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Oulton Park Academy Race 1st to 18th and back to 1st


Northern Banana

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He's a very lucky boy to have a car in one piece after the first corner. Happens all the time at Oulton and usually ends with a long front for someone.

 

Nice recovery drive though. And remembering that it's his first race.

 

Jez

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Group 2 Mav was no where near as interesting.

 

We lost 2 laps with the safety car - qualified second and managed to get to the first corner in 1st but I had a shoddy, terrible slow line through Cascades and David Webber was soon in back in front. No more drama finished 2nd.

 

I need to find some more pace if I'm going to beat him, he is dammed quick - pls can we form a Blatchat collective of race tutors to provide feedback on my Vbox footage and data? *biggrin*

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So Academy allows V-Box setups? In my day (mutter, mutter, used to live in hole in t'road, mutter) we weren't even allowed lap timers.

 

Post a link, though, and we'll have a look. Not that my feedback is likely to be helpful unless you want to finish up consistently off the podium.

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Even in my day, we were only allowed Roll Centre T100 and T200s.

 

To be fair, the cost of data logging has reduced massively over that period. And it was a right PITA to have to take my logger out before every race.

 

The ability to go faster will come from your own review of your data though. Compare best laps with other laps and find out where you're losing time. Also, make sure that your sectors are set about 20m before braking zones. The corner impacts the whole of the next straight, so get a time that reflects that for each sector.

 

Mind you, didn't David Webber qualify on pole by 6s?

 

Jez

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Thanks gents.

 

Here is the

I was fast through the first corner but my line and car set up in the left hander at Cascades was poor. I'd fitted a set of new tyres thinking the monsoon was due but it didn't rain and I just didn't feel as if I could really commit the car.

[Amazing how its only my first race and these racer excuses just flow 😬]

 

Anyway by the last lap of the race I'd decided to back off, as I'd probably punt myself off trying and failing to catch up and points for 2nd were more important.

 

Quali was a nightmare, due to shortage of scrutineers I was late to the assembly area and 3rd from the back. I struggled to find space for a clear lap just managing the one.

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I'll watch more of this later, but after 3 corners I can tell you that the guy who won has races karts in the rain or has been out in the rain a lot in testing. He deliberately doesn't get anywhere near to the apex. As a result he avoids the part of the track which is greasy and takes a smoother arc, maintaining momentum and getting way more drive out of the corners.

 

Watch Senna's lap at Donington in 1993 for a master class in "off-line lines". Also, google "wet racing line theory" and read the short jalopnik piece that comes up first.

 

More later, possibly. You did ask!

 

Jez

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Looks like you're turning in too early for most of the corners, especially Cascades and Shell. You're following the inside of the corners rather than "clipping the apex". You should be a bit further away from the first apex at Druids to get a better drive at the second.

 

(As an aside, it's about time Racelogic provided some decent cameras with their expensive kit. That video is no better than we used to get from our tape-based systems back in 2004).

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Its frustrating watching it back and seeing the mistakes you make or areas you know you should have done better.

 

I'd had a half days instruction up there and in the dry, keeping tight at cascades (staying in 4th) and Shell was worth 2/10's a lap. I need to adapt a bit more to the conditions on the day.

 

David Webber (the guy who won) is bloody fast, he set a new lap record for Oulton - karting competition licence holders are now excluded from the Academy. He's a great guy with a lot of talent, similar age to me (mid forties) - mind you he has thrown the chequebook at the tuition.

 

Thanks for the feedback I like this virtual race instruction, I hope you are all online weekend of 11/12/13th July when we head to Rockingham. If you get me on the top step I promise to reward you all.

 

Now any tips for tyres pressures on these wonderful Avon CR322 tyres?

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I wasn't going to contradict Roger but I also run that line in Cascades [EDIT - in the dry]. It's to do with the camber if you take a wider entry line - the car won't grip.

 

Motorsportdays.com have a track guide for Rockingham ISCC (and you'll be racing on some variant of it, if not that exact layout) written by a Caterham driver. Will give you a list of things to think about as a baseline, albeit that there's an element of change so that you could still drive a saloon following the recommendations.

 

As to tyre pressures. I ran 28 hot. In hindsight I would go significantly lower. Maybe 24, as the cornering forces won't make so much difference - at the time I was worried about the 70-profile deforming. But it won't make much difference as the tyres are not grippy.

 

Last thing - which front ARB? We were given choice of red, orange, nothing. Almost everyone went for red.

 

Jez

 

Edited by - Z3MCJez on 1 Jul 2014 13:06:40

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Quoting Z3MCJez: 
I wasn't going to contradict Roger but I also run that line in Cascades. It's to do with the camber if you take a wider entry line - the car won't grip.

 

Listen to Jez, not me! The only championship I've ever won was on two wheels.

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