[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

Hard to say honestly. I felt like the rear let go pretty abruptly. I was cornering within 1mph of my fastest lap there, and touched the brakes that lap as well to set the nose. I'm pretty sure my line was going to be about a 1/2 lane wide of the apex I wanted to hit and then I seemed to freeze on my brake pressure. I'm not sure if releasing it would've helped. I also have my suspicions that the Mustang parked just after the esses may have left some fluids up there, but I'm not sure.

I might could have done some things differently to help recover, but I also could have made it much worse. Bottom line, I think I was just lucky.

I think what you said about the brakes did it. Fast corner, car at the limit rotating down hill, which already makes the rear light..ya know what i mean
Good (and lucky) recovery! And good on ya to point out the brakes - hope others learn from it. Most folks would blame the tires, or something else lol! The reality is that even the best of the best can make a mistake. I have certainly made my share of them over the years! Cheers!

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by Rutkowski

Hey guys, I just had my first trackday this year at the beautiful Bilster Berg aka mini Nordschleife. It was my 3rd visit there and finally I got lucky with the weather. The pdr does not do justice to the height differences and all the little bumps which the curves are built around. Great fun and probably the most difficult German track after the green hell.
I learned a lot about the car again and was able to post some decent times (anything under 2 min is considered fast there).
It never gets old when people think the Camaro is too heavy for this up and down track and then their eyes fall out when hearing it just did a 1:57
Based on the Cayman GT4 record by a pro driver, I reckon the car can go about 3 sec faster. I already know some points to attack next time to get closer
Unfortunately I got pulled for noise after the second session, so short shifting for the rest of the day :/

Here is the best lap and most of the 2nd session.





P.S. Thumbs up to Provoste for recommending the Hawk DTC 60 pads in previous posts. By far the best pad I had on the car so far and much better for the discs than the Ferodo DS 1.11 I tried last season.

Very nice driving! The car looks well balanced and your inputs are smooth. Nice throttle modulation. I'd bet you're feeling the car's balance much more vs last year
In fast downhill sweepers keep some "maintenance throttle" on (important when you go back to push for more pace, lest the rear can come around if you come in hot and just let the car roll thru the corner). Just enough to keep the rear planted - thats all. Also perhaps try to release the brakes a wee bit more progressively in slower corners to max balance and rotation. Albeit i didnt really see any understeer per se. But it is a good habit to embrace. Overall, a great lap and also a great pace if you're only 3 secs off a pro in a GT4.
CONGRATS!!! And thanks for posting the vid: bags of fun to watch indeed!

[Rutkowski]

Originally Posted by OVRKLL

Great driving!
I like how you use the entire track, I had to remind myself to breath just watching you drive...LOL!
I'm no professional driver or racer for that matter, but the lines you took rewarded you at the end.
That is one dippy track, but you handled it well, and one could get sea sick!

Haha, yeah definitely better to opt against full English breakfast before going to this track I'm glad you liked the lines! I was studying some tracks during winter and had a plan what to improve. Still have 2-3 points for next time though

Originally Posted by TrackClub

Very nice driving! The car looks well balanced and your inputs are smooth. Nice throttle modulation. I'd bet you're feeling the car's balance much more vs last year
In fast downhill sweepers keep some "maintenance throttle" on (important when you go back to push for more pace, lest the rear can come around if you come in hot and just let the car roll thru the corner). Just enough to keep the rear planted - thats all. Also perhaps try to release the brakes a wee bit more progressively in slower corners to max balance and rotation. Albeit i didnt really see any understeer per se. But it is a good habit to embrace. Overall, a great lap and also a great pace if you're only 3 secs off a pro in a GT4.
CONGRATS!!! And thanks for posting the vid: bags of fun to watch indeed!

