Bleu CHEEZE (Loren)

Having the opportunity to drive at Daytona was one that I couldn't pass up. I had no idea what to expect. Everybody who had been there before kept telling me about the 34? banking and the incredibly high speeds one can attain (with a proper set of ogre sized marbles).

Pulling into the facility, you go under a tunnel and once you come out the other side, you are immediately confronted with one of the banking turns (Nascar 1 & 2), and my only reaction was "Holy ****, I'm going to be driving on that?" People were having trouble actually trying to climb up the wall. There were tram rides around the track.

The track that we ran was not the basic Nascar set-up. There was an infield portion that consisted of a few late apex 100-120? turns, and 1 high speed left hander that when done correctly, can be taken at excess of 100 mph. (Again, provided you have your ogre marbles)
After exiting the infield, you have about 1.5 seconds to prepare yourself for the rollercoaster that are the banked turns. Once you enter Nascar 1, you want to track your car out almost all the way up to the top, and just lay the hammer down. You are on the throttle until you hit about 140-150 mph, at which point you are fast approaching the braking zone for the bus stop. The bus stop was my favorite part of the track. It was very short, and included a downshift into 3rd, giving you the proper torque to get up to speed quicker after exiting and then entering Nascar 3. If you do the bus stop right, you will 4 sets of rumble strips in a span of less than 7 seconds. A quick left to enter, downshift to 3rd, then a very mini carousal, hitting rumble of the right twice, then shooting straight out, catching the rumble of the left, and then immediately entering Nascar 3. Again, you are on the throttle until you listen to your brain, and not your *****. (Sorry April, I know you don't quite know what that is like!!!) My top speed for the weekend was a stitch over 160 mph. Before I started to downshift into 3rd in the bus stop, I was barely hitting 150ish before it was time to start braking to set up for entering the infield again. But once I started to get into 3rd in the bus stop, it gave me a few extra mph's around Nascar 3 & 4.

The track is surprisingly uneven and bumpy, given that it is one of the most famous raceways in the world. In the middle of Nascar 4, there is a very noticeable dip in the track that causes your car to compress, and then become very light. The first couple of times it happens, it is very unsettling and nerve-wracking, but after a few runs, you start to prepare for it, and almost predict when it is going to happen.

I had the chance to drive with James Hunt, a driver for the APR team, and he showed me some very interesting lines and techniques. During the 30 minute session, James drove for the first 15 minutes, showing me lines, and actually in the process cooked my brakes, but he then offered to sit in the right seat for me for the last part of the session. That was pretty cool, getting instruction from a different professional driver.

I also had the chance to get out on the track with Mark White. I've known Mark for a while now, and have had multiple chances to ride with him, as well as have him sit in the right seat with me. Mark took the car out and basically blew away everyone else on the track at that point. Very cool stuff.

Overall , the experience was one that I will always remember. When I go to sleep at night, I am still having problems getting to sleep right away, because I'm still running the track in my head. If any of you ever have the chance, I highly recommend jumping on it, and feeling the beastly power of the RS4 on a 34? bank at one of the most famous speedways in the world.

McGyver

Nice write-up!

AchTTung--Vollgas

Sounds awesome, thanks.

DaveyKid

the part where you almost blew chunks on the first banking in my 996TT!