135mph on high banked oval
06-26-2004, 06:57 AM
#1
135mph on high banked oval
Yesterday we did a little run at the California Speedway in Riverside, running the Roval auto competition course, which is 2.8 miles and includes the entire front straight, the banked oval turns one and two (14 degrees) and halfway down the back straight, before cutting into the twisties.
Bo made it in his stock coupe and had a great showing, both of us learning a lot, and going off track a couple of times on the twisties part of the infield course (you get over 100mph on two sections there, so it is not a dinky go cart set up on the infield by any means). Arash and two buddies showed up for the afternoon session, and I gave both of them a ride for a few laps to get a sensation too. It was great fun, though I am sure that after a couple of laps they would have preferred to be driving than riding shotgun. There were no other G or Z cars there. Bo had a friend in an RX 8, and Keith in his Saleen Mustang, both of which were very nice cars. I think Keith boiled his BF early and had to leave, but David's little rotary, though needing some more hp on the straights, was a great corner carving machine, and just looked super.
I will do a longer write up and pics and video as in the past, but wanted to do a quick preview for your enjoyment.
This goes into the category of lessons learned without negative consequences, but fortunately so.
The temps were going to be in the high eighties, low nineties, and after running Willow Springs in high heat and having to back off, I wanted better cooling capacity, so put in a deeper oil pan. Not precisely sure of how much oil it took, but it was between 6.5 and 6.75 quarts. That worked fine.
I wanted to have the adjustable front camber control arms in, but there was a glitch and they did not get put on. I thought that for the oval and high speeds it would be a very good idea to have a couple more degrees of camber for that day. Major understatement.
My fastest lap of the day....by four seconds...was the first one. (Hint of what is to come). This is notwithstanding the fact that as the day went on I probably cut ten seconds off my time on the twisties from the first lap, maybe more.
The answer to that of course, was speed through the high banked oval, my first experience with that. I read everything I could find on it. Studied in car videos of excellent drivers taking it. Analyzed the line and turn transition. Figured that 135mph was about right as a reasonably quick, but still conservative run speed, then I would carefully consider whether more would be warranted. Blah blah blah.
The car is set and warmed, we launch at the bottom of turn one from the pit lane, work up speed, transition to the bottom of the bank at turn two, work down the back straight and through the twisties. Feeling good, car is purring. The inside part of the course is flat, and has some challenging parts for my skill sets, perhaps not so much for the advanced group drivers who are not as challenged by double apex hairpins, and a diminishing radius number that gets me off track later, but I had a handful and loved it all.
Come out of the last turn and enter the front straight way at the back of the high bank turn four exit, at about 85+mph. Drop the hammer and upshift to fifth and then sixth. (Yes, you heard it right, sixth gear and all she could give, WOT with the supercharger and it SCREAMS with the windows down and reverberates off the 11 degree bank wall along the straight). Get it settled and just exactly where I want to be and have her dialed in exactly at 135mph. "Oh" I think, "this is too cool, I am doing it exactly as planned".
Transition to the turn and hold it on the line like it was a strand of dental floss. About half way through turn one I realize my fanny has gone bloodless from the cheek clench.
This is way too freaking fast for my comfort zone. The car is handling beautifully, stable, no sense of give or wobble, I stay in the throttle and at this point am much more concerned about doing anything to upset the balance of the car as much as a micron. No lifting, no wheel motion, no farting, no swallowing, no breathing. Zip through and down the back stretch. The car that was behind me when that section started is not even in the rear view mirror any more. Never went above 120mph in that turn the rest of the day.
About two hours later a viper kisses the wall at serious speed and the entire right side, and both wheels and tires are thrashed, rear window pops and explodes out and basically winds up looking like the incredible Hulk kicked it in the rear. Nobody hurt. But zowiee.
I loved the experience, the facility is first rate (I even got my own interior garage spot!). But notwithstanding that I had noodled out all the particulars, and fortunately was correct, the intellectual component of driving that portion of that track was way more advanced than my emotional and experiential quotient. Lucky. It will be only after some more experience and working up to it that we go though that little section like that again. Lesson learned is this simple one, and fortunately I survived it. It is possible to be wrong in your analysis, after all. Do not put yourself in a position where if you are wrong, you pay a nasty price. I was right, but I realized only after I was committed that...holy guano Batman....what if I had been wrong??!! Recovery was outside of my skill sets. Only when I get those dialed in, am I going back to that situation. And then working up to it. If there had been a lump of coal on my seat, it would be a diamond right now
Bo made it in his stock coupe and had a great showing, both of us learning a lot, and going off track a couple of times on the twisties part of the infield course (you get over 100mph on two sections there, so it is not a dinky go cart set up on the infield by any means). Arash and two buddies showed up for the afternoon session, and I gave both of them a ride for a few laps to get a sensation too. It was great fun, though I am sure that after a couple of laps they would have preferred to be driving than riding shotgun. There were no other G or Z cars there. Bo had a friend in an RX 8, and Keith in his Saleen Mustang, both of which were very nice cars. I think Keith boiled his BF early and had to leave, but David's little rotary, though needing some more hp on the straights, was a great corner carving machine, and just looked super.
I will do a longer write up and pics and video as in the past, but wanted to do a quick preview for your enjoyment.
