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RE: My School Experience at Laguna Seca

To: "Jerry Mouton" <jerry@moutons.org>
Subject: RE: My School Experience at Laguna Seca
From: "Kevin Stevens" <Kevin_Stevens@Bigfoot.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 02:08:32 -0800
Great description - what school was this, BTW?

I just won the half-day Russell lapping session at Sears Point for $125, which
is a hell of a deal for driving someone else's formula car with no liability.
;)  Wahoo!

KeS

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
> [mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Jerry Mouton
> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2000 19:13
> To: Cyril_Reif; Bay_Area_Autocross_List; Alex_Mouton; James Christopher
> Mouton
> Subject: My School Experience at Laguna Seca
>
>
> You drift into turn 11, trailing brake to get the red
> Formula Dodge to rotate smoothly into the turn, as the
> long aspect of the Laguna Seca front straight comes
> rapidly spinning into view.  The bleachers stretched out
> to your right are empty, and you never see them anyway.
> Your presence on this track in a fast, balanced formula car
> has transformed it from a grand theater of automotive
> spectacle to just another great road to be driven.
> Somehow the aura you have always felt here has stopped
> at the pits and not accompanied you out onto the tarmac.
>
> As you feel the right attitude, you smoothly roll off the
> brake onto the throttle and the car smartly catches its
> rotation and starts to dig into the hairpin.  As you feel that
> grip, you roll more and more onto the throttle, rapidly
> getting to the floor as the steering unwinds straight..
>
> In second gear, the thousand-pound racer blasts onto the
> straight, 137 horsepower pressing you back into the hard
> seat.  Every element of this minimalist car roars and rattles
> but you don't hear it, other than noting the engine sound as
> it approaches the 5000 RPM limit set for you.  5000, and
> the crashbox four speed pops itself magically into third
> with a flick of feet and wrist -- just a barely perceptible
> blip in motivation as the throttle stays flat.  You shake out
> of concentration long enough to check the flagstand on
> the pit lane -- no messages.
>
> The Start/Stop bridge is screaming at you now, and you adjust
> slightly to center the car under the "N" in the HONDA sign
> across it.  Beneath the bridge, the road disappears into the sky,
> glaring afternoon sun blurring everything.  No cues from
> the road beyond -- it's under the horizon.  The "N" is your
> only guide to avoid disaster into the unknown terrain beyond.
> The car continues to accelerate to 5000.  Pop!  Fourth and
> top and still flat out as you crest the hill.  Still no road, but
> telephone poles pop out of the ground as you start to fall.
> Second pole -- aim for the second pole...  Suddenly the apex
> of turn 1 is in view, and turn in for 2.  At turn 1 you are diving,
> starting to free fall at 100 miles per hour at an increasing
> slant.  Full throttle to the turn in, your instructor said.  The
> left verge of the track at Turn 1 apex is a little rough, off of the
> smoother track surface.  But you need every inch of the line to
> make this turn.  At this speed, the hill at the end of turn two
> is rushing you, unnerving you and weakening the calf muscles
> mashing the throttle into the floor.  The rough surface makes
> the car buck and yaw subtly.  You just can't make yourself
> make it go faster, but the hill is insistent.
>
> Before you can grab control of that throttle you are at Turn In
> on the right side of the track.  You can see the two connecting
> 95 degree turns that make up the Andretti Hairpin, the very
> technical turn two.  At 100 you have only a split second to
> turn the car 15 degrees to point at the wooden box on the hill.
> Brake! brake!brake!  Left front wheel stops in plain sight and
> acrid smoke pours around it. ease! ease! the car hauls in at
> threshold as you pop! pop! double clutch heel and toe the
> non-synchro third then second gear into play.  Can you stop?
> the lockup will have lengthened your path.  Apex 1 turn 2
> is here and you ease the brake and turn in left, easing off the brakes
> to leave some trailing into the turn.  You can feel the rear tires
> slipping, slipping around.  This is really rotating the car quickly!
> you look left, down toward the Track Out past the apex -- or try to,
> as the brakes come off and throttle starts rolling in.  The rear
> end hardens and sticks well.  You have rotated enough that there
> is plenty of room for throttle and you start to feed it in.  Have you
> entered too slow?  The car tracks through, maybe nibbling at the
> road a little as you hit Track Out.  The wheels rumble a half
> second on the white curb as you reach full throttle and blast
> toward turn 3, righthander.  Laguna maintains very good,
> clear brake markers,
> and you pick the 2 to aim for.  Pop! third and floored, ease into
