Nine Turns of Willow Springs

[Jack Olsen]

I've got some new movie editing software, which makes it easier to put text on a clip. So here's a lap at Willow Springs, complete with mistakes and ready for your suggestions. It's 10 megs, and in Quicktime, so if you don't have a high-speed link, it might mean a lot of waiting.

Click here for the lap.

[Reg]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh guess I will just have to get quicktime now!

[tight as a bull's ass]

I need quicktime too, Windows Media Player cant decompress file....hhmmmm....

[pbs911]

Very, very cool Jack.
You have too much fun!

Can you get a speed reading on the screen too?

[Reg]

Thanks Jack!

Worth the install of that program. Your car looks like alot of fun to drive.

..I am sure you all saw that guy in Stockholm filming his 911 right?

[Randy W]

Looking good, Jack! I do not think I can comment on anything - your steering inputs and line look fine. Great job on your video - keep having fun!

Randy Wells

[rscupper]

Darn it , Jack! I can't see it!

Lap times?

[rattlsnak]

jack, just two things,.... Try not to "walk " your habds around the steering wheel. Big no-no. This is usually my students hardest habit to break. Leave them at 10 and 2. The main reason for this , is if your hands walked around ( around the steering wheel, not the car center), and all of a sudden you start sliding off track or spinning, there is no way to tell which way is straight in a short amount of time. And old racers trick was to put a paint stripe or tape on the top center of the wheel. Try keeping your hands still, you will be amazed. And about that heel toe thing,...... needs work,..

[rscupper]

Yoo hoo! I got it!

What fun. I can't wait 'til Sunday! Thanks Jack!

[Jack Olsen]

Here it is as an AVI file.

The quality isn't nearly as good, but it's there.

[emcon5]

Nice,

So what does 5600 in 5th gear add up to in your car?

Tom

[orbmedia]

Nice video! Here are some comments (you asked).

I agree with the comments about the hand position. Work on that. Also release the death grip. You're picking up some bad hand position habits and you need to correct this now.

It seems you are doing two things that are limiting your exit speed. You could be carrying alot more speed thru those turns by:

1. Getting on the gas at the apex, not after it. You need to be at full throttle at the apex. You are exiting after that point.

2. Let the car track out, you are scrubbing speed in the exit and there is no need. Use more track.

[Jack Olsen]

Coming into turn one, I'm in the 5600-5700 range, which is only about 125 mph. I may get more speed there, but coming into a 90-degree left, you don't pay too much attention to the tachometer. On the back straight, a better driver would be coming into turn 8 even faster than that, but I let up (in spite of the optimistic subtitle on the clip as I go into 8) to about 5000 rpm, which is just under 110 mph, on my car.

My lap time on that lap was 1:41:08. Better drivers in weaker cars will do 1:35s on the same track.

Rattlsnak, I went through the lap, and thought my hand position wasn't too bad. But by turn 9, I commit the unpardonable sin of putting both hands right next to each other, like I'm steering a boat or something. Not good. And of the three downshifts, the heel-and-toeing on the second was lousy on that lap.

I'll keep working at it.

[carrera]

practise makes perfect
the faster a car is , the harder it is to drive
have patience and things will only get better
you are having fun right? well that is most important

in my dreams i am lapping at willow
in reality i am scraping ice off of my windshield

[carrera]

oh yes
Jack;
about the wing, does it help?

[Joe Bob]

Couple of things I do different.....

Right after the Bud Balcony....I do a minor lift to scoot the ass around before going down hill.

My shift into fourth is right after I get light.... over that god awful hump.

Then I keep it in fourth for the sweeper, just before the final turn sweep wide, keep it straight, tap the brakes dive for the inside pf turn nine with full power and grab fifth when straight....if done right, I end up 18 inches from the marbles on the left.

Passing start finish, I am doing 130.....which is about all I have....

Good job otherwise....

[Efrain68912]

I love Willow Springs...I get to race there 3 times next year with VARA. Turn 9 is about the scariest turn I think of...but when you get it right, it is so sweet. I drive an Austin Healey Sprite, and so does my dad (his has a 1380 and turns 1:41s). Not much fun to hang around during the day, though. But we do have a two hour night enduro - where you can't tell if its a Mini Cooper, Porsche 911, or Chevy Camaro in your mirror.

Efrain
68 912 Coupe

[MMARSH]

Jack

Looks good, for some reason I'm not getting any audio but I have a couple suggestions from what I saw.

At the exit of turn one, let the car track out, as your making the turn(while driving) it looks and feels like your running out of track but your not. Also you can get on the gas much sooner then you think exiting turn one because your actually going uphill slightly and your speed drops more then you realize.

A tap of the brakes is all you need before diving into turn two
I like a low line through turn two, some people double apex it.

I agree with MikeZ about the bud balcony and turn six. Also Im alittle more to the right going into turn six and the car does a very natural drift to the left as you exit.

turns 7 and 8 flat out foot to the floor. stay inside for eight. 130mph+

going into turn nine it looks like you need to stay more to the left before you dive in for you apex.

Your doing good, your making steady improvements each time you go to the track. Your having fun and most importantly, you and your car are returning home in one piece.

BTW, I wouldnt necessarily car my car a weaker car. Now I'm going for 133's


Michael Marshall

[Randy W]

Just an observation - I think shuffle steering is fine. We do it all the time in autocross. I use a combination of both depending on the circumstance. I think it depends on the driver and what he/she is comfortable with. If you know your car, you won't get confused. You're doing great Jack, especially since you already have a plan on what to improve next time out - everyone I know, no matter their level of driving, does exactly the same thing.

Randy Wells

[Jack Olsen]

Mike, there's no imaginable way I'd consider your car weak. I may have a slight edge in hp (and then again, I may not), but the list of stuff that puts your car ahead of mine is long: weight, suspension, grip, just for starters. If I built a track car, I don't think there's anything I'd do differently than what you've done.

But there are guys with stock SCs who leave me behind at Willow. If I can keep up my couple-of-seconds-per-visit learning curve, I may eventually get into their neighborhood. Years from now, my skills might catch up with my 911.