Hi,

New here.

Last year I drove at Pocono. It was great! I'd recommend everyone to do it if you have the means.

Ive been wondering about something ever since.

I kept losing the lead car as we went into the turns. I ran him back down on exit. In fact I almost ran him over a few times. Once I had to lift to keep from running him over and the car got lose when I lifted. (That was a real rush hahah). I was right with him on entry but he just drove away from me in the middle, and Ive always wondered why.

They complimented me on my driving and really didnt have anything bad to say. The lead driver even called me over after and shook my hand, so I don't think it was my driving.

My question is... In the center of the turn the car sort of got jumpy. Kind of like when you're driving a Go-Cart and you take a turn really sharp and you can feel the tires grip, but its almost like they bounce a little. I could feel the front right of the car "sort of" hopping (I dont know how else to describe it). I feel something similar in my own car if I take a turn too fast, but in my car it feels more like the car trying to grip the road as it loses traction sideways. It was sort of the same, maybe even exactly the same, I just don't know. This is why Im asking someone else. If I had not dug in so hard in the center I would definately have lost the lead car.

I also don't know anything else I could have done as far as driving differently. It seemed like thats the best the car would do, but Im just not sure. I guess I could have taken the high line but they said the better I stuck with the lead car and the better I hit the marks the faster Id get to go. So I stayed right on him LOL.

I guess what I want to know is... In a real race situation would I be spending 100's of laps grinding on those tires like that, or was there something wrong with that car? Maybe it needed an adjustment or ???? Anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks!!!

Well I'm only 15 and I've bever driven a race car before so I can't help ya with that but Welcome to the site!

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The JACK CREW!!!

Thanks for the input flflash47,

After reading that, I remember thinking that the car was probably tight when I was driving back home. I did mostly feel it in turn 1 for sure.

I drove down into turn 3 just a tad bit too far once and I had to let off to keep it from heading to the wall. That and the 1 time I got lose at exit turn 1 were the only 2 problems I had all day. I was kind of confused though because if it got that lose when I let off turn 1, I couldnt see how that would be a tight car. I suppose that was just the fact that I let off, and a lose car would have done that while I was still in it?

Its probably a good thing it was tight or maybe when it got lose that time it could have gone bad. I was right on the wall and a foot or less off his bumper. I bet I had a good 10mph. on him. I didnt ask him but I bet he was letting off in the turn and waiting for me and thats probably why I had so much on him at exit. Plus that particular time I jammed the throttle through the floor coming out of the turn and he probably wasnt expecting it. I really wanted to see how fast I could get the car through the backstretch, and I wanted a good start. I got it up to about 160 but it felt like it had more. I wanted to see how much, but I didnt get the chance.

I was about as backed up as I could have been on entry turn 1. One of the things he said to me was "you were really smooth into the turns, made my job easy". I dont think there was much I could have done differently. The guy behind us claimed his rpm's were a lot higher then mine were and he still couldnt catch us so I think I know what you mean about slowing down to go faster. Im pretty sure I got that part down LOL.

It was a great experience. It gave me a much better understanding of whats going on in a race. I just wish they would have given me more information and a tip or 2 wouldnt have hurt my feelings either.

I did the ride along for 3 laps then I drove 2-8 lap sesions. After the 1st 8 laps they took us in the trailer and were supposedly going to give us tips. It ended up being 5 minutes trying to explain to the 3rd guy how to keep up with us. They didnt say a word to me at all. On the way out the door I was like, uhm... How am I doing? Is there anything I need to do? etc etc... and the guy says, "what car were you driving?" so I told him, and he says, "youre fine". Im thinking, gee thanks LOL. It would have been nice if he had told me "someting" I could have tried to get through those turns better.

I kept thinking if its like this at 160 how in the world do the cup guys do it at 200. I guess the answer is probably that I had a tight car with bad tires and about 100 less hp.

Thanks again!

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The JACK CREW!!!

yeah, the more I think about it and the more I read what you wrote it must have been very tight. Didnt really matter to me I guess. I was just happy to be in the car

I love to go fast. Ive never been fast enough to be scared. Id kind of like to see just how fast I can go I hate roller coasters. I dont like heights and drops, but I can fly around a turn and not even blink. To me 160 was like a drive to the store. I wish there was somewhere I could go and see what 300 feels like LOL. When I got out of the car I was like... that was 160??? bwahahah, yeah right. They said 8000rpm's was around 160 and I def hit 8000rpm's. Until then the fastest I had been was 140 on a bike. I was def going faster in that car then I was on the bike so I guess it was 160. I probably need to go and do this again. Maybe Daytona heh

So anyways, so youre saying that it might not have even had anything to do with me letting off the throttle? Maybe its a good thing I was letting off when it broke lose lol

Thinking about why it might do what youre describing though, I think before I had been pushing it all the way out of the turn and pushed it right through the exit and hadnt been giving it the chance to snap like youre saying. Then when I let off, it gave it the chance to do it. Hey I dont have a clue Im just trying to understand it.

Thanks for discussing it with me