Kenneth Waller
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/kennethwaller
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Colen" <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: OT - When a NASCAR champ meets Mt Panorama in a V8 Supercar
On Oct 10, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Philip Northeast wrote:
On 11/10/11 5:55 AM, Larry Colen wrote:
The bit I saw on you tube was heavily edited as the corners were not
shown in sequence and some were repeated - sort of like the movie Bullet.
Probably, the best comments from each of several laps.
I was led to believe the clip shown on speed during the live broadcast was a
full lap - didn't appear to be edited.
But Mt Panorama is still an extremely challenging and spectacular
circuit.
If I ever make it out to Oz, I'll have to try and sign up for an open
track day there.
The run up the mountain is daunting, but nothing compared to the run from
Skyline down to Forest Elbow and the start of Conrod straight.
Image the corkscrew at Laguna Seca then multiply by four.
Heh! The corkscrew, while very scenic, and rather fun, isn't usually a
particularly exciting, or challenging, turn. It's so sharp, you just
have to go into it slow. It's so steep that you don't even have to
downshift that much in even underpowered cars. Brake, turn, gas/drop,
turn. Lot's of fun, unless you do something stupid, then it can be way too
much fun. Turn 9(old 7, under the bridge) on the other hand is fast, down
hill, oddly cambered and I don't think I ever got it right. I think
that's the one where a friend following me said that he'd see about a foot
of air under both rear tires of my cortina following me through it.
The absolute biggest thrill at Laguna was the old turn 4, now turn 6. On
the old course you'd be flat out from the exit of turn 9 (now turn 11) all
the way to the entrance of 4, which was a sharp left before heading up the
hill to the corkscrew. The problem is that there was a cement barrier on
the inside, and there wasn't a lot of runoff on the outside. As a matter
of fact, there was a wee bit of a dropoff, such that the saying was that
if you go off in four, you'll land in Salinas.
It may be an apocryphal story that back in the days of Can Am, one driver
call him Bob, could never keep up with another driver, call him Dave,
through turn four, and asked him about his line. Dave said that he just
lined up on the bushes on the outside of the track and used something or
other as a turn down marker. Bob was puzzled for a moment about the
mention of bushes, and Dave described them to him. "Oh!, those aren't
bushes. They're the tops of trees." After that, Dave was no longer
faster than Bob through four.
My first day at Laguna Seca was at a driving school. I had a rather
underpowered 1600cc rabbit (Golf) and in the afternoon, felt like I could
take the turn without lifting. My instructor was watching from that turn,
and asked just how many times I spun, because he'd lost count.
--
Larry Colen [email protected] sent from i4est
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