Road Atlanta HPDE

I had been warned about Road Atlanta... with remarks like ... if you can drive there you can drive anywhere.... and indeed... what an eye opener, what an experience... in all of my very modest 6 previous track event epxerience, I never ran off track till this weekend...

CMS, the group I've been running with couldn't get a set of dates at Road ATL so they partnered up with a Boxter club and got a few slots this week end, I was one of the lucky one who registered quickly and so was Gary HAgopian with his 62 Coupe racer...

Road ATL is like a roller coaster in some spots... except that it's a fast and blind rollercoaster so learning the track is critical because there are a couple of spots where you don't realize you have to turn till... it's too late too brake. We did a first session following instructors which was fine but too slow... and corners that look a certain way at 40mph... suddenly don't look the same at 70mph....

Gary had run at Road ATLand he had warned me about turn 3, the first of the esses... It looked fairly easy on the map... but the track map left a little detail out... elevation changes... this ain't Florida... and for some reason the real thing didn't look at all like the track map !

Exiting the outer pits ( there is is an inside pit n paddock too) in turn one a fast 4th gear right hander in my car at the end of the downhill front straight, you immediately shoot uphill into a quick medium left hander with barely any visibility as you reach the top of the hill. Then, better be ready for turn 3, the first of the esses, a fast right hander, off camber, which drops quickly into a downhill left then right / left /right esses which takes you to quick approach into a seriously climbing left turn that gives you little time to settle the car, and brake and downshift into 3rd.... Plenty of curbs there but also blind on the exit as you once again crest over a hill onto a short straight... barely long enough for 5th... but long enough to get the RPMs over 5000 in 4th on my car...

The following quick right hander in 4th leads to immediately to a slower and tighter 3rd gear 90deg right hander with again very little distance to brake and downshift... leading onto the back straight which is nothing but straight... but wide enough to be taken flat out topping in my case just under 110... although the faster cars there where flying by hitting 150...

The braking zone at the end is seriously downhill... would have been too easy otherwise...into a tight 3rd gear left / right chicane with a steep climbing exit under the bridge. As you reach the bridge, you'd better know what's on the other side since when you clear the top of the hill you'd better be not only at the right spot on the track but angled the right way, to the right... if you don't want to make the fastest and loudest pit
entrance ever... and you'd better not be doing any steering since the car is light while cresting.... How drivers in Trans Am or America Le Mans series do it twice as fast... at least... I don't know... well I know... they're pros... and they've got guts and balls..

there is a little bit of room on the downhill bit to correct the line and make the final turn 12 on the straight... but not much.. and there is little runoff and plenty of tire marks leading into the tire walls ... If you got it right it's a short blast into 5th and nearly 100mph on the front straight...

On my second hot lap of the day, I happened to forget that after cresting exting turn 2... the esses start right there... and if you haven't braked early enough... it's gonna be too late because the car gets light at the top and you're just going to lock up the brakes.. which is exactly what I did going straight for the grass on the other side. Trying to turn would only have resulted in going across the curb and grass sideways so I wisely decided to go straight for the bumpy ride into the Georgia landscape harmlessly bleeding speed before rejoining the track...

I leaned the lesson and the following laps were better... altough I locked up a couple more times but stayed on the track... after an hour or running, everything started coming together nicely enough to really enjoy this great
track...

It would have been more enjoyable if it wasn't that cold... 25F in the morning, gradually warming to the mid 30s by the afternoon...driving with a sweater and a thick leather jacket is a new experience for me, especially since windows have to be rolled down for safety reasons.. I had to borrow gloves from Gary and even use a shop towel to shield my mouth and nose since I have an open face helmet. ouch.

unlike many other cars that spent a lot of time hood up, spilling a variety of fluids, refusing to start, misfring, and going home on trailers, the E type performed flwlessly. The new Holley pump, alhtough loud, kept the fuel pressure rock steady at 2.5 PSI. The refreshed carbs, with new lower floats
didn't spit or mistifre in hard corners, just perfect. or Near perfect since I was getting a bit of smoke out of the exhaust on the long back straight, in the second part after the upshift into 5th. Nothing major but noticeable enough for an overzealous corner worker to give me the meatball, probably thinking it was another Jagaur leaking oil... funny thing is that after I went to the pits and chief worker confirmed nothing was leaking, they also blackflagged Gary thinking it could have bene him smoking in front of me...

I guess, after 25 seconds of being flat out, something is causing the engine to smoke... it's very light blueish, could only see it in the mirror witht he sun in the back. I'm not burning any oil though, havent' checked yet but after the trip up and 1 hour on track,...the level hadn't gone down.

oh and the darn driver sidewindshield wiper broke... while cruising on the way up around 90 or 95.... suddenly it popped off the shaft and simply rested on the cown in front of the windshield... I guess the flow bounced off the bonnet because I expected it to fly off... I had time roll down my window lean over and grab it still doing 90... The splined brass thingy was still in the wiper arm but just popped off the shaft and I can' see how to make it stay on...

but these are details on a 30 year old stock engine ( heads were done, but block is original)... Handling was superb... well balanced and predictable as always... Classic Jaguar's Willwoods worked great...

The E-types, as always, got a lot of attention... especailly Gary's... he got a lot of respect on track too... that car is fast... at Lime Rock, we've never been in the same run group so I knew he was fast but I had no idea he was that fast.... he just flew away in the distance.. amazing what 1000 lbs, 100 hp and a good driver can do.... :-) I shot some video, this time using a regular camcorder, and begged him to stay in front for a few laps but he barely did... I'll capture the video.. need to buy a capture board... and will post some clips...

Now.... THIS IS what driving an E-type is about... it' safe, it's fun, it's a learning experience.... If you haven't tried this.... do it ! Most of those who tried Lime Rock, can't wait to come back...

Pascal Gademer
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKRCoupe
99 XJR