What I Learned (WIL) Time Attack 2017-18

[mcorrie]

Learning is the attraction. I’ve never been one for classrooms, but always had a thirst for knowledge – a horrific dichotomy for anyone growing up in the dystopian school system of the 70’s and 80’s. ‘Dynamic Classrooms’ are the only way I seem to learn anything, and became autodidact as a result. Sometimes the results are dramatic, other times you really don’t know you learned anything until a few days (or weeks) later. Such is the motivation for this post, so here are the deliverables from my past 2 seasons in Time Attack.

1)      Know your car, Ask questions, more power is not the answer. I ran a few events my first year and really had to learn the car. It’s a daunting proposition when you want to make immediate changes, but being able to learn the car only comes from seat time and changes to the car will be less than effective without that intimate knowledge of how your car reacts. Ask yourself questions, was it understeering on entry or exit? Or both? Was it my line, the track conditions or the car? Was I trail-braking there? There is a lot going on and training yourself to address a single component is critical to eliminating variables. It takes time, iron out your car and your line before you make any changes. Make changes 1 at a time or you will never know if it worked. ASK QUESTIONS!! There are so many people who want to help you, so let them – but they don’t know unless you ask! I am super grateful to Wayne S for taking time to talk with me and show me his in car footage to explain lines and track-out options that really worked for me. I’ve been around race tracks and race cars my entire life. I’ve taken schools and built my knowledge base from some world class instructors – but the most important lesson I’ve ever learned is to never be afraid to ask for help. I continue to learn because I still have questions. The Gimli track fosters a family environment, be a part of it.

2)      Aero is Good! After much research and learning, really trying to understand the physics of how and what works on what type of car, I embarked on a journey in search of downforce! One of the things I really like about Time Attack is the relative freedom to modify your car in this manner. After designing a splitter, I thought I’d have it ready in short order “it seems simple enough” I thought, until I started to build it – so part B for this point is “its always more complicated than you think”. There’s doing something, then there’s doing something right.  My favorite saying is “Cheap, Fast, Reliable – Choose 2”. Most want Fast and Reliable, you don’t get Cheap with that option. So then it becomes an exercise in patience, but the results are better. It took a year to get the splitter on the car doing it all myself, it took a little longer for the wing, but I am happy with the results. Patience is a virtue, but also a key element of success.

3)      Brakes are Grrreat! After trying to ‘drive around’ a braking problem that turned out to be inherent to the cars suspension geometry, I went through an interesting learning curve that proved you are never too experienced to make a simple mistake. My Dad always taught me “measure twice, cut once” while this may seem simple in theory, errors can occur in the name of deadlines. It’s imperative to free yourself of deadlines when working on your car – this requires planning. Your hobby/race car is supposed to fun, relaxing (I can hear the murmuring already lol) and fulfilling, getting that “I did it” sense of accomplishment. Part B to this point is “remove the wrong parts that look like the right parts from your work area…” fasteners are an example; metric vs imperial, spark plugs - segregate what you need to avoid errors - espcially when you have multiple vehicles you maintain. Brake pad compound selection has a lot bigger effect than I thought. And I was able to effectively alter front/rear brake bias with pad selection, I was elated to get on the binders for the first time in 2 years and not have the back end bounce all over the track. Just to emphasize the importance of knowing your car (see point 1) in relation to braking, one event I went to had a simple caveat prior to event entry “if you can’t tell us what brake fluid and brake pads are on your car, you won’t be admitted on the track”. Take that to heart.

4)      “It’s just bodywork”. This has been the summer of bodywork for me, or maybe just “losing stuff that was supposed to be attached to the car” lol!  From the hood flying up exiting turn 9 causing an embarrassing red flag (and an even scarier look from the Steward!!), to losing my transponder (yet another awkward moment), to shattering my hatch while trying to install the wing (more disappointing than awkward lol). Remember the point about never being to experienced to make a simple mistake? It happens all the time. I forgot the hood pins in a rush to get on grid and the hood flew up at 109kmh. The transponder was held on with one zip tie, that wasn’t enough. The hole location to mount the wing turned out to be .020” overlapping the edge of the hatch glass – poof! All over the place in a million pieces in the blink of an eye. The bigger picture is that of how do you react in the face of adversity? Or better yet, Who is around you? I am grateful for Al M. When my hood flew off, I was ready to put it on the trailer and go home. Al was the first guy in my face telling me “it’s all good, no problems, its just bodywork – get back on the track”. This is absolutely critical. He was right, and I followed his advice. Same for Mat L – I lost the transponder, he ran up and gave me his personal transponder to use and put it on the car (with 2 zip ties, I noted…). Then he and Al both spent their own time searching for that lost transponder – a bigger ‘Thank You’ can not be said. Maybe part B for this point should be “Lean on Me”…Remember what I said about family?

