I'm asking for RACER opinions.

That stated, any tips? For some reason, I can't even come within 2 seconds of my "average" race time during qualifying. It is EXTREMELY frustrating. For reference, I normally do not change any parts/settings between qualifying.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Oh, ECHC guys:

NEXT TIME PRE-REGISTER!!!

 

1st and foremost, there were just too many cars in qualifying this past weekend to get a really good lap.

It sounds like you've got a classic case of driving your best because you have someone to aim for. I find that if I'm chasing someone who is either as fast or faster than me I have really good times because I'm pushing it. Some people have a hard time really pushing themself because they dpon't see qualifying as a race and subconciously there just isn't the same things on the line. I usually take 2-3 laps just practicing where I want to be in the corners and then when I get some clean track I try to string them all together in one lap. The laps never feel perfect but I generally get 1 or 2 where I feel like I got a good enough time.

I hope that helps but probably not. Forgive the rambling, I drove straight through last night to get home and I'm really feeling it this morning.

 

hi Jason.

sorry i missed you guys this weekend. sounds like you had fun.

some tips on qualifying:

1. i like to be out fairly early so that i don't have to be behind 20 other cars, many of which may be "slower" than i am.
2. take at least 3 laps to warm up and get comfortable.
3. get some "elbow room" before you run a bonsai lap. i try for at least 15 to 20 car lengths in front and behind.
4. do 2 bonsai laps and then a 75% lap to cool off the tires. do another 1 or 2 all out laps and rest it again.
5. the next tip depends on the track; at Lowes I qualified extremely well on Sunday; this was due to planning a couple of qualifying laps so that I came out on the big track within drafting distance of some of the really fast cars. this helped me where I am weakest; the top end pull. the draft really helped to pull up my LS into warp speed regions. special note: the TANK is especially good as the wind breaker
5. lastly, I don't try to "kill it" during qualifying. you sometimes see a guy out there for the whole session just beating the car to death. I find that if I don't do the rest/go thing, I end up going a little slower, a little slower, etc. Plus it destroys your tires and brakes. usually, I am done my qualifying laps within 15 minutes or so.

see ya soon at the next event....

Todd

PS reassembly has begun on the LS motor. should be ready for tuning within 10 to 14 days....

 

Do you have a Hot Lap timer or some way (radio) to get lap times in the car? If you don't have a car to chase, having a number to chase can be just as good.

 

There's just one thing that I've been trying to work on and that's to get out there and do one warm up lap (the more you push the car during warm up, the faster you will warm up your tires), then drive as hard as you can for the next couple of laps. If you have clean laps, these first few laps are when you can get fastest times all session long, as this is when your car will be fastest. (Tires not greasy, fresh brakes, motor not as hot).

Having said, it always takes me longer to get "up to speed" than I would like! But it still usually happens that the last lap of the session is my fastest lap. At least it usually is at least consistent if not faster than my fastest lap during the race. Also, just because the track is busy, it does not mean you should not try. It is busy for everybody. Very rarely on such occasions the fastest guys manage full clean laps. Most of the time, those who drive hard and get through traffic as fast as possible during qualifying are also the same ones starting up front.

 

My qualifying got much better when I adopted a plan. At first I treated qualifying l like any other track session that I wanted to do well in. But once I started getting ready early and showing up on the grid very early, that meant I always first in line had clear track and go focussed on getting heat and a few flyer laps before the others got really going. It is too easy getting mired in traffic and start racing people rather than the stop watch. Think of it as going for a single flying lap. If you make much of a mistake, cool it off and clear your head and make sure you get a good approach to start your next lap as a flyer. How many times have you found yourself gridded with the guy you were running with in qualifying? Regardless of your true potential, if you ran together than you are turning the same time.

Go at it early and focus with a "fast lap" mentality rather than trying to be racy and run with someone. If he is out of your reach and a good target, that is one thing but if you catch him at all, he's holding you up.