Thanks a lot Bill, that’s again really great advice! Funny, I was actually considering the slight throttle down mouse trap corner but thought: if the car is already at the limit while rolling down the dip, better not risk it ^^ Counter intuitive, but of course you’re totally right! If I improve the balance with throttle during the dip, the car handles better, ergo a few km/h more until the limit. You bet I’ll do that next time
And yeah I definitely feel the balance more and more, it’s like the car is getting lighter. Lower tire pressure has helped too. Running around 2,0-2,1 bars / 30-31 psi now, which feels more nimble to me.
Brake release I didn’t actively notice, but it makes sense as well. Since it's the first time with dtc 60s, the transition before turning in is definitely different compared to the softer stock pads. Now I released rather abruptly so I won't over brake in the end. I'll concentrate on getting a feel for it and use the final moment to rotate the car in. Again, great tips. It helps a lot to improve! Hope it keeps you sharp as well until your season starts

Btw: It’s 3,5 sec to the pro, but I estimated a half second GT4 advantage since the track highly favors lighter cars. Randy already was 3 tenths quicker with it at Laguna. Doesn’t matter in the end... just a reference for me to optimize
I think if I put it all together, incl improving the blind right after the hill, I could reach the 1:55s there soon (given they won’t flag me for dB ^^) the car can surely do high 53s.

One improvement I need to make to an otherwise almost perfect stock car: I'll install a street legal bucket seat (recaro pole position) with harness soon. I'm a lean guy and my legs need to do a lot of work pushing against the outside to keep myself in place. Shoulders are great in the stock seat, but I'm sure car control will be much better without having to use the knees for stability. Will write up how the install goes once I do it.
Have a great weekend!

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by Rutkowski

Haha, yeah definitely better to opt against full English breakfast before going to this track I'm glad you liked the lines! I was studying some tracks during winter and had a plan what to improve. Still have 2-3 points for next time though

Thanks a lot Bill, that’s again really great advice! Funny, I was actually considering the slight throttle down mouse trap corner but thought: if the car is already at the limit while rolling down the dip, better not risk it ^^ Counter intuitive, but of course you’re totally right! If I improve the balance with throttle during the dip, the car handles better, ergo a few km/h more until the limit. You bet I’ll do that next time
And yeah I definitely feel the balance more and more, it’s like the car is getting lighter. Lower tire pressure has helped too. Running around 2,0-2,1 bars / 30-31 psi now, which feels more nimble to me.
Brake release I didn’t actively notice, but it makes sense as well. Since it's the first time with dtc 60s, the transition before turning in is definitely different compared to the softer stock pads. Now I released rather abruptly so I won't over brake in the end. I'll concentrate on getting a feel for it and use the final moment to rotate the car in. Again, great tips. It helps a lot to improve! Hope it keeps you sharp as well until your season starts

Btw: It’s 3,5 sec to the pro, but I estimated a half second GT4 advantage since the track highly favors lighter cars. Randy already was 3 tenths quicker with it at Laguna. Doesn’t matter in the end... just a reference for me to optimize
I think if I put it all together, incl improving the blind right after the hill, I could reach the 1:55s there soon (given they won’t flag me for dB ^^) the car can surely do high 53s.

One improvement I need to make to an otherwise almost perfect stock car: I'll install a street legal bucket seat (recaro pole position) with harness soon. I'm a lean guy and my legs need to do a lot of work pushing against the outside to keep myself in place. Shoulders are great in the stock seat, but I'm sure car control will be much better without having to use the knees for stability. Will write up how the install goes once I do it.
Have a great weekend!

Good points Robert! I have not accounted for the DTC pads. As much as my point on braking is correct, it is better to release earlier vs carrying to much brakes too deep which can induce oversteer. As long as the car rotates to your liking without excessive understeer then all is good. So take it as a fine point. Provoste's vids demonstrate this very well (with the same pad). Different pads may require different pressure as well as different braking points as well.

As far as "maintenance throttle" this applies specifically to faster corners where the car is at the limit AND changing its weight transfer forward while heading down hill. This is NOT to gain mid corner speed per se, but rather just to keep the rear balance in check. So perhaps like 5% throttle only. Just for the balance to make it stable. This (balance) is particularly important as you increase entry speeds, as with more speed the forward weight transfer will become even more prenounced and the rear will become even lighter while the fronts work harder trying to rotate the car based on your steering input. In such corners it is crucial to pay full attention to what the car feels like front and rear. And be prepared for corrections if and when necessary. Especially as one enters mid corner phase where rotational forces are about to reach the max. It is equally important to correct any understeer (as when not countered it may lead to snap oversteer if/when the fronts do hook up) and of course oversteer should the rear start to swing out.