5)      Cold and Wet. I have raced in the wet, I have raced in the cold – racing in the cold AND wet is an entirely different animal. Typically I like the September races because they yield the best lap times, the formula for fast lap times is cool pavement and hot tires. For a wet set up I always bump up tire pressure and if possible, narrow rear track width (this is RWD, no idea about you modern cars lol). The wet driving style changes as well. Trail braking in the wet is historically a bad idea, so I try to do all my braking in a straight line, and while all this will help, nothing will help the fact that I can’t get ANY temp in the slick tires in a wet, 2 degree track in 5 laps LOL! Then add in that BEAUTIFUL new pavement and it’s like a switch when transitioning from that to the old surface – treacherous at best!! The only thing I can take solace in is that it’s the same day and same track for everybody, I was not alone! …but those AWD cars are fast right away in this stuff, not fair LOL!!

So, at the end of this I look back at this season and have nothing but thanks and gratitude for those I am lucky enough to share the track with a few weekends each summer. Perhaps this could also be a ‘WIF’ or “What I Forgot” post. Because its accurate that many of us take things for granted. I forgot to ask questions earlier, I forgot that I need help despite my best plans to avoid it. I forgot that I need time alone and that I need time with friends. We call it Racing, we say it’s about going faster, I call it learning and it’s about whatever you put into it. Roger Penske’s formula for success is Effort = Results, many people put in effort to make my season successful, the results are that I’m going to keep coming back and pay it forward to the best of my ability, so that I can help more people have a successful season at the track as well. I hope this post is the start of that.

Matt

Edited October 5, 2018 by mcorrie

[Weebly]

AWESOME!!!

Thanks Matt for sharing your experiences over the last two seasons.   So much insight … had to read it over several times to let it soak in.  Actually, to be honest, had to consult my dictionary a few times.  Dystopian??  Dichotomy?? … who's writing this for you?  Seriously, I love it!

For those that don't know me, I'm the, ahem, mature person walking up and down the pits going "Oh wow, what did I get myself into?"

I'm hoping this "WIL" will encourage feedback from both experienced racers, who have the knowledge, and questions from people like me (newbies)  who want to learn and absorb as much as they can … yeah, I guess you can call us sponges.

Matt, your commentary is both analytical and humorous - a difficult balancing act, but you nailed it!  Let's keep this post active during the off-season so that we can gain from each other's experiences and confirm what works and what doesn't.

I like what you've done initially by breaking down the learning experience into five topics.  I'm sure this will grow into more topics  … I've already got a ton of questions that I would like to ask, but am a little apprehensive about asking questions that have already been asked and answered 100 times.  If so, my apologies, but I'm new to this sport and would still like to hear from the people in the know.

Hey, if there is a "family" of racers out there that are willing to share their experiences (but not secrets) with the rest of us, then please let us know and we will bombard you with our questions.  We shouldn't limit this "sharing of knowledge" to just Time Attack, but also include Road Racing, and Autoslalom. Agree?

 

 

 

 

[nopistons]

I would add that its easy to get discouraged, either by lack of improvement or from external influences (people, weather, general track conditions etc). It's easy sitting in front of a computer screen and say, "Don't let that (or them) bother you" and go out there and do what you need to do. Take every bump in the road, emotional or physical, as an opportunity to learn about your car, and your driving. People will come and go, and can be as unpredictable as the weather. At least the weather you can dress for and the track conditions your can dress your car appropriately for! Try new lines, an inch or two from your "usual" spot. Raise or lower your tire pressures. Small changes on the car can yield large results!

If times are what your after, then it's easy to try too hard. Same goes for racing and trying to pass a fellow competitor.
Both items take practice and patience, the latter being the hard one to keep.

