Thanks for the feedback. If I may, please allow me to offer a polite justification for my methodology -- I definitely welcome your thoughts:
1) I have much to learn in the ways of driving cars, and I certainly do not pretend to be anywhere near as competent a driver as those of you in Black/Red.
2) This is not my first rodeo. Yes, it was my first time at SP, but when I lived in AZ I was doing ~5-6 DE's per year, plus again-as-many autocrosses. And yes, it was my first time doing a legit DE in about three years...and boy -- the cobwebs were thick!
3) I was timing my laps not in an effort to see what my absolute best time would be (I was well aware of its futility). Note that in a previous post I mentioned I was even making a concerted effort to lift on the front straight. Timing my laps was to provide an additional metric to determine my consistency in the twisty bits as I was learning the new track. Especially when learning a new track, it's sometimes tough to identify where changes in your line are actually helping vs. hurting.
4) I've actually calibrated my speedo against GPS, so I'm pretty confident it was reading relatively accurately (i.e., +- 5 mph). Regardless, it doesn't matter. I was merely pointing out I already have a good idea where I can shave off additional time -- breaking 1:30 is my next goal.
I definitely appreciate your feedback + thoughts, and am fully aware that I'm the new guy talking to a group of very experienced racers. Just wanted to provide y'all with a bit of context. Definitely hope to ride with each of you in the future.
Excited to go back!