When I did my first Driver’s Education in the fall of 2008, I was told that DEs were addictive. And they truly are. My summer treat was 12-13 July spent in a well instructed Driver’s Education at Watkins Glen International (3.4 miles, 11 turn, Formula 1 course). The sponsor was the Sports Car Driver’s Association (SCDA) and they filled the day with 5 thirty minute track sessions plus 2-3 half hour classroom sessions. Since this was a new track, I enrolled as a novice and I am glad that I did.
Compared to VIR, Watkins Glen is faster (no 2nd gear corners) with more elevation changes and several corners with a “blind apex” where you commit to an apex that you cannot yet see. Also the light blue Armco steel barriers are very close to the track itself. Very close where in some places only 2-3 feet are between the track and the Armco—which had lots of dings. So the first sessions were simply learning the course and getting the feel of the Black Pearl at higher speeds and finally not being intimidated by the blue steel Armco.
So with that introduction, let’s take a tour of the course.
Turn 2: Leaving pit road, you exit directly into the fast climbing esses. For me this steep hill was taken about 75 MPH in 4th gear. Turns 3 and 4 are blind but yellow curbing identifies where I needed to turn in to reach the next apex. Smooth is the key here. It is very narrow where the east auto tunnel goes under the course. The esses led me onto the back straight, the fastest part of the course. Right before braking, I could see about 115 MPH.
The Bus Stop. This is a right side chicane that can be taken smoothly and quite fast, entering about 70 MPH. Here a concrete strip actually has more grip than the asphalt and matches the correct driving line. You can drive over the “gators” both on entrance and exit of the bus stop. I only got this turn “right” once as I tended to over brake into it.
Turn 5 is next, and this is a descending smooth radius right hand turn with another blind apex. Fortunately the flag control station is just behind this apex. Once I realized this landmark, I learned this corner quickly. Leaving turn 5 you track out to the left and immediately get to the track right to brake hard and set up for turn 6.
Turn 6 is another blind apex left hander much like turn 5. After hard braking, then flow in a smooth curve toward the apes. (Where are you little apex cone? Pause, Pause, Oh there you are!). Tracking out gave me a short straight shot still going downhill. I think the combined vertical drop between the bus stop (high point) and turn 7 is over 100 feet.
Turn 7 is a sharp right hand hairpin exiting back uphill. The elevation changes make this sharp turn fast. And there is another grippy concrete strip to put me on the correct line. It took work but I slowly learned to carry more and more speed into this tight turn. Again a very late apex.
Turn 8 is back half way up the hill again. Here you can actually see the entrance, apex and exit. If I did turn 7 well, I was over 100 mph when I braked for turn 8. After turn 8 there is a dip and up another hill to turn 9.
Turn 9 is another blind apex left hander back at the top of the hill. I would enter late using part of the NASCAR shortcut. Make the very late apex and track out on the short straight over the front auto tunnel. Again, a very narrow track where track out cone is only 2 feet from the blue Armco.
Turn 10 is a fast sharp left but has banking if you stay very close to the apex. I would tap the brakes to set the car and power through this turn, tracking out to the right side gators.
Turn 11 is like 10 but a right hander leading onto the front straight. I took this about 70 MPH and thus reached redline in 4th again, about 115 MPH on the front straight before braking for turn 1. Turn 11 also is the pit entrance and so I had to adjust for slower people entering the pits. Again the track out cone is right next to the Armco.
Turn 1 is another downhill right hander. I’d take this about 65 MPH, again a later apex in third gear. I’d shift to fourth and accelerate to turn 2 to enter the climbing esses.
All this narrative makes much more sense if you follow with a track map, especially the track elevation map from the Watkins Glen website. A lot of fun. There were no scratches and dings on the Black Pearl. I’ve heard about this track since I was a teenager. Now I have driven it, I’d like to go back. Rick Canter from Connecticut Valley Region PCA was an excellent instructor. Under his instruction I trimmed about 20 seconds from my best lap times day one versus day 2.
Drive Safe,
Ed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
