Jerry and others drive cars with horsepower. The Ghia doesn't have that (and
neither does our 7), so speed has to be maintained throughout. My philosophy is
to use brakes as little as possible because when I have to slow down, that
means I have to accelerate, which is difficult when we're only producing 75-80
hp, even on a real lightweight. Thus I'm never thrilled with 180 degree turns
leading into straights, though Corvette drivers love them.
If any of you ran the last Stockton event, power ruled because there were
several corners that allowed power to be a real factor, slow way down and then
accelerate. That's one of the reasons Corvette drivers did so well at that
event in spite of the tight in appearance course. Of course, the Corvette
drivers were all very good. :-)
--Pat Kelly
David Peterson wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jerry Mouton
> Subject: Re: best line
>
> >> ...
> >>
> >> The one tip to the contrary I have gotten and that seems to work
> >> for me is that for turns of > 90 degrees, hug the inside rather than
> >> worrying about a line (The Michelle Reitmeir Rule) which you
> >> have to apply selectively ;-)
>
> And to counter that - watching and learning once from Josh, keep
> wide which keeps the R's up, which keeps the T or the P up (let's not
> get into that discussion again), which is VERY important in a car like
> the Ghia. But we can't all drive Karmann Ghias can we! ;^)
>
> I remember when Shawna Barlette was driving the Ghia at a McClellan
> enduro some time ago. Her first lap or so she took this one long turn really
> tight. I'd been running it wide. I told her to try it wide, and I think we
> were both amazed at how much more power the car could develop on that wider
> line. Wether that resulted in an actual smaller time, I couldn't tell ya'.
>
> Pinching the Ghia off wastes precious hp on friction. I avoid it
> whenever possible.
>
> That's one of the things I like about 4 runs. It gives me a little
> chance to experiment. There is no one answer. You gotta' get out there and
> try things. No two courses are ever the same. Even if they look that way.
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