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Turn 11, 12, 13 & 14
The entry of Turn 11 requires heavy straight-line braking from over 130mph from the track’s second-longest straight. Just like any braking zone, finding an immovable reference point is important to judge and test the limits of your braking. As you enter Turn 11, carry as much entry speed as possible and trail the brakes down to a late apex. Briefly go back to power before snapping off the gas abruptly to transfer weight to the front of the car to improve turn-in for Turn 12. Do not track-out of Turns 12 or 13 any further than mid-track. Stay to the left of the road which will position you better to late apex Turn 14 and be parallel on the right side of the road. This is crucial for the all-important Turns 15-17.
Turn 15, 16 & 17
Turn 15 is the most important corner on the track since it leads on to the longest straightaway. Because of this, the exit is far more important than the entry. There is no need to ‘park’ the car on entry, just focus on getting a good solid run out of this corner. Pick up the throttle when you know you won’t have to lift off the gas at exit.
The exit of Turn 15 and Turns 16 & 17 will vary greatly depending on the weekend and how the cones draw the perimeters of the track. If the cones are placed in a big arc or have been moved out of the way, then these corners can be taken at full throttle. If the cones clearly define the three distinct corners, finding the correct line becomes crucial. However the layout of this last segment, be sure to pick a line that enables you to be at full throttle the soonest and be able to maintain it without lifting onto the front straight.
Tip of the day:
While getting to throttle as soon as possible is important, often faster lap times can be turned by actually getting to the throttle later. It is easy to get impatient and want to pick up throttle too early but this can actually hurt you. Going to power transfers weight to the rear of the car and takes away grip from the front tires. If you still have a lot of turning to do, picking up the throttle too early will cause understeer and often will require a lift off the throttle at track-out to keep the car on the track. In this case, going to power that early didn’t accomplish anything because you had to lift at track-out.
