69 replies to this topic

[Jim Drago]

Not only is every opening not a passing opportunity, you do not have to win every corner, every straightaway on every lap. Case in point, Sundays June Sprints race, Voytek led about 100 yards, the last 100 yards under the checker.

 

 

I wouldnt count on that strategy working very often, that one came gift wrapped..  

[Steve Scheifler]

It was nice to run with some of the same guys at the same track so soon after the Sprints, and with less drama for us this time.  I got passed under yellow twice but the only unintentional contact was one wheel touch that could have gone bad, and a surprise bump-draft in the kink that could have gone real bad (mostly my fault for having missed the line a bit and lifting slightly).   Nice job by pretty much everyone on Sunday it seems. Congrats to the winner and almost winners.

 

We came to the CAT hoping to improve on a particularly difficult and disappointing Sprints weekend.  In some ways it was a success, in others not so much, but I’m glad we went.  Between the two events we looked at a lot of data and video and thanks to the generosity of several other drivers we were able to compare our laps to those of cars running at or near the front in prior races.  Some of what we found simply confirmed what we already thought we knew but as is often the case it helped to clarify and prioritize what we should work on.

 

Since we are using Traqmate these days there are more people with compatible data than when we used Race Technology but working around the bugs to avoid false conclusions can be tedious at best.  I sure hope someone carries on development of the software.  One of the first things we wanted to do was minimize the effect of the draft by isolating each corner from the start of braking to track-out plus a bit so we could focus on things like minimum and average speeds, exit speed etc.  As expected we were giving up the most corner time and exit speed in the second half of the carousel.  We had both been getting too loose through there and having to feather the throttle quite a bit so we made adjustments to the cars and our line during the Sprints.  That helped but looking at the data from that Sunday we were still giving up time there so we made more changes for the CAT.  The rest of the corners were mixed and not always what we expected.  For example I’ve always assumed that I’m losing some through T3 and T6 even at my best, but the data suggests I just need to be more consistent in T3 and I’m equal to or faster than our benchmarks in T6.  Meanwhile I thought I was doing OK through T1 because whenever I tried to carry even a bit more speed it just would not stick, all four giving up pretty much together in a slide rather than a drift if that conveys the idea.  At T5 I often either over-slow and can’t accelerate as well up the hill, or I come in too hot and go too wide at exit.  The data helped my quantify the cost of each of those mistakes.  T9 and Canada looked better than expected and T14 not quite as good, again helping me to focus my efforts where they are needed and not over-drive others trying to improve a lot where I’m already close or ahead.

 

So my "optimal" lap without the long straights looked pretty competitive IF I could be more consistent (my Achilles’ heel), and that was actually a surprise because our initial attempt at some quick analysis during the Sprints weekend was positively demoralizing.  That naturally led us back to the obvious question "how much is the draft worth?".  That depends on a number of factors of course, not least of which is who’s drafting, how many and how close.  We used the data to look at it in various ways and came up with something between a lot and A LOT!   Tom and I had spent quite a few laps through the Sprints weekend trying to work together but without much success, as our lap times and max speed on the straights when running together showed.  Our strengths and weaknesses didn’t mesh well and we gained little compared to running alone, slower than running with others.  So that was something to continue working on for qualifying but still requires optimizing each corner individually.  We came to the CAT a little more optimistic than we had left the Sprints because at least we knew where we needed the most work.

 

On the test day we did both improve significantly in the carousel and each worked on our other focus points with some success but we still didn’t team up well for drafting.  For qualifying we started together but also ran separately to try and pick up drafting partners.  I fared a little better than Tom but maximum speeds on the straights were far too low most laps.  To turn a really good time there you need to drive well but also be latched onto at least one other car driven equally well and then match them very closely to optimize the benefits of the draft.   I’m not sure how much difference there is between 2 and 3 or more, perhaps someone who knows will comment.   I spent most of the race Saturday playing caboose to the train, in 10th just far enough back to get little or no help from the draft.  I figure I couldn’t be doing too badly to hang on from that distance but the pack was slowing itself down swapping positions or I wouldn’t have had a chance.  The second T5 incident closed the gap and starting the last lap I was P7, got passed when I briefly started for 3rd approaching T1 (WTHF?    ) , got it back somewhere I think, lost it again, then drafted back by into Canada but went a bit wide and had to wait as 4 cars rolled by.  I would have been satisfied with 8th still attached to what was left of the lead pack, but I liked the view from 7th better.  Oh well.

