Quote:
Originally Posted by winders
Look at this video:
Marc Miller is a pro driver and is certainly doing things better than I am. But, you see where we are using the throttle quite similarly. Our lines are almost identical as well. We take an earlier apex line with a lot of trail braking. When you get into the corners at near the limit of adhesion for the tires, there is a time when you can't get on the throttle any harder...you just have to wait. Once you can get the wheel unwinding you can get on the throttle really quickly. This is why we get on the throttle after the apex.
Also, the last corner coming onto the front straight is really two corners with a really short straight in between. The fastest way around that complex is the way I do it on the second lap which is my fastest lap of the race. Keep in mind the car is full of fuel and the tires are not quite up to temps yet. I can't quite go flat though the last corner so I back off the throttle just enough so the car won't go flying off the track at exit. I aim going through the corner and exiting as fast as I can.
I can certainly do things better....but slowing down more so I can get on the throttle harder at the apex is not the way. With the early apex line I take I am braking to the apex and spending a moment or so waiting to get back on the gas as we are at the limit through the corner. It's faster. I like racing against guys that use later apex lines.
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First, my comments were not meant as criticism. You get around Thunderhill very well. My intent was a few things that might make you faster. Every fast driver that I have ever known is always looking for any fraction that might make him faster yet. even if only a couple of tenths.
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- your throttle application does differ from Marc's, his throttle application is more gradual - he feeds the throttle on, where you transition from part to full throttle very quickly. That also tells me that you are not at the limit of adhesion - if you were the understeer would be more pronounced.
- Marc's lines and yours are slightly different - on several corners you apex about 6 - 8 ft earlier than he does. Marc's line allows him to straighten the wheel just a fraction of a second earlier. That is why Marc can get to full throttle very close to the apex. Additionally, there are two places where Marc uses more of the track width on the exit than you do.
- there are corners where sacrificing mid-corner speed in order to facilitate a better corner exit may feel slow, but shows a gain on the stopwatch as well as a mph gain at the end.
A line that requires a mild lift before the final apex can not be productive.
_ I always liked catching guys who early apex the corner coming onto the longest straight . . . it made it much easier to just drive by them at the end.
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