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Re: The Lotus Elise

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: The Lotus Elise
From: WSpohn4@aol.com
Date: Fri, 8 Mar 2002 18:07:47 EST
In a message dated 08/03/02 1:42:05 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
owner-mgs-digest@autox.team.net writes:


> That's pretty cool. But, I don't think the Elise driver was doing very 
> well. Ok, I'll admit, I'm not much of a driver, and I don't race. But I 
> don't think he was taking very good lines. The Ferrari was flattening 
> out the turns, the Elise didn't. He also botched the last turn before it
> ended.
> No offense intended, but I gotta think the Elise could have been ahead 
> of the Ferrari if it just took better lines, and could hold him off on 
> some of the shorter straight aways.
> 

Nope - no way.
When you have a car that is faster on the straights, it doesn't matter if you 
get passed going into the windy section, you just pull away on the next 
straight.

I've been there - I ran Portland once and was turning faster lap times than 
the guy in the injected but drum-braked Corvette (a 1957?). I'd pull up or 
even pass him every corner, and he'd smoke away on the straight. I was right 
up his fibreglass tushie in the corners, but he slowed me down from what I 
would be able to turn on a clear track. As the start/finish line is 
inevitably on the straight, guess who was ahead at the finish? We had a good 
time, though.


It is also impossible for me to tell without being there, but I suspect that 
the F40 was taking the line that the instructors told him to, often wider 
than need be, and the Elise was closer to the ideal line given his speed.

Bill

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