Tsukuba Time Trial in "Course 1000"

Tsukuba Circuit ,Ibaraki in July 20th, 2001

Weather:Fair

Condition:Dry

Lap Time

Air Pressure of the Tires(kg/cm2)

- REPORT -

So Famous?

It took an hour longer than usual from my home to Tsukuba Circuit as getting terrible traffic jams because it was the first day of 3 days off in a row. I got to "Course 1000" directly without taking the lecture in the room. As soon as I arrived there, another participant that found my RVR said,
"You are joining with this car again, right? You're kind of famous."
I want to be a famous man that everybody is surprised at the lap times on the circuit by this car. We could find HONDA S2000s, FIAT Barchettas, TOYOTA MarkII Tourer V, LOTUS Elan, NISSAN 180SX, NISSAN Skylines, and so on there. Of course, no any SUVs except mine were here today again.

Today's Schedule

The Time Trial is progressed from a practice (without timing) through three trials. And today, it is held with Sprint Race and Driving Kurt so we have tough schedule until the afternoon. But it is being so smooth to progress by the staffs of YRS that all the schedule has been done without any problems in spite of such a hot day like over 30 degrees.

Today's Tasks

Before my driving, today's target was put by myself as 52"-something. I am thinking that I will be able to get the higher speed 1st turn through 2nd turn by beginning earlier steering to 1st turn, and how fast it is to drive by out-in-in through the hairpin turn. Also I will care about braking until 2nd trial to keep it.

Practice

I drove into the course as the top of the line. I went through the course slowly to make sure the condition. I gave up doing out-in-in through the hairpin turn because it did not seem to do faster. By the way, I got a traffic jam soon though I went into the course first. One of Barchettas looked like quite slow. Other cars before me passed it one by one, but I could not because I was not so faster than the Barchetta. After that, I drove with him, and with the cars behind me, until finishing the practice.

With Barchetta

For the first trial with a timer on my car, I went into the course after the Barchetta at second. I got to him soon but could not pass easily again, and with him 3 laps. For other 3 laps, I could do as I wanted, and got 1 second slower time than my best one. I used the brakes more carefully than before, so could be convinced at the result as the first trial, with the 3 close times.

RAV4

As listening to the chief instructor Tom Yoshida with the participant with 180SX asking him how to drive, we could get on TOYOTA RAV4 driven by Tom. How lucky! What we were asking are; 1. which line is the best from the hairpin turn through the straight line in the infield, and 2. how to handle just before the turn to the oval course from the infield.

On thesection 1. above, by leaving later from the outside on left-turning to the straight, we can get to the straight smoothly, and then, get faster speed on the straight.

On thesection 2., after the gentle left-turning after the straight in the infield, by steering back to a little more right with stepping back on the gas, we can get a stable body, which means we can get a good posture for going to the next turn quickly.

Sorry if I misunderstood about them. Well, Tom practically did them with me and other 2 participants. I was surprised at his stably driving with tall RAV4 with 4 people although he drove a little slowly. I was on it easily with hanging on to nothing (because a helmet of the owner of the RAV4 was in my hands). For the above 2 points, I got just for the moment, but do you think I could actually do them after that?

Terrible Noise from the Tires

I went to 2nd trial. In addition to Tom's advices, I tried the task I had thought up myself. Driving into 1st turn, I fully stepped on the gas just after the clipping point! Then, I felt strange vibration from the front left tire. But I let me understand that I was getting faster, and went on to the next. It was the stage that I should practice Tom's first advice, but..., I could not do it. I could not drive on the line Tom made, leaving from the outside too early. And, on the next stage of his 2nd advice, only thinking about steering back to the right, I roughly steered to the left, with stepping on the gas fully. It led terrible frictional noise from the tires. After all, I could not do them during 2nd trial, and of course, the lap times were worse than I expected.

Left front tire after driving	Left rear tire after driving

Reflection

At the final trial as well, I only felt my own badly driving when I could not practice the both advices. For the moment, I got my today's best time at the final lap, but worse than the previous one. It may be the only benefit that I noticed to be able to take away the under steering by braking a little with steering at the entrance on the left turn to the straight line in the infield. No, the real benefit is that I could notice not having had any conversation with my car. I found out that I had neglected the signs from the tires when I found the shoulders of both of the left and right front tires were shaved extremely. I reflected damaging the car.

Driving as Another Section

I finished the 3 trials as the schedule, but when I heard there was another schedule that Tom would drive my car with me on the co-driver's seat by other 2,000 yen, I applied it without hesitation. I understood that my steering had not been linked to the accelerator, and not smooth when I saw Tom's driving my car. He definitely told me,
"You drive too roughly, right?"
I would have got something in this event today even if only this his driving my car with me.

Bottom Line:Care about conversation with my car.It would cry out if I try to let it work over the limit.