Daz... good thinking there
I started (re-started) my track experience by doing a highperformance driving day... with Frank Porter Cam McConville and John Harvey as our track instructors
You think you can drive around a circuit quickly but these guys quickly point out where you are getting it wrong
thanks Smitty
yeah mate I'm not even at the point where I think I can drive quick, I know I'm slow lol
Biggest limitation at the moment (apart from the street tyres I was running) was me, the driver. My car was capable of a lot more, but I just don't feel confident pushing much harder. Had a couple of moments over the last couple of track days where I've driven beyond my ability. Fortunately I managed to catch them (more arsey than ability), but it does remind you how easily it can all come undone, and Lakeside is not the sort of track that you want to come off at. It does scare me at times, especially when I see all the photos at the drivers brief of all the written off cars they see almost every month at the track.
There was a near stock Grp 3 VH running at Lakeside last track day. He did have slicks and suspension tuned to suit, but no coil overs etc and the engine was fairly much as Brock intended. Yet this thing was cutting lap times around 5-6 seconds quicker than me and was one of the quickest cars in his session, which included some imports and high powered late model HSV's. Fair enough he had slicks but I put a lot of it down to his driving experience. There's Hyundai Excel Cup cars out there that are lapping quicker than me. No dramas down the straights, but they are all over me on the corners and braking areas. I end up stepping aside and let them past because I open a huge gap down the straight, but then hold them up on all the corners
So yeah it just goes to show driver skill/experience is actually more important at a track like Lakeside than outright car speed. If you are lucky enough to have both, then nobody will catch ya!