Mid Ohio offers some VERY challenging corners! Personally, I find this track a real challenge and always have. The challenge keeps drawing me to try harder and to do better. I have a lot of learning left to do here. Before offering some thoughts on what I find the most challenging series of corners I make one observation. This track will eat you up and spit you out if your aggression clouds the mind for even a second or two. Take a breath, breath easy and relax, let the race come to you at your pace and you may find yourself finishing well. Now, to give myself some time to think about a tip or two. If you have one, please share it :)
After running a fair number of laps today, it is clear that the focus for this week’s tip will start at turn 4 and end at corner 9. Coming off the hill at turn 5 iRacing calls the next series of roller coaster esse bends “madness” which is an aptly named set for these corners. This week’s discussion will end at Turn 9 as you crest the hill, likely off-balance heading into Thunder Valley.
Turn 4 is a typical, nicely cambered high-speed corner. You will be setting up on the left edge of the track at speed and looking for your memorized break marker so you can straight-line break hitting the apex at 4 and exiting back to near the left side of the track. China Beach is a collection spot for those who miss their marks. You are immediately faced with the challenging turn 5. The photo below by JUSTIN MACONOCHIE and taken from the Car and Driver website gives a good look at undulations of this series.
The key to corner 5 is maintaining control of your car as you crest the hill and lose traction. As soon as you can you should be rolling on the throttle, which will help plant the vehicle. Note, I said to roll on the accelerator here, don’t stab it as wheel spin may catch you out. Also, too much steering correction while off throttle here, or to much throttle too early, will find you spinning off track and into the Armco. Up, over and down, moving back to the left side to set up the esses.
Next, I am going to get poetic and move from technical to a feeling that I think is essential if you can find it. It’s hard to put into words when you are trying to explain feeling rather than accurate track depictions of camber, apex, entry and exit points. But here’s the thing, after you drive this series of corners lap after lap you may find what many do here, a definite rhythm. There is a real flow, almost a pulse, a dance if you will to this complete set of corners. Although these terms are not technical if you can find that rhythm and repeat it consistently you will feel as though you have found some confidence here. Of all the tracks I have raced I am lured in by the madness of these corner series. John Unsbee gave a fantastic description of Bathurst a couple of weeks ago where he compared the Mountain run, the esses and the dipper to Lola, the kind of girl you don’t take home to Mom. Then he said there is the other girl Mary. She has a less threatening and calmer demeanor and is the girl you take back to mom. Mary awaits to dance with you at Mid-Ohio. Her curves, hills, and valleys are more subtle and much less demanding at first appearance, but don’t be fooled. Mary and Lola are sisters. Okay, enough of this dance, moving back to the technical. But do get that rhythm if you can find it.
Turns 6 through 9 are a sequence of bends that almost blend together, so it is essential to start the series hard on the throttle at the turn 6 apex. Depending on your approach angle a little trail braking may help point the car precisely right for the beginning of the series. If you are slightly offline you can still mash the throttle and get through the set without losing much time, it just won’t be perfect. But perfection is hard to come by here, at least for me. Approaching turn 7 you are clipping the very low curb as you crest the next hill on the left. Be careful on corner exit here at turn 7 because as you come over the top of the rise you dip down and go right into turn 8. Let the car roll out to the left and take advantage of the low curbing here to maximize the approach angle to the final turn 9. This last corner of the series is challenging to nail. You enter the bend on the rise of another hill with the weight transfer throwing the car to the outside as you crest the hill. The secret here for me is to downshift at the right moment and get into the throttle very quickly. The downshift pushes the nose right, and the throttle plants the car as you exit onto the curbing, cresting the hill and shoot into Thunder Valley.
I know I am going to need a healthy dose of good luck to finish the race at Mid Ohio on Wednesday. Here’s hoping you end it in one piece as well 😊