Brands Hatch June 22nd Telemetry Analysis

So a little post race weekend reflection and analysis by reviewing the telemetry from the DL1.

In summary, I have managed to improved my best sectors through paddock and clearways at Brands during the qualify session. In the first race I managed to improve on my best sector for druids. The Graham hill and Surtees sectors however were quite a bit slower than pre-season testing back in April.

Through Graham hill for example, my best this weekend was during Race 1 with a 8.21 seconds, some .2slower than fastest which was set in April testing.

Its a similar but worse picture for Surtees, my best in race 1 was 9.83, in fact I did a few at that pace over the weekend but that does not compare too well to pre season testing for that sector at 9:45 - almost half a second there.

The telemetry trace image here shows Surtees, the black trace is from pre-season testing, green for the qualify pole lap and then purple for my fastest sector in the first race in June. In both of my June sessions I was slower on the entry of Surtees although by the second race I had learnt to drive around some of the understeer and reduce the reduction in speed at turn in almost by half

On reflection I think I ran the rake of the car rather too conservatively at Brands this time around. The reduced weight over the front and reduced aero effect meaning I had to get off the throttle for longer in order to get the nose into the left hander of Surtees. From the telemetry, I am about 4 to 5mph slower than before through the initial left hand part although I am back on pace for the apex and right hander.

Even if I compare my race pace this weekend to the previous time we came to race at Brands, therefore going with a more conservative approach than you might see in testing, its still those two sectors that were slower this time around albeit by a smaller margin. If I could have driven those two sectors as quickly as back in April, I would have reduced my race pace lap time down by a couple of tenths and therefore lower the lap record a little more.

I am however quite pleased with having achieved three new best sector times and the car feels better and more consistent through the entry and exit to clearways and although a touch slower through the apex of Paddock Hill bend, it feel more stable on entry and I was able to push more on the exit, giving me a better run up to the hairpin.

Our next outing is back to Cadwell for two races next weekend. I think I will put the car back to a slightly steeper rake so that we don't suffer from understeer through the two technical and fast corners that lead onto the all important back straight. I will be compromising a little for the very fast turn one but this was fine earlier in the year, and of course I will have to be careful through the entry to the mountain section where I had my 'moment' in qualifying last month! It will be interesting to see if the new 7" rear rims help at all through the long high speed corners at Cadwell.