Honey Badger's Completely Off-the-Rails Race Car Build and Track Adventure Thread

[Mr. Maboomba]

Great balls of fire



For anyone wondering, the brake rotor GoPro lasted 12 mins before it shut down from thermals

You're a maniac. Following.

 

[NoXiDe]

You're a maniac. Following.

I may be the maniac. I saw the brake zone coming and I said "Oh yeah, let's see this."

 

[honeybadger]

Blood in the water

 

[shogun32]

Blood in the water

hey do you have big air-deflectors on your lateral links?

 

[honeybadger]

hey do you have big air-deflectors on your lateral links?

You mean the Vorshlag-like brake deflectors?

 

[honeybadger]

Some more showing up from the weekend

 

[honeybadger]

New high speed entering the esses at 118.7 mph - a full 5 MPH faster than previous best. Once I fix the understeer, I think we'll break the 120 mph barrier

 

[shogun32]

New high speed entering the esses at 118.7 mph - a full 5 MPH faster than previous best. Once I fix the understeer, I think we'll break the 120 mph barrier

so what speed do you have to go to NOT crawl up and over the curbing? Isn't the point to force a direction change? I get 'kissing' the curbing but like T12 at Road Atlanta, what's the point if you're just going to leap over it?

 

[WCRookie99]

so what speed do you have to go to NOT crawl up and over the curbing? Isn't the point to force a direction change? I get 'kissing' the curbing but like T12 at Road Atlanta, what's the point if you're just going to leap over it?

Slow speed. For example turn 5 at Road Atlanta, if you're not 100% on the other side of the curb at the exit, you're not keeping up your momentum.

Going over the curbs (in some cases is the fastest line, and straightens out the corner) Now hitting the Sausage curbs is a no no. So there's a difference.

What I see in the video above, for sure is the fastest line, the first three curbs are ruff but could be the stiff springs, the last three curbs you can cut slightly (and I mean slightly) more.

At this point, I would focus on more momentum through the corners, not over slowing and earlier throttle application but smooth. (I'm referring to a previous video, not the one above) Good work!

 

[honeybadger]

so what speed do you have to go to NOT crawl up and over the curbing? Isn't the point to force a direction change? I get 'kissing' the curbing but like T12 at Road Atlanta, what's the point if you're just going to leap over it?

Put bluntly, it's faster. The fastest line is typically the one that matters unless you're defending/trying to pass. I personally use this line to gain ground on people, get up to them quick, and force a point-by around the outside of 6 instead of waiting another 35 seconds into the lap.

IME with kerbing, you have to think about two things -

1. Is the kerbing going to disrupt my track exit to the point it's slower than a slower, more deliberate line (i.e. hopping the kerbing in T1)? If no, move to question 2.

2. Is the kerbing going to break the car? If no, send it. If yes to either, avoid it.

I've bounced HB off all kinds of kerbs - bent a few wheels (looking at you T10A at Road Atlanta). It really depends on the kerbing, your car, the track, and the conditions. T19 here has a sausage kerb that I use tor rotate the car quite often. It turns understeer into a bit of a 4 wheel drift. About 4 mph faster at apex

Let's look at an example:

Here's my personal best recorded lap at COTA - 2:24. I'm apexing T19 69 mph (nice)




HEre was this weekend on a slower lap, with slower tires (3Rs vs Pirelli Slicks) - apex at roughly 76 mph



Kerbs are your friends

 

[shogun32]

Put bluntly, it's faster.
...
Kerbs are your friends

Well yeah, but that's not the point. The point is to MAKE the corner, not pretend it doesn't exist.

we'll disagree I guess. I love that they put a NASTY kerb at the top of the roller-coaster at Laguna Seca - that it would throw the car clear across the track and into the dirt on the other side if you tried to cheat. My opinion is kerbs are there for salvaging a relatively minor screw-up, not to be straddled or ignored as if they aren't there (eg. last turn at Laguna, Oak Tree at VIR south). Even better if they put slick as snot surface (or deep gravel) on the outside to severely penalize anyone with the notion they exist as advisory only.

All that said, it's fun watching your vids.

 

[honeybadger]

Well yeah, but that's not the point. The point is to MAKE the corner, not pretend it doesn't exist.

we'll disagree I guess. I love that they put a NASTY kerb at the top of the roller-coaster at Laguna Seca - that it would throw the car clear across the track and into the dirt on the other side if you tried to cheat. My opinion is kerbs are there for salvaging a relatively minor screw-up, not to be straddled or ignored as if they aren't there (eg. last turn at Laguna, Oak Tree at VIR south). Even better if they put slick as snot surface (or deep gravel) on the outside to severely penalize anyone with the notion they exist as advisory only.

All that said, it's fun watching your vids.

I'd argue the reason for the kerb at LS is safety, not to make it harder for the drivers. Don't get me wrong, I respect kerbs when needed, but I'm not going to give up time when I don't have to. That line I take through the esses is worth A LOT - like .5 to a full second depending on the car. There's no way to take that faster or even as fast staying off the kerbs unless you're in something with stupid downforce like a formula car or a radical. FWIW, COTA considers the kerbs to be racing surface

Come to COTA sometime for a ride - I'll make you a fan of kerbs. That I can promise

 

[Haas]

what’s the point of arguing if curbs are part of the track when pros are taking lines like this. Faster is faster imo

 

[honeybadger]

what’s the point of arguing if curbs are part of the track when pros are taking lines like this. Faster is faster imo

That’s also known as the Miata line

 

[honeybadger]

Really, REALLY love this shot.

I work with drivers so much about learning to feel the car shift the G's from the front a-pillars towards the back because you shift the balance of the car to the rear wheels with a bit of slip angle. It's super counter-intuitive at first because until you get a feel for it, getting on throttle just induces understeer. Took @CSL many, many laps to drill this one in my head.

But this shot shows it perfectly. Notice how the rear tire is loaded more than the front even though we're still deep into this double-apex turn. LOVE this turn at COTA.