wiring, and a few bolts to remove the motor and controller, there are around 8-10 more bolts that hold the entire sunroof casette into the roof.
There are also a few drain plugs which need to be disconnected, some of these run to the front of the car, and some run to the back (where there are one-way vent boxes to get rid of the water)
And out it comes! 14kg (not including the motor/controller or roof lining). That's quite substantial, especially being at the top of the car. The entire assembly is one piece, even the sliding cover.
Now I can hang at least 2 passengers out the top on track day to take video footage for me .. Just kidding, some perspex / plexiglass will be cut to size to fill in the hole tomorrow .. I'm aiming for something like what Ben has done with his, but I don't think I can make it to such precision .. We'll find out soon!
Monday, July 13, 2009 - 05:25 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
First off, here's the pics of the harness install from yesterday, it's a surprisingly comfortable fit, it doesn't cut into you like the 2" harness does, but it is a bit more finicky with the rotary buckle vs the standard 'seat-belt-type' buckle on some harnesses.
Welcome to my office !
Also I forgot to mention, I reinstalled the front reinforcement bar, with extra padding on the inside, so hopefully the 'bumper flexing' issue that has plagued the car will go away ..
DIY Sunroof plug, part 2 ..
Onto the good stuff, big thanks to Ben Lipman who pretty much listed everything needed to undertake this project and what to do. I ended going down a slightly different path (a lot more shortcuts than his method). OK so first off, the bits required:
*1 x 900mm x 600mm x 3mm shatter-proof polycarbonate sheet, otherwise known as Handi Panel at Bunnings) - Weight = <1kg *1m of 1.4mm thick (40x40mm) angle aluminium *A bunch of M5 x 16mm bolts and nuts *A tube of black silicone for sealing *Some jigsaw blades suited for acrylic materials (normal blades will melt or crack the polycarb)
Total cost = Approx $80
Looks like there's plenty to go around, I lined up the front side, but it turns out that the corner curves of the sunroof hole aren't even front to back, and also there is a slight 'dome' shape to it. Hopefully we can bend the polycarb to suit.
Tape it down and trace around from the bottom .. Luckily there is a verticle lip around the front and sides of the sunroof hole, but not the rear side.
For comparison, the sheet is actually pretty thin
Cut to size (still with protective plastic on)
Boom! Fail! I rushed the cut on one of the corners and it cracked off a big chunk in the corner. Always let the saw do the work! Nevermind, that can be patched up later on ..
The aluminium bracket is now cut into 4 pieces, 2 on left/right side, and 2 on the front side.
Mark and measure 3mm from the top, so that the polycarb can sit flat (hopefully). Drill and bolt in the brackets, very sturdy.
A trial fit, looking better! Because the rear side of the sunroof hole doesn't have a lip to put an angle bracket onto, I left some overlap so that it sits on top of the roof .. Looks terrible, but at least that will stop it falling in .. I haven't used alum bands like Ben's design, although this is something I will be looking into soon
Now to give it a lick of paint ..
Woohoo! Seems to work ... apply generous amounts of silicon all round and underneath ..
Here's what it looks like from underneath
And some tape to keep it in place until the silicon sets .. That small tab you see at the front is a small piece of L bracket that has been installed above the roof, instead of underneath, and bolted into the chassis. This has the effect of holding down the roof from lifting up at the front, at least until the silicon sets.
Things to do for next installment:
* Drill some bolts from the top to hold it down * Test hub ring adapters, and if it works chuck on street rims / tyres
Thanks for reading!
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly); '84 MA61 Supra.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - 04:25 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Sunroof plug - part 2 .. Some tin snips and dremel action to cut off the protruding angle bracket, then some more dremel work to smooth it all out. The driver's side is done, enough to get going for now ..
I found some foam lying around the place, a satisfactory result for a problem that shouldn't exist, if I had planned it properly ..
Went for a drive and the sunroof appears to be holding in, the silicon absorbs some of the vibration from the car, but the polycarbonate does still flex a bit. I'll be putting a thin line of tape around the edges as a precaution against any leaks, and keeping an eye on it ..
In the meantime, time to get some new boots on for Sunday .. Here they are, thanks to Kam . some OEM 350Z wheels. They are 17" x 7.5" at the front, and 8.0" at the rear.
