Forged Performance at Sebring: GT-R vs. Ferrari F430 GT Race Car
 

Just getting back from my first trip to Sebring. What an amazing facility, track, and steeped in tradition. This was an incredible experience for me, and I highly recommend this track to everyone!
Was fortunate enough to grid behind this awesome Ferrari F430 GT race car, and we ended up doing a few hot laps behind him, before getting seperated by traffic. I didn't have quite enough to get back him, but still fun! :cheers: YouTube - Forged Performance GT-R vs. Ferrari F430 GT Race car at Sebring.wmv

Sebring Race Track
 

Race the long or short track? Sebring is a very bumpy race track with different surfaces (ie concrete & asphalt) that is very well known to take its toll on race cars!

Was this a Porsche club event? Seemed like every car on the track besides you and the Ferrari was a Porsche.

I think the Ferrari had you in the corners once his tires warmed up. :)

We used the 12 hour full ALMS course. This was a Chin Motorsport event, which tends to attract a lot of Porsche and Ferrari owners that prefer more track time, and much few attendees than many track other track day organizers.

Yeah, the F430 GT has tons mechanical grip, and downforce/aero so I was doing all I could just to stay on his bumper.

Man that looks like tons of fun ! Just noticed that you have 2theextreme's 370z as your ad pic. Way to represent Sharif !

Agree. Once his tires warmed up, he took off. But it looks like fun. I have never driven Sebring, but all my friends that have, say it is fast, bumpy and dangerous.

You did pretty well considering you were running the budget mobile for the day. Lot of triple digit MSRP cars out there.

Wow

Yeah, he definitely had a little more on me on corner exit. I gobbled him up under braking, surprisingly, but then I got greedy in 17 under braking and overcooked it. That was all he needed to put a good distance between us. :) It was a fun time, for sure, and that Ferrari sounded magical.

great driving sharif! that F430 GT car was magical. his corner exit speed was phenomenal! I wonder what the wait difference is between you two? never the less great job keeping up those things are monsters on the track!

I wish the 370z could run like that but with any amount of boost to get that kind of power the car will overheat(fail). I would like to know the setup of your GTR and I searched for a build thread but didn't find one. If there is one post a link please, if not..mind sharing !? :tup:

In 2008 we raced our 350Z with 500-550whp and 3000lbs without signficant overheating issues. Definitely takes a lot of cooling upgrades and plumbing, but it is doable. Our 370Z racecar program will be a good test bed, and of course we'll keep everyone updated.

This is the trick. There are 2 ways to go about it:

1. Brake early, set the car up, and accelerate early like the Ferrari; which works great for turns before long straights (more speed towards the end)
2. Brake late (like you said one time), struggle with controlling the car, keeping on the track, and then gas it late (because of the other things happening), and then have a slower exit speed

These are the common attributes debated during racing, and I have always found that slower in, is faster out (and around).

the slower you go - the faster you are!

He still had superior acceleration out of most of the corners once the car was pointed fairly straight. The one corner I overcooked was a great example of what happens when you brake too late, and can't slow the car to suitable speed in time. The car had nothing more to give, so in a situation like that, you simply do the best you can, gather yourself up, and continue down the track. The end result was the Ferrari scurring away. :) Keep in mind, the Ferrari is a GT class racecar with massive brakes, huge slicks, and a roughly 500lb weight advantage over my GT-R. So he's going to go faster than me. :) I was pleasantly surpised I was able to keep up, being so outgunned.