What Time Could I Run At Wakefield?

[evil_weevil]

Ah Dave! Dont give the QLders secrets!!! they'll use it against us when they come down haha

[Dave1600]

i seen a rx2 roll it on 2nd corner other week!!!

He took turn 3 a bit too "tight" and clipped the kerb on the inside of the corner, which just flipped him over.

Only times I've ever felt close to having a big "moment" was clipping the kerbs coming into the fishhook and the corner coming onto the straight.

Moral - stay away from the kerbs !! Ripple strips on the way out of corners don't hurt, just the kerbs on the inside of some corners.

Here's the best "guide" I've seen - Lap of Wakefield Park

As mentioned above numerous times, take it easy and try to keep it "clean". I always find that my 2nd or 3rd laps are the quickest in each session. After that, I try to go faster but end up with slower times. Still can't help myself though

Depends on who's organising the day, but often they have a session at the start for "newcomers" to learn the track. If you can grab an experienced driver, stick them in the passenger seat to show you the correct lines in this initial session.

My last bit of advice is to try and get your seatbelt "locked" to hold you in nice and tight. Hard to describe, and I haven't been in an R32 to see how it would work in one, but try pushing yourself back hard into the seat, then pull sharply on the seatbelt to get it to "lock" and hold you in the seat. Its much easier to drive without having to worry about sliding around in the seat.

[GTS4WD]

My last bit of advice is to try and get your seatbelt "locked" to hold you in nice and tight. Hard to describe, and I haven't been in an R32 to see how it would work in one, but try pushing yourself back hard into the seat, then pull sharply on the seatbelt to get it to "lock" and hold you in the seat. Its much easier to drive without having to worry about sliding around in the seat.

Fixed back bucket seat.. Im not goin any where..

ummm.. this may be a stupid question..

but do they have air hoses there to put in air into the tyre?

Because Im running a tyre I have never driven on.. and if i let air out.. and then may need to put air back in..

[BHDave]

wakefield does, but you need your own pressure gauge

[Jetwreck]

another guide.

gotta love RB20's

[scathing]

1:20 is not unachievable for your first time out. There's a big difference between winding road driving and track driving, and to be honest I always find its the touge heroes that are the relatively slowest. Its a different skillset, and so when they don't set the blistering times their street abilities lead them to believe they can achieve then they get frustrated and over drive the car....making their times worse.

People have said "don't worry about the times, have fun". I'd somewhat agree. A time matters, as its your yardstick. Without one, you have no idea if you're getting better or not.

My advice regarding a target is to go with no preconceptions. Go out there and run your first session as hard as you can, and use that time as your baseline. Then set yourself a time a few seconds below.

Ideally, go with someone with track experience. Wakefield has some corners where the line isn't obvious. That, more than anything, will see your times tumble. Do the first session by yourself to get a feel for the surface grip and layout, and then grab someone or follow someone who knows what they're doing. That way when they're describing a corner you can visualise.

BHDave's tips are good, but without seeing the track its probably not as helpful as it is for someone who's been out once or twice. Print it out, and maybe have a read of it after you've done 2-3 sessions so what he's saying will make more sense.

My advice on the line is that, of the two lines between the Kink and Turn 2 that he describes, take the "straight" line. The wide line requires better brake and steering modulation. Given your justifiable fear of the corner, its not something to experiment with until you're very comfortable with the two bends.

The other thing to remember is that the smoother you are, the faster and more consistent you are even though it looks and feels slower. When I first took my car down there I drove the doors off the thing, squealing the tyres and fighting the wheel...and I ran 1:23. These days I'll do that time on my cool-down lap. In that regard, Sir Jackie Stewart's trackwork tips to James May is a good watch.

[GTS4WD]

another guide.

gotta love RB20's

Thats a bit of a dodgey overtake!

... to be honest I always find its the touge heroes that are the relatively slowest.

hahahaha!.. dont say that!

Togue - Cos track days are expensive!

Yeah.. I think Im just gonna ask one of the more mature drivers on the day if they want to jump in and show me the lines..

Ill be printing out (yes.. I know how ghay this sounds ) the MX5 guide several posts above and giving it a good read after a few laps..

Im just excited I fanally get a track day after so many years of reading about and thinkin about it! .. and not having to worrie about putting my car into a guard rail or rock face

[scathing]

hahahaha!.. dont say that!

Togue - Cos track days are expensive!

Touge - because insurance will probably still cover you even if the cops bust you trying to tow your car out of the scenery.

Ill be printing out (yes.. I know how ghay this sounds ) the MX5 guide several posts above and giving it a good read after a few laps..

Bear in mind that guide was written before the resurfacing. A lot of the ripple strips and kerbs they talk about are no longer usable, due to their height. Clipping them can unsettle the car. The line is generally the same, though.

Another good read is The Circuit, by the guys who run Circuit Club. They do longer descriptions of the major corners on Wakefield, as well as some other tracks, with diagrams to help with understanding. Some of their guides are based on the old surface too.