Don't forget the hub rings! Pretty tight fit .. 66.1mm OD (Nissan) to 60.1mm ID (Toyota)
They sit alot more flush than the stock wheels do, which is a bonus .. PS. I put the x8s at the front and the x7.5s at the rear .. haha
Good to go ! Just have to clean up all the metal filings from inside the car ..
I don't think it'd get a second look from anybody, bar the wing, so I'm tempted to remove it while driving to/from the track, for super stealth ..
Ben Lipman Goo Roo NSW Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Monday, July 20, 2009 - 11:40 am, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
19/Jul/09 VicDrift Practice
So anyway, I figured it's time to give this drift thing a try, so I slapped on some Eagle F1's (235/45/17) and some generously donated Contisport 225/45/17 on the rear (which sound fairly epic when they're skidding) and headed off to Winton. Fortunately, there was a beginner's section for clowns like me, so I could get some practice in without causing too much distraction to the other drivers. Once I gained enough confidence I moved to the main track where you were allowed to drift the 3 hairpins and the S-bend (plus the two corners following that).
Overall the day was fantastic, I had a fun time just trying new things and getting busy behind the wheel .. It's so different from the circuit / sprint driving that I have engraved into my thinking, so I had to fight my response to straighten the car out ASAP. The throttle/steering/driving line is quite different, so I felt like a fish out of water! Anyway, I felt I managed to get better towards the end of the day, but of course, there is still plenty of space for improvement .. I think this experience has definitely helped me to some degree with car control, which will be useful later on.
The crowd and the culture on the day was great, but a very different atmosphere to a sprint day. Everybody I met and talked to was quite friendly. There were a few accidents during the day, and the safety cars were going non stop, and there was alot more DIY in the pit area as I walked around. Lots of near misses too, but a testament to the skill of the drivers for avoiding them, and the gutsy driving and skills shown all round.
Here is my in-car video from half the day, then my batteries ran out .. Get ready to watch some fail, please be gentle
Ultimately, circuit work for me is more satisfying, and it can be measured and analysed .. but this is still buckets of fun, just due to how raw it is! I look forward to heading back again soon, but first, back to circuit for now
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 03:21 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Thanks guys ...
Dave: Yeah stock steering rack/lock/arms/etc .. I felt like there was insufficient grip at the back, it spun out too easy, my own fault for chucking the old 225s on there ... Maybe I just need practice
I'll be heading to Wakefield on 15th August for the OZM trackday, if any other forum members are interested in joining/watching
Monday, August 17, 2009 - 05:46 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Bernard, I got them from my tyre guy - Trackside Race and Rally in Kilsyth, cheap and perfect fit! They haven't let me down since then (and those rims have now seen track use), the measures I got were
Monday, August 17, 2009 - 05:49 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Aug-09 OZMazda Wakefield Park Track Day
Time for the yearly trip up to Wakefield, one of my favorite tracks. I'm a fan of the flowing nature of the course, the excellent variety and mixture of corners and elevations, I never have a boring moment at Wakefield (unlike Winton). The time to beat was 1:12:45, set last year at the Autosports track day. This time round I had some fresher tyres and the GT wing, plus the polycarbonate roof fill, will it be enough to crack this PB?
Being so far from home, I was very tentative about risking engine damage, so I wound the boost all the way down (ie. no bleed) and the boost level was limited to 11.7psi (which should have yielded around 200rwkw). Some quick checks and we were off, running 32psi cold in the tyres. It was a pretty cold day, and I wasn't planning on pushing too hard in the early sessions in order to get a better feel for the track. The car felt quite balanced (once the tyres warmed up, which took around a lap or so), and I was trying out different combinations of gears down the sweeper and through the fish hook.
Here is a video from an early session, apologies to car 31 for the late overtaking:
It turns out that in the next session I set my PB (2.85 seconds quicker than last visit), after lowering pressures a tad. The car still had a bit more understeer than I liked so I tried stiffering the rear shocks up a bit to see how that would affect it. The brake fluid was also fading rapidly, routinely requiring at least 2 pumps on each heavy brake to haul the car up (you can see the jerkiness in the videos). A quick bleed on the fronts at lunchtime fixed this issue to some degree.
