GPL: How to drive the "Parabolica" of Monza?

Any advice? I thus far can drive quite constant laps around 1:40 (well, I'll be better, you proffs... :) with both Lotus in nearly default settings (just lowered height) and Cooper ("Coventry") with Alison's great settings. (Thank you, Alison!) My best thus far (this evening!) is 1:35.22 with Lotus. My way in the "Curva Grande" is quite good already, I've started to enjoy it(!), the two "Lesmos" are getting better. But I am always in a kind of panic, when I am arriving to the "Parabolica"... Especially if I've managed all the other sections well... I start my braking in the "dark surface area", probably too early? And I pump the brake to be sure I can still be slow enough to pass... How could I better my driving in this horrible turn? Arto

> My way in the "Curva Grande" is quite good already, I've started > to enjoy it(!), the two "Lesmos" are getting better. I always have fun in Grande, especially when thinking I'm taking the same turn powersliding in fourth gear as modern cars do flat-out accelerating to 175mph at the exit... Yes, that's a bit too early I think. I usually brake (hard, but don't lock up, or you'll be picking the gravel out of the tire grooves!) when the Coca-Cola (I think?) sign disappears off the left of the screen. Just like at Watkins Glen, when braking for the Outer Loop, you brake around where the sign disappears on the left. I find myself frequently trail-braking, since the enrty speed is higher than the middle-of-turn speed. Have fun! - John P. Wilson :|: - Computer Renaissance http://www.computerrenaissance.com/ http://www.austincr.com/ - Downshift http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1123/index.html - Ten Cylinders, Six Gears, Four Wheels, Two Wings, and one Brave Heart.

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> Any advice? > I thus far can drive quite constant laps around 1:40 (well, I'll > be better, you proffs... :) with both Lotus in nearly default > settings (just lowered height) and Cooper ("Coventry") with Alison's > great settings. (Thank you, Alison!) My best thus far (this evening!) > is 1:35.22 with Lotus. > My way in the "Curva Grande" is quite good already, I've started > to enjoy it(!), the two "Lesmos" are getting better. But I am always > in a kind of panic, when I am arriving to the "Parabolica"... > Especially if I've managed all the other sections well... I start > my braking in the "dark surface area", probably too early? And I > pump the brake to be sure I can still be slow enough to pass... > How could I better my driving in this horrible turn? > Arto

My brake marker is the big blue ford sign on the right, just as it starts to go by I nail the brakes as hard as I can without locking up, usually requires letting off slightly as the chassis settles, downshift no too soon or it causes a spin. If I did it right this will put me in third gear at the turn in, gently on the edge of traction now, if I got in a little hot I would maybe drift wide and easing up on the steering so as not to spin, then gently back on the throttle through the apex and then giving it as much throttle as the tires will allow with a slight oversteer, shifting early on exit so as not to spin. hmmm a lot of not to spin in there. fwiw you should be going through curva grande almost flat out only losing a few hundred rpm, for me that corner is key to a sub 1:30 lap.