Speaking of MX-5s, if you want a time target I got a best of 1:19.27 at the Powerplay day in my girlfriend's current-generation auto MX-5 with stock tyres that weren't legal 7000km ago. The only non-stock components are front and rear swaybars. If you don't want to get beaten by a guy in an overweight hairdresser's car on shagged tyres, you'd better run a 1:18.

[GTS4WD]

Sorry.. double post..

Edited August 9, 2008 by GTS4WD

[GTS4WD]

WOW! WHAT A DAY!

Well.. After 3 or 4 sessions I managed in the 1:20's!!! With fairly consistant times in the 1:21's

Through the twisties the cars was just magical! Took down several V8's including an SS, HSV and even a GTR!

Held off an Evo for a few laps too!

Unfortunatelly in the straights the car just didn't have enough balls and people just flew past.. I managed to claw some ground back through the twisties before the straights again.

The learning curve was HUGE!.. Halfway through the day the brakes completely gave way and the pedal went straight to the firewall like a marshmellow. Boiled the fluid. And the brakes completely dies in the arse..

On a positive note, I also found the miracle of semi slicks -the levelof grip is just phenominal!

It began to rain in the afternoon so I popped the ATTESSA fuse and let the arse hang out.. that didnt go so well, ended up bogged in a deep mud puddle and had to get towed out.. very embarressing..

Im happy with the time but really wanted somethign in the teens

thanks for all your imput guys! It was all vey helpfull!

[Duncan]

glad you had a good day! I don't know if it was mentioned above, but brake fluid is probably the most important peice of prep you can do for a track day. 2 bottle of motul rbf600 (about $35ea) bled thru the sysem and you should be fine.

[shanef]

u woulda been in the 1:10's if it was hand timed...

[evil_weevil]

Glad you had fun!

On a side note being your first day I would have used road tyres - go out and drive the car on street tyres and see how you go. Once you learn the limits of the car on street tyres after a few track days, go to semi's and then you'll be loving it, and going quicker.

[GTS4WD]

Hey guys.. I got a quick question..

After watching a video of the track day.. it felt and certainly looks like im being slowed down by cars that shouldn't be slowing me down through the corners. I.e. Evo's.. a couple of GTR's.. It feels and looks like I can carry more mid corner speed through the apex.

Now my question is.. Can you put down a quicker lap time with less mid corner speed?.. Because these cars are posting much after times than mine.. even though I can carry more speed through the corners..

Does this make sence?

[Marlin]

I find my gts carries excellent entry and mid corner speed too so it's not suprising you find the same. Where I lose out and I'm assuming you do too is straights.

[scathing]

After watching a video of the track day.. it felt and certainly looks like im being slowed down by cars that shouldn't be slowing me down through the corners. I.e. Evo's.. a couple of GTR's.. It feels and looks like I can carry more mid corner speed through the apex.

You might be a better driver, and they may not be on semi slicks. AWD and power only comes into its own on corner entry, so braking, turning in and mid corner you could be quicker.

Because these cars are posting much after times than mine.. even though I can carry more speed through the corners..

Those cars have more power than you. If they're holding you up in the corners then you can only go as fast as they do through the corners, but once you pop out on the straight you lack their ability to accelerate away and make back the speed. If you've had to back off in the corner to not hit them, you also lose more momentum which you need to recover.

Power isn't everything, but it is a lot.

You can either try and pass them by taking them under brakes, or back off enough to leave yourself more room and get a lap of clean track.

Now my question is.. Can you put down a quicker lap time with less mid corner speed?..

The other thing is that, onto any straight, corner exit speed is king. In such a situation its worth sacrificing a little speed going into the turn and through the first part, in order to be able to maximise your speed coming out. This link breaks it down a bit more for you, if you want to have a long read.

Carrying more corner speed is good if you're going through an endless set of esses (like, I daresay, mountain roads) since there's no straight to stand on the throttle for any length of time. But if you can hold a consistent 80km/hr through a corner that has a straight, on the track you'd be better off going in at 70km/hr if it means you can exit at 85.

I only worry about carrying more mid corner speed through Turns 3 and 4 (the left hander near the top of the hill and the right hander immediately after it). Most of the other corners have straights after them, so I try to set up to get on the power as early as possible. The other exception is the Fish Hook, which doesn't give you much of an exit straight before the important Turn 9 onto the back straight, but you go in so relatively slowly and its such a tricky bend that it feels like I'm trying to both maximise my exit speed and slow it down a bit to ensure I've got good position for Turn 9.

Congrats on the 1:20. That's still a good time for a non-turbo car of that age on your first time out. If you've boiled the fluid, flush it now. Its going to be off now anyway.

[fatz]

vids of skidz

[Abo Bob]

Just bleed your brakes beforehand with Castrol SuperDot4 brake fluid from Supercrap at about $11 a bottle - may need two bottles if you haven't done it before - then aim to hit a 1:20.

Have fun.

[GTS4WD]

It had Dot 4.. but they did cop an absolute pounding..

Ill be putting in better fluid for texikhana!

[Abo Bob]

Super Dot4 is better than Dot4.

I'm glad you gave it a good go though.