Throughout the day I lowered tyre pressures to keep it around 32-35 warm, but unfortunately I couldn't beat the time set in the morning. The closest I could get was within .08 of a second, during an afternoon session. Without wanting to stress the car too much further, with Jas, Des, Ray and Q-ball's help for a super quick switch to street tyres, and then back on just in time to sneak into group E.
Result was a 1.13.6 on so-so street tyres - Front Continental Contisport (225/45/17) Rear Goodyear Eagle F1 (235/40/17). It was very slippery (especially coming from semis directly before), and I was trying very hard to keep it as straight as possible, but I'm confident in the semis are worth around 4 seconds more a lap, which is surprising, as I thought it would be more. I'm also confident that some good street tyres would shorten this gap substantially, maybe even by half.
BIG thanks to all of EXE crew for their help and support, and the good times on this trip, Darrin, Mic, Dan and the OZMazda team for running a superb and seamless day (and allowing me to sneak into Group E at the end of the day), local forum members Q-Ball, Yods and JNXR for their help and fellow competitors for the exciting times .. Also special mention to Jimjim for helping with silencer construction, and last minute track prep the day before the trip (even in the rain!)
Also some pics, courtesy of Kam80 and others:
And some random stats:
Max speed on straight - 178km/h Fuel consumption on freeway 110km/h - ~10L/100km Fuel consumption on freeway drafting 1s behind a truck - ~8L/100km Fuel consumption on track (including in/out laps) - ~47L/100km
Monday, August 17, 2009 - 06:42 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Good luck with it James! Unfortunately my friend Ying who drove the Starlet GT at this track day blew a head gasket in the 3rd session ... but setting a very respectable 1:17 before doing so
Monday, August 24, 2009 - 06:42 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Reference map:
Racechrono output (Pink line is with semis, aqua line is with streets):
Observations about my driving -
* Acceleration seems as expected, but top end loses out to Evo. * Braking seems normal, braking points are moderate. * Happy with turn 2 exit, using as much of track as possible, this translates to higher exit speed. * Average speed through turns 5-6 is higher on average, I had been working on refining the racing line through there throughout the day. * 'Wide' line through turn 7 (fish hook) had paid off, higher minimum speed through turn. * Turn 3-4 needs more work, I feel the car is a bit imbalanced on the quick change of direction required, maybe too much mass to quickly shift direction? * Turn 10 definitely needs plenty of work, cornering speed is nearly as bad on either type of tyre.
Any feedback welcomed!
Ben Lipman Goo Roo NSW Soarer TT manual, plus TT track car
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 01:07 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
Shaun,
I am curious about your top speed. Mine is 181kph repeated across the whole day. Not a huge difference, but with 200rwkw I would have thought you'd be a lot faster down the straight. I am running a completey stock motor (stock boost, stock dumps, cheap FMIC) so I probably have around 150rwkw.
I have found the fastest way for me to get around the final turn is to drive past the natural apex and turn down hard so I can get on the power earlier and straighter. This gained me 10-12 kph terminal speed, but even now I am still not comfortable with turn 10. Might help your lap time a little? (not that you need it)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 01:20 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
Hey Ben, thanks for the info mate ..
If you look at the graph / in-car video, my final corner is pretty poor, and it definitely needs work, this might be costing me top speed on the straight, I had alot of difficulty putting the power down early on turn 10 ..
Your setup sounds similar to mine (stock motor / dumps / no additional boost) and being that we've never compared our cars on the same dyno, it would be very hard to compare ... There's a high chance that I'm putting out less than 200rwkw, or you're putting out more than 150rwkw, or maybe, dynos just differ? Until we line up on the same dyno back to back or on the 1/4 mile, we'll never know ..
Also I regretfully no longer have the undertrays, which I believe is causing bad aero .. Comparing graphs at Sandown with Kenny, I have better exit speed, more power at the wheels, but yet have substantially lower terminal speed
I'd be very interested to see the telemetry from other Soarers at Wakefield!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 07:47 pm, by: Ben Lipman(Ben12a)
I don't have a compatible phone in order to use racechrono, so no telemetry. I only have the RSM to work off. I will one day rectify this and buy a suitable phone...
Easy to see where the speed comes from on semis- 10-20kph faster through several corners. I find it interesting that you are as good or better than the evo through corners...is he running semis?