Smoothness brings speed. It's always a good idea to take a deep breath, relax and focus on what you are doing. Slow laps on the butt dyno are generally the ones that yield quicker times. If you find yourself focusing on your speedometer (TA Folks) or your Tachometer (RR folks) to track your entry and exit speeds, tell yourself "eyes up! Look ahead, far ahead!" and just drive the line. Red mist kills times and tires!

Use the resources available to you! Every competitor can be a tutor to some degree. There is so much you can learn by having someone ride with you (or you go with them) on a Friday. If there's a competitor that always seems to have the edge on you, or perhaps its a buddy you're bench racing with, ask if they will take you for a ride! You might learn a thing or two about your own driving, but also might pick up on your own "edge" to get by them next time!!!

I'll admit i like working the school because it teaches/reminds me where I can go and where I can't. I use it as opportunities practice the corners over and over again without ever touching the wheel. Seeing different perspectives makes you think and new things pop up every now and again.

And yes, as Matt had said, ask questions. As everyone has a slightly different setup on their cars, or ideas on what go-fast goodies to use and why. asking questions can give you insight to what they are doing differently than you, both in vehicle performance and where they position their car on the track. You can then choose whether or not it might work for yourself!

Edited October 10, 2018 by nopistons
Spelling and grammatical errors. I'm sure there are still a few!

[mcorrie]

Brian - Thanks for the enthusiastic response! i write the way i write, but try to speak less...those who know me know i have an edge, but i am completely approachable! Energy, not Age.You are the Energetic guy walking up and down the pits wondering what you're doing ...if you have any questions please fire away, you can always ask a question, i just can't guarantee the accuracy of my response LOL!!!

Darin - thank you for chiming in here. You bring up really good points (as always!), and one in particular i have been successfully avoiding and that's the Ride-a-long. I need to do that, but haven't had the minerals to follow through. We all move at our own pace and I'm going to have to make a goal of sitting in the right seat for a few laps next season.

"Smoothness brings speed. It's always a good idea to take a deep breath, relax and focus on what you are doing. Slow laps on the butt dyno are generally the ones that yield quicker times. If you find yourself focusing on your speedometer (TA Folks) or your Tachometer (RR folks) to track your entry and exit speeds, tell yourself "eyes up! Look ahead, far ahead!" and just drive the line. Red mist kills times and tires!"

OMG - you are literally inside my head Darin!!!  Sage advice, and the 1st thing i try to put into practice....its hard!

The importance of where you're looking - eye and head position - while at speed on track can't be over stated. While its easy to tell someone where to look, the hard part is getting them to keep doing it. "Thinking Fast" is a term sometimes used to describe the thought process of a racing driver; I've heard it said that "you need to process data really fast and think fast", but this is bit of a falsehood. The reality is that it's easy for anyone to get blind-sided with data when they are looking 10-20 feet in front of the car, especially at high speed. Your brain can't consciously process the scene your eyes are giving it. You need to train yourself to get your eyes looking at your next target. Personally, I was taught to use existing reference points in the landscape beside the track - a bald spot in the grass, a funny looking weed, anything around the corner you are learning to mark reference points for braking, turn in, and track out. With these reference points in place, it forces you to look up and focus on your next target. Once you've keyed in on that point, eyes up to the next one and TRUST YOUR PERIPHERAL VISION!!! This is the way you can multi-task in a race car, with peripheral vision. You focus on the next reference point as you approach the first one, then your peripheral vision will log the reference point as you pass it, letting you know if you were on or off point...maybe i just got a little advanced here, so please forgive me...but its all about breaking down your habits as a driver in an effort to get faster.

By the way, please feel free to ask anything... or see me at the track (but that won't be til next year...), i got the red camaro...but i don't have a mullet, sorry.

 

[Weebly]

Sorry if I seem to be monopolizing this post but it's all about learning and I've got a lot to learn.  It's also very timely.  In a couple of days there will be a group of drivers out at Gimli who will be running in temperatures colder than they've experienced previously this season.  So, if there like me, they'll be asking a few questions on what they can do to prepare for the conditions. And I mean besides wearing a parka.

