- 713
- Connecticut
- Forcednduckshn
Round 1 Technical Discussion: Cape Ring
- Thread starter EL_ZISSOU
- 256 comments
- 18,785 views
- 128
- S_Diem
Getting closer to understanding this track. I did a 1:25.0 in sector 2 before getting nervous and blowing it in the last part of the track 
- 615
- blindsidefive0
Getting closer to understanding this track. I did a 1:25.0 in sector 2 before getting nervous and blowing it in the last part of the track
That's a great split - definitely fast enough to set up a 2:44. I've seen a few of those as well as a 1:24.990 that turned into a 2:45.147 (a couple minor mistakes here and there, just enough to keep me out of the 2:44's). My best lap (2:45.133) was off a 1:25.1 with about a tenth or two worth of mistakes in the last sector - I shouldn't have looked at that sector 3 split before the turn in after the ring.
...now why don't you go and enjoy the weather, and leave that 5th playseat alone
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I have a 2:47.782. I can't get any better than that. It's like I have an open wound and speed just bleeds out of me. Every now and then my first split is a 49.2. But I can't for the life of me figure out how to not lose so much speed in sector 2. And then sector 3 is murder on me too. 2 of my main issues are the switchbacks, and another minor issue is the esses just before the end of sector 2.
- 713
- Connecticut
- Forcednduckshn
That's a great split - definitely fast enough to set up a 2:44. I've seen a few of those as well as a 1:24.990 that turned into a 2:45.147 (a couple minor mistakes here and there, just enough to keep me out of the 2:44's). My best lap (2:45.133) was off a 1:25.1 with about a tenth or two worth of mistakes in the last sector - I shouldn't have looked at that sector 3 split before the turn in after the ring.
...now why don't you go and enjoy the weather, and leave that 5th playseat alone
Congrats on taking the top spot in the Northeast on the Cape! Saw it yesterday.👍
I haven't put any time in since early in the week. I'm going to make a big push this weekend...and try and snatch one of the last DFGT's (I already did the math, if I can just add up the good sectors I'll be way high up in the national leaderboard
)- 133
- Seankf1105
Getting closer to understanding this track. I did a 1:25.0 in sector 2 before getting nervous and blowing it in the last part of the track
Dude your in the 2:45's and you dont fully understand the track yet? Haha I would feel like a god among men having that time.
For me, being a wheel noob since late December, Im finally becoming more consistent at least at the cape. I feel like the other day I made a major break through on there. Managed to go from 2:50.7xx to a 2:49.2xx all within an hour of my time. Deffinetly felt like once you break into the 2:49s it seems like it will be way easier to reach 2:46s-2:47s.
I feel like I have all the lines down for the most part, now all I need to start focusing on is the speeds I can hold on to during various specific parts of the track (parts Im sure you are all pretty familiar with). Still cant seem to run much faster than 49.7 in sector 1 most likely due to turn 8, but we'll see.
One thing however I seem to have noticed about T3 (that I'm not sure how many people have tried) is that with hitting the proper apex, I can jump the inside curb with my left wheels and rely on the curb itself to kind of slingshot me in the direction of T4 without having to slow down quite as much (note: seemingly). Havent been able to try this much yet as it's pretty hit or miss at the moment for me. From what I can remember you have to go a little wider out of T2 to set yourself up for it though (1/2 to 1 car width wider) but that translates to allowing you to go a little faster through T2. I seemed to be able to get an exit speed similair to, if not a shade faster than, that of Fix's ghost but he's the only ghost Ive been using recently so I havent been able to compare it much to the rest of you guys. I could be completely wrong about this being as fast or faster but has anyone else try this yet? Let me know what you think.
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- 615
- blindsidefive0
Dude your in the 2:45's and you dont fully understand the track yet? Haha I would feel like a god among men having that time.
The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know
I would not say I've mastered anything about this track. I am constantly learning nuances in line/weight transfer/speed/track conditions - never mind that once you learn "everything", you have to execute properly.
Remember one of the first threads? Some guy thought that the 2:47's were cheating because they were so fast...now there are over a dozen drivers in the 2:45's.
Anyway, about your approach to T3 - don't hit the curb. Come out of T2 and stay all the way in the right hand lane. Then brake (not quite fully) and turn in. Downshift to 3rd and bleed speed to the apex (the white line by the curb), but don't hit the curb. Use the throttle to control the back end to keep it from rotating too much (via maintenance throttle), and then add more power to get it to rotate again towards the apex of T4. The biggest trick to this turn is coming around T2 - you don't want to be "fighting" the car as you complete the turn, but you need to stay all the way tight. If you aren't unwinding the wheel by the time you complete the turn, you will struggle to efficiently transfer the weight and make the next turn smoothly. Try going through T2 a little slower and see if that helps your T3 transition.
