![]() What you’ll see today are just a handful of cars that were there that were parked near the Tesla. There was a point when I even hopped into my car and drove around the track trying to get photos but so many people had left. I really tried walking around to shoot photos of some of the more interesting cars that were there but it was just so draining. It was about 109 degrees by the late afternoon and I think it wore everyone out seeing as how many people left fairly early. The rest of my time at Buttonwillow was spent hiding in the shade. It’s a bit of a departure from the usual cars we mess around with but it’s interesting and provides some good information… I posted a Vlog about it the other day, so make sure you watch that if you’re interested. He didn’t have any expectations going into it in terms of lap times, it was more so just seeing what the car could do and what sort of limitations the electric vehicle has in a competitive environment. It’s a project car he’s been trying to get products developed for through TDG and getting the car on the track would be great for research purposes. There was already a bit of hesitation on my part to even drive out to Buttonwillow for a track day but my friends requested my presence, so who was I to say no?…Īmir and Muoi from RSFuture decided to host a track day at Buttonwillow Raceway about a week ago so my good friend Robert Chew thought that it’d be a good idea to get some test laps in with his Tesla Model S P100D. I’m semi-joking of course but holy crap am I not equipped to be out in the heat these days. See below for a full track map with the throttle points and driving line.You know how I know I’m getting old? I went outside in the sun at Buttonwillow for about 40 minutes and had a headache for 3 days after! Fuck. Although its nearly impossible to cover how all cars behave, I do believe that deconstruction of the course turn by turn will teach many how to approach a racetrack for a HPDE day. It is my hope that this guide, will help bring you to a better understanding of this infamous track, and learn to appreciate its complexity. ![]() 9/10 its best to stay out of it, you have been warned. There is a large dip at the apex of sunset, infamous for unsettling a car, and bending wheels. Did i also mention this turn has claimed more cars then any other at ButtonWillow? Important tip: if you overshoot this corner, go off in a straight line, don’t try to hero it back on, 1/2 the time you will lose the rear and hurl right towards the pit wall. Sunset isn’t a particular hard corner, but it gets in your head, which is why it is even more important to stay calm, brake early and throttle at the apex, nice and smooth. Here is a clip of me driving the Corvette from Bus Stop to the exit of Riverside: Do not attempt to save the slide if you’re heading off course. ![]() Minimum speed is a great metric to log in this section, remember to be smooth here, and use the banked turn to slow the car if need be.Īnd for gods sake, don’t lift completely or the wrong end will lead in front of you, and if you must go off, go off in a straight line. As most cars can perform maintenance throttle throughout the corner. There is no perfect area to get back on throttle here. Of course the lack of aero on that car has other plans for me most of the time. The line shown below is what I attempt to do in the Corvette. (your results may vary due to suspension tuning and balance) however, if you the same car and slap a wing on the back it should be able to take the corner flat out. This turns speed is greatly affected by your cars down-force package, a good example is S2000’s without Aero (large rear wing) can not take this corner flat out on 200TW tires. Some cars that may not have the turn in capability may need to move left as they brake in order to make the corner wider. You then will shout out with the highest longitudinal G force acceleration of anywhere on the track, I logged 0.45G in the s2k and 0.65G in the C7. This will make it possible keep the rear end under control as you shoot out of the corner, if you do this right, it feels like your car is glued to the ground. Timing is crucial here if you want to maintain momentum and get on throttle early, you must feel when the suspension sets (that feeling you get when the rebound is keeping the shock down), and get on throttle before the camber changes. I personally begin braking at the kink and trail into the corner, placing the car on the inside curbing, there is a little extra camber and a slightly different asphalt that will give you extra grip if you hit it “just right”. The goal here is to carry as much seed as possible (duh) while being able to get on throttle early (also duh) However, its the approach that makes these goals entirely complex. This section is extremely complex and can have multiple approaches depending on your cars set up.
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