Ferrari F430 vs Corvette @ Laguna Seca

admin — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:06:23 +0000

It always strikes me as odd that so few people keep record of their lap times at track days. I completely appreciate Hooked On Driving’s philosophy of a non-competitive environment to provide a safe education. Practicing a particular skill or nailing the apex for a series of turns is what you’re there to focus on during a track day, and you can’t do that while fighting off aggressive traffic. But one key way to know if you’re making any improvement is to record your times. That education is even more valuable if you can compare times with someone who has more experience than you who might know a better line.

So, thanks to Kevin for posting his Laguna video and giving a yard stick to measure against. Putting our two in-car laps side by side you can really compare where we gain or loose time against each other.

Kevin with his F430 is on the right. I matched our video as best I could going under the first bridge. He’s two seconds faster over all and you can see he easily leads on the straights. This makes a lot of sense as my clutch was damaged and I had only 3rd gear that day and couldn’t reach my top speed during the straightaways.

[See post to watch QuickTime movie]

Some analysis:

You can see how much faster he is through turn 1 and entering 2. I’m topping out around 117mph and banging off the rev limiter in 3rd gear. I’m guessing he’s closer to 130mph over the hill. He carries that speed well into 3 and rockets out of the fast sweeper for turn 4 (much faster than I ever can!) and arrives at the foot bridge much earlier, now compounded by another straight where I should be shifting to 4th. He seemed slightly slower leaving turn 5 because his lead dwindles as we reach the Mother’s bridge. Somewhere in the Rahal Straight I continue to regain some lost time, perhaps because I’m perfectly in the power band for my 3rd gear (it’s too short to upshift even if I wanted to). He exists the corkscrew still slightly ahead of me but less than 1 second ahead through turn 10. We finish up through 11 with me probably only 5/10ths behind. His stated lap time was around 1:47, so considering my clutch handicap, being only 2 seconds behind someone with more experience on this track isn’t so bad. Although I’m guessing he was taking it a little easier than I was considering the F430 delivers 100hp more .

While neither one of us were gunning for a trophy on this particular lap, it’s still very educational to compare sections where one person was faster than another, looking for your opportunities for improvement. I really believe you have to continuously measure yourself to know you’re making the right incremental adjustments.

Ferrari Challenge Race @ Laguna Seca

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:50:31 +0000

The 6th of 7 Ferrari Challenge races for 2008 landed at Laguna this weekend and through the help of a friend at a sponsoring company I spent two days watching this rare event from the hospitably rooms above the pits.

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Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca - 1:49

admin — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 04:32:15 +0000

After years of spectating and virtual practice at one of the most dynamic tracks in the country, I finally had my shot at the 2.2 mile course.

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Sunbeam Tiger Club Autocross

admin — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:20:00 +0000

Welcome to the Marina Airport, local home to sky divers and the words smallest autocross course. At least it seemed that way the day we joined the Tiger Owners Club for an event. All due appreciation to the Club for putting on a well organized day, the course was so narrow and tight it surpassed fun and became a claustrophobic experiment.

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2:11 at Thunderhill

admin — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 10:07:22 +0000

Round number 2 with Thunderhill proved to be much more rewarding. After a slow session with B group I got signed off to move up to C group and had a lot less traffic to contend with. (more…)

Thunderhill Raceway Park w/ Hooked on Driving

admin — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 07:09:38 +0000

I drove about 3 hours north to reach the town of Willows, Ca where I found the rolling hills that make up Thunderhill Raceway. (more…)

2006 American Le Mans Series Championship

admin — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 08:31:58 +0000

Last weekend I attended the 2006 American Le Mans Championship race at Laguna Seca. The weekend included a GM sponsored Corvette Corral in which approximately 250 Corvettes gathered. Little did I know… (more…)