Masta: the fast left-right that you don't even notice on a track map, about
6.5 klicks from the start-finish. There's a definite, but slight, bowl-like
dip between turn-in and apex on the right-hander. It's difficult to see from
the replays, but it's enough to unload the rears if you're not on line. If
you lose it and catch it, you're on the wire fence on the outside. If you
lose it and spin, you go off the inside, to the right. If you lose it and
save it, you were too slow. Sound familiar?
Anyway, it's not too difficult if you take the left-hand well. You're toast
if you turn-in too soon and clip the inside; chances are you're too fast to
catch it in time to balance and turn-in for the leftie. The speed and early
apex forces you too close to the rail to turn in, with no room left to take
it off line. You're toast. For us meer mortals who must lift to get through
Masta, the trick is to balance early and get some weight on the rears before
the little dip trips you up ever so briefly. Taken well, you wonder what all
the e***ment is about. :-) And then it reminds you the next time you're
off line just a hair. Masta is about driving the line, not just speed
control.
For the geographically disinclined (like me), the verbal description in
Smith's bible translates to:
Eau Rouge: at the bottom below the start-finish and going back uphill.
Haute de la Cote: the left hand semi- hairpin at the hilltop.
Burnenville: the left-left sweepers.
Malmedy: uphill left, downhill right-left-right
Masta: my grave marker lies in the field beyond the left hander.
Stavelot: the right-right-right sweeper.
Cottage: faster of the two right-handers.
Quarry: the second right hander. (Maybe versa vice on Cottage and Quarry).
Blanchimont: left, left, right, left
La Source: the hairpin.
Overall, it's funny how speed telescopes distances so you don't recognize
the track map. :-)
I don't know what you mean by La Carriere... it translates to "the career",
and 100 mph is too slow for any curve that comes to mind. The Cottage and
Quarry right handers almost match, but 100 is way slow for the second one.
Oh, I see it now, on the game's track map. Look closely in the replays, and
you'll see a shallow bowl in the track surface at the apex there. You can
take advantage of slightly better turning inside the bowl, somewhat like a
very small Karrusel (ala Nurburgring). Turn in faster, earlier, and wider
than you might think, aiming almost wide of an earlier apex. The bowl will
catch you, signalling the gas-on point, and you can turn in just a hair more
to hit the real apex, or just hold it as you moosh on the gas. The bowl
spits you out, unwinding and drifting nicely to the track edge, throttle
already full down in high third gear.
The preceding right hander is a compromise corner coming off the second left
hand kink past Stavelot. I drag the brakes a touch, almost enough to drop
into fourth, but not quite. Prydden's speed says he's lifting the gas some
before mashing back down; I don't know how he does that. A textbook late
apex allowing for the slight crown gets me through OK.
Blanchimont's first left is not as tight as it looks. Late apex, and watch
the road crown on exit. A textbook late apex and drift to track-out puts you
in the dirt and up the berm. Hold toward the inside until late through the
exit, taking advantage of the high crown. Again, Prydden's 136 mph here is
almost super-human.
His exit from Blanchimont's final left at 168 mph says he's flat out all the
way through. I clip the dirt on the inside, but still have to breathe the
gas on entry to stay off the rail on exit. There are some dips and crowning
at the exit, going uphill, that I haven't examined yet; the key to this one
probably lies there as well. Just watch the AI cars squirmthrough that exit.
My line here is wider than theirs, but at least they're not gaining.
Last, easiest, and perhaps most important (aside from Masta): the key to
Stavelot is to not push too hard too early. Otherwise, you find yourself
fighting to get back to the inside, inevitably lifting or at least delaying
gas-on. From entry to exit, keep enough throttle to hold the rears from
unloading as you let the engine slow you through the decreasing radius
turns; no brakes. Gas-on for the third and final right hander is before the
stone bridge, well before you clip what looks like the apex, but not too
soon. You'll know you hit it well, or got too slow, when the gas goes down
early and stays down. Your shift-up point will tell you which it was.
Hope that helps, and it sure would be nice if I could do all that on every
lap. Good luck.
Michael.
