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EvoRution
03-27-2005, 01:21 AM
Excuse the noobishness (only three trackdays under my belt, 2 of which were in a totally different car), but I'm wondering what's the fastest way _in general_ around a turn (pretty much stock)?

a. take the straightest possible line
or
b. over drive the car, flick the wheel, get it to rotate, and steer with throttle?

Pointers would be greatly appreciated

I recently ran the west loop at BW and the places I had problems were:

1. Star Mazda - couldn't quite figure out the right line, and i had to brake early coming down the drag strip as my stock pads were cooked (not to mention I was pushing a buck 30), and I had to drop WAY down in speed, to about ~50mph to keep from understeering off the track.

2. Sunset - once again, couldn't find the line and found myself braking quite hard while the more experienced guys in other FR cars would carry about 2x as much speed as me through the turn.

3. Pacific - tight turn, pick up too much speed in the beginning and find myself "running out of road" as the car wouldn't quite turn enough for the speed I was carrying (~60mph)

Whats the best way in and out of these turns? What kind of exit speeds should I be expecting?

The car was damn near squirelly in the morning until the pads bedded in and i had a chance to air out the tires - over 50psi from the factory!! It was fun keeping up with a 400hp supra until I got passed by a bunch of S2000s and a stock Mazda Protege wagon in the esses (yes, I know.. sigh)..

for reference:
http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/images/race_28_config.gif

Knower
03-29-2005, 12:49 AM
Excuse the noobishness...

The fastest way around a corner depends on a lot of things. Loose gravel and a tight corner? Sure, it might be faster to get the car to rotate around the apex while you spray gravel everywhere. Different instructors will show you different lines, but you have to try different lines to see what is the fastest. One static corner's line can change just with track temperature rising from early morning to noon.

Evo RS-T
03-29-2005, 11:27 AM
I can't tell you how many laps I've run at Buttonwillow over the years, and I still pick up new techniques from time to time. As one of the track's instructors, I can tell you that you would do well to attend one of our Performance Driving Clinics (http://www.buttonwillowraceway.com/clinic.htm). The instructors are all racing drivers with plenty of experience to pass along.

At some events, the instructors don't have much more experience than the students, and this can lead to frustration on the part of teacher and student alike. So choose your events wisely if good instruction is something you seek. Not every instructor will tell you the same thing (you'll see varying techniques even among top professional racing drivers), but collectively, there is a lot to be gained from having people with experience ride along with you or take you for laps to show you their version of the proper line.

Concentrate on the fundamentals at first, and the speed will come naturally. After some time in the car and at the track, you'll be able to experiment and monitor the results, eventually developing your own technique. Above all, be safe and have fun!