while i've got the attention of some ra experts, let's talk gears by turn number

turn 1. downshift at end of straight under light braking from 5th to 4th then turn in with slight trail braking (i think this would be better with mid turn downshift with SRM on)... concrete patch in mid of left front wheel and stay just off curbing with right wheel

3/4. hug curbing maybe 2 feet off remaining in 4th gear all the way through these and then all the way through esses

5. setting up entry with straight line coming out of right hand ess, then downshift to 3rd under braking and accelerate rolling out to straddle curbing

en route... shift from 3 to 4, then 4 to 5 (for me this is a must about 1/2 way to turn 6)

6. light braking with downshift to 4th... would be better with srm or perfect heel-toe, as right braking zone appears to be after initiating turn

7. make a straight line on bank of turn 6 towards 7 turn in point, brake hard, down shift to 3rd while braking hard, hard turn into to apex (I over turn steering input to get the understeer started) then let the front wheels catch into straight line and get on it as car settles just before apex

long straight, i end up in 6th gear just before downhill if I came out of turn 7 as planned

10a. downshift to 3rd in the heavy braking zone, hard left turn with slightly late turn in to get somewhat on the left side of 10b turn in and get max speed coming out of 10b

10b... exiting 10b, shift into 4th hopefully before crest of hill... when I time this poorly I was hitting a divot on top of hill (driver under red mark in sign) and getting a little squirrely... usually shifting 20 feet before crest

11/12. straighten out at bottom of hill and shift to 5th before start/finish, hopefully not unsettling the car! I'm being a big puss in turn 12 and holding 3/4 throttle so my eventual shift point is probably sooner

Random question, Travis: I know you do without SRM. Would you rather have it back?

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I'd like to have the option... at RA for example, new track to me and rather dangerous... SRM just takes one element of danger out of the equation... and as I get comfortable with a track I can take it off and practice heel-toe

Side note... Probably a controversial thing to say but I think 10 years from now only vintage racers are going to have manual trans.

btw, i had to catch 2 or 3 botched heel-toes at RA this weekend. I recall 10a downshift to 3rd getting ugly a couple times. not really a big deal at that particular corner, just had to snap the steering wheel as the rear stepped out. also once on braking zone before turn 5... but if it had happened on turn 1 for example where I use every last bit of tarmac on the roll-out, would have been a big big problem as the correction would have taken the last 6 inches I kept in reserve

Must be the different levels of power that put you in the higher revs quicker being your FI. So I'm speaking from a NA mind set. T5 I always down shifted to 3rd also (I think Mike doesn't, sometimes) to pull you up and over the crest faster (especially to pass) and then shift to 4th. But never got to the point of shifting to 5th (again NA mind set), never got that high in the revs.

Back straight before T10a. Again must be the power difference, I top out 5th well before the dog leg there but never could reach 6th gear. I brake late on the descend before T10a hitting nearly 140-145mph. I'll continue later. Have to go to work.

After 10b I used to short shift to 4th before the bridge/ crest. Not sure about a dip. But now I shift after the bridge as I'm starting down the roll out far left. I felt I was losing way to much momentum by short shifting.

And as far as T12 and 3/4 throttle. Me to. Me to. Butt loads of momentum in that descend. Always treat with Hugh amount of respect. I've heard the big dogs talk about going full throttle threw there and it will hold if entering a late apex. But I'll save that for for later years.

Thx chris, 3rd is much faster for me through t5 but maybe mike is carrying more speed?

Forgot to mention i am rev limited to just under 7k. Limits peak rpm and helps with temps

Mike defiantly carries more speed threw T5.

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I agree on the last part, to be honest.

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Nah, it was consistently the same lap time all weekend long. It purely just made the car worse. A lot of times drivers do go faster switching to slicks just by having more confidence in their car thinking that they should be faster. Or many times the stickier tire helps cover up small driving mistakes and aggressiveness with their inputs. So perhaps I should rephrase that simply bolting on slicks to a car that is not set up for them will not make the car faster however it may make the driver faster. The car I was driving I was very comfortable in, very consistent in, and at a track I was also comfortable in. The car had almost a year's worth of setup on Hankook R-S3 street tires and we didn't make any other changes except the slicks. Obviously the smaller the jump between tires the less affect it has and also some cars will be affected less given their setup and suspension geometry. I could get a lot more technical and boring but you get the point.

Garage upgrade on the way!

http://cdn.ammcoats.com/media/catalo.../coats_875.jpg
http://cdn.ammcoats.com/media/catalo...h3_xseries.jpg

COATS Wheel Balancer | Tire Balancers | Model 875 40MM
70X-Series Rim Clamp Tire Changer | COATS

Hardcore...

Very worth it in the long run. I hope to in the next couple years. There not to badly priced.

Very hardcore. :tup:

Thanks. I'm excited about these. Between the Z, wife's car, truck, trailer, other vehicles, neighbors with track cars, etc, they will definitely be put to use! Plus, no lugging tires to some shop that doesn't get it done on time, scratches wheels, balances +/- 40% etc. Can't wait.