Road America
 

Any of your guys that have run at Road America with the kink, I was wondering what kind of times you were running in a street car? Also where to pick up time on the track?

Laps are always dependent on the driver, but that said I would consider RA a "horsepower" track so times are also correlated to levels of modifications. A well run Z06 does 2:30-2:35 times (hoosiers). I seen videos of Damian (from this forum), an experienced driver with a single turbo, do about 2:30 as well. You will need good brakes for this track. Do a search on "Damian" and I'm sure you'll find the links to his website.

R

I've watched all his vids and talked to him as well, i was just wondering if anyone else had personal experiance on that track.

My first (and only so far) time there I ran around 2:58 with a stock 3rd gen. Hoping to go back next year with a little more experience under the belt. Agree with the good brakes comment.

hmm, then a 2:56 with a basically stock rx8 isnt bad

Not bad at all. If I went back I would hope to make it into the low 2:50s, but I doubt experience alone will get me into the 2:40s.

do you know about the fbody club that runs there?

I met you at MFBA too, it was my first time there driving and my best laps were about 2:42, but of course my FD is no longer stock or even close to stock and I was running Damian's street tires, which are R compound Pirelli tires.

I could probably get into the 2:3X's without any changes, all I need is to not have to pass anyone, put a good lap together, and not let off in the straights at 140mph (top of fd's 4th gear.)

Here's my notes for the track:

Turn 1: Make sure you brake before the turn, I turn in at last cone, and hit the gas all the way through, this is a very fast corner. Drift all the way out, but try to miss rumbles.
From 1->3: Go straight from T1 exit to turn in point, ignore turn 2 altogether.
Turn 3: Late Apex, be on the gas asap as the straight is pretty long and any additional speed will help for a long time. There is a groove that can be hit with right side tires to assist turn 3 feet off the apex. Hard to find.
Turn 5: Crest hill on the left side, make sure to get all the way to the right rumbles before turn-in, you want to just touch them. On the exit you can go all the way across the rumbles with your right side tires. Try to avoid going in the dirt with the right side at the end of them though.
Turn 6: Blind, so be sure of your braking zone, creep up on this one. Make sure your turn in starts from all the way to the right side of the track. Slight late apex to build speed for T7. Hit rumbles just slightly on exit. Watch for spun/stalled Z06's sitting sideways (and hidden by the hill) on the turn exit.
Turn 7: Breathe throttle (or brake depending on your car/tires) early and make sure you are all the way to the edge on the left for turn in, and hit the gas all the way through. This is another very fast corner.
Turn 9: (Carousel) Fast dudes seem to enter fairly close to the right side and hold it all the way through, by the end you should be full on the gas drifting all the way left at exit.
Turn 10: (Kink) Very fast corner, however the utmost caution should be taken here. I brake from the 2 to the 1 marker, then start to get on the throttle right after turn in. Need to hit the rumbles on the left, touch them on the right at apex and then drift out towards them after the turn as much as you dare. Do not do anything to upset the car after turn-in. No lifting at all anywhere in the turn, only a smooth slow acceleration at the beginning and hard on the gas after the apex.
Turn 11: Very fast, just turn the whole back 'straight' into a single arc into the braking zone for T12
Turn 12: Turn in earlier than expected, and get hard on the gas. Should drift way out after touching rumbles on right at apex.
Turn 13: Get way over to right, touch rumbles at turn in, aim for bridge, but drift slightly right due to power, touch rumbles at apex under bridge, and be full on the gas. Drift way out all the way into the service road. You can get fast enough to just barely make it back from service road to the track. This is another very fast turn. Aim straight for your braking zone for 14.
Turn 14: Get over to the left while braking, turn in at two chunks of missing pavement on the left side of the track. Get back on gas immediately and drift all the way to rumbles to get speed up for main straight.

This is an amalgamation of information gleaned from Damian, Bruce (Red Cobra R,) Tom (Black Death - Z06) and my own driving. YMMV Be very careful doing any drastic changes to your line, creep up on everything as Road America has a lot of those concrete barriers!

what kind of speeds were you seeing going into the kink?

When I checked, which wasn't all the time of course, somewhere between 100 and 110 depending on how well I did it that particular lap. Mostly around 105-108. I'm talking about the speed just after the apex. That's the only time I looked down.

Also, if anyone is wondering, turn one can be taken without braking, but merely downshifting one gear and throttle steering through. Don't ask how I know, though...

wow, i dont think ive seen anyone take 1 without brakes

Yeah, it's fast, but there's no way you go through there without braking. I can get to 150+ before the turn, and it's maybe a 90-100mph turn.

That new turbo must be working nice, most I ever saw at that track was about 125-130 if I recall correctly. MFBA was the group I went with too. Oct 2003 I think. Falcoms' profile lists a 90 GXL, I could almost see taking turn one in a lower power car like that. Can't imagine doing it in a car with a reasonable amount of power.

Actually, it happened in a '70 boss 302 mustang GT-1 car I was crewing that weekend. The brake line blew out when the driver hit them, and managed to get through after downshifting 1 gear from ~175-180mph on the main straight. Also, he's running 13" wide fronts and 12" rears, just FYI. And the suspension is definatley not stock...

boss mustang, i love the old ones.

Would it be beneficial to me to shift into 5th gear in the front and back straights? I normally am right at the top of 4th gear redline.

It definitely is. Minor problems here and there but overall it's flying.

Even the stock motor Miatas brake hard for turn one!

Man that must have been one scary turn. I think we can all agree this is less than ideal. :D

Goo are you planning on hitting RA in the spring as well?

I drove my car on sunday the 16th, the only laps I timed were with a 240 lb passenger- 2:58 was my best on that session. It's hard to get an accurate time when you have to slow for traffic. This was my second time driving at road america. My tires (falken 451's) really lose a lot of grip halfway through the 20 minute sessions, I hope to upgrade to some ccw's and stickier tires for next year.
See you guys in april!

^turbo, whereabouts in WI are you?

Wauwatosa

You have any pics of your car there?

Absolutely.

Sweet, what other stuff should I look at possibly doing to my car this winter? All I have is RB front/rear sways, SS brake/clutch lines and and a JIC front strut tower brace. I did a Hawk HP+ pad sway and Motul 600 fluid. Any other recommendations?