Here are a couple of questions I'm hoping the experienced drivers can help answer:

1. Would it help to adjust tire pressures from normal (assuming we've already established "normal" pressures during the season)?  Would that mean bumping pressures up a tad? … or maybe lowering pressures a bit?  See, I told you I had a lot to learn.  And once we get a consensus on whether to raise or lower pressures, what would be a reasonable amount?  Maybe 5 to 10% roughly?  Or, and I've been told this at the last event,  leave them where you normally have them set.
2. For those of you lucky enough to have adjustable suspension settings, would you soften both ends up bit to compensate for the cold and possibly wet conditions?

And I don't need to ask what to do if it starts snowing.  I've already got that one figured out.

See you guys on Saturday - should be FUN!

[mcorrie]

** CAVEAT - as great points have been added below (thanks Corey and Darin!!) i should have emphasized that my experience is just that, mine. I've only ran old RWD cars with racing tires. This set up info is just what i have done and has worked for me...

Ok so there a couple things that have been beneficial in wet conditions, but I’m afraid that the really cold AND wet is still uncharted by me but this has worked in the past:

I mentioned earlier to raise tire pressures, I start with 5psi. This does 2 things: a) decreases the contact patch and heats the tire up quicker...it’s not gonna overheat and b) for treaded tires specifically, it opens up the tread blocks when normally they will be forced together by the weight of the car. This along with the stiffer carcass, will allow better water flow and better grip.

For shock settings, I soften the shocks. As the cornering forces decrease, it’s more difficult to get load transfer, you still need that load on the tires for grip, so I encourage slightly more body roll to compensate for the decreased cornering forces. Without adjustable sway bars, I do this with shock settings on my car. Remember Nopistons sage advice about being smooth? its even MORE critical in the rain because sudden movements upset the chassis and your wet traction is already poor so you will be going off track in short order if you are not smooth like glass.

As mentioned in the original post, i will avoid trail braking in cold, wet conditions. This is a “safety first” thing. As break-away grip for the wet tire is really hard to get a handle on, it’s just safer to do all braking in a straight line, if you lock up it’s got less consequence than if you were to lock up while turning. Modern cars with stability control will probably make this a moot point, but i drive my car, not a computer so this works for me.

I run 1/16, 1/8, or 1/4” wheel spacers, i tune the car dry with them. In the wet, I will remove the rears to narrow the track width and in fact have added the rears to the front (i can't on the camaro as i haven't got enough stud length up front). This is just me changing the polar moment in an effort to increase rear grip.

hope this helps.

Edited October 12, 2018 by mcorrie
text size, add content ADD CAVEAT!

[Corey]

You'll also hear to disconnect swaybars - do this with great caution! Usually the front bar is much stiffer than the rear bar, so disconnecting both will mean the rear gets a bit softer and the front gets dramatically softer. So, more oversteer! Probably not what you're trying to do. 

I left tire pressures the same and didn't die. I haven't experimented enough to know what's optimal. What's interesting to me is the spread in experienced drivers' opinions - some say to go higher and some say to go lower. It might not matter in practice, so do what makes you feel better and placebo yourself to better laps! 

Definitely soften shocks, especially compression/bump if you have fancy shocks! And slow down your inputs. Of course, make quick corrections when you're sliding, but intentional direction changes should be with a light touch. 

The biggest change for me in the rain/cold is that threshold where you lose grip. On warm dry surfaces it's fairly easy to countersteer and regain grip quickly, but it takes more finesse in the cold/wet. When you get the tires gripping again it's quite a harsh/snappy/sudden return to grip that can send you off in the other direction.  Smooth inputs, quick reactions when needed. 

Leave yourself a larger margin of error. You can't win a track day, but you can lose one. 

Skip to 2:35 in this video for me getting it wrong a bunch of times in the rain at Gimli:

The slide in the old turn 8 still puckers me up a bit. 

[nopistons]

For all the folks that haven't had the benefit of running GMP in the rain, you are in for a treat. So much to learn! Luckily, you will find that with few exceptions, GMP drains fairly well.

Wet/Snow laps...turn the track into dragstrips with corners! Work into it a bit at a time. Brake in a straight line and take the "outside" line. Stay off the shiny bits. You'll need to play the inch-or-two game to find the best line you can take.