 

Sunday Q was too short and unfortunately our plans to try and run with a couple faster guys didn’t work out when everyone hit the track together and we all spent way too much time getting around some slower cars, leaving little chance to turn a good lap.  I ended up 9th but slower than my Sunday race lap so it didn’t help.   For the Sunday race in a rare moment of frugality or something we rationalized starting on older tires rather than the ones we scrubbed Friday morning.  That didn’t work.  I had a great start and moved up a few positions on Max’s rear bumper but got separated in T5 and gradually fell back from there.  Track temps must have been pretty high because the tires were slimy through the carousel after a few laps and only got worse.  I was soon running entirely alone so when Tom and a drafting partner appeared I back off to hook up with them and practice running together, though no hope of catching anyone else.  Unfortunately the other car went off the next lap leaving Tom and I to run the last half of the race in practice mode.

 

We finished on a low note but I think a little more optimistic than the last trip.   If we can settle in behind the lead pack and not make mistakes too big to overcome with the next draft I think we can stay there awhile and look for opportunities to pick up positions.  If someone had handed me the lead I don’t think it would have lasted long, there are some very aggressive drivers in this class and many of them have the skills and the cars to back it up, but our goal at the moment is to run with the leaders at more tracks the way Tom has done a couple times this year where we are most comfortable.  I think my car was good enough to do that at the CAT.  I can’t say whether it was good enough to win outright, there are just too many factors and unknowns, but it could have been in the mix.  Tom’s car didn’t seem to be as stable in the carousel and kink and we need to figure out why if we take it there again because those are too important and too dangerous to be constantly catching it. 

 

If I had one piece of advice for guys who are much closer at other tracks than they are at Road America it would be to team up with one or more comparable and compatible drivers in equal cars and work on the perfect draft lap.  Unless you are qualifying and timing it to have a big gap at the end of one lap that you close before start-finish on the next, a half-assed draft where you catch the other guy and thump him mid-straight doesn’t compare to coming out of every corner with just a small gap and spending the entire straight nudging him along.  The front third of the field is doing that and putting an extra 2 seconds a lap on you with it. And staying that close has the added benefit of masking small mistakes, which are more likely for some of us when we can’t see much more than the car in front, because the draft gives it back.  

[Steve Scheifler]

Has anyone ever seriously discussed a different qualifying format, especially where the draft is big?  Is it even theoretically possible within the rules?

 

At some lesser event where we could get consensus it might be fun to let cars out at intervals for a warmup plus maybe two hot laps each.  No drafting allowed even if you catch someone.  After the first 'x' are out don't release the next until one comes in, and always time it to maintain large gaps.  Or wait until the last of one set comes in then start the next set. We could be lined up in order of practice times to reduce the chance of catching someone (as if we actually still had practice sessions anymore. ).  At Road America I think you could do 10 seconds between cars, 16 per set, 3 laps, and still get done in about 35 minutes with a field like we had at the CAT.  Should be able to cut it to as close as 5 seconds for a bigger field. The fast guys will still be at the front of course but it might spread out a little and the order might change a bit.  Beyond the top 1/3 or so the gap to the front might be smaller and the order would much better reflect pace rather than the ability to get a good drafting partner.

 

It would be interesting to try, and would introduce a different kind of pressure with just a couple laps to get it done.

[Danny Steyn]

Steve, A couple of things

 

#1 - NEVER lift at the kink, you are going to get punted, sometimes by your team mate. Ask Tom Brown and several others. We are all committed to WOT and not expecting anyone to lift, so when it happens it is a big surprise!

 

#2 - I LOVE the draft and its effect on qualifying and the race, and would hate to see this part of the strategy removed. It forces you to make friends of convenience, and by working with others, and timing it right, despite the lack of team mates, I have managed to qualify on the pole at least 3 or 4 times for the June Sprints. This is a an added dimension to the racing that forces you to think about how you are going to run your qualifying session, and your race, several months in advance with a Plan A, B, C and possibly a backup plan D if it all comes apart at the seams. and work at running with a piece of paper between your bumper and the car ahead. Not for the faint of heart, and you really have to have studied how the other drivers drive the track so that you can get that close with confidence.

 

WRT times, your best lap on your own is around 1.4 seconds slower than a good lap in the draft, and around 1.8 seconds slower than a "perfect" lap in the draft.

 

And as Jim and Dave stated above, this is a track that rewards patience. I have been very content to ride around in the armchair waiting for the right moment. Sometimes I have got it right, other times no so much! Of course this approach makes me vulnerable to an early caution, so it has its downsides.

