As Clint has already noted, he and myself tracked our cars at Watkins Glen with the SCDA, LLC last Monday and Tuesday. This was my second visit to the Glen, and it remains an incredibly fun and exhilirating driving experience.

The first thing of note about Watkins Glen is that it is a very fast track. Many of the corners can be taken at well over 80 mph, and high-horsepower cars can see well over 170 mph at the end of the back straight. The other thing of note about Watkins Glen is that it is a very unforgiving track. Except for about 100 feet of paved runoff at the end of the front straight, there is an average of about 10 feet of grass between the track and the Glen’s famous, baby-blue colored walls. When you are going fast enough that you can’t keep your car on the track, 10 feet of grass will do nothing to slow you down before you become intimate with the wall. So, while caution should always be excercised at any track, it is particularly important at the Glen.

My Miata performed admirably, although this is a track much better suited to high horsepower cars. There are enough long, straight sections of track that horsepower can overcome handling deficiencies. My run group the first day was a little demoralizing. I was running in the Advanced group, and I had the least horsepower of any car in that group and was the only one running on street tires. Lets just say I was passed by several supercharged Corvettes and brand new Porsche Turbos from time to time. It was truly amazing following these cars through the corners, however. The grip afforded by 300+mm R compound race tires was unbelievable. The Corvettes, despite their greater bulk compared to my Miata, could hold speed on lines I simply could not match.

The track itself has lots of very fun and challenging sections, made all the more complicated and interesting by the constant elevation changes (for the track map, the two radiuses for each corner are in the inside and outside diameters of the turn. Very cool). The only flat sections are Radius 18 and the Front Straight, the even the Front straight has a bit of an angle to it.

The following are my impressions of the track and how I approach its various sections (I will refer to each corner by its first, or smaller radius, e.g. Turn 1 is Radius 1). The speeds and Lines I cite are what I found worked best for my car, so it is only appropriate that you know my setup. I was driving a 1999 Mazda Miata. My car has Flying Miata springs (the older version), Flying Miata Sway Bars, KYB AGX shocks (set on the stiffest setting), Kosei K1-TS 15×7 inch wheels (the older, lighter version), and brand new Falken Azenis RT-615 tires, in 205-50-15 (tire pressure was 33 psi cold). Temperatures were in the low 60s the first day, and mid to high 50s the second day, with a dry track:

The Front Straight to Radius 1
The Front Straight is the second longest straight of the track, and speeds can be pretty high by the end. Though top speeds are much lower than the back straight, the end of the Front Straight is the most hairy section of the course because of how slow and sharp Turn 1 is. You have to slow waaaay down andnegotiate a >90 degree turn, which looks a lot more benign than it actually is. This was where most of the accidents at Watkins Glen would occur, and it consequently has the greatest amount of run-off area before the wall (though it is still a piddily 100 feet). New as of last year, this run-off area has been paved, affording slightly more room for recovery from error.

This is a very large and surprisingly friendly curb at the track-out point of Radius 1. I like to avoid using curbs if possible, but if it proves fastest, than that is the best line to take. Many people are split as to whether to use that curb, and I played with both lines throughout my two days.

Even more surprising was that regardless of how I took Radius 1, be it a slow, smooth line, or a tire squealing fest barely missing the edge of the track, my entry speed of Radius 3 was always the same. This phenomenon was confirmed by the Instructors driving Spec Miatas.

Radius 3 and the “Esses”
Entry speed in Radius 3 is critical because your speed at this point dictates your top speed up the back straight, the longest straight on the course. I was able to shift into 4th in my Miata about 200 feet before Radius 3, making my entry speed around 85 mph.

After Turn 3, you enter what are colloquially called “The Esses.” They remain one of my favorite sections of any track I have driven on. They are a very gradual, but very steep, sweeping left into a right hand turn, ending at the back straight. Once I shifted into 4th just before Radius 3, I was wide open throttle all the way through The Esses and up the back straight.

