8/23/24 Laguna Seca 1:42.40 GR Supra Blog

My very first time at the legendary Laguna Seca track and my first official Bimmer Challenge time attack event! There were two time attack sessions running that day. CSF Bimmer challenge and GR Movement, and I was signed up for both. I knew I had a no chance in the B3 class of Bimmer Challenge, and would have to Sub 40 to have a chance at the podium. However, for GR movement, I think I would have a pretty competitive chance at being top 3 in the newly founded "Supra" time attack class. (More on that classing later.)

Laguna is a track that I've put many hours on ACC in GT3 cars and have done respectable lap times in league races (I run around mid 1:23s), but I was super worried about going into the track day over confident from all the laps of sim racing. Oh boy was I wrong.

First session: 1:49.xx lap time. Honestly, first session out after a 6 month break from any track days, I gave myself a break. It was the first time feeling the elevation changes since sim racing doesn't really do Laguna justice (especially turns 6, 7, 8, and 9).

I knew I was getting comfortable again pushing the car and I didn't want to be overconfident so I chalked it up to being rusty.

Session 2: 1:46.xx lap time.
This one was a bit frustrating. I knew I had gotten rusty but I really expected (and wanted) a quicker adjustment period especially since I've spent so many hours on the simulator at this specific track. I didn't have to learn braking points, where the track goes, where the ideal line is, etc... (like most everyone else who have simmed at Laguna duh) so I expected getting up to speed faster. I knew I had a lot more time in me, but I was scared to lean on the tires for some reason.

By the third session, I had dropped my times to around a 1:42.xx. After a super helpful film review session with the man himself, Mike Reyes (Boss Boss Racing), he pinpointed that my lines looked good, I was just slowing too much and not trusting the car enough.

Something I struggle with as a driver is finding the limit of traction. Too many times I try and smooth out my inputs because I don't want to over drive the car. But sometimes I feel like its necessary to (sometimes) overdrive the car to get comfortable getting the rotation you need mid corner, to power out of the corner. Its not necessarily faster, but getting comfortable with it seems to lead to lower lap times over time.

The final session of the day, I was only able to improve to a 1:41.40. Overall not the best day, but I'm happy of the 8~ish seconds dropped during the 4 sessions. I really want to go back to try hit that elusive sub 1:40 mark. Maybe it'll be easier with a set of JRZ RS Pro 2 ways hah.

I finished fourth in the Supra time attack category, missing the podium by around a second. 8th in the CSF Bimmer Challenge. (3 seconds from a podium.)

Looking forward to Gridlife Laguna, where I'll be doing HPDE. Who knows, maybe next year I'll be competing in the time attack session instead...