The Driver Factor
05-23-2009, 11:32 AM
#1
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
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The Driver Factor
Yesterday we were at a lapping day at the Mosport Gran Prix circuit which is a 2.5 mile high speed road course
http://www.mosport.com/trackmap.htm
It is somewhat emabarrassing to admit it but I am now firmly convinced that the biggest single factor to making the car go fast is the driver. In the same car on the same day under the same conditions my best time was a 1:59.85 and my brother got down to 1:42.00. The only face saving factor is I have less than a 100 laps at the track and he has has several thousand.
My money from here on goes into track time!
http://www.mosport.com/trackmap.htm
It is somewhat emabarrassing to admit it but I am now firmly convinced that the biggest single factor to making the car go fast is the driver. In the same car on the same day under the same conditions my best time was a 1:59.85 and my brother got down to 1:42.00. The only face saving factor is I have less than a 100 laps at the track and he has has several thousand.
My money from here on goes into track time!
05-23-2009, 11:59 AM
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Miami
Posts: 1,175
Yesterday we were at a lapping day at the Mosport Gran Prix circuit which is a 2.5 mile high speed road course
http://www.mosport.com/trackmap.htm
It is somewhat emabarrassing to admit it but I am now firmly convinced that the biggest single factor to making the car go fast is the driver. In the same car on the same day under the same conditions my best time was a 1:59.85 and my brother got down to 1:42.00. The only face saving factor is I have less than a 100 laps at the track and he has has several thousand.
My money from here on goes into track time!
http://www.mosport.com/trackmap.htm
It is somewhat emabarrassing to admit it but I am now firmly convinced that the biggest single factor to making the car go fast is the driver. In the same car on the same day under the same conditions my best time was a 1:59.85 and my brother got down to 1:42.00. The only face saving factor is I have less than a 100 laps at the track and he has has several thousand.
My money from here on goes into track time!
05-23-2009, 01:23 PM
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Near Wash. DC Posts: 13,541
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The thing about the mustang is that there is no credible form of racing for it, so it doesn't matter what you do, you'll still get something out of it.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
05-23-2009, 01:36 PM
#5
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
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The thing about the mustang is that there is no credible form of racing for it, so it doesn't matter what you do, you'll still get something out of it.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
05-23-2009, 01:45 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: CA
Posts: 1,700
The thing about the mustang is that there is no credible form of racing for it, so it doesn't matter what you do, you'll still get something out of it.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
With that said that track looks like it couldn't possibly be harder to learn. It's so darn inconsistent. With multiple variations in curve length angle and speed. My favorite tracks to learn on are ones that have one variable the same on all of the turns and all the rest slightly different, like there's one track where I learned to drive that the speed at the apex in every corner was the exact same in no matter what car you were driving, but the turns were all completely different. That's just not a track that's favorable to learning how to perfect your technique, almost any alternative would be better.
......huh? I'm sincerely confused.
Please define "credible" forms or racing.
Please tell me about the track that has "one variable the same" other than the curbing being striped.
Sleeper - congratulations on your "awakening".
Here in NASA SoCal, we have 2 Radicals (closed wheel LeMans type car - FAST) running in TT. One of them is 10-12 seconds faster than the other. Both spent the same amount of cash.
05-23-2009, 04:46 PM
#7
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Mosport is in Canada Rodeo_Flyer, therefore under the terms of the racing series available there he's racing for pleasure and modding for the sake of modding, and driving because he wants to.
I don't remember the name of the track because I learned to drive well at the age of just 17 but on the 2 mile 7 turn short course it was a track that went right left right left right right right and it was fairly hilly on some parts you know. You could take each corner at exactly 66.5 mph in a top of the line 1996 Corvette and the front straight was at 135 mph while the back was at 100 mph. It was a great track because it helped you realize that you were missjudging corners horribly sometimes.
More "boring" courses are good because they might have different speed turns but they commonly are designed with consistent parabolas in their turning arcs so they don't get tighter or looser as they go on.
Another track to avoid as a beginner is Sebring, and on the mid course it's a track that's completely undrivable really.
but ha ha I guess I called it, Sleeper. It weeds out the pineapples too or whatever!
Please tell me what Radical runs in NASA and LeMans Rodeo_Flyer, because their LeMans car is only in that series I believe. Unless you mean LeMans car to mean anything that has to do with closed wheel "sports car" racing.
I don't remember the name of the track because I learned to drive well at the age of just 17 but on the 2 mile 7 turn short course it was a track that went right left right left right right right and it was fairly hilly on some parts you know. You could take each corner at exactly 66.5 mph in a top of the line 1996 Corvette and the front straight was at 135 mph while the back was at 100 mph. It was a great track because it helped you realize that you were missjudging corners horribly sometimes.
More "boring" courses are good because they might have different speed turns but they commonly are designed with consistent parabolas in their turning arcs so they don't get tighter or looser as they go on.
Another track to avoid as a beginner is Sebring, and on the mid course it's a track that's completely undrivable really.
but ha ha I guess I called it, Sleeper. It weeds out the pineapples too or whatever!
Please tell me what Radical runs in NASA and LeMans Rodeo_Flyer, because their LeMans car is only in that series I believe. Unless you mean LeMans car to mean anything that has to do with closed wheel "sports car" racing.
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