I love the Esses so much because they demonstrate so well just how smooth of a driver you are. Inputs to the wheel are very slow, gentle, and deliberate. There isn’t too much lateral activity to correct, so you should be able to just slowly turn to the left, then slowly turn to the right. Plus, the length of The Esses means that any error in turn in point or rate of turning are clearly visible. Last year I had The Esses down pat, while this year I wasn’t quite as smooth through them as I wanted to be.

Similarly to Radius 1, however, your line through The Esses doesn’t really impact your speed at the end of the Back Straight. The radius of the turns are simply too great for line to matter in all but the most ridiculously high-horsepowered cars.

The Back Straight to the Chicane
I would track out on the Back Straight doing about 100 mph, and would regularly hit 108 mph by the braking point before the Chicane. The Back Straight is one place that greatly rewards horsepower. Not only are cars held up by the steadily increasing air resistance as they get over 100 mph, they also have to deal with accelerating uphill. No skill can overcome a lack of horsepower in this situation, and I pointed higher horsepower cars by on this stretch. Cars in the league of the Porsche Turbo and beyond can see speeds of 165 to 170 mph or higher, and they simply leave me in the dust at just over 100 mph.

One interesting thing I noticed the second day at the track this year was that my top speed at the end of the Back Straight was only 103 mph repeatedly; nothing I did would raise the speed any higher. That was a full 5 mph slower than the previous day, which struck me as odd since the temperature was actually cooler on the second day. Cooler air means more power, and particularly on this section of track, I would have thought that would also mean a higher top speed. Colder temperatures also mean less grip from the tarmac, so likely I was unable to maintain the same speed through Radius 1 and 3 going into The Esses, limiting my top speed at the end of the Back Straight.

Braking for the Chicane was interesting. Since the track is still uphill at that point, braking distance are very short and quick. As for the Chicane itself (also known as Radius 19), the fastest line actually takes you directly over the curb and its rumble strips. The curb is about 6 feet wide, which gives you quite a bit of extra room on such a tight set of corners. I played with this line, and a line avoiding the curbs. Avoiding the curbs requires that you swing much farther out into the Chicane, making the Chicane longer and requiring more turning, but you do avoid sending your car over the rumble strips in the curb.

Radius 8
I love this corner. It is probably my favorite corner at Watkins Glen, and I had it down pat by the second day. I was gaining on a lot of cars that normally would pull away from me in other corners.

I found the best approach to Radius 8 was to stay in 4th through the Chicane and extend the right hand turn out of the Chicane into Radius 8. Essentially, the corner started for me as soon as I turned in for the second bend of the Chicane. The first part of the corner is much less cambered then the second part, which limited my entry speed to about 75 mph or so. I would hold 75 mph, with the tires squealing slightly, and then go wide open throttle as soon as they stopped making noise.

My power was actually a limiting factor in this corner. Because of the increased camber in the second part of the turn, I think I could have put down more power, if I had it, at my maximum speed through the first part of the corner. My speed at track out was just shy of 90 mph. Clint was able to hit about 95 mph in his 3000GT, I think in part because he was able to use his power advantage through the second, cambered part of Radius 8.

The apex is completely invisible until you are already well into the corner. You just have to gauge your position by some of the features in the pavement.

Radius 13: The Laces of The Boot
The SCDA runs the long course, and the split between the short and long course is just after Radius 8. The part of the course that comprises the Long Course is known as “The Boot,” because it looks like a boot when viewed from above.

I was able to get well into 4th on the short straight between Radius 8 and Radius 13, hitting just over 100 mph. This speed makes Radius 13 all the more scary, as it is a very sharp, downhill turn with a very unforgiving wall clearly visible in front of you, just barely off of the track. I consequently took this corner more conservatively than I might have otherwise.

