I will be back out starting in October, maybe late September, depending on work and such.
Laguna Seca is one of my favorites, and I have to believe you would love it as well.
Spring Mountain Pahrump is a fun, twisty track, but you don't get to go very fast on it if they run both of the interior "butterfly" loops. A technical challenge, and definitely one to run for the experience. Not unlike SOW, just twice as long! I will try to make that one and see you out there!

 

Unfortunately, I won't be at a track again until sometime in August. I also wouldn't be much help at Cal Speedway because I haven't run it before.

Regarding the line up over the top at WSIR.

1. Late apex turn 3
2. Accelerate up the hill and just clip the FIA curbing on the right as you climb the hill.
3. Aim for the right side of the Budwieser Balcony building but don't stare at it.
4. Start looking to your right and as soon as the green worker station clears the wall in your vision start your turn in.
5. Apex turn 4a in front of the worker station looking for a chunk of pavement knocked out of the right edge. That's you're apex point.
6. Let the car track out to the edge and stay out a bit longer on turn 4b then you think.
7. Turn down towards turn 5 so that you're basically parallel to the right side FIA curbing.
8. When you reach the end of the right side FIA curbing at the entrance to turn 5, turn in.
9. Apex turn 5 mid point or a bit early and accelerate hard around the inside of the turn, the outside of the turn 5 is banked and will catch you (its similar to turn 2).
10. Let the car track out to mid track, short shift before turn 6.

Turn 9 is "tricky" and you learn the braking and turn in zone more through feel and experience. Its strange, but you need to go off the track in turn 9 a couple times to learn the limits and how fast you can really go through that corner.

In the short straight between turn 8 and 9 I tend to brake a little early. Stay in the darker pavement and look at a line of telephone poles in the distance as a general reference. Look to the right and pickup the green worker station. The apex for turn 9 is to the left of that station but the worker station is a good reference.

For me, I tend to brake and downshift after I pick up the worker station. I then drive rthe car with a steady throttle near the left edge of the track until I see the apex of 9. I then wait a hearbeat and do a smooth, gradual turn-in to the apex while squeezing on the gas. Ideally I'm just at full throttle when I hit the apex. You know you've hit the apex correctly because there's a little dip. If you don't feel the dip, you've missed.

Once I start the turn in I look up and find the starter stand. I keep my eyes on that through turn out and I stay left for a couple hundered yards going down the front striaght.

 

Well, thats pretty much the line I was taking for the balcony area, it just feels so slow lol. Probably because the rest of the track is so fast.

 

The Omega turn has about as many approaches as there are drivers. John's is a good line, imo. A couple of additional thoughts to just add (clarity and not confusion, I hope).

1. As you come out of Turn 3 and put down power, expect some oversteer and be ready to counter steer with quick hands. All those skid marks show that some goodly numbers of people lose it there.

6. +1. Very important to get a good shot down the hill and to set up for Turn 5, which is really just an entrance chute for hitting Turn 6 at WOT.

10. Hold it to mid track on your exit. Do NOT let it drift too far to the right or your entry to Turn 6 will be much too early and you run the risk of drifting off track left unless you lift throttle, which is a terrible penalty given the high speed run down to and through turns 7,8 and 9, followed by the front straight.

Thus, and I think it is clear if not expressly stated from John's excellent point by point guide.....the priority to the entire section is maximizing the exit speed from Turn 5 on the proper line. You "back up" the analysis of how to best achieve circumnavigation of the entire Omega section to achieve that goal. What you may gain in laptime in Turn 4 is nothing compared to what you will lose if you make a fractional trade off of Turn 4 at the expense of Turn 5.

 

BTW... the line I described is the "time trial" line for a RWD with some power. The "racing" line is different depending on whether you're overtaking someone or defending your position. If you take the time trial line while trying to defend your position, you'll be passed and be stuck on the outside of 4. Conversly, if the person you are trying to overtake uses the time trial line, you can pass him inside turn 4 at the corner station - you basically steal the apex.

To defend on turn 4:

1. Late apex turn 3.
2. Accelerate up the hill and stay mid track not leaving enough room to pass on the right.
3. Aim to the right of the Budwieser Balcony building but don't stare at it.
4. Start turning to your right as soon as you clear the little hill on your right and hold the car to the inside 1/3 of the corner.
5. Apex turn 4a in front of the worker station looking for a chunk of pavement knocked out of the right edge. That's you're apex point.
6. Let the car track out 2/3 of the way to the edge and turn in a little early for 4b.
7. Turn down towards turn 5 so that you touch the right side curbing a few feet earlier then a normal line.
8. Turn in for 5 a little bit earlier then normal and start accelerating.
9. Let the car track out to mid track.

To pass on turn 4:

You'll have to figure that one out yourself...

 

To pass you need to flip open the center console and access the array of special modifications you installed from the James Bond movies you love.

 

Hey Scott, remember me? I had the silver 350z with the cage from Monstor Fab and may be doing some engine work with you. I haven't been able to call you back due to my workload yet and I won't be able to make it up to redline time attack to check you guys out this weekend, although I wish I could. I need to talk to you so I can get some estimates and some options for the engine. It was extremely hot 109/110 after you left and since I don't have any carpeting and sound deadening etc. I actually melted a little of my shoe!! Hope you win at time atttack on Saturday! Call me or PM me.

Adam

 

great pics i wish we had more of that stuff out here

 

The cars or the tracks? There are many more tracks within a reasonable distance to you on the East Coast... many of which are better.