This is a turn-by-turn guide for the full 4.1 mile, 20 turn course. There are a few general things you should note. 1) the course is LONG and there are a TON of compromise corners, so make sure you learn the track so you can think ahead several corners. 2) the straights are long and fast but the corners are tight and slow, so be vigilant about your braking zones. 3) as the track existed on July 31, 2009, there is virtually no runoff anywhere, ESPECIALLY at the ends of the two fastest straights! So again, BE VIGILANT IN YOUR BRAKING ZONES!

There are actually two different pit areas, so where you consider “Turn 1″ to be can be rather fluid. This guide will use the standard turn numbers as listed by Monticello Motor Club, so Turn 1 will be the tight left hand turn at the end of the Pit Straight. (see the numbered track map here) (Note that the SCDA used the pits along the Back Straight on 7/31/2009, so this is not what many of us would consider “Turn 1″ to be)

Here is some footage of a lap with the corners marked:

Turn 1-2

Pit Straight is quite long and has a fairly steep decline, so speeds at the end of the straight are very high. I can push upwards of 90 mph in my Miata, which doesn’t easily push upwards of 90 mph. Turn 1 is a very tight left hand corner so you need to slow WAY down. Additionally, this corner has the worst runoff of the entire course. There is about 30 feet of grass, then a row of tires and then the armco wall. The runoff and gravel trap as depicted in the online track maps is NOT actually on the racetrack as of July 21, 2009. BE ABSOLUTELY VIGILANT OF YOUR BRAKING ZONE. There is NO room for error! And because you are still going downhill, there is not all that much braking grip.

Turn 2 is the important corner in this section as it leads out the mini straight before Turn 3, so compromise Turn 1 hard and late apex Turn 2. This whole section is VERY slow, so late apex as needed to be able to get your power down as early as possible. Use all the curbing on the right inside of Turn 2 unless it hinders your car’s ability to put down power.

Rain Line
The inside of Turn 1 on the left, right over the curbing you want to drive over, forms a lake when it rains. It can be 6 inches deep, and probably about 10 feet or so in diameter, so your usable track is MUCH narrower. Go in deeper, turn slower. The curbing on the right inside of Turn 2 is obviously slicker, so the issues noted above are amplified. Adjust your line around the curbing as necessary.

Turn 3

Fast right hand sweeper. I’m flat out in my Miata. Apex late, then look ahead to setup a straight line braking zone going into Turn 4. If you track all the way out to the left, you won’t have enough room to brake for Turn 4 and you’ll either brake oversteer or learn how to trailbrake real fast.

Turn 4

Turn 4’s only purpose in life is to set you up for Turn 5 so you can power through the Climbing Esses. There is a deceptive amount of camber and thus quite a bit of grip throughout the first part of the corner, but watch out for brake oversteer. You can late apex and power along the right side of the track towards Turn 5, or apex a little earlier and carve a slight curve back over towards the Turn 5 turn in at the ride side of the track. The more power and less your car likes transitions, the more you should take the late apex line.

Turn 5-6 - The Reverse Esses

Straighten this section out, aiming to end up at the right hand side of the track for the turn in for Turn 7. This turn in point dictates your line, so work backwards to get there. Compromise Turn 5 slightly, setting yourself up to late apex Turn 6. Carve an arc back over to the Turn 7 turn in.

Rain Line
The middle and left side of Turn 6 build up a thin layer of standing water. Move your line to the right more, which forces an earlier apex. Alternatively, use the middle of the track, but drive in a straight line over the water. Turn back towards the Turn 7 turn in once you clear the water and have grip.

Turn 7 - The Carousel

This is a wide, uphill, and LONG 180+ degree corner. Hold the right side of the track about 2/3 of the way over. Once you see your apex, begin squeezing in. Gently squeeze on the power when you see you’ve made your apex. Use all of the track your power necessitates, but at no point should you straighten the wheel - you want to keep turning and head to the left side of the track for your Turn 8 braking zone.

Turn 8-9 - The Double Apex

All you care about is Turn 9 because that leads out onto the the short straight before Turn 10. Turn 8 exists only to set you up for Turn 9, so again work backwards. You want to be on the left, at least 2/3 of the way over for your entry to Turn 9.

Think of Turn 8 strictly as your setup for Turn 9. Coming out of the Carousel, look for your braking zone for Turn 9. Turn 9 is must slower than it appears tracking out of the Carousel and you can build a lot of speed on the slightly downhill straight - don’t neglect your braking zone. After powering out of the Carousel, don’t straighten out completely. Instead, continue to squeeze left, letting the car drift over to the left side of the track right at the start of Turn 8. Brake in a straight line, heading deep into The Double Apex towards your Turn 9 turn in point.

Alternatively, you can treat The Double Apex as a single apex turn (name notwithstanding). Everything above applies, only you are staying wide through Turn 8 instead of pinching it off for a double apex.

As mentioned, Turn 9 is much slower than it looks from the straight, and it invites brake oversteer. The wall is pretty close, so try not to spin. Once you’ve seen you’ve made the apex, squeeze on the power heading onto the mini straight.

Welcome to your first passing zone.

Turn 10 - The 90

This is just a classic 90 degree right hand turn, so treat it as such. This is fairly slow corner leading onto the longest straight of the course, so definitely go slow in fast out. You want to put down as much power as early as possible. Don’t brake too late or you will be fighting the car through the corner, and will begin putting power down later.