[Modified by CRX Lee, 4:19 AM 4/8/2003]

 

Jason,

I have the same problem. I can't think of one race I have EVER been in over the last few years where I didn't turn a faster race lap than qualifying lap. I just can't seem to get the extra little push that I get during a wheel to wheel race. My other problem is that if I start the lap well, I tend to get conservative, not wanting to blow a turn and ruin the good "first sector" time that I had. The best thing I can recommend is to psych yourself into thinking that a fast qualifying lap is as important as a fast race lap. Really push yourself from inside. Either that, or pair up with somebody who is very close to you in lap times, and use them to push you to go faster.

Matt

 

I suck too.
I always have a plan for qualifying and it seems like it never works out. I always turn significantly faster race laps.

That Hracer guy is a great qualifier. Just another reason I don't like him all that much .

 

Actually a fast qualifying lap is a lot more important than a fast race lap. A fast race lap means absolutely nothing. It's how you finish that counts, and qualifying well makes a good finish easier to achieve.

 

honestly i would hook a tow line to the tank to qualify!!!! i bet he wouldn't even notice you were there!!!! hehe

jason....i had that problem last year.....really couldn't get a good lap in....but this year i had the poll and 2nd in the hondas.....i guess you really have to decide that it is ohkay to write off the car....dave told me he didn't care what i did to the car....

but you really have to be willing to write the car off....completely....and have the chance to die!!! when you are willing to sack up to that (not saying you haven't) you can go bonzi out there!

 

I hard to guage, but if there is a smaller field I will try to be at the back of the grid. This gives me the opportunity to shake out the cobwebs and get good heat in the tires before a couple of banzi laps.

I give enough room so I won't catch the ITB/CR guys and usually the ITS cars won't get to lapping me until I have a good 4-5 laps in. It's more frustrating to me to yeild to a passing car than to come up on a slower car. Again, it all depends on the size of the grid...

I don't know where you are in your group, but it's worth a try...

 

Um, okay. When's the last time you finished IN FRONT OF ME during a race? How about NEVER?

Good points all. I do appreciate it. Hopefully I'll be at the Beaver to try some of it out

 

1. Grid early. Very early. Especially in spec classes or crowded fields. If you know the guys gridded up front with you, ask them to take the first lap REALLY REALLY slow - this gets all the cars on track before you try to turn a good lap. At Summit Point, we (SRX-7 group) would be in 2nd gear to turn 7, then start speeding up. If I was in the first 6 out of the pit, I was guaranteed about 3 clean laps before I hit traffic (or it hit me, depending on how slow I was that day).

2. Relax. If you're 2 seconds off your race pace, it's all mental. I was usually 0.5-1.5 seconds off race pace. This usually qualified me pretty close to my finishing position (I'd pass some cars and others would pass me).

3. Take a lighter fuel load. I was never out for more than 8 laps qualifying, so I could get away with significantly less fuel than a 16-20 lap sprint.

4. Cycle your tires properly. Usually, I'd have stickers on Friday - use these for one short sessions in the morning, let them sit overnight, qualify on them, then store them for the next race's qualifying - after that, they were race tires for a two weekends, then practice after that. So, I was never qualifying on tires with more than 3 sessions, and never racing on more than 5 or 6 sessions.

5. Relax. It's all mental. Do you typically have everything prepared the night before, or are you running around the pit trying to get your tires mounted? I never had anything to do to the car on Sat morning (unless I broke it Friday, but even at that it was usually fixed Fri evening).

6. Grid with the fast guys and stay with them as long as you can. The fast guys know to grid early. See number 1. I'd try to grid as close to Kenny Zalner and Jim Thill as possible - I couldn't hang with them more than a lap, but if I could keep them in sight for the whole session, I knew I had a decent time.

 

Lets see, for a weekend like last, just hope for a clear lap.. The H1 and H2 cars were catching everyone else VERY fast in qualifying.. Somehow, I got some clear track, it wasn't planned, just happened.. Like Alex said, I also go very hard on my cold parts, to warm them up fast, so if I do get some clear room on my 1st full lap, I can "go" for it.. Its all about timing, and going ***** out.. Also, if there is traffic, try to time it so you catch them on the straights, and not in the Last corner before a hot lap..