This goes into the category of lessons learned without negative consequences, but fortunately so.
The temps were going to be in the high eighties, low nineties, and after running Willow Springs in high heat and having to back off, I wanted better cooling capacity, so put in a deeper oil pan. Not precisely sure of how much oil it took, but it was between 6.5 and 6.75 quarts. That worked fine.
I wanted to have the adjustable front camber control arms in, but there was a glitch and they did not get put on. I thought that for the oval and high speeds it would be a very good idea to have a couple more degrees of camber for that day. Major understatement.
My fastest lap of the day....by four seconds...was the first one. (Hint of what is to come). This is notwithstanding the fact that as the day went on I probably cut ten seconds off my time on the twisties from the first lap, maybe more.
The answer to that of course, was speed through the high banked oval, my first experience with that. I read everything I could find on it. Studied in car videos of excellent drivers taking it. Analyzed the line and turn transition. Figured that 135mph was about right as a reasonably quick, but still conservative run speed, then I would carefully consider whether more would be warranted. Blah blah blah.
The car is set and warmed, we launch at the bottom of turn one from the pit lane, work up speed, transition to the bottom of the bank at turn two, work down the back straight and through the twisties. Feeling good, car is purring. The inside part of the course is flat, and has some challenging parts for my skill sets, perhaps not so much for the advanced group drivers who are not as challenged by double apex hairpins, and a diminishing radius number that gets me off track later, but I had a handful and loved it all.
Come out of the last turn and enter the front straight way at the back of the high bank turn four exit, at about 85+mph. Drop the hammer and upshift to fifth and then sixth. (Yes, you heard it right, sixth gear and all she could give, WOT with the supercharger and it SCREAMS with the windows down and reverberates off the 11 degree bank wall along the straight). Get it settled and just exactly where I want to be and have her dialed in exactly at 135mph. "Oh" I think, "this is too cool, I am doing it exactly as planned".
Transition to the turn and hold it on the line like it was a strand of dental floss. About half way through turn one I realize my fanny has gone bloodless from the cheek clench.
This is way too freaking fast for my comfort zone. The car is handling beautifully, stable, no sense of give or wobble, I stay in the throttle and at this point am much more concerned about doing anything to upset the balance of the car as much as a micron. No lifting, no wheel motion, no farting, no swallowing, no breathing. Zip through and down the back stretch. The car that was behind me when that section started is not even in the rear view mirror any more. Never went above 120mph in that turn the rest of the day.
About two hours later a viper kisses the wall at serious speed and the entire right side, and both wheels and tires are thrashed, rear window pops and explodes out and basically winds up looking like the incredible Hulk kicked it in the rear. Nobody hurt. But zowiee.
I loved the experience, the facility is first rate (I even got my own interior garage spot!). But notwithstanding that I had noodled out all the particulars, and fortunately was correct, the intellectual component of driving that portion of that track was way more advanced than my emotional and experiential quotient. Lucky. It will be only after some more experience and working up to it that we go though that little section like that again. Lesson learned is this simple one, and fortunately I survived it. It is possible to be wrong in your analysis, after all. Do not put yourself in a position where if you are wrong, you pay a nasty price. I was right, but I realized only after I was committed that...holy guano Batman....what if I had been wrong??!! Recovery was outside of my skill sets. Only when I get those dialed in, am I going back to that situation. And then working up to it. If there had been a lump of coal on my seat, it would be a diamond right now
06-27-2004, 07:25 AM
#5
Originally posted by AXA_G35
cool~!!!
wish i could have been there....
cool~!!!
wish i could have been there....
So far I think that Sears Point is my favorite track to run, but it is just so doggone far away. Laguna Seca is prettier and all that, but it is not the driving track that Sears Point is. Both Sears and Laguna have some walls that are disconcerting. Willow Springs is fast, and I enjoyed it, but it is not very interesting technically except for the Omega at the top of the hill. Buttonwillow is the most flexible for layout, can be run both directions and has loads of technical challenge, but except for a couple of man made humps is flat as a pancake. Pete Dye moves a hundred times more dirt building his golf courses than they did at Buttonwillow. I have not run Thunderhill yet and am looking forward to that layout and experience.
Of the guys that were more widely experienced with tracks across the US, and were at California Speedway this time, they discussed different "flat" terrain layouts and they were all in agreement that Sebring in Florida was the biggest fun to drive for a flat layout, and that Texas Motor Speedway was more interesting and fun on the flat portion, though Cal Speedway was the best banked straightaway and oval.
I am still so newbie that I find all of them plenty fascinating and fun. It is kind of like comparing steel coasters at amusement parks around the country when I listen to them talk about it. All good, just different. I think Road Atlanta and Road America and Lime Rock are all layouts I would someday love to get a session at. Get a motorhome with an engine capable of hauling a car carrier, have your extra tires and tools and stuff and your car in there, and just spend a journey around America going track to track. Incentive to work harder I suppose.
Cheers.
06-27-2004, 07:31 PM
#7
Originally posted by JonathanG35
what settings did you use on the flex? 0,0?
what settings did you use on the flex? 0,0?
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Colombo
Forced Induction
35
11-09-2020 10:27 AM