Turn 11

This corner is right in the middle of the longest straight on the course, the aptly named Long Straight. Turn 11 can be taken flat out. There is some pavement on the left side of the track as runout for the alternative configuration entrance on the right - use this as your turn in point for Turn 11. Gently squeeze right, then gently squeeze back towards track out. You are going very fast through here, so a smooth, steady hand is your friend. You may have to shift during the turn depending on your car’s gearing. The more power you have, the more you need to be careful of the weight shift when you shift. To be safe, unwind the wheel slightly when you shift, but make sure you stay on the track.

Rain Line
The apex tends to stay wet much longer than the rest of the Long Straight, though it didn’t seem to pool any standing water. Nonetheless, be vigilant about any standing water forming here, as you really don’t want to spin.

Turn 12-14 - The End of Straight Esses

You are extremely fast at the end of the Long Straight. I saw 112 MPH in my Miata, braking VERY early. Expect speeds on par with or higher than the Back Straight at Watkins Glen. But unlike the Glen there is ZERO runoff! The paved and gravel runoff depicted in the official track map does NOT exist as of July 31, 2009! You have about 50 feet or so of grass and then you’re into the wall. In short, don’t mess up your braking zone.

That said, you have a TON of braking grip as the track inclines gradually (but more than you realize) right at the end of the Long Straight. This gives you a lot of compression, and consequently a lot of grip. Note that the compression and grip increases as you brake deeper, so the track really just invites you to ignore the warnings noted above and brake ridiculously late.

After your braking zone, you come to the Esses. Compromise the right hand Turn 12, aiming for the rumbles. GO SLOW THROUGH HERE! There is a TON of elevation change, making this corner NOTHING like what the track map depicts. There is basically a mini-hill, with the peak right at the junction of Turns 13 and 14. Other than the elevation change, this is a pretty standard tight chicane. Compromise the left hand Turn 14 to make a wider arc through the right hand Turn 14. The challenge is in the elevation change, as this weights and unweights the various ends of your car. Basically, keep a steady, even throttle through this section (especially cresting the hill!) and don’t begin putting power down until you are sure you have made the apex of Turn 14, the right hander.

Turn 15 - The Right Kink

This is a standard right hand corner. Hit your apex right and you can carry a lot of speed and put down a lot of power through her. I am flat out in my Miata.

Turn 16 - The Left Kink

If you are going to give respect to only one corner at this track, make it this one. Many people try to treat this section like a straight, but they usually end up hitting the wall in a spectacular fashion. There is a lot of elevation change, which combines with any lift-throttle or brake oversteer to create epic failures.

After you track out on the left side of the track from Turn 15, drift over to the right side of the track. There is a hill here, and the second part of Turn 16 is blind. As you crest the hill, bleed off some speed by lifting or tapping the brakes (your power and grip will determine exactly how much you need to slow down), then carve a nice, SMOOTH, arc left to the apex. This part is downhill, so you have less grip. Keep your inputs smooth to keep yourself from oversteering. And DON’T SNAP OFF THE THROTTLE OR GRAB THE BRAKES!

Once you’ve made the apex, you now want to set yourself up for your braking zone for Turn 17. You have to slow down A LOT, so make a mini straight right before the turn in point. Staying in the middle of the track as it curves around to the right will give you more wiggle room as you setup your braking zone. Pinching this section off by hugging the right side of the track is a shorter distance and probably faster, but you must make a quick transition from turning to straight line braking.

Rain Line
The middle section of the last right hand part of the turn tends to hold a thin layer of water. Adjust your line to the right as needed.

Turn 17 - Up Hill Hook (the hairpin)

This is a true hairpin. So enter slow and get your power down as early as possible. Go slow through here your first time, as it is deceptively tighter than it looks. Use all of the rumble strips by the apex on the right side of the turn, late apexing as needed to get power down earlier.

Turn 18

This is a very funky corner. It seems like a double apex would work, but a single apex line is much cleaner. Stay roughly 2/3 of the way to the right through the first part of the corner, then pinch in towards the “second” apex. Squeeze on the power and let your throttle track you down and out towards your track out. Note that some cars will require a shift through this second part of the corner, past the apex. You are still turning left to follow the track around towards Turn 19, so be mindful of lift throttle oversteer. Apex late and unwind the wheel slightly when you shift, as needed. Just like with the Carousel, don’t unwind the wheel completely, as you need to drift left to setup for Turn 19.

Note that there is a tiny bump right at the “second” apex, which can make some cars a little skittish in the rear when you go over it. Also note that, again, there is NO RUNOFF! You have maybe 50 feet of grass and then a wall, and you build a fair amount of speed on the Back Straight.

Turn 19

This is a compromised corner, setting you up for Turn 20. Drift back to the left coming out of Turn 18, aiming to give yourself a mini straight line braking zone right along the left side of track. The track actually hooks over to the left just before turning right, so carve your arc out of Turn 18 to spit you left onto this bit of track. That will maximize your arc through the right hand section.

There is quite a bit of grip through Turn 19 as it is slightly banked. Late apex hard, making sure you are all the way on the right for your Turn 20 turn in.

Turn 20

Almost there! This is a tighter, shorter version of the Carousel. Enter deep, stay 2/3 of the way right, then squeeze over to the left when you see your apex. Roll on the power as you enter the Pit Straight.

As you can see, your line through most sections is dictated by the later corners in that section. Keep in mind what lies ahead to figure out your best lines around this circuit.