M//DREI

Hope everyone had a good three day weekend! I spent mine at thunderhill doing a PCA trackday. Here is a video of mine best lap at 2:09.84. I took all of Sat to slowly learn to heel-toe and become a little smoother, and the result is almost 2 seconds off of my previous fastest lap! But unfortunately, I did pay for it on the lap after this!

I think on street tires, this is pretty close to the limit on the 3.6 Carrera, what do you guys think?

911Steve

Awesome great video thanks for posting.

Hella-Buggin'

Sorry I missed it. Family obligations. Looks like you had fun. Heard it was hot as hades up there.

M//DREI

Sat was a little warm! Lol, so much so that GGR was ok with drivers wearing shorts and t-shirt. I had the AC on the whole time, which probably took away a couple of 10th. Sun the weather was perfect, well, as perfect as Willows get. Are you going to be there for Laguna this year?

Tcc1999

That's a nice lap. The only "advice" (and it's not my advice but what has been told to me) is that you can take Turn 8 faster than you think. It looked like you lifted slightly and let your speed drop a bit which cost you there and slowed you going up the hill into Turn 9. Having said that, I've never had the courage to attack Turn 8 even though there is a run out. I have waved faster drivers by between 5A, 6 and 7 and watched them pull away from me on 8 as I lifted and they seemed not to. I think you really have to have a lot of confidence (as well as insurance) to take 8 at over 100 mph.

(And it sure would be nice if they put a run out on the right after Turn 9 just in case you miss the exit point. You come over the rise, your suspension is unloaded and if you're off line, well, good luck to ya'. Every time I've come over that rise I have the nagging memory of the Vette going too far to the right, catching the grass and flipping about 12 times.)

M//DREI

Regarding turn 8, that is what I was noticing as well. I lift off slightly before turn 8, and what ends up happening is I try to make up for it but braking late into 9, and it slows down the whole back section of the track.

For the very next lap, I decided to not lift off at turn 8, and here is what happend...

M//DREI

I believe with grippy R Compound tires you might be able to flat out turn 8, but on street tire, in my case MPSS, it is not, well, advisable lol

PelicanParts.com

Thunderhill is a technical track and very challenging. You did well - each time you participate in a track day you should get better and better.

Regarding turn 8, sometimes playing with tire pressures can assist with a little extra rear grip or even take some bite out of the front. Did you get a chance to adjust pressures to feel a handling difference, especially at turn-in?

Mark/Pelican Parts

M//DREI

Thanks Mark!
I did play around with the tire pressure. For the most of the weekend, I was around 36f/38r hot psi, sunday afternoon I lowered it to 34f/36r and noticed a little bit more grip. But with the MPSS, the back end was lose through most of the corners. I just picked up a set of track wheels with Hankook R-S3, if weather permitting, hopefully I get to test it out at Laguna during the thanksgiving weekend.

PelicanParts.com

Crossing fingers for a dry Thanksgiving weekend track day at Laguna!

Tcc1999

Wow, that video looks like you came really close to saving it - that would have been epic and maybe better than turning in a 2 minute flat lap! It looks like you countered just a bit too much and when the rear caught it wasn't possible correct. I guess that's why the pros are so good (and they aren't driving their own cars so that's part of it) - they turn in so many laps that they know exactly what the car is going to do before it does it. I never really thought about the tires. I ran Bridgestone REO5A's and Pirelli P0's at Thunderhill and while the later performed a bit better they weren't great. IIRC, when the tires were heated up I ran with rear tire pressure ~34 and front at 32. At any rate, I think you'd be one of those cars that disappear in front of me!!!

Perhaps one day we'll meet up at TH or L/S (it won't be too hard to spot my car).

Best!

M//DREI

For a slip of a second, I thought I had it, but only for a slip second. The car was sliding so hard that it broke the bead on the right driver side tire. Hindsight, I should have done the smart thing and took my hands off of the steering wheel and ease it to the flat run off area on the left, instead of a ditch and hill on the right. Now I have about $800 worth of radiators to repair
Let me know if you make it to any of the GGR trackdays! Its always cool to meet rennlist people in person lol. If I spot your car, I will come over and introduce myself

Hatzenbach

Hi, I think we were both in "Green" and I have some video where you and I keep passing each other on Sat (I am car #179). If you're interested I can put the footage on YouTube. What tires are you running? I have Michelin Super Sports and on Sat afternoon (when the track got super-greasy) I was only sliding and my lap times dropped off (meaning got worse) by over 3 sec

About your spin: I have it programmed in my head to NOT to do any "heroic" saves but to keep the car straight in case I go off-tracck. At the end of session 5 on Sat I almost lost it in turn 15 but following this strategy I only had two wheels off and could safely enter the track about 100 feet later.

Hatzenbach

By the way: A time of 2:09 is *VERY* respectable

M//DREI

Thank you very much I would love to see the videos! I dont remember which car you are exactly, but I am sure when I see the video I will remember
I did notice the track being very slippery on Sat afternoon, I am on Super Sports as well. The MPSS tends to slid but they are very consistent and predictable. I recently picked up a set of 18' track wheels with Hankook RS3, hopefully they make the corners less dramatic.
As far as trying to save the car in the future, consider it a lesson learned, because the result would have been more catastrophic in Laguna or Sears Point. Are you planning on heading to Laguna in Nov?