At our HPDE, we always have the question come up of whether or not to have two sets of tires with different treads for wet and dry conditions. Most of us seasoned racers who aren't required to run a spec rain tire, only have one model of tires and adjust accordingly.

To say, add or subtract pressures for rain is a really interesting discussion with no real right or wrong answer. Each brand of tire, and each model of tire within that brand reacts differently. Adding in the variability in each vehicle make, model and setup, saying "typically you just add 3psi of pressure and you're golden" is poor advice. Generalities can be made but ultimately, trial and error is the name of the game.

I suggest starting with your usual suspension and tire settings. It may surprise you.

My racer has 12 settings on the shocks, 3 adjustments on the sway bar and easily adjustable camber/caster settings. I'll be honest, for the amount of times I raced in the rain or other adverse conditions at the track, I've changed nothing suspension wise based on what the weather was doing. My motto is set it and forget it. Each session will be different as the ambient temperatures change, precipitation changes, and the surface conditions change. Find something that works 90% of the time and work with what you have the other 10%.

Who wants to lay on your back in the cold rain fiddling with a sway bar or shocks? (If yours are like mine and have the adjustment knob at the lower mount of the shock) Definitely not this guy! haha

I will adjust tire pressures but would start with whatever was in the tire, read the tire, change my line and adjust. I'm much to lazy to go and mess with suspension when our track, or my skill level, likely won't yield large enough results for the effort...or for just being cold and wet! 

If you have a setup you like for the dry track, and you must play with it, make sure you document it BEFORE you change for the session. This way, you can always go back to square one, to what you know, and move from there.

Will you go off the track? Maybe! Don't get discouraged. Learn "why" from your experience. I'll be the first one to admit that I've been off the track at almost every corner in some fashion, for whatever reason. Most of us have. 

 

One more large item...for track driving in adverse conditions, make sure you are well rested. It's an early, cold day and your attention must be on what you are doing. This is always the case, however, slick conditions will display your inattentiveness swiftly and publicly!

Edited October 12, 2018 by nopistons

[nopistons]

One entirely separate comment from above...

If you want to become a better driver in all conditions...go to MPI/kijiji/FB-MP or wherever, buy a inexpensive, mechanically sound, manual trans lump (for enviro reasons) and partake in ice racing hot laps this winter! This might even include the winter beater you already have!

I can't stress enough how much you will learn. Or how much fun you will have doing it.

[Corey]

1 hour ago, nopistons said:

If you want to become a better driver in all conditions...go to MPI/kijiji/FB-MP or wherever, buy a inexpensive, mechanically sound, manual trans lump (for enviro reasons) and partake in ice racing hot laps this winter! This might even include the winter beater you already have!

I can't stress enough how much you will learn. Or how much fun you will have doing it.

Amen to that!  I got very comfortable with a sliding car and slide recovery by getting it wrong a few hundred times on the ice.  

[Weebly]

16 hours ago, Corey said:

You'll also hear to disconnect swaybars - do this with great caution! Usually the front bar is much stiffer than the rear bar, so disconnecting both will mean the rear gets a bit softer and the front gets dramatically softer. So, more oversteer! Probably not what you're trying to do. 

I left tire pressures the same and didn't die. I haven't experimented enough to know what's optimal. What's interesting to me is the spread in experienced drivers' opinions - some say to go higher and some say to go lower. It might not matter in practice, so do what makes you feel better and placebo yourself to better laps! 

Definitely soften shocks, especially compression/bump if you have fancy shocks! And slow down your inputs. Of course, make quick corrections when you're sliding, but intentional direction changes should be with a light touch. 

The biggest change for me in the rain/cold is that threshold where you lose grip. On warm dry surfaces it's fairly easy to countersteer and regain grip quickly, but it takes more finesse in the cold/wet. When you get the tires gripping again it's quite a harsh/snappy/sudden return to grip that can send you off in the other direction.  Smooth inputs, quick reactions when needed. 

Leave yourself a larger margin of error. You can't win a track day, but you can lose one. 

Skip to 2:35 in this video for me getting it wrong a bunch of times in the rain at Gimli:

The slide in the old turn 8 still puckers me up a bit. 