> line with the left track edge at 2 and touch the brake, but get right
> back on a little throttle -- "about 2 out of 10" said the instructor,
> and the Turn In comes up at once -- at 1, since at Laguna for
> these Skip Barber cars the 1 marker is the perfect turn in point.
> Right, and rolling the throttle in, now to 4,... 5,... you clip the apex and
> have just a little room to unwind as you reach Track Out.
> Boy!  Straightening the wheel really lets the car jump!
> 5000 RPM and fast under the bridge.  Dunlop?  Michelin?
> No, it's just a dark thing over your head.  There is just the road.
>
> Turn 4 bends right ahead, and it's a power turn.  A brief brake at
> 2 to 4, then on the gas a little before Turn In.  70 MPH is a guess
> -- there is no speedometer -- as you bend right, too.  Throttle rolls
> in more as you feel the car grip, and you reach flat out at apex, and
> again the road stretches out ahead, warped right, and the car
> screams by Track Out to eat it up.
>
> Pop! Fourth  Flat again in an instant.  BOSCH  BOSCH overhead,
> it's the bridge!  and brakes to 5 as the car slows for a half second
> and Pop!  Instant double clutch and throttle blip in a blink.  Faster
> than possible!  How can I do this?  I guess the Jaguar practice for
> years has helped.  But the transmission is making it happen.
> Unlike the Jag gears, this box is made to be shifted fast.  The
> dog rings pop in and there is no graunch of gears. All this in a half
> second and throttle in again at 2 before Turn In for left uphill
> turn 5.  Roll in throtttle to apex and flat by Track Out, screaming
> uphill in third.  In this car, the hill is a visual change in attitude, not
> a dragging force on the car.  The car continues to accelerate under the
> main entrance bridge, for you just a darkness.  4.. 3.. 2.. 1  placards
> on the right for zoomy uphill turn 6 coming up.  A real power turn,
> but if you get in hot and lift you're into the tire wall so very quick..
> This car will be stuffed into that wall later this day, thankfully
> your co-driver is unhurt but the car is seriously bent!
>
> Brakes to 5 about the 3, then throttle again to 2 about halfway between
> 2 and 1 the settle the car for the turn.  Wheels touching the right
> curb line at Turn in -- number 1 -- accelerating some as you
> dip toward the apex.  The camber holds the car, and you roll on more
> throttle till you get flat out halfway to Track Out.  Some rumble from
> tires on the curb as you blast up the back of the Corkscrew hill.
> Pop! fourth and flat.
>
> Nothing can be seen but a light standard over the hill, looming over
> the track.  Aim for the yellow light box and have faith!  Faster, faster
> into the unknown.  The hill rolls down and you see Turn 7 Turn In
> driver's left of track -- adjust to hit it and stay flat! stay flat!  don't
> worry about the cascade facing you unseen beyond.  The hidden
> gravel and wall just beyond -- somewhere.  No cues, but hair stands
> up on your neck as the engine screams and only the shortness of
> time keeps your brain from getting the command to your foot -- lift!
> lift!  There's a 3 above the hill, a 2 starts to appear.  "Turn 7" is no
> real
> turn, just an underline on "turn 8, turn 8a!" to emphasize the
> exclamation point already on it.  Brake, but soft.  You are at 4200
> RPM in fourth, but the road is dropping away as you crest the hill.
> No grip for your tires, you slow agonizingly.  Then you see
> everything all at once 3..2..1..  Road comes up and presses your
> suspension down, your chance to slow.  Pop third pop second, still
> too fast at Corkscrew Turn In, but you should trail brake here.  You can
> almost see the first apex, but beyond is blackness.  Trees -- three
> oak trees.  Point at the third through the first apex, faith in
> tradition again, but it pays off.  You dive into a twisting Yosemite
> Falls of your car, just at the second apex thanks to the tree,
> powering, powering down and out to Track Out.  Pop! third!
>
> Still further the falling track flows and eddies under yet another
> darkness -- bridge?  and you swing right and brake a little, then
> power on through the deep Turn 9 apex on the left.  Watch it!
> Are you too fast to make the Track Out?  Don't lift...  More
> power, feather it on.  The car adds the grip of RWD under
> power, and you make the edge by inches.  Pop!  fourth!
>
> Now a short hop across the track to the 3..2..1 of Turn 10.
> They say Mario Andretti brakes from 158 to 134 for this turn,
> but you are not that fast yet.  You lift a little and power up
> before turn in.  Ten has a deep apex, and you can depend on it,
> but watch the Track Out!  Later today you will taste the dirt of
> the opposite shoulder after trusting it too much.  Right there
> you see the 4..3..2..1 for Turn 11.  Flat, flat to 3 and a half,
> then Brake!brake!  Pop three pop two, trail brake into turn 11.
>
> Then do it all again...
>
> Jerry
>
> Jerry Mouton        mailto:jerry@moutons.org    Laissez les bons temps
> rouler!

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