Yes, drafting the tank is nice..

 

I'm certainly not much of an experienced racer but I do seem to qualify well as a rule. Some of the things I've tried to do...

1. If you can, catch a draft with *any* car that's close to your speed. Even if it's only for a second or two. You're gonna be stuck behind the guy anyway so it's worth a shot.

2. Same goes for real fast cars. See if you can outbrake them going onto a long straight, and hook up.

3. If you mangle a lap or get caught in traffic, ditch the lap or even come in. Keeps you from overheating your chit for no good reason.

4. That crowded rain qualifying we had on Saturday? I treated it like a race. I knew there was no way in hell I'd get a clean lap...but neither would anyone else. I figured if I passed a lot of cars I had to be going faster than them.

 

Oh yea, when it rains, go all out your first laps.. Because someone is going to go off and there will be a yellow in a corner, forcing you to slow down! I was the 1st car out for the enduro in wet qualifying, and it worked out great, because on the 2nd lap, cars were off everywhere!!

 

Being that I'm just a lowely grid worker and not an actual racer you can take my advice or leave it. That being said, <u>Show up to Grid as early as you can</u>. I had people lining up for qualifying before the group before them was even out on the track. I have no problems with y'all showing up that early as long as you give me room to get the cars before you out on track. As Corey said, he showed up real early and got out in front for the enduro qualifying because he knew there were going to be cautions. He wanted to be ahead of all that so he could get clear track. With the size of the pack y'all had at CMP you're never going to get a clean lap if you're in the middle or the end. Beave Run will probably be the same considering it's a Hizzy Fest. Show up early, be one of the first out, you'll be ahead of the traffic, and if you can stay ahead of them you'll have clear to semi clear track once you're warmed up and ready to go all out.

 

I say get NOS...... just burn 'em down in the straights

Morgan - who thinks Franza will be hard to catch and pass when he qualifies ahead of you

 

Definitely get out early....if you can't be first, or at least have only a faster class in front of you, drop back enough to not be held up.

Try to catch slower traffic on the straights, and use the draft for all it is worth!!!!!!

if you are out for more than 5 laps, you are wasting your time, unless you haven't turned anything even remotely decent.

Last, and last for a reason: Take some chances. Take them in well thought-out spots, but take them. A non-contact off is not a big deal at all in qualifying.

 

&lt;snicker&gt; even the contact offs in qualifying don't always hurt that bad &lt;/snicker&gt;

well ok, they do a little.

 

The obvious answer is get out near the front of the pack.

Also, on Sunday for qualifying I had an H2 car behind me (that was you right Jason?). Made no sense to go out in front of him so I told him to swing around me as we left. that way I new I would not be dogged from behind AND would have a much faster car to chase. Worked out great as I had 3 or 4 clean laps to qualify.

 

Not a Racer yet.........but traffic didn't help u this weekend Jason. With the amount of time given for qualifying, u have to get lucky. Just .02
I would keep doing what your doing and don't worry about it, you did fine in the race!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would keep doing what your doing and don't worry about it, you did fine in the race! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the compliment, Andy. I appreciate it.

Ron-

See, that's the thing. For some reason, my little brain doesn't seem to function well when there's nobody in front of me. It's like I Sunday drive during qualifying when I have open track.

Again, some really good points have been retained from this thread, guys.

Tanks, I mean, Thanks again

 

Another thing to work on is the mental preparation before each session.

There are very few people who can trash around, getting everything done in the last second, haul *** up to the grid, just barely make it in before the 1 minute whistle, and still drive right (David Rhodes.....of course if he prepares properly he gets bored and sometimes goes slower...I don't get it at all. ya know i lub ya wildman!!)

Go to an HPDE and spend the weekend working on your pre-session mental prep. Learn what it takes for YOU to be focused and able to drive your best. For some it is being left completely alone for 15 minutes, for some it is aimless chit-chat, and for others it is the ritual of checking pressures, checking torque, etc.

This is 90% a mental game as far as the driving is concerned.