Hey Corey,

Great comments, especially the part about how there is no consensus amongst experienced drivers.  I think you nailed it with your reference to the placebo effect.  If someone says "this is what will happen if you make this adjustment" then you are already predisposed to make the same conclusion without any substantiating evidence.  Sometimes better to leave things as they are and compensate with driving adjustments rather than try and make an adjustment to the car, but not really knowing if you're going in the right direction. 

I think this post is working as intended and is providing some sage advice with the additional benefit of dispelling some myths.  Thank-you Matt, Darin, and Corey.

Ever since I took the HPDE and decided to give open lapping and Time Attack a shot, I've been scouring the WSCC website looking for videos that can be used as a learning tool.  To date, the best one I found was on the Time Attack webpage showing Darin navigating the track in a Toyota Matrix.  To me this was much more to the point and demonstrated how to drive the proper lines rather than watching other videos of crazy fast cars generating some unreal speeds, braking points, and corner exits, etc.

Having watched your video clip over and over again, I think this would also qualify as a great learning tool for anyone new to the sport and not familiar with the proper driving lines for GMP.  The fact that it was run under wet conditions shouldn't really matter.  Assuming others agree, can we add this video to our webpage alongside Darin's video?

[Weebly]

14 hours ago, nopistons said:

For all the folks that haven't had the benefit of running GMP in the rain, you are in for a treat. So much to learn! Luckily, you will find that with few exceptions, GMP drains fairly well.

Wet/Snow laps...turn the track into dragstrips with corners! Work into it a bit at a time. Brake in a straight line and take the "outside" line. Stay off the shiny bits. You'll need to play the inch-or-two game to find the best line you can take.

At our HPDE, we always have the question come up of whether or not to have two sets of tires with different treads for wet and dry conditions. Most of us seasoned racers who aren't required to run a spec rain tire, only have one model of tires and adjust accordingly.

To say, add or subtract pressures for rain is a really interesting discussion with no real right or wrong answer. Each brand of tire, and each model of tire within that brand reacts differently. Adding in the variability in each vehicle make, model and setup, saying "typically you just add 3psi of pressure and you're golden" is poor advice. Generalities can be made but ultimately, trial and error is the name of the game.

I suggest starting with your usual suspension and tire settings. It may surprise you.

My racer has 12 settings on the shocks, 3 adjustments on the sway bar and easily adjustable camber/caster settings. I'll be honest, for the amount of times I raced in the rain or other adverse conditions at the track, I've changed nothing suspension wise based on what the weather was doing. My motto is set it and forget it. Each session will be different as the ambient temperatures change, precipitation changes, and the surface conditions change. Find something that works 90% of the time and work with what you have the other 10%.

Who wants to lay on your back in the cold rain fiddling with a sway bar or shocks? (If yours are like mine and have the adjustment knob at the lower mount of the shock) Definitely not this guy! haha

I will adjust tire pressures but would start with whatever was in the tire, read the tire, change my line and adjust. I'm much to lazy to go and mess with suspension when our track, or my skill level, likely won't yield large enough results for the effort...or for just being cold and wet! 

If you have a setup you like for the dry track, and you must play with it, make sure you document it BEFORE you change for the session. This way, you can always go back to square one, to what you know, and move from there.

Will you go off the track? Maybe! Don't get discouraged. Learn "why" from your experience. I'll be the first one to admit that I've been off the track at almost every corner in some fashion, for whatever reason. Most of us have. 

 

One more large item...for track driving in adverse conditions, make sure you are well rested. It's an early, cold day and your attention must be on what you are doing. This is always the case, however, slick conditions will display your inattentiveness swiftly and publicly!

Darin,

I think I can speak for everyone out there that we really appreciate the time you put into providing your experienced insight into "preparing your car and how to drive to conditions".  I'm sure there are a few inexperienced drivers that might be a little apprehensive about driving tomorrow's event in cold/wet conditions, but after reading all the comments in this post, I'm sure they'll see it as a great learning experience with a ton of fun thrown in to boot!

[mcorrie]

I think the lesson here is to document what you do. Bring a notebook and write it all down. Don’t make it complicated, just date, weather, tire pressures and session notes.

 

[Ianfromduff]

Things I learnt from 2018. Reliability is everything! 

[mcorrie]

Truth!  its very hard to learn driver and vehicle limits when you can't finish the session...or even start it!