I tended to hug the right side of the corner, turning in a bit later than the traditional line might dictate. This was as much caution as anything else, as I did not want to early apex. The asphalt is brand new, and there is a ton of banking, and I found grip to be very high. The apex is once again completely blind until you are way into the corner, so you need to adjust your positioning by other cues on the track.

Radius 14: The Toe of the Boot
I hate this corner. I hate it sooo much. It is a very steep, slow, sharp right hand corner. There is also a concrete patch right in the middle of the track where your outside wheels need to be that is extremely bumpy.

The best technique I found was to turn in about a car width away from the left side of the track, settle the car on a line through the corner, and just lay on the gas, wide open throttle. I would get some understeer with this technique, but it was much faster than giving slightly less throttle.

Radius 14 spits you onto a surprisingly long straightaway. I had to check twice when I saw that it is actually longer than the front straight. It doesn’t feel like it in my car, as the first section is a very steep uphill. It is actually steep enough, and my gearing was such, that I don’t really gain much speed at all until I reach the crest of the hill. This section makes me wish I had more power even more than the back straight, for at least I’m going a more respectable speed on the back straight. Needless to say, I pointed by a number of higher horsepower cars on this straight.

Radius 16 to 18: The Heel of the Boot
Radius 16 is fairly straightforward and uneventful. It is a fairly sharp corner, with minimal elevation change. There is a strip of concrete in the middle of the track, right where your outside tire goes. This makes for some interesting music as your tires squeal along the Line.

The straight connecting Radius 16 and Radius 18 is pretty short, and just barely long enough for a passing if there is a huge power difference and the slower car is REALLY slow through Radius 16.

Radius 18 is a ton of fun. It is a very odd corner, as it is where the Long Course meets the Short Course. There is a lot of pavement deep into the corner where you would never be, and it just has an odd, unfinished feel to it.

I actually found that trailbraking into the first part of Radius 18 helped rotate the car very well. This was the only place on Watkins Glen that I found trailbraking useful and not suicidal (what with the close proximity to the walls). Once the car settled on the line, I could be on the gas wide open throttle.

I also was able to repeatedly put the car at the slip angle of the tires. It was very noticeable, with the rear of the car hanging out slightly, and very satisfying.

Radius 10
This is, bar none, the scariest corner I have ever taken on a track. It is a very fast, sweeping left hand turn. With a proper line, on a warm day, with good grip from the pavement, I can take it flat out in fourth, entering just over 80 mph. It always seems like doing so will shoot me right off of the track, and it’s all I can do to not lift part way through the corner.

I also saw the worst accident I have seen on a track at this particular corner. Last year at this event, I was riding with my instructor at the end of the first day. We came around this corner and saw what used to be a student’s Lotus Elise. I’m not sure exactly how the accident happened, but the aftermath was spectacular. All that remained of the car was the chassis, the vertical supports, and the driver and passenger just sitting in their seats, looking very nonchalant. The rest of the car literally exploded out all around them, yardsale style. Both occupants were perfectly fine, which is a good testament to the safety of the Elise.

I think of that scene every time I take Radius 10. This is good, as it makes me a little slower and prevents me from repeating that accident. It is also bad, because it makes me a little slower. More track time at the Glen should rectify this.

Radius 11 and the Front Straight
Radius 11 is the final turn before the Front Straight, and it is important to maximize entry and exit speed to attain the highest speed on the Front Straight. I found it to look deceptively tight, and found myself going much slower through it my first day than I should have. I played around with entry speeds on my second day, and found that 75 mph worked well for my car. My track out speed was just shy of 80 mph, and I shifted into 4th just after straightening the wheel.

An important thing to note is that the wall is VERY close to the track out point. I would say there is maybe 5 feet of grass, if that, between the curb and the wall. There are some tires lining the wall, but I’d rather not hit them if I can. This leaves little room for error, so it is important to NOT apex early, make sure your speed and throttle application is appropriate exiting the corner.