Willow Springs teaching lap -- Give me some input

[Jack Olsen]

Here's my thinking. You show up at my favorite track, Willow Springs, and the first thing you do is to hear a guy like me talking about the line you should drive, and it's all pretty abstract, since chances are you haven't driven the track before. It'd be helpful, I think, to be able to come back and see a laptop running a loop of an in-car video throughout the day to give you a quick re-orientation as you start to make the leap from loosely conseptualizing going around the track to actually having it burned into your memory.

In-car video isn't perfect. It's not really the same perspective as a specific student would have in a specific car (with an instructor in the passenger seat). But it might make a good supplemental piece to it.

I don't have a race-cam, but I used my video editing software to add gear-change indications and throttle and brake inputs to the footage. I'll refine it from here (the editing software makes a pretty imprecise tool), but I'd be interested in any feedback on how to make it more useful.

Willow Springs Clip (Quicktime, 10 megs)

[widebody911]

I like it. What would ultra-super-cool is if you could do a 'picture-in-picture' with a track-map and the car's position superimposed on 'the line' - like the line thing you were working on a few weeks ago.

[einreb]

I found chris streit's video of blackhawk raceway to be a very nice intro prior to my first DE.

I would imagine that someone could even package this sort of thing up and sell it... we spend big bucks on our cars and track time and taking off work. Why not an extra $20 for some race prep.

Oh, and lots of folks don't use quicktime... maybe add an alternate format.

[Grady Clay]

Jack,

With all the current technology, there must be some good teaching videos. There must also be a lot of footage at every track in the country. Can you find sources in POC, PCA, Cal Club Region, SCCA, and more that have material? I would think most are public domain or available free with credit.

Best,
Grady

[911]

Looks great, Jack.

[jluetjen]

There are some VHS Videos out that show repeated incar laps from different tracks. I have one (~10 years old now) of the northeast tracks. All of the cars are Porsches so I think that it was aimed at the PCA driver.

[stealthn]

Very cool angle Jack. As WB911 said I would also have a map, maybe not in the video but discussing it as the video is played. I would recommend discussing the line, braking points, and gas during the video rather than having the engine noise (but have it in the background for sure)

Nice work.

[VincentVega]

This might be helpful.... http://www.apexvisualizations.com/gallery.html

[edward993]

Very cool, indeed! I found my self looking at it over and over, section at a time, and seeing how I can improve, myself!
Since you're asking for suggestions, I think seeing what you're doing at the wheel might be nice. That pic-in-pic idea might work out in this respect, but you'd have to have another cam in the car aimed at your wheel. I think I'd find that useful, anyway. Still, an excellent tool for learning, IMHO.

Edward

[nostatic]

I'd actually like narration on why you're doing what you're doing. An interactive track map would be nice too

And while you're at it, maybe another lap taking a "lower hp" line.

We could actually do a pretty cool website/video thing for willow....

[mjshira]

hey Jack nice work, that was exactly what I was looking for! ;-)

that was so damn cool! boy those wide tires should do make a difference dont they. WOW!

[Porschekid962]

Very nice work Jack. Efforts like this is what makes club racing so much fun, everyone helping each other out.

Thank you

[smestas]

Thanks Jack!

I just took my first intro class at the last AROSC a few weeks back and only managed around 10 laps. As a track newbie the video really helps to visualize the correct line at speed. Would drivers in stock SC's have the same shift points or be in the same gears as you in the video? I know you have a much bigger motor and different gearing but are others with stock 915's shifting the same? Just curious.

[Jack Olsen]

Originally posted by widebody911
I like it. What would ultra-super-cool is if you could do a 'picture-in-picture' with a track-map and the car's position superimposed on 'the line' - like the line thing you were working on a few weeks ago.

The poor man's version of this would be to label the turn numbers in the lower right. But I think I remember doing something like this a long time ago where I added a track graphic with a red dot moving along it in the lower corner.

Originally posted by Grady Clay
There must also be a lot of footage at every track in the country.

You're right. The PCA should offer something like this for all the utilized tracks, region by region. Right now, though, I'm only interested in this track, because it's the one I most often teach at.

Originally posted by Edward993
Since you're asking for suggestions, I think seeing what you're doing at the wheel might be nice. That pic-in-pic idea might work out in this respect, but you'd have to have another cam in the car aimed at your wheel. I think I'd find that useful, anyway.

That's a good idea. I could mount the camera in the car for a session, pointed at the steering wheel and pedals. I'll look into this.

Originally posted by smestas
As a track newbie the video really helps to visualize the correct line at speed. Would drivers in stock SC's have the same shift points or be in the same gears as you in the video? I know you have a much bigger motor and different gearing but are others with stock 915's shifting the same?

There aren't a lot of shifting points at Willow. So even though my car has lower gearing than some, not a whole lot changes. Pretty much everyone downshifts a gear for turn 1, and then another for turn 3. Short shifting up the hill into turn 6 is common, too (although not universal), as is downshifting at the entrance to 9.

The difference for my car is that I'm probably getting 5th gear (on the front straight, and going into turn 8) earlier than some other cars. But on the track, it'll be pretty apparent where the appropriate place is to go to 5th (if at all).

[nostatic]

I never get into 5th in my SC. Going into one I'm near redline in 4th, and downshift to 3rd in the turn. Then I downshift into 2nd in turn 3, back to 3rd coming out of 4 (heading down the hill), then into 4th coming out of 6th. I tend to be high in the revs the whole time though. Plus I'm not as fast as Jack...

[Porschekid962]

Hey Jack about the camera setup. I saw a very interesting setup in a Porsche at fontana when the PCA ran there. The car had the typical rollcage mount but the driver had put a small mirror in front of the camera and below it. He had straight on view, view if what was behind him and view of the steering wheel. Very interesting, I would think the hardest part would be fabbing brackets to hold the mirrors steady enough to get a clear shot.

Also you run a lipstick camera for the exterior view correct? Is there a way to allow the camera to record the feed from the camera lens and the lipstick at the same time? Just thought you could use the camera in the car to record you and the lipstick on the outside as you are now. Just an idea.

[Tyson Schmidt]

Originally posted by nostatic
I never get into 5th in my SC. Going into one I'm near redline in 4th, and downshift to 3rd in the turn. Then I downshift into 2nd in turn 3, back to 3rd coming out of 4 (heading down the hill), then into 4th coming out of 6th. I tend to be high in the revs the whole time though. Plus I'm not as fast as Jack...

That's what I do in my C2. The gearing in that car is much taller than Jack's. Istead of 3,4 and 5, it's 2,3 and 4.


Jack, you still seem to be late-apexing turn 1. I think there's half a second right there. You don't track-out to the exit of 1. You dive in really deep into 1 and square it off too much. Try turning in earlier and getting on the gas sooner while trying to run right over the last apex reflector.

[Emission]

I can't download or view the video.

[84porsche]

Originally posted by Emission
I can't download or view the video.

Neither can I but when it comes available I would like to see the layout of the track. I have been doing serious thinking since you posted the other info about OTR in the other thread. I think I would like to try the track out in January if I can get away from work for a few days.

[nostatic]

looks like my server died. I'll get it back up. Good excuse to drive into work late Friday night

You can see maps of the track at:

http://www.willowspringsraceway.com

Jack has a handout that shows the driving line(s) around the track. Very helpful. I think it was a thread on the racing board too...