Mont-Tremblant Pics/Video

[Dtangard]

I'll get it started...

This past event has been my favorite thus far with COM. Thank you all for a great time.

phpBB [video]

Any advice on my driving is appreciated. I need to find 4 seconds!

[StephanAlfa]

I can find way more than 4 seconds for you:
Turn 1: Turn in too early. You need to be way on the left
Turn 2: You need to be on the gas there until braking then turn in of 3
Turn 4: You need to attack that curb (ride over it with two right wheels)
Turn 5: you need to attack that curb as well
Turn 6: at track out.. USE THE TRACK FULLY!
Turn 7: Track out fully there too!
Turn 8: Entry too soon, but mail the Apex (no double apex there). Use the outer radius of the track to pick up speed.
Turn 10: Turn in too soon
Turn 11: you're in the middle of the road, need to be right at that cone on turn in point and nail the apex of 11 then fully track out
Turn 12: Nail that apex (under bridge)!
Turn 14: You resume downshift and braking prior to cresting otherwise the car will be too light and you'll be fighting it and scrub speed.

Just basically on lap 1 these were all the small things I could find. Hope this helps!

[Dtangard]

Thanks Stephan for the tips. Hopefully next year we go back so I can try some things.

Turn 1: Turn in too early. You need to be way on the left
Turn 2: You need to be on the gas there until braking then turn in of 3 The data says I'm braking in two but I think there are some negative forces going on there. I have the car floored through two with partial throttle in 3.
Turn 4: You need to attack that curb (ride over it with two right wheels) I do this on lap two. I agree it's faster.
Turn 5: you need to attack that curb as well
Turn 6: at track out.. USE THE TRACK FULLY! Since I am full throttle from the exit of 5 to turn in of 7 I thought it made sense to shorten the track however possible. On day one I was tracking out fully and I'll look at my data to see if it's faster.
Turn 7: Track out fully there too!
Turn 8: Entry too soon, but mail the Apex (no double apex there). Use the outer radius of the track to pick up speed.
Turn 10: Turn in too soon I think I was a little early on the brakes too
Turn 11: you're in the middle of the road, need to be right at that cone on turn in point and nail the apex of 11 then fully track out
Turn 12: Nail that apex (under bridge)! I struggled with twelve both days
Turn 14: You resume downshift and braking prior to cresting otherwise the car will be too light and you'll be fighting it and scrub speed. This makes sense but when I downshifted into second over the crest I ended up grinding second gear multiple times. It could've been operator error or the car just didn't like it.

[wizzman]

Any advice on my driving is appreciated. I need to find 4 seconds!

T1- You can carry alot more speed here. This is more balls than technique. You have to trust that the uphill section into T2 is going to grab you and pull you back in to the T2 apex.
T2- You can be flat pretty much until right before the hill crests. I am carrying about 6 mph more over the crest and that has nothing to do with horsepower. Get back to full throttle as soon as you crest and power down the hill.
T3- Per the previous comment, power down that hill. Your max is 96 entering T3, there is another 10 mph to be had there. Again that is all balls.
T4- Like Stephan said, a little early on the turn in. I turn in a foot or two after those two little divots in the pavement which were actually well passed the cones.
T5- Turn in just a tad later and you will get a straighter and faster run out of there.
T6- I found that the Miata did not need to track out to the right side of the track, maybe only 2/3 of the way across the track.
T7- Don't brake here. I moderate lift is all that is needed. Get up on the inside curb and use ALL of the track out curb. There is plenty of grip as long as your line is good. Turning in jut a tiny bit early gets you into the off-camber part of the turn and prevents you from powering through. After track out hug the left side and ride out all that extra curbing on the kink.
T8- Can probably brake a smidge deeper.
T10- Brake deeper and really power through this turn. T10 is faster than it looks. Track out to the curbing going up the hill.

Here is my TT:

phpBB [video]

Also a BIG thanks to Fred for the half dozen laps of lead follow and all the lifts on the straights to wait for me on Thursday.

[Mick]

Turn 5: you need to attack that curb as well

I agree with everything but this.
Stephan, in your car with a softer suspension I think you can get away with crashing the curb in 5. In a tightly sprung car you get tossed to the right. For me it's quicker to (mostly) avoid that curb.

[Mick]

Does anyone know if the photographer who was at Tremblant has a website where you can view/buy pics?

