[SilverStreak]

It's sounding like the PittRace Club Race won't happen next year. Too bad since it's so close to us and the facility is great. Not my favorite track but only 4 hours away!

PittRace experience: The Track

This is the busiest track I’ve ever been on. 18 turns in 2.8 miles. My home track, Summit Point, is 10 turns in 2.1 miles. 8 more turns in .7 miles is a lot of work! I’m going to suggest, if you’re nearing 50 or above, you spend some time at the gym before coming to PittRace

Anyhoo, a few observations. For one I was very glad to have done the T&T on Thursday. It was pretty amusing on Friday. Easy to spot who had never been to the track before. The thing about this track is, particularly since we were all unfamiliar with it, there’s a lot to remember. 18 turns, some blind, is a lot to keep track of the first few times out. A few times I caught myself misremembering what was next Another thing that threw me for a loop was mirror checking. I’ve gotten into the habit of checking mirrors approaching a corner and coming out but on this track you are always approaching or coming out of a corner and if you are looking backwards too much you just screw up everything in front of you. There are just some places like 7-11, 13-14 you just can’t check mirrors. It’s OK because those aren't really passing zones anyway. Maybe with much more track time there it will be different. More routine.

Hard to get a run on someone too as there isn’t much time for most of the track to turn a run into a pass. The next turn just comes up too fast.

As far as turn by turn and seeing where I could be faster, as hard as that is to believe, I’ll start with turn 1. It’s faster than you think at first. Much faster. In trying to dial in your brake point you’ll notice that the brake zone at about the 1.5 marker goes down hill. So you want to brake late because you are being tricked by the uphill brake zone then it falls away and suddenly your thinking your going to just run off the end. Ultimately it’s a much lighter brake and higher turn in speed than you think. That’s the trick.

The next tricky bit was T3. That brake zone is also up hill then goes flat. You want to brake late there too but I found there to be a bit of a washboard or rippling at the end of the brake zone that disrupted my turn in. At first I thought that maybe I was really screwing up the downshift but that’s impossible since I’m a very good shifter. So I got spooked there and started braking lighter but earlier. I never felt like I got it right. The turn in is very late.

The next bit is not tricky but it is fun. It’s like a mini toe of the boot. Good passing opportunity there particularly for faster traffic to run up the hill. After that comes the 7-11 esses. All late turn ins. My tendency was to try to go too fast which just burns up your tires in a very few laps. And in trying not to go too fast I was over slowing for 7. That’s something else to remember. Your tires get no rest. None. Your times will typically fall off pretty quickly. But so will everyone else’s. Trying to go too fast just makes you under steer and swing wide thru the whole section. And T10 is a turn that will bite you unless you are perfect. Actually perfect. It’s half blind. Early and you are going off. Too late and you won’t make the apex and you’re going off. There’s plenty of room to drive off the outside but a tank slapper is a bad bad thing there. Once you are sure you can get on the gas in 10 you are floored thru 12 which is another passing opportunity.

12-14 is a neat section as there is a sweeping up hill, doesn’t look like it but it doesn’t require as much brake as you think, and you want to be late so you hit 13 right and then you have a completely blind right. If you miss it you are going off. Badly. I found a tuft of clover as my turn in spot. If they mow the grass I’m screwed.

Once you are set for 14 you are floored all the way thru 16. The kinks are fun. Kinks are always fun. In the chalk talk we were strongly cautioned to not be caught on the outside of the kinks. For any horsepower jockeys that ran up on me in the kinks that will explain why I put my car where I did. You go around with all your fancy wings and slick tires!

The last kink ends with a short brake zone into a tight uphill right-hander. Coming out of the kink you really want to make sure your wheels are straight and that you don’t have to check up for traffic. If you do you need to adjust your speed. A full speed blast thru that kink and into that brake zone is a hoot but as they told us it’s also where most of the accidents happen.

