Tips for VIR coming up this weekend!

[Balok]

Going for my very first track days May 31 - Jun 01, and can't wait, especially with the repave! The videos I've seen look awesome. I've been doing some experimenting with my 2SS and was wondering how you guys would advise approaching your first ever event? By experimenting, I mean playing around with tap shift as I have an automatic, and trying to get a feel for the revs in the lower gears, mostly 3rd and 4th.

Unfortunately, I value keeping my license so there's limits to what I can push it to on the highway or back roads. But based on what I've been able to tack it up to, it seems like 3rd and 4th will be the main gears for me, taking into account I plan on being pretty conservative. I have no desire to wreck my new car!

So, I'm thinking 3rd for turn 1 through probably 5a and go to 4th coming out of Snake. Go to 5th for a very easy, non aggressive run through the Climbing Esses and back to 4th at the entry of South bend. I hope to get more comfortable through the Climbing Esses, but this section gives me the willies!

Shift to 3rd entering 11 and through Oak Tree, then 4th and 5th down the Back Straight. I plan on a very conservative entry into Roller Coaster and have no desire to drive it deep into that section. My main goal is trying to stay smooth down through there and out of Hog Pen, so I'm thinking 3rd here as well. Then up through 4th and then 5th down the Front Straight and lift early and trail brake a little to check my pedal, downshift to 4th and 3rd into and through the Horseshoe.

I also have no desire to push this car anywhere near the top speed it will go. I'm just not comfortable with that yet. Anything above 80 and I get real nervous, and I know that's probably very lame to most of you guys, but that's the truth, lol. I hope to push it a little and get to where I can maybe top out at 100 mph, but that's probably the max I will be even remotely comfortable with.

I have 3 spots I'm concerned with, and that's entry of T1, the climbing esses and getting through South Bend (T10), and then the entry into Roller Coaster (T14). I think the Climbing Esses are just a matter of not getting behind on your turn in's, and South Bend is more about not having too late of entry, right?

T1, I just need to make sure I have a firm pedal, lol, so like I say, I plan on lifting early and rolling into there more than driving it in deep and standing on it.

I imagine many of you guys think this is also lame, but I've really been testing a lot in my iRacing sim, and have turned literally hundreds of laps, so I am very confident in my line and braking zones. If there are any other iRacers out there let me know!

Anyway, sorry for the wall-o-text, but just wanted to get some feedback on my thought processes heading into next weekend.

[Stephen12ZL1]

your i racing sim is not lame...keep doing it as it will give you a visual of the track and it will seem more natural when you get on track. Entry into turn 1 isn't too hard...there is an arrow that points to the turn in for a help. I seem to turn in just after the arrow there. Uphill esses aren't that scary once you get the setup there correct because if you turn in too early it ruins that whole section. Turn 10 is blind just watch a video or two to help there...it isn't too bad if you don't hit it hot. Turn 14 is another that is a little hard to see as you have just completed the heavy braking zone from the back stretch. Again...just watch a video or two as I usually have my car right to set up for roller coaster. It will become so much easier once you gain confidence via seat time.

[JOHNSONROD]

this a fairly stock 1ss at VIR. im not an expert but ive had some coaching from a guy whos the man here so im shifting and running the correct line. its all 3rd and 4th.

[tw78911sc]

no sim playing will prepare you for the elevation changes! sometimes the car unwieghts, other times you get away with more than you expect because the car loads up with gravity.

start out easy and work your way into it. Not many barriers, but it is fast, if something goes wrong, it goes wrong real bad. It is one of the best tracks in the east. I'm going the 9th and can't wait. watch youtube in car video for approximate gear, turn 1 and the series before going up the esses may be 2nd gear.

[Balok]

Well to be fair, it's one of the most realistic sims available so the physics do account for unloading and what not. But I know what you mean if you're talking about the "seat of the pants" feel, so I think I know where you're coming from.

The other thing that concerns me is just being comfortable in the car. There's no headroom and it's going to be extremely tight with a helmet on. I've lowered the seats as low as they can go, so the only other thing I can do to get a little more headroom is recline the seat. This has me in a really weird feeling position, and I feel like I'm not looking out over the hood if you know what I mean. I prefer to be sitting up as high as I can as the visibility is already limited in this car, so this sort of kills that.