[Steve Scheifler]

Danny, I agree about the draft adding a dimension in the race. It's perhaps the best part of racing at a track that is otherwise too big for our chick cars, not that you could get rid of it if you wanted to. But i'd like to change things up for qualifying. I don't see it as any kind of bonus that I have to plan a month ahead or spend my weekend trying to forge alliances rather than work on the car or reviewing data and video. Plenty of opportunity for that once the grid is set for the race (which I did). To me it would be far more interesting to do it one way for Q, outright solo pace, and another for the race.

As for the kink, the lift was early, as soon as I realized I'd missed. I have a pretty good sense of when it's necessary.

I calculate a bit more benefit from the draft than you do, but maybe that's a reflection of my anemic 1.6 power.

[davew]

Just as a point of reference, Voyteks qualifying lap (P6 for Saturday and P7 on Sunday) was TOTALLY on his own. No body within 10 seconds in front or behind for the entire session on Saturday morning. This was a planned excersize to see what he could do with no help. He was 0.9 off the pole which was in a drafting group.

 

I feel, some people work better in a draft situation than others.

 

Steve/Tom, try shifting into 5th gear on the front straight. We where calling you the "No shift shiftlers" as you went into turn 1, pop pop pop pop 

[Steve Scheifler]

Dave, I doubt there were more than 5 times all weekend that I stayed on the rev limiter to T1? We have a higher redline so occassionally we get there so late that I don't do the up then immediate down-shift again. Our first trip to Atlanta we were certainly guilty of doing that a lot, or I was anyway. Certainly not the thing to do routinely.

I'm surprised how close Voytek's solo time was, really surprised. Kudos to him for sure, I'm impressed!

[Jim Drago]

Steve, A couple of things

 

#1 - NEVER lift at the kink, you are going to get punted, sometimes by your team mate. Ask Tom Brown and several others. We are all committed to WOT and not expecting anyone to lift, so when it happens it is a big surprise!

 

#2 - I LOVE the draft and its effect on qualifying and the race, and would hate to see this part of the strategy removed. It forces you to make friends of convenience, and by working with others, and timing it right, despite the lack of team mates, I have managed to qualify on the pole at least 3 or 4 times for the June Sprints. This is a an added dimension to the racing that forces you to think about how you are going to run your qualifying session, and your race, several months in advance with a Plan A, B, C and possibly a backup plan D if it all comes apart at the seams. and work at running with a piece of paper between your bumper and the car ahead. Not for the faint of heart, and you really have to have studied how the other drivers drive the track so that you can get that close with confidence.

 

WRT times, your best lap on your own is around 1.4 seconds slower than a good lap in the draft, and around 1.8 seconds slower than a "perfect" lap in the draft.

 

And as Jim and Dave stated above, this is a track that rewards patience. I have been very content to ride around in the armchair waiting for the right moment. Sometimes I have got it right, other times no so much! Of course this approach makes me vulnerable to an early caution, so it has its downsides.

 

At I believe the 2009 or 10 Runoffs I found myself back away from my teamates and in a spare car as I lost an engine the session before in STU while testing for SM.. Car was slower and not remotely set up. I wasnt on the best of terms with Danny back then .. But made it very apparent that he better go and go soon or I was going to rip the back of his car off as it was aboput to rain and we needed to get a lap in and quick   He took the clue and off we went. We were able to manage a far better qualifying time than either of us deserved, i had a really good one but slid wide in Canada

  

This years sprints pole lap was spectactular in time and timing only.. I blew 14 to start the lap which put Craig on my bumper immediately so I had a great push from Craig up the front straight lost Craig on Mid straight but pulled a draft off someone else and passed them by 5, I am very good from 5 to carousel and ran unobstruicted there.. Started to catch a 2 wide cluster down the back straight.. they all straightened out before canada and didnt hold me up until just after 14 where I followed the fastest 2.. Ended up as an incredible time, but far from my best lap there.

 

 

Steve on your scenario.. couldn't I just wait for my teamate?   One lap.. start from pit lane on flagger..  winner takes all..

[Steve Scheifler]

No drafting was in my rules. Easily enforced with wide gaps and corner workers. 1 lap from the pits would certainly be the extreme version but we don't need to start breaking things with standing starts for qualifying.

[Tom Scheifler]

Steve/Tom, try shifting into 5th gear on the front straight. We where calling you the "No shift shiftlers" as you went into turn 1, pop pop pop pop

Probably me more than Steve. And probably more when drafting changed the location for the shift. Just more evidence that I need more seat time at RA.