Gen3 Impressions - Sebring Short Course

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Posts: 418
Joined: Wed Dec 07, 2011 6:01 pm
Location: Brandon Florida
Chassis:
762
PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:22 pm
I got a chance to drive the PM Racing Gen3 prototype at Sebring on the Short Course (Green Park) during the Friday test day for the October 19-20 SARRC weekend along with Brian Schofield, Chad Galloway, and Richie Stanley. Between us we ran the car for 7 25 minute sessions with a total of about 80 laps (1.65 mile track layout). I got about 25 of those laps over two sessions - one in the early afternoon and one about 4pm. Weather was very warm and humid - highs near 90.

Everything seems like a normal SRF until you crank it up - sound and vibration patterns are different than the 1.9. Clutch is very stiff and has relatively little throw. It grabs farther down (and grabs with authority). I think I set the record for number of times stalling the car trying to get it out of its paddock parking spot. I felt a little like Bill Cosby in his "Driving in San Francisco" skit working my way through the paddock but once I hit the pit lane and got 3000 rpm in second the thing came alive.

Once out on the track, I felt comfortable right away - although things happen a bit quicker than with the 1.9. And some "simple" sections of the track suddenly required a bit more care - like the little right hand kink before the carousel - ho hum easy flat in the 1.9 - getting there 5 mph faster requires a whole lot more care.

Shift points were surprisingly close to the 1.9 even with the extra 1000 rpm in each gear. The only real difference in gear selection was in the run down to the hairpin where we normally get to 5th briefly with the 1.9 - top of 4th in the Gen3.

Second gear corners are really different - learning to modulate the throttle to avoid excessive wheel spin is going to take some practice. If you just nail the throttle in 2nd gear, you'll test the rev limiter real quickly - and you'll leave big black marks on the pavement too.

SRF track record is a 1:17.4 that dates back almost 10 years. I normally figure mid-to-high 1:18's to be a really quick lap in warm weather. Brian was in the mid-16's on the test day, Chad and I were mid-17's, Richie made it into the high 16's. Later in the weekend, Brian was down to 16.1.

The car had Brian's normal setup for the short course - and it was pretty driveable. Could use a bit more point on entry and tended to go a bit loose on exit. The tires we used on the test day were a set that Derek ran at the Sprints and then at the August Double SARRC at Daytona. Rear tire wear became very evident as the day wore on - particularly on the inside shoulders. By the time I did my 2nd session (the 6th session of the day), the inner groove on the rear tires was almost completely gone. I was expecting the car to be a handful on a hot day with rear tires that worn, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the balance had changed very little from my earlier session. Rear tires that worn on a 1.9 would make for a very busy time. I assume that much lighter weight in the rear of the car makes the car less sensitive to rear tire wear.

We used up a set of brake pads (new rotors but 2 Majors weekend used pads). But - the brakes held up quite well - no noticable fade (and Sebring Short Course is notoriously hard on brakes). We ran the car in test day Group 1 (wings) and Group 3 (sedans). There were only 3 groups so there wasn't much down time between sessions for things to cool. Often, Chris was fueling the car while the driver change took place.

I was out with formula cars in one session and small sedans in the other. With the small sedans, getting around them was a whole lot easier than with the 1.9 - that extra 10mph down the straights makes Miata passing very simple - just nail the gas and drive around them.

I don't know what Brian's test car weighs - but it sure feels lighter - and the back end feels much more secure off throttle. It's going to take some re-learning driving techniques to get the most out of it. I'm looking forward to that challenge.
Lee Hill
SEDiv SRF 72

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