[JOHNSONROD]

i also use iracing to prepare for track days. i cant even list all the advantages to having iracing before you go to a track event. people who hand me a piece of paper with black lines on it to learn a particular track are some of the same people who say that a mathematically perfect visual representation of the track will do me no good at all. to quote Job . . . COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOTHING takes the place of real seat time. we can all agree on that. the trick is to use the sim to learn the track layout, pit in, pit out, and the correct line. i go out like im leaving the pits for the first time of the day. i focus on smooth shifts, braking points and looking way down the road. i instructed my first trip to sebring and it was no big deal because of the sim.
we should get together this week. ill host a VIR if you wanna wheel a little before your event.

[Balok]

Originally Posted by JOHNSONROD

i also use iracing to prepare for track days. i cant even list all the advantages to having iracing before you go to a track event..., we should get together this week. ill host a VIR if you wanna wheel a little before your event.

Exactly! I've done the Buck Baker Racing School twice and did 30 laps each time, and I had 100% confidence of the line the first time around! They actually gave me the checkers both times to bring me in and slow me down, lol. I like that school because there's no pace car and I had a pretty clear track most of the time, so a couple of times I matted it coming off of T2 down the back stretch to about half-way down, lol. I can tell you the pucker factor was very high by the time I rolled off into T3, lol.

But that was on an oval in a real race car, not my new Camaro, so I'm a LOT more cautious about this weekend.

I'm on vacation all week, just let me know when you want to test some. I've been mostly practicing using the Rookie Slowstice and a little in the Mustang. But I felt the Pontiac might be best to test with given how I plan to approach the track, and I don't think a stock 2SS will drive anything like the Mustang. But yeah, let's do it!

[JOHNSONROD]

im open today or tomorrow afternoon. somewhere around 4 or 5 pm central if that works. just call it and ill set it up. we can do traffic practice where we lead follow each other.
i do the mustang and i h pattern shift it. i have a setup tweeked for HPDE practice. its tight heavy and hard to drive. the air pressure builds during the run just like a street car does.
so. . . . its VIR-full course
FR500 mustang
Fixed tight setup
3 hour practice with a short race at the end just for fun.
today or tomorrow afternoon at 4 or 5 pm central.
you tell me which day and time and ill set it up.
danny johnson

[Balok]

Originally Posted by JOHNSONROD

im open today or tomorrow afternoon. somewhere around 4 or 5 pm central if that works. just call it and ill set it up. we can do traffic practice where we lead follow each other.
i do the mustang and i h pattern shift it. i have a setup tweeked for HPDE practice. its tight heavy and hard to drive. the air pressure builds during the run just like a street car does.
so. . . . its VIR-full course
FR500 mustang
Fixed tight setup
3 hour practice with a short race at the end just for fun.
today or tomorrow afternoon at 4 or 5 pm central.
you tell me which day and time and ill set it up.
danny johnson

Great, let's go tomorrow at 4PM Central time, 5PM Eastern time. I'll have to dust off my headset as I haven't actually raced in a long time, lol. But I've done a fair amount of laps farting around in what little spare time I have. Looking forward to it!

[JOHNSONROD]

ok done deal ill set it up. see ya there. ill keep it open in case we get some more traffic.

[Stephen12ZL1]

Oh yeah...you are correct about the gear changes....I get to 3rd and use it for all of the tighter sections and then to 4th when speeds are greater and 5th only briefly on the long front and back straight. The paddles work well and become second nature once you get a few laps on track.

[Jim968]

Originally Posted by Balok

I also have no desire to push this car anywhere near the top speed it will go. I'm just not comfortable with that yet. Anything above 80 and I get real nervous, and I know that's probably very lame to most of you guys, but that's the truth, lol. I hope to push it a little and get to where I can maybe top out at 100 mph, but that's probably the max I will be even remotely comfortable with.

I think you’ll find that your nervousness above 80 mph goes away pretty quickly when you get out on the track. On VIR’s front and back straights 80 mph will feel ridiculously slow, and you’ll naturally want to increase your speed. Also, at 80 mph people will be closing on you at much higher rates of speed, and you’ll either be giving a LOT of passing signals, or you’ll be holding people up. I expect you’ll feel completely comfortable over 100 mph before your first session is over.

At some point during the weekend try to get a ride with an instructor. This will help you understand how much braking you have available at the end of the straights and will make you even more comfortable as your speeds increase.