"A Lap Around Daytona in an SRP2 Car"

There are a few things to take note of at Daytona. First of all, the grip and track condition changes immensely through the process of the race weekend. Second of all, lines and gears may very depending on the set-up of the car, and which car you are driving. We will assume this is a low downforce set-up with a 6 speed gearbox in the Lola/Nissan SRP2 car.

Here we go:

Turn 1:
You are in 6th Gear coming accross Start/Finish somewhere around 180mph. Stay high on the banking as you start to pass the brake markers to avoid the bumps on the lower line. Entry to turn 1 is tricky, as the track seems to go from 6 lanes wide, to one lane wide.You will initially point the car so that you are braking in a straight line to minimize room for error. Stand hard on the brakes at about the 100 mark, and concentrate on keeping the car straight, if you are bending the car, as you hit some undulations in the pavement you will notice the car wanting to step out. as you go enter the infield asphalt you will want to start to come off the brakes slightly and downshift to 3rd gear. You want to carry maximum entry speed, but also concentrate on coming off the brakes as quick as possible. It is not necessary to apex at the armco, but only to stay where the car likes to roll best, and on the grip.

Right/Left Combo:
When you exit one you will then encounter the Right/Left combo. You will be accelerating through 3rd and 4th gear, and you will want to make it as muchof a straight-line as possible. You can drive over the apron in the right hand part because it is flat, and that way you minimize the amount of turning you do in the left.

HorseShoe:
When you approach the entry to the right hand "horseshoe" as it's called you have the tendency to want to place the car all the way to the left. This isn't always necessary as there is normally lots of debris there. You will be approaching the turn in 4th gear, and you will want to brake at the 100 marker (on your right, strangely) and be off the brakes before you turn in. This minimizes the amount of chassis pitch you will encounter through this longer corner. You will go down to 2nd gear. You want to be able to start applying power at the apex (which normally is dirty) without dirt-tracking on exit. The best place to place your left side tires is almost directly on the exit apron, an further over that is normally dirty, and the track cambers off slightly.

The "Dogleg"
You will be approaching the DogLeg in the top of 4th gear, normally in 5th if you have a good run out of the horseshoe. The Dogleg can be vary dangerous in traffic, so take caution. You will want to turn the car a little late so that you are approaching the next right hander in a line to straight brake. Before you enter you may want to do a small "chicken" lift, or in some extreme cases a left foot brake (if you have a high speed push). It is important to be on throttle on entry to keep the weight transferred.

You will notice a slight bump mid-corner, but with the proper damper settings its not abrupt.

Right Hander at the Grand Stands:
You will be approaching the right hander at a significant rate of speed. The most important part about this corner is not missing your turn-in point, as the entry seems very wide because of the escape road, which is lined with cones. It is important to pick a definite braking point on entry as you want to again turn the car in, without being on the brakes. You will brake hard, in a straight line, and as the track seems to swing to the right and become narrow, you will want to come off the brakes as you go down to second gear. You can place the right side tires on the apex apron as it is pretty smooth, and you want to be applying power at the apex, on full throttle and pointed straight as you exit. It is not necessary to use the exit apron.

Hairpin onto the "Chute"
You will be in 4th gear if you had a good run off of the last right hander. The Hairpin is a little tricky because if you apex too early you will have a tendency to dirt track on exit, and if you apex too late you will be too slow entering the banking. Brake a little earlier than you would predict, and try to use it as an acceleration point onto the back straight. If it is taked right, you will notice your upshifts are significantly sooner onto the banking, and the whole way around. You will go down to 2nd gear, and up to third on exit, 4th immediately after you enter the banking.

"The Bus Stop":
One of the biggest places to get in trouble, especially in traffic, at daytona. You are carrying such a high-rate of speed, and it is a point and squirt type corner. The car needs to have good directional ability or you will be in the grass. You will be entering in 6th gear, and will be passing the brake markers on the right wall. Position yourself about a car width, to a car width and a half off of the outside wall. You will want to stand hard on the brakes at or a little past the 2 marker. Down to 3rd gear, you will want to make sure you are off the brakes and back to power before the first apex, and full throttle by the second. Depending on your run, you will either be peaked in 3rd gear entering the exit of the bustop, or in 4th gear. You may need to do a "chicken lift" before you start your turn in. It is important to turn the car before the apex, and not at it as there is a bump mid corner, if you are hitting it, you arepositioning yourself in thewrong place.

As you exit you will be accelerating hard through the gears,up to 6th and onto the front chute.

There you go. A lap around Daytona.