- 133
- Seankf1105
Blindside, thanks for your advice and slightly more in depth description of how to take this turn that way. Ive been using this general line since following Fix's, yours, and a few other ghosts. Not going to lie I'm still often very hit or miss with getting the car slowed down enough to hit the T3 apex, but Ill take your aproach and see if I can make it work a little more consistently. Thanks. 👍
I actually came across this second approach by accident. I think I hit T2 too fast, went wide, and figured wth lets see if this works, and sure enough I landed myself right behind Fix's ghost, more or less where I had been at the entrance of T2 after messing up T1 a little. I know hitting the T3 curb in a normal manner will almost always upset the balance of the car way too much and send you into a spin, so I decided to jump it in a manner similar to how many ppl are jumping over the curbs in T4 & T5. Since this curb is shaped in somewhat of right triangle, the flat vertical surface on the inner part of the curb was what I used to sort of 'hook' my driver-side wheels on. In theory this would allow one to sustain a higher centripetal acceleration through the apex while you are turning to set yourself up for T4. Just felt like I'd share with some of you faster guys to see if you've already tried it or see if you want to try it out, if you havent already debunked it as being faster.
I actually came across this second approach by accident. I think I hit T2 too fast, went wide, and figured wth lets see if this works, and sure enough I landed myself right behind Fix's ghost, more or less where I had been at the entrance of T2 after messing up T1 a little. I know hitting the T3 curb in a normal manner will almost always upset the balance of the car way too much and send you into a spin, so I decided to jump it in a manner similar to how many ppl are jumping over the curbs in T4 & T5. Since this curb is shaped in somewhat of right triangle, the flat vertical surface on the inner part of the curb was what I used to sort of 'hook' my driver-side wheels on. In theory this would allow one to sustain a higher centripetal acceleration through the apex while you are turning to set yourself up for T4. Just felt like I'd share with some of you faster guys to see if you've already tried it or see if you want to try it out, if you havent already debunked it as being faster.
- 128
- S_Diem
I have tried that method of using the apex curb at turn 3, but it seemed too inconsistent for me.
What blindside said is good. And I just want to add that I use that dark patch of road at the apex of turn 3 as the spot I have to be flatout by. What helped me out in that section was to brake slightly earlier than I usually do before t3, and slowly feed in the throttle to maximum at or slightly before the dark patch. This is opposed to Fix's method of sliding the car a lot more to the apex.
What blindside said is good. And I just want to add that I use that dark patch of road at the apex of turn 3 as the spot I have to be flatout by. What helped me out in that section was to brake slightly earlier than I usually do before t3, and slowly feed in the throttle to maximum at or slightly before the dark patch. This is opposed to Fix's method of sliding the car a lot more to the apex.
- 1,056
- GT-Motion
lol I just hit a 2:47 the other night and had a first sector of 49.6, I was going to restart the lap but just went with it anyways and even messed up in the second sector. If 2:47 is cheating then we have some problems lol
- 133
- Seankf1105
- 1,056
- GT-Motion
It's weird how much time can be won or lost in practically every inch of this track.
Yea, I can't even use a ghost, I have to do lap 1, no ghost, the ghost throws me off.
I hot a spot in sector two soooo good one time, but messed up elsewhere that every time I am ahead of the ghost it passes me or catches me there and messes with my head, even though I know I will soon get back ahead because I messed up later on in that lap.
- 588
- SoCal, USA
- cmoraUSGP
I finally achieved a 2:49.xxx yesterday, just barely.
Anyone know of the times of each sector that could land me a 2:44.xxx time (or anything below 2:49.xxx)?
I ask that because I noticed some of you have a 49.x through sector 1, I've been hitting low 50.xx's through that sector (I've done a 49.xx one time, messed the lap up! lol).
So if anyone can share, that would be great.
Anyone know of the times of each sector that could land me a 2:44.xxx time (or anything below 2:49.xxx)?
I ask that because I noticed some of you have a 49.x through sector 1, I've been hitting low 50.xx's through that sector (I've done a 49.xx one time, messed the lap up! lol).
So if anyone can share, that would be great.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
The fastest possible sectors that I could imagine right now are:
1 - 48.600
2 - 1:24.850
3 - 2:18.700
4 - 2:44.600
I've seen a handful of 48.6's recently, including a 48.633 last night. The fastest time I've done through sector 2 was 1:24.970. That's more than fast enough to set up a 2:44, but I couldn't finish the lap (per usual). Choate was in the 2:18's through sector 3, but the best I've seen there is a 2:19.0.
