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Watkins Glen with NARRA - Time Trials - Oct 2012

I had a great weekend with new best of 2:06.1. I was behind a viper and I think I could have gotten a 2:05 but that will have to wait until next year. I won my class (TT3) both days!

Check out the official race weekend wrap up video. Fast forward to 13:40 for my footage from Saturday’s event & 21:42 for Sunday’s results. There is also a quick shot of me from the Sunday podium at 1:15:

Here is the vid of my fastest lap with a spin at the end. I was hoping to get past that viper and he nicely pulled over but didn't brake hard enough and he was going to be in the apex when I wanted to be there! oopsie!

Lots of banging on the rev limiter. Over winter I will put in MN6 so that shouldn't be an issue next year. Still more on the table as you can see in the video because I wasn't WOT going in the uphill esses.

Upon further review of the data, I was held up by the viper on the last turn of my fast lap. The lap before I was .3 faster in that last section. See "T12" column below (11.91 in the prior lap versus 12.25 in my fastest lap):

This was my 3rd time at the Glen. I was there 2 weeks ago with NASA and had a Hoosier blow out and disintegrate. So I was a little nervous going back. Hoosier said to start at 30 psi cold so I did that and finished with 38 hot all around. Tire wear was better than normal (due to higher pressures I guess) but I felt the car moving more compared to when I finish the sessions at 33 which was my hot target before the tire explosion.

I still have instability under hard braking and long pedal throws so I brake early. These were new front pads with fresh fluid. Not sure if the instability is from soft stock springs with the stock rear sway bar (huge brake dive) or rear pads too aggressive (raybestos 47 front and 45 rear; but might be 43 rear but I forgot and have to check receipt).

Here is my spin from the viper's point of view:

Here is a lap from the Viper following me:

Here are some notes from my friend Greg; will apply them next time around:

"Nice laps. Everything looked good. You can carry at least 10mph more through 10 and maybe about 5mph more into 2 and almost hold your foot to the floor up through the esses. That ought to be good for at least another second or two.
Before you get to 10 shift to 4th and then just floor it at the apex. With all the paved runoff you will be fine. Then downshift to 3rd going into 11.

Nice spin at the end! Should have just gone over the rumble strips instead of trying to cut in...might not have spun."

More notes from another friend, Bill:

"2:06 is a great time. Not sure I can really critique all that much other than a couple of observations. When going into T1 get the inside wheels up on the rumble strip at the apex so you can improve your exit speed. Peter Argetsinger says the apex is up close to the cone almost to the upper level of the rumble strip. Your line through the bus stop is good. Coming out of the bus stop you should bring the car into the yellow line on the inside faster. The track is banked more on the inside lane and you are giving up time if you don't get down to the yellow line by the time you get to the break in the guard rail on the right side (emergency vehicle access point before the flag stand). I don't know how much you could pick up by using the rumble strips in the esses like the Cup and IRL drivers did but it might be worth exploring them a little at a slower speed and seeing how the car likes them. The Cup cars use the whole rumble strip on the left as you go through 3 with tires all the way out to the outer edge. You can still see their tire marks on the red and white paint in your video. Basically, if you look at the tire marks on the red/white paint in T1, 2, 3, Bus Stop and beginning of Carousel turn as you exit the Bus Stop and then at T10 and T11 you will see where the big boys played. Although the main apex of the Carousel turn for the Cup cars is all the way around on the NASCAR straight the drivers basically double apex the turn by bringing the cars in early, let them drift out a little as they approach the flagger and bring them back in as they approach their very late apex. We can just bring the cars into the yellow line or even onto the paint and hold them there until just past the flagger where we can just let the car track out into the downhill going into 6.

Not sure how much you could pick up running a little more aggressively on those turns but you might be able to get a 2:05. 10 years ago the T1 racers were turning 2:06s in fully prepped race cars with cages. I don't think their tires were quite as good then so the same car with A6s on it might actually be a couple of seconds faster now.

If the guy in the Viper was trying to let you pass he wasn't doing you any favors. Hard to make T1 if you are passing on the outside. You were lucky to avoid the guard rail. He should have given you room to pass on the inside. "