[ST1Ddope]

phpBB [video]

I botched T4 and T5 and still got a decent TT. The car turned 133 hot laps excluding in/out laps and went home in one piece so I have no complaints. Thanks to all who made this event happen at a real world class track.

[eastcoastbumps]

Does anyone know if the photographer who was at Tremblant has a website where you can view/buy pics?

pierre.goyette@gmail.com

[brucesallen]

Pierre told me he would be giving the links and instructions for ordering to one of the officers via email. They will be very high quality.

[TroyV]

I had a good talk with Pierre during the event. I had reminded him that we'd be there about a month ago. He didn't know we were coming at all and wasn't actually planning to be there, so it is fortunate to have gotten him to come. I think his work is outstanding.

[jeffw]

Here's my Time Trial laps:

phpBB [video]

[Dtangard]

Any advice on my driving is appreciated. I need to find 4 seconds!

T1- You can carry alot more speed here. This is more balls than technique. You have to trust that the uphill section into T2 is going to grab you and pull you back in to the T2 apex.
T2- You can be flat pretty much until right before the hill crests. I am carrying about 6 mph more over the crest and that has nothing to do with horsepower. Get back to full throttle as soon as you crest and power down the hill.
T3- Per the previous comment, power down that hill. Your max is 96 entering T3, there is another 10 mph to be had there. Again that is all balls.
T4- Like Stephan said, a little early on the turn in. I turn in a foot or two after those two little divots in the pavement which were actually well passed the cones.
T5- Turn in just a tad later and you will get a straighter and faster run out of there.
T6- I found that the Miata did not need to track out to the right side of the track, maybe only 2/3 of the way across the track.
T7- Don't brake here. I moderate lift is all that is needed. Get up on the inside curb and use ALL of the track out curb. There is plenty of grip as long as your line is good. Turning in jut a tiny bit early gets you into the off-camber part of the turn and prevents you from powering through. After track out hug the left side and ride out all that extra curbing on the kink.
T8- Can probably brake a smidge deeper.
T10- Brake deeper and really power through this turn. T10 is faster than it looks. Track out to the curbing going up the hill.

Dave,
I wish I followed you or asked you to ride along. I didn't realize how much of a wimp I was being in turns 1-3 and turn 7 until I watched your video. Thanks for the tips. I hope we go back there next year.

Troy,
Thanks for contacting Pierre. He does awesome work.

Jeff,
We have slightly different lines but about the same lap times. Interesting.

[WillM]

From the videos posted, top suggestions for Miatas, in general:

1. Far-left at T1, like Jeff's line.
5. Patience at 5, like Dave mentioned. Wait, slow, turn-in, go!
7. Same as 5, however less slowing, but slow it down enough to commit to the gas EARLY...and keep it there.
8. Brake late, hair of trail-braking to rotate the car towards the curbing at the first apex. Roll back on the gas, clip the crubing/grass there, but expect to 'blow' the 2nd apex, being a car width or so off. You don't need to be tight there. This is best taken like a single, early-apex turn. Pulling the big lateral G's early lets you get back on the gas with less steering input that much sooner, which extends the back straight. This helps you get a jump-start on that long UPHILL (!) between 8 to 10.
T8 exit to T10. Be slow and deliberate with the wheel. Any extra steering input or vibration is only slowing you down.
T10. Brake later, and less. Every video I've seen is giving up 5-10MPH.
T11. No brake, drop it into 3rd.
T12. Brakes, drop it into 2nd.
T14. Brake later & harder, hair of trail-brake to rotate the car.

If you can left-foot brake, T5, T7, T10. If you can't, don't practice there!

Here's my line through T8, shaded by lateral G's. bluish-green is around the 0 point. Dark red is about 1.2 g's. Satellite images of Tremblant stink!

[TroyV]

Following Will's sage advice, which I knew he would give, I hereby present you with my TT in Dave's car PURPOSELY giving perfect examples of all the stuff Will said not to do......all in one complete video.

How convenient is that?!?!?!

phpBB [video]

[WillM]

Troy, you are yet again being coy! Actually, your line into T8 is exactly what I'm talking about. Entering a bit faster, the car would have been just slightly wider by the 2nd 'apex', and likely carrying the fastest exit speed of the bunch, but well-done.

Your comfort level and line through T12 (bridge turn), again, is my favorite. The autocross experience shows here.