I'm at Wakey on the 5th Sept. Last time out I debuted the rear wing and the car felt more stable through the kink and turn 7 but a little understeery. This time I am debuting the front splitter and home made/home mended exhaust and dumps.
It may be my last time at Wakey so I hope it doesn't rain.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 - 11:57 pm, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
12-Dec EXE/Driver Dynamics Skidpan Training Day
For a hack like me, as much wheel time as possible is a good thing, and skidpan training is always good for some random hoonish behaviour. Anyway, here's me driving my car, note the rough on/off throttle usage as honed by years of Playstation:
I think I improved my throttle control slightly, and managed to use some more lock than initially, definitely a good learning experience and buckets of fun! Thank you to Driver Dynamics for hosting a great event.}
Thursday, December 17, 2009 - 12:07 am, by: Shaun Chiew(Senk9)
13-Dec AROCA Phillip Island Sprints
Up nice and early at 4AM for departure to one of my favorite circuits, exciting as I hadn't driven the Soarer on a track for more than 4 months before this weekend (this is one of the drawbacks of a dedicated track car, familiarity with the controls are generally limited to the time spent on the track). The weather soon degraded into showers and things were looking glum. Just as well the first session was an untimed practice session, I had never driven on a wet track on semis before and was very tentative. The forecast indicated it would clear up later in the day, so hopes were high. With the pitter patter of raindrops on the flimsy plastic roof echoing throughout the metallic interior, I headed out .. My previous best at this track from 2008 was a 1:56.9 and all I wanted to do was beat it (by an inch or a mile, PBs are PBs)
*Session 1 - Untimed wet session* With visions of many high-speed spin outs and crashes in the wet watched on Youtube etched onto my mind, I tenderly tip-toed around the track, checking the traction control to make sure it was on, quite a few times. Needless to say I was fairly apprehensive, despite the very smooth and wide surfaces. The good news was that it was starting to come back to me. The car felt like it had lots of grip, but I wanted to come back in one piece .. Max speed an embarassing 140km/h.
*Session 2 - The sun is out* It's quite impressive how quickly racetracks dry up, and this was no exception - before long, the racing line was dry, the sun had come out, and everybody was hustling onto the tarmac to set some proper times. I gradually improved pace and tried a few different approaches through the Southern Loop (and learning nothing in the process), while following a magnificent new white 911 Carrera S around the circuit (who later set a blistering 1:55 on street tyres it looks like). This turned out to be invaluable, as I learnt from a few things from his lines and set a new PB of 1:54.5, and once again the next lap to a 1.54.0. The session was still going, but I pulled in at that point, satisfied with the results and also not wanting to overheat the car.
2:23.1298 2:01.9502 <== Track dries up 1:59.7378 1:54.5142 *1:54.0200* <== Video above
*Session 3 - Go go go!*
At this point it was already mission accomplished for me, so I was contemplating preserving the car and packing up. But that would not be value at all, so I set out again, this time letting the car and tyres warm up to it's full extent. Everybody else was alot quicker than I remembered and I let through a bunch of people and left some gap just in case. Halfway through the session I noticed a very loud vibrating noise coming from somewhere above 170-180km/h so I backed off in case it was serious. I thought I had damaged something, but the noise went away away, and next lap it didn't exhibit itself anymore. On the 5th lap out I noticed Darrin had pulled back out, and I followed him till the Hayshed, where he launched the "lockup smoke" attack (see video below) and I passed in the process and also lost 20 years off my life. I pushed harder out of hairpin Turn 10 for the remaining corners to a new PB of 1.53.69, pulling in for some cooldown after that.
2:17.5166 2:06.5938 2:01.3643 2:01.4461 <== Reverse traffic up to here *1:53.6900* <=== Video above
*Session 4 - ZZZ*
Exhausted and considering finding a nice spot to fall into a coma, I decided that some prep and thinking was required for a final assault in the last session. This also involved pulling out the passenger seat for that tried and true placebo effect. This would be the best chance that I had to set a good time. The vibrating noise turned out to be caused by the tape around the Bunnings-spec polycarbonate roof coming slightly loose, and air escaping into the gaps, and separating part of the corner of the roof from the brackets. However, the safety catch kept it in place, so that was quite fortunate that nobody was injured by a piece of cheap sunroof-shaped plastic flying through the air like a frisbee. Very generous application of race tape courtesy of JP meant that the circus could go on at least till the end of the day.
