Monday, March 8, 2010

On The Run Motorsports Track Day - Winton Raceway

The week leading up to this event, we were checking the weather report for Benalla and the outlook was grim.

Rain was forecast and as the day drew closer, it didn't change much - it just went from "heavy rain" to "rain" and "sunny" during the day and "heavy rain" at night. Joy...

In the morning, the track was still damp and the day still looked like a write-off for PB's with the clouds remaining grey and blanking out the whole sky. Fortunately, the impending rain held off and the first few groups of cars on the track started creating a dry line. I knew that with the grass was still very wet and extra caution was still to be exercised, but I was determined to achieve a new PB because of the new suspension, regardless of how small the improvement was.

Session 1
Getting used to the new suspension, but I ended up setting my fastest lap of the day (and new PB) here.
2:16.8310 1:48.5500 1:43.6440 1:45.7040 2:12.9840 1:43.0470 1:42.6060

Session 2
Wet track - Just used this session to test car behaviour at low speed.
2:27.6920 2:08.1370 2:04.0670 2:06.6280 2:01.1900 1:59.5020 1:58.4060

Session 3
The track had dried up again and I went out for another shot, but every lap there was a mistake.
2:03.8640 1:46.2740 1:43.9510 1:44.3070 1:42.7070 1:43.8060 1:42.9150 1:43.6340

Session 4
Ran into traffic every lap, so no clean runs at all.
1:50.6540 1:44.2970 1:51.2880 1:43.6690 1:44.0660 1:44.6390

Session 5
Chasing the Chaser, this was a good session as it gave me opportunity to judge the pace at which I was driving as the Chaser was consistent. Towards the end, I think I overdrove the tyres and they overheated.
1:54.5920 1:51.4460 1:42.7370 1:42.7440 1:43.2200 1:43.5650 1:43.8310 1:52.0540

Here is the speed-distance comparison of my previous PB to the new one.


My thoughts on the new coilovers:
In combination with the semi slicks, they make the car feel more planted through corners, especially the sweeper. This then allows for more confident throttle application with less fear of the car's tail feeling like it will give way any time. With the settings I drove on yesterday, there was also enough body roll to maintain the grip levels.

Pictures courtesy of Mugsee:


Full results for the day:
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?08/03/2010.WIN.S1
http://www.natsoft.com.au/cgi-bin/results.cgi?08/03/2010.WIN.S1.I

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