Laguna Seca: Please critique my lines!

[ridebikes]

I broke into the "forties" at Laguna Seca last month and feel like I'm leaving a lot more time on the table. I know I could go deeper in Turn 2 and track out a lot more on Turn 5. But I'm sure there are many more ways I could get faster. I'd love any feedback from the experts here! 🙇♂️

[tdp_will]

Spend less time coasting inbetween being at WOT and applying the brakes. Looks like there is a bit of a hesitation inbetween where you are just coasting. Also after hitting your apexes, get to WOT sooner. You are losing a bit of time at each corner. I would also spend less time on the brakes, which means brake harder for a shorter period of time.

I would also wait a bit before turning in for the cork, a bit further. But you can play with that corner a bit.

When you exit the cork, you should be going full throttle and tracking out to the left, by you being gentle on the gas so you can make it out to the right side of the track for rainey curve, you are losing lots of speed. Track out first while accelerating, and then make your way to the right side. You can carry a lot more speed through rainey curve as well. Which will naturally make you track out further on the exit. People lose a lot of time on this corner.

The biggest thing at Laguna is just carrying more speed through each turn. And that means braking less.

What mods do you have?

[ridebikes]

Thanks for that! Great notes - especially about the exit of the Cork. I hadn't noticed how little I'm tracking out there and given how fast Turn 9 is, it's a great call for a place to pick up more speed.

And I totally agree about WOT earlier and way more decisively...I think the overall low grip nature of Laguna keeps me slightly nervous about mashing the throttle. Mostly just in my head though I think, I've never had a problem with that specifically.

The good news is that I'm already signed up for 11/27 at Laguna to work on it all and just carrying more speed everywhere 🙇♂️

[ridebikes]

Mods:

Stock power
Stock brakes
TCK Coilovers + Camber Plates
H&R Sway bars
Z3 rack
200tw tires

[tdp_will]

Good to know. I may be there as well, so can help you out more if you'd like. If you have a hans, you can ride along if you want to. Should hopefully be running high 30s/low 40s.

[ridebikes]

Post script: was able to shave 1.5 seconds off! Even with a totally missed shift on the front straight, so 1:46s should be in the cards if not 45s. Thanks again for the tips tdp_will !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xi-BAhiHIM

[bigjae46]

The biggest thing I noticed, there is very little rotation with the throttle. You are waiting until the car is just about straight and past the apex. Not sure if you have DSC or M Mode on, neither will allow very much rotation, but the only thing that makes the car go faster is throttle. Steering and brake slow the car. The more you rotate with throttle, the less steering input that is needed which means you can add even more throttle.

I'd make sure the rear bar is at the softest setting and reduce compression on the rear shocks if that's turned all the way up.

[S14]

Post script: was able to shave 1.5 seconds off! Even with a totally missed shift on the front straight, so 1:46s should be in the cards if not 45s. Thanks again for the tips tdp_will !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xi-BAhiHIM

You cleaned up quite a bit between the original vid and this one, good job!

A couple of things I noticed witth this last vid...
- you wandered over to the left in turn 5. try and keep right until turn in
- try and point the car more to the right at the corkscrew to open up the corner, you are leaving 2-3 feet of space to the right of the corner. It's tricky to get because everybody wants to cut over the berm at the crest of the hill, I get it, but entering the braking zone with the car pointed a smidge more to the right will open up the entrance
-- you turned in too late at the top of the corkscrew. not a late apex, just physically entered the corner too late, that is why you are a meter off the curbing. If you turned in at an earlier point in the race track, you could be on the gas well before the apex of 8b. Looking at your vid, I'd estimate you got on full throttle around 1:14.50, but hitting 8a correctly, you could be full throttle around 1:12.1ish.
- turn 9...
-- It's scary to carry that much speed and commit to an apex you cannot see. because of this you hug the center of the track and I think it sounds like you coast after the bridge
-- You don't need to be all the way to the right at the entrance of 9, but you should be further over than you are. at 1:16.8 target being about 6 feet further right than you are in this vid
-- because of your safe placement of the car on track you early apexed turn 9
-- because 9 feels like it closes up on you and turn 10 comes at you quickly, you didn't track out at the exit of 9. Open up the wheel after the apex of 9 and use the road you paid for.
-- a proper entry to turn 9 will have you on the gas before the curbing. estimate 1:19.8ish with the car dancing out to track out. It can get lively
- you missed the apex of 10 by a foot or two. This one is tough to get especially when you get 9 right, 10 comes up very fast.
- what is your downshift sequence going into 11? It's the slowest corner on the track leading to the longest straight, so it's important to get right. Possibly work on reducing the downshifting and braking work in the braking zone to concentrate on proper entry point and entry speeds. By that, don't heal-toe twice unless you are James hunt perfect at it. Instead, focus on the brake zone and corner entry and do one shift change instead of two.

Overall, I see a bit improvement between the two vids, I think working on turn 9 will be your next big gain. good luck!

[ridebikes]

Great notes! Thank you.

Turn 9 is so tricky. On a different lap, I got a scary amount of oversteer between turn-in and apex, which was pretty freaky.

But I think that experience ended up slowing me down on this lap. I remember feeling like I did not have enough speed to carry through to the track exit rumble strips.

I wanted to let the car drift out to the rumble strips but it just didn't have the inertia, if that makes sense? Definitely a sign I'm entering too slowly.

Any tips on slowing the car while simultaneously rotating for the apex? Being farther right seems like a good place to start.

[tdp_will]

Great notes! Thank you.

Turn 9 is so tricky. On a different lap, I got a scary amount of oversteer between turn-in and apex, which was pretty freaky.

But I think that experience ended up slowing me down on this lap. I remember feeling like I did not have enough speed to carry through to the track exit rumble strips.

I wanted to let the car drift out to the rumble strips but it just didn't have the inertia, if that makes sense? Definitely a sign I'm entering too slowly.

Any tips on slowing the car while simultaneously rotating for the apex? Being farther right seems like a good place to start.

You shouldn't be slowing down during the banked part of the turn down into the apex. You should be on partial throttle the entire time. IF you are carrying enough speed coming out of 8, you should be applying a tiny bit of brakes after the bridge. But immediately after that you should be on maintenance throttle until the apex and then going wide open.

Most people that are not carrying enough speed into 9 do not actually need to brake and can just let off the gas a bit and then stay on maintenance throttle.

Keeping that maintenance throttle will prevent you from getting oversteer mid corner. You don't want to be upsetting the car mid corner by jabbing the brakes or abruptly letting off the throttle. That maintenance throttle will help keep the rear settled the entire time. And can also help make up a bit of speed if you scrubbed too much off going into the corner.

[S14]

You shouldn't be slowing down during the banked part of the turn down into the apex. You should be on partial throttle the entire time. IF you are carrying enough speed coming out of 8, you should be applying a tiny bit of brakes after the bridge. But immediately after that you should be on maintenance throttle until the apex and then going wide open.

Most people that are not carrying enough speed into 9 do not actually need to brake and can just let off the gas a bit and then stay on maintenance throttle.

Keeping that maintenance throttle will prevent you from getting oversteer mid corner. You don't want to be upsetting the car mid corner by jabbing the brakes or abruptly letting off the throttle. That maintenance throttle will help keep the rear settled the entire time. And can also help make up a bit of speed if you scrubbed too much off going into the corner.

yup, tdp explained that beautifully!