Is this too late a turn-in for Stowe corner?

[nsa]

This is my approach to most >90% corners and I wonder if I'm doing it wrong. I don't race, just drive on track days. The car is a Porsche 924 GT replica.

I'm trying to hit an apex more than halfway round but most people including racecars on the track day I attended were turning in earlier, if not hugging the inside. I meant to do a lap like this to compare times but forgot.

GIFSoup

The rest of the video is here if anybody is interested.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Qrq...&feature=share

[tristancliffe]

To turn in that late will tighten the initial part of the corner. So the question is will your car recover enough speed by opening up the exit to counteract the lower entry speed.

As you seem to have data (overlay), the best thing to do would be to try it, perhaps at a range of corners. Try your late entry line, and try a more conventional line, and see which is quicker. You might need to practice the conventional line because it will be counter to your normal style.

If it was a race, then you'd leave the door open for overtaking (although I do enjoy overtaking around the outside of Stowe, which is possible if you don't turn in on the other person), but for a track day it's what feels good and (if you're sneakily timing) which is quicker.

I would guess that your car ISN'T quick enough to recover the entry losses through Vale, and that you'd be better off moving towards a more 'normal' line.

[nsa]

Thanks very much. That all seems logical, especially the part about tightening the initial turn into the corner.

[NJH]

Nsa I drive a very similar car (944 S2) but I have never been particularly happy with either that corner or the following one. I have watched all the other guys when racing there with PCGB but to be honest the slightly different approaches are all over the place and of course when defending position completely different again. I tried an approach similar to the guy in the Nissan but struggled a lot with understeer followed by oversteer trying to get on it, when I go back again I will turn in a bit later near the end of the kerbing where the dip down in the road runs out (a bit earlier and sharper than your turn in, maybe halfway between the 2 videos). The funny thing is I started like that and could power through and out of the corner but started copying what other club racers where doing and turning in earlier. Single biggest mistake I have made in club motorsport is listening to or copying other people, basically wasted the last 4 years doing that.

[Peat]

To my eye, yes, too late.

To draw a comparison with, admittedly, not not so comparable car, take a look at this from onboard a Nissan GTR. He makes more of an arc: http://youtu.be/QUq3Eev8F_k?t=40s

He starts his turn in halfway down that outside kerb. You seem to go straight until you run out of track, then turn.