What kind of tire wear are you getting with 30psi hot? This seems rather low for G3s. As much as (usually) less pressure offers more traction the tires may also act sloppy as they will roll more. Ive never run them this low and prefer 34psi as a hot goal. But thats just me

Pole Position is a very nice seat and clearly will offer more support. A thing to consider is running a harness without roll over protection. Especially with a Hans which is always a good idea with a harness. Our roofs are not the strongest (marginal rating i think?) and given we have a rear seat, the B pillar is quite further behind a driver (vs a Vette for example).
Something to consider regarding safety pros vs cons.
In the meantime you can consider wearing knee pads. Some pros use them as well even in Formula type cars.

Sadly my season is still off by a few weeks and i am limited to iRacing to keep my aging senses as tuned as possible lol! But it is going well

Have bags of fun and creep on the limits. That lap you posted was excellent imo: well balanced and smooth.
Keep it this way as you chase more pace and congrats again! Ciao!

[thrashergrant]

Here's my best run from an autox a few weekends back. Could have had a better line and been quicker in some areas, but it was the fastest BS time of the day. The car is so much fun to throw around, really looking forward to pushing the limits even further.

[FollowMyLine]

This past weekend at NCM MotorSports Park. First time there, only got 2 sessions in with my buddies Camaro. Mine was stuck in the freak MN snow storm that hit us the day I was supposed to leave.

[Rutkowski]

Originally Posted by M0DRN71

This past weekend at NCM MotorSports Park. First time there, only got 2 sessions in with my buddies Camaro. Mine was stuck in the freak MN snow storm that hit us the day I was supposed to leave.

Nice one! Given that it’s the first visit and such a demanding track, that looked like a clean run to me. Seems like you prepared well for it. I really like the setup of camera and outside mic. The sound is so much better than with pdr, and really brings across how awesome this car sounds pdr is obviously great for the driver inputs and data, but the video looks very cool with the setup you guys used
I wish I had the chance to run on NCM as well, looks like the ultimate challenge!

[FollowMyLine]

Originally Posted by Rutkowski

Nice one! Given that it’s the first visit and such a demanding track, that looked like a clean run to me. Seems like you prepared well for it. I really like the setup of camera and outside mic. The sound is so much better than with pdr, and really brings across how awesome this car sounds pdr is obviously great for the driver inputs and data, but the video looks very cool with the setup you guys used
I wish I had the chance to run on NCM as well, looks like the ultimate challenge!

Thanks! The 23 turns are definitely challenging, and I studied hours of video since I had never been there. It may be my new favorite track, and finally a place that dethroned Road Atlanta. I’ll be heading back to Road America in June, so I’ll have some more video at that time.

[carguy55]

Broke my old lap time at MSR Cresson 3.1 on April 1 by 2 sec and caught some old Mustang traffic. Must have been the extra HP from the sound tube foam delete, which I think does makes the PDR audio sound better. It was my last track for old set of G3 tires.

[Tim M]

Easter at Nurburgring:



Serious suspension compression at 1.2+ G!

[Rutkowski]

Originally Posted by Tim M

Easter at Nurburgring:



Serious suspension compression at 1.2+ G!

Hey hey! Another 1LE in Germany Good to see some more making it over the Atlantic Nice pic there in Karussell, looks really planted! Did you have fun on the ring?

[FollowMyLine]

Love the Nürburgring pic!

[Tim M]

Agree, it is a great pic...my mug was smiling from window to window!

Rutkowski: Ring is a hoot...intense. More laps are required until I feel comfortable... :-)

I know of 3...now 4 with yours. Miles are smiles in Germany.

[TrackClub]

Superb pic and congrats!

PS That huge license plate...watch your temps and stick a tow hook in