Exe Crew Track Day - Winton Motor Raceway

21st October 2012

It was time to return to Winton again, the track where I have cut the most laps out of all the tracks that I have visited. The goal for this track day was to catch that elusive 1:40.xx lap and join Silas in doing a 40 with an NA 350Z.

The day looked like it was setting up to be perfect for a track day, with a relatively clear sky. So, down to business...

Session 1
My friend Robbie came for a ride for the first session. The track felt good, grip was coming up and confidence was building in the car.
2:02.7470 1:56.7810 1:46.3990 1:41.6130 1:42.2510 1:41.9210 1:42.2410

Session 2
I went out alone, time to get to work. After stringing together a couple of 41s I finally broke into the 40s, a new PB.
1:56.5690 1:46.1970 1:43.7630 1:41.0140 1:41.5700 1:40.9530 1:41.6020 1:40.7430

Session 3
I attempted again to beat my new PB, but wasn't successful. I felt that the track had gone "off" by this stage. It was slippery probably because it was getting too hot and dirt was being brought on by cars going off.
1:56.8090 1:41.7050 1:46.1610 1:41.6920 1:45.2070 1:44.2370 1:43.4040

Session 4
By this stage, it was well into the afternoon and I could only manage 41s. The track was just too slippery.
1:54.1490 1:45.6660 1:42.9060 1:43.0560 1:42.4160 1:41.5110

Session 5
1:54.4100 1:43.3840 1:43.4690 1:43.8130 1:41.6650

Session 6
Dan 1337 was passenger, so this session was just a few happy laps before ending the day.
1:52.9430 1:41.8410 2:02.8710 1:43.0430

Compared to my previous best lap it looks like overall, I found time by getting higher speeds before braking for corners. Some were achieved by braking later and some by getting on to the throttle earlier on exit of the previous corner.

Looking at the theoretical best lap (1:40.08 - the brighter yellow line) comparison, the gains are to be had by going through the S corner (turns 10 and 11) some 10 kph faster.

Here are some photos I pillaged from Charlie, Robbie and Mellow. Thank you!

Finally, a big thank you to all Exe Crew for the effort they put in to make this one of the best Winton track days yet. Thanks also to all participants for your great on and off track behaviour, it made for a very smooth day.