After Hotlaps of Mount Panorama with Jim Richards and Alex Davison I made some notes that evening, in the Panorama City Hotel Motel, to remember it by!
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Approaching turn 1, Hell Corner, 200m, 100, 3rd, on the brakes. Alex gets on the gas for the run up Mountain Straight and lets it run wide onto the ripple strip.
Accelerating up Mountain Straight we take the hump under the Dunlop sign flat, the car goes light and side-to-side skittish - it feels great - before settling back down onto the track surface, into the dip, climbing to Griffins.
Approaching Griffins - 200m, 100m marker - it feels like we'll never slow in time to make the corner, down the gears, short and heavy braking. On the gas early, correcting momentary oversteer, powering out onto the ripple strip on exit heading for the Cutting.
The climb to the Cutting is steep, much steeper than it appears on TV, and feels very narrow with only narrowing concrete walls ahead.
Approaching the Cutting, round the blind left close to the wall, beginning to slow and out to the wall on the right - concrete everywhere. Tires protesting, car squirms under hard and late braking for the Cutting. Grabbing second, tuck into the apex, hard on the gas, 3rd, the car feels like it is being flung along the wall on the right, over the hump and then out towards the wall on the left along Reid Park. Grabs fourth, momentarily eases for the right hander, under the Fujitsu sign, then on the gas, close to the ripple strip and wall on left, then the short rise to Sulman.
The dip through Sulman is much more distinct and intense then it appears on TV or in-car cameras. The car swoops down hard and outwards to the iconic grate on the right, then rises out. The compression and forces throughout the entire arcing turn are sensational, with the car feeling fully loaded.
Exiting Sulman, in close to the ripple strip on the left, and into McPhillamy, twitching out close to the wall on the right, over the crest and left into the run onto Skyline at ~200km/h, out onto the ripple strip on the right.
Ahead is sky, more sky and not much track as the latter disappears abruptly at the Holden sign. It feels like you are going way too fast for the drop ahead!
The car goes light coming off Skyline at speed, looking forward all you can see is narrow concrete lined blind passage dropping and winding down the mountain.
Over the ripple strip on the left in the Esses, shifting down and brakes. Tyres squealing, in tight around the right and then left through iconic Dipper. Early on the power the car arrows down through the right and left sequence to Forrest's Elbow.
Big blips changing down, the steep drop into Forrest's Elbow, sounds great. It's late afternoon and aside from the flaggies, the track is empty - what a blast.
Running out wide on exit along the wall, and onto Conrod. After being flung side to side over the mountain it's a chance to breathe and look around. Flat out down and over the rise, looking to the Chase ahead. The car feels light at speed. It's quite bumpy too.
Approaching the Chase the sensation of speed and how the f*** are we going to make the right hander are insane. Veer out to the apron on the left, then sling through the right hander, the car moving side to side, elastic like, and down into the braking area, braking hard, really hard. The car kicks around abruptly, unsettled by the bumps in the braking area, it's exhilarating each time around - the first time though it's plain fricking scary!
The sharp left of the Chase rises, on the gas and the car runs out to the ripple strip, under GMC Bridge and run down into Murray's. After going across the mountain and through the Chase it's a relaxing way to end to a lap.
I catch a glimpse of the guys are leaning over the wall on Pit Straight, smiling as we blast by on another lap.
After Hotlaps of Mount Panorama with Jim Richards and Alex Davison I made some notes that evening, in the Panorama City Hotel Motel, to remember it by!--------------------
Approaching turn 1, Hell Corner, 200m, 100, 3rd, on the brakes. Alex gets on the gas for the run up Mountain Straight and lets it run wide onto the ripple strip.
Accelerating up Mountain Straight we take the hump under the Dunlop sign flat, the car goes light and side-to-side skittish - it feels great - before settling back down onto the track surface, into the dip, climbing to Griffins.
Approaching Griffins - 200m, 100m marker - it feels like we'll never slow in time to make the corner, down the gears, short and heavy braking. On the gas early, correcting momentary oversteer, powering out onto the ripple strip on exit heading for the Cutting.
The climb to the Cutting is steep, much steeper than it appears on TV, and feels very narrow with only narrowing concrete walls ahead.
Approaching the Cutting, round the blind left close to the wall, beginning to slow and out to the wall on the right - concrete everywhere. Tires protesting, car squirms under hard and late braking for the Cutting. Grabbing second, tuck into the apex, hard on the gas, 3rd, the car feels like it is being flung along the wall on the right, over the hump and then out towards the wall on the left along Reid Park. Grabs fourth, momentarily eases for the right hander, under the Fujitsu sign, then on the gas, close to the ripple strip and wall on left, then the short rise to Sulman.
The dip through Sulman is much more distinct and intense then it appears on TV or in-car cameras. The car swoops down hard and outwards to the iconic grate on the right, then rises out. The compression and forces throughout the entire arcing turn are sensational, with the car feeling fully loaded.
Exiting Sulman, in close to the ripple strip on the left, and into McPhillamy, twitching out close to the wall on the right, over the crest and left into the run onto Skyline at ~200km/h, out onto the ripple strip on the right.
Ahead is sky, more sky and not much track as the latter disappears abruptly at the Holden sign. It feels like you are going way too fast for the drop ahead!
The car goes light coming off Skyline at speed, looking forward all you can see is narrow concrete lined blind passage dropping and winding down the mountain.
Over the ripple strip on the left in the Esses, shifting down and brakes. Tyres squealing, in tight around the right and then left through iconic Dipper. Early on the power the car arrows down through the right and left sequence to Forrest's Elbow.
Big blips changing down, the steep drop into Forrest's Elbow, sounds great. It's late afternoon and aside from the flaggies, the track is empty - what a blast.
Running out wide on exit along the wall, and onto Conrod. After being flung side to side over the mountain it's a chance to breathe and look around. Flat out down and over the rise, looking to the Chase ahead. The car feels light at speed. It's quite bumpy too.
Approaching the Chase the sensation of speed and how the f*** are we going to make the right hander are insane. Veer out to the apron on the left, then sling through the right hander, the car moving side to side, elastic like, and down into the braking area, braking hard, really hard. The car kicks around abruptly, unsettled by the bumps in the braking area, it's exhilarating each time around - the first time though it's plain fricking scary!
The sharp left of the Chase rises, on the gas and the car runs out to the ripple strip, under GMC Bridge and run down into Murray's. After going across the mountain and through the Chase it's a relaxing way to end to a lap.
I catch a glimpse of the guys are leaning over the wall on Pit Straight, smiling as we blast by on another lap.
posted by Pete Walsh @ 3:22 AM 0 comments