This was another track day packed with new experiences. First of all, I was trying out my OEM 18" rims with Yokohama A048s. Secondly, this was my first time driving on a wet track. Thirdly, I wanted to try some different lines and braking to see the differences from last time.
Session 1
A drizzle was starting and the track was becoming slightly damp. I was apprehensive about going out and drove very cautiously. I was also getting used to the new tyres and the extra weight of the 18" rims. I felt like I had to brake earlier and that the A048s were less grippy than the RE55s.
1:59.8600
1:49.6400
1:48.6700
1:46.1000
1:46.0900
1:50.8300
1:47.3800
Session 2
The rain was coming down steadily now and the track was soaked. I took it extra slow and braked much earlier than usual. Feathering the throttle around corners helped maintain the grip. On some corners, I turned to aggressively and the tail of the car flicked out slightly, but the lower speeds allowed me to recover safely. After getting home last night, I read some advice from DavidM and was glad that I did something right.
DavidM wrote:
"Most important thing is to brake early and smoothly, and also slow the car down for corners more than you need to, and then pick up speed through the corners and you'll be fine.
If it's wet, and it's a new experience for you, then it'll be a good learning experience as rain/wet rewards smoothness."
2:13.4200
2:10.4800
2:01.2400
2:03.1800
1:59.1900
1:56.2700 *WET PB
1:57.4900
Session 3
The track started drying up in this session but it was still quite damp. I tried pushing a little bit more, but it felt unsafe. The day appeared to not be going well for me. The weather seemed like it was taunting us with patches of rain and then allowing the track to dry up partially only to begin raining again. After this session, I was just hoping that the rain would hold off and let the track keep drying. As the group E cars went on for their third session, it looked promising and my hopes were raised.
2:08.7200
1:52.3400
1:51.6700
1:50.8300
1:51.3600
1:49.8800
1:48.0700
Session 4
The track had dried up nicely and I figured that this was my one and only chance to attempt anything remotely close to a PB. After a few laps of trying a higher corner speed through the double apex sweeper and later braking on the main straight, rejoice! 1:43.6 - 0.2 faster than previously. A very marginal difference, but I was happy that I matched it again.
1:55.4200
1:44.7600
1:44.7000
1:44.5400
1:44.4100
1:43.6000 *NEW PB
1:58.0700
Session 5
I took Jally out for a leisurely drive. Hope you enjoyed it.
2:03.9900
1:47.3300
1:45.4200
1:50.4500
1:47.4600
1:47.3500
1:47.6300
Full results:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?09/06/2008.WIN