*Session 5 - Do or Die*
Maybe the extended wait I was a bit too keen to get out there again, because some heavy-footed throttle exiting the pits onto the main straight led to a 'very' mild outbreak of wheelspin and the Soarer giving a bit of a wiggle on the way out. But in fact, as I found out later, this was enough to enrage the pit boss and she ordered the black flag out. The next time around, while following Dave in the pristine black FD3S, the black flag waved .. I was puzzled as this is quite a rare occurrence, but of course I abided with the rules and pulled into the pits to serve the penalty.
She explained the situation and allowed me back onto the track, PHEW! Now .. there was an actual race going on, there was a race against time, I knew that I had one or maybe two laps left, and this lap was lost .. it was not looking good. Next time round, I got a good exit, and the lap was going well. There was a Alfa GTV6 being rapidly caught up to, but at this rate I would be able to overtake him out of Siberia without losing too much time. Racechrono was all green, indicating happy times ahead, I just had to keep my cool for this lap. Keep it clean, keep it neat, no stunts. Then, disaster struck! The Alfa spun out at Honda Corner, I had to hit the brakes and tiptoe around him. It was a throwaway lap ... Boo!
Quite unlucky, and I figured that was the end of it, so I let the car cool off for the remainder of the lap, but I still tried to get a good exit out of the last corner ... you know, just in case. The tyres were warm and the car felt like it had plenty more grip to give, the wing kept it alot more planted than last year. That 4-5 seconds heading towards the start/finish line felt like an eternity, I was expecting the chequered flag to pop out at the last second as a cruel joke, but nothing. I couldn't believe my luck, here was one more lap just when I needed it, not a car in sight, coming over the crest on the main straight with the ocean in view, and then I remembered why this circuit was just THAT good.
I was nodding to myself, mentally psyching up for the upcoming corner and trying to dig deep for the heroic driving that this would require. So far so good up to turn 4, I was 0.3s ahead of PB, and of course, MISTAKE! I went in a bit too hot, the front end protesting and running wide. My lead up to this point was lost, with the split time showing I was on par with my previous time. If there was any place that I could improve, it would have to be at the Hayshed, on the uphill sweeping corner over the crest. This was the scariest corner for me, but it had to be done.
At that point, I remembered what some had said about this corner, instead of braking hard like I usually did, just a slight dab instead and come in wide to power up the hill. This was definitely quicker than I previously went up the crest, probably quicker than I should have gone and instead of getting airborne and killing all occupants in a dramatic explosion destined for Youtube, the car instead began to run wide gradually and controllably. A quick thanks to gravity, and with no time to think, I jammed on the brakes for the hairpin and booted it out of Lukey Heights. At the end of this lap, they were indeed waving the chequered flag and I couldn't bear to look at the timer. Overall a pretty messy lap, but somehow (mostly due to blind luck), the numbers stayed green, Racechrono recording a 1.53.5 and Natsoft showing a 1.53.46 later on (Vmax of 221km/h). This was a 3.4 second improvement from my last visit, and 5th outright out of 111 cars. Success!
I was tired and smelled funny, and the car was making funny noises which require attention .. but it was worth every last bit.
The graph shows: * Transition at Turn 1 could be smoother * Too slow into Southern Loop, treat it as a big bend instead of a two tighter corners * Use the whole track at turn 3, so you can stay on the gas * Traction out of Honda corner could be better, use more track * More bravery required on uphill crest, but good late braking on downhill
Heart Rate
Out of curiosity, I monitored my heart rate during the day and during racing, and here are the results:
Driving to the track in the morning - 74bpm Unpacking / preparing car in pits - 90bpm Scrutineering - 84bpm Driver's briefing - 74bpm Waiting in dummy grid to go out onto wet track - 124bpm Driving on wet track at slow pace - 95bpm Resting in pits after 1st session - 72bpm Session 2 (Dry) - 160bpm Session 3 (Dry) - 142bpm Waiting in dummy grip to go out for final session - 92bpm Going all out in final session - 155bpm (Heart rate when running = Around 170-180bpm)
Thanks to the photographers!
Andrew McKellar TryHard NSW Soarer Sports Sedan (well, nearly); '84 MA61 Supra.