I played with 2nd or 3rd gear and I think 3rd is the right gear because every time I tried 2nd, without a limited slip, the turn is too tight so the inside wheel just spins. I just need to carry a bit more speed in.

All in all I know I can find significant time in 1 and 3 for sure but probably everywhere else too. It’s a fun track but exhausting. There is no rest. I’ve never looked more forward to a pit stop in my life.

Vimeo

Vimeo

Vimeo

Vimeo

[BlackTalon]

Should be a PCA Potomac DE there in 2018.

[Chopper Dropper]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

Should be a PCA Potomac DE there in 2018.

We are planning on a DE there May 2018. Hunt does not seem to like it as a Club Race track, but as a DE track it really is fun and a good challenge, agree passing can be difficult and can imagine with an "awkward" grouping of car classes could be frustrating.
Dirk

[N0tt0N]

Thanks for sharing videos! Really nice of you to get way out of the way for the 92x. That silver Boxster (looks like Leah's car!) had some motor. SpecCayman needs a bit of help. A couple of the second cars passing you seemed to cut things a little close for no reason. Haven't watched the enduro yet. I see what you mean by the front tires. Kind of like Mid-O? Nice catches a few times. Thanks

[SilverStreak]

Yes on the cutting it close. There was one only white haired guy in a old 914 (all old white haired dudes in 914s are a problem) who would pass you and immediately move back in from of you in the brake zone. That's generally a bad idea. If you've passed some one in the brake zone or very close to it just take the corner off line. Moving back over, particularly when the car you moved in front of is heavier with not as grippy a tire, can end in disaster. I can't say I've always followed that advice but this guy just drove that way. He did it every time.

If you watch my whoopsie that's what I am talking about with the mirrors. Watch my eyes You can see I'm checking the mirror then I'm wide and then I keep checking the damned mirror at the wrong time and it all goes bad as I miss the blind turn in! In that section just ignore what's going on behind you. They can't pass there anyway.

[SilverStreak]

Here's some the Boy clowning around. He should post his races as they probably have more action than mine.

YouTube

YouTube

[N0tt0N]

Steve is such a kidder. Looks like he mounted a single 14" wheel on Robby's car again. Please remain seated with your seat belts buckled while we experience a little wandersteer...

[TurboPooch]

^^Hmm...may need try that. This is why he doesn't get new tires. Allows him to put all that expensive skid pad training to good use.

[ausgeflippt951]

"No new tires for you!"

Good perspective on the track as a club race track. As Dirk mentioned, for a DE track it's fantastic: the elevation, the technicality make it an excellent challenge. I really like this track; it's one of my favorites for all-out challenge. It hurts my brain.

[Dr K]

The track is a blast for racing in a momentum car. Multiple places to pass--as long as you nail the previous turn. I was careful to pay attention to the blind turn on the back straight (Turn 14) which allowed me several passes braking in to the final 180-degree turn (turn 17-18) leading to the pit straight. If you can't pass in the straights (for those cars slower in the turn but faster in the straight) you can pass in the braking zone to Turn 3 or down the hill after Turn 4, or as Hunt (or somebody) said above, up the hill and into the braking zone for Turn 7. Will a track full of all momentum cars of multiple classes, I have passed (and been passed) at just about every point on this track except in Turn 14.

I've learned that I finish much better at away track than at Summit Point. At Pitt Race, I've paid particular attention to turn 1, turn 3-4, turn 12 (as mentioned above, requires far less braking than would seem necessary) and turn 14. The "esses" (which are really close turns and not linked esses) are very similar to Mid-Ohio, and require a technical dance but reward with a noticeable flow when you get it right. Judicious use of curbing, expecially the non-intuitive and car-upsetting turn 11, can allow a good car-length of catch-up on the car ahead of you.

These items (except the curbing on Turn 11) probably apply to higher HP cars (can't wait to drive this track in my 911) but your mileage may vary. I love Pitt Race.