If you are going to try to get into the 2:48's I think going for a low to mid 49 then a 1:26.x should get you in the right direction.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
I would actually suggest not restarting every time you get a 50+ through sector 1. Start off your session with 5-10 laps without restarting. It will help you get a rhythm, and with the Cape there's time to be had in all the sectors - not just sector 1. If you are struggling in sector 1 specifically then focus on it for a while, but most of my good times come when I'm in a rhythm and hitting marks for a few laps in a row.
- 133
- Seankf1105
+1 except sometimes I will restart at the end of 1-3 laps. Unless I fall off the track, spin out, or crash I usually always try to finish the lap.
Speaking of crashing/spinning out/over-cooking a turn, how often do you top guys find yourself in one of these situations? I've noticed the more Ive practiced the less I spin out coming out turns and it has gotten to the point where I spin out less than 1/10 laps (mostly at T13). My biggest issue now it seems is staying on the track going into T22 where there's that patch of grass just wide enough to invalidate your lap. I also still find myself entering T15 a little too hot every now and then.
So at this point do you guys at the top have any section of the track where you still screw up every now and then to the point of restarting? Or have you gotten consistent enough to be able to run lap after lap with only minor mistakes?
- 128
- S_Diem
I spin out/over-cook every session all the time lol. I'm always pushing as hard as I can so naturally I'm crashing/spinning a lot. During a 2 hour session at cape ring, I'll probably only do about 5-10 complete laps.
I've had times where I'll restart like 5 times in a row because I'll get the entry into T1 wrong. If I do get T1 right but my sector 1 split is higher than a 48.8 I always restart. So basically I go by my sector bests. If I know my best first sector is a 48.6, I'll only give myself at the most 2 tenths to work with.
But with that said, I still think it's good advice to just get into a rhythm and do consecutive laps, slowly ramping up the speed. I would do that, but I don't have the patience.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
There are probably only 4 spots on the track where I might actually totally lose it - 11, 13, 16, 22. For instance, if I miss the turn in point at 22 - the lap is blown if I ease up, so I might as well push hard, try to hook up well with a curb or something, and maybe I'll get lucky and only lose a tenth. If I don't get a little lucky, I'll slam into the wall or something and invalidate the lap - which doesn't really matter because if I ease up and make the turn I won't have a chance at a fast lap anyway.
With that being said, if I only needed to run 2:46's I could probably go 20+ laps in a row without an off.
It also depends on my mood - if I'm getting frustrated, and I slide a little too much and bleed too much speed in T3 while trying to point the car towards the hill I might just slam the gas and purposefully spin out...and immediately restart.👎
- 17
- Mmm_Fish_Tacos
I was messing around on cape last night, trying to put in a better time. I started using the brake with WOT. Any of you top guys doing this? If so what turns are you using it on? It seems to get there some areas faster but it's hard to say for sure.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
No. One pedal at a time for me. That's all my brain can handle.
In a 6hp kart you might as well tie the gas pedal to the floor, but in GT I will only use brake and gas at the same time once in a while and never WOT.
- 128
- S_Diem
- 17
- Mmm_Fish_Tacos
Keep in mind it's never full brake either, maybe a bump and tap here and there. Sorry i didn't include this info in my first post.
- 620
- Choate51
I use full brake for a little longer than some think. You have to remember that the ABS is kicking in when the speed starts to slow down. That effect is what the faster guys understand and utilize a bit better, allowing us to rotate through the corner, without the car plowing like a dump truck.
- 1,056
- GT-Motion
The way people have used throttle+brake in sims has been ridiculous for years, sim racers love to fantasize that its realistic to set a car with a stupid rear bias and use throttle+brake every turn which is good for a video game with flaws, not so good for real life.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
IRL it can be a useful technique, depending on the circumstance. I don't use it, but I've heard of nasty autox drivers using their left foot to make the car skip back and forth while going through a slalom. Also, Colin McRae:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMEqOGejlrw
- 1,056
- GT-Motion
I am talking about road cars, not Rally. In Rally school they actually teach you about left foot braking and using throttle+brake in some situations.
In a RWD road car its only supposed to be used infrequently at best for hairy situations.
In sim racing they abuse it by putting a stupid rear bias and every single turn using throttle+brake throughout the entire turn.
- 615
- blindsidefive0
I'll agree with you there. I thought you were talking more generally, and it has it's applications. Sim racers can rely on it too much.
There's a guy in my club who is going to kill himself relying on left foot braking. He's got an automatic 135i and uses LFB to compensate for his inability to get the car to turn properly...
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