A HOT LAP AT MID-OHIO By Harvey Eastman

It would help if you have a copy of the track map as you read this article. Click on the Mid-Ohio Track Map and print it.

Exiting the pits, stay on the left side of the concrete island in the middle of turn 1. Do 2 laps to warm up the tires, brakes and the engine at reduced speeds. This is a good time to locate the corner worker stations, look for any unusual track conditions and refresh your memory of the track if you have been here before. The Mid-Ohio track was resurfaced in the Spring of 2005. It is all asphalt and the old concrete patches are gone. Keep your eyes up and try to look deep down the course. One of the best videos on Mid-Ohio is by Brian Till. It may be purchased at the Mid-Ohio concession stand.

Having completed the warm-up laps and in the carousel (turn 15), slowly squeeze the throttle. By turn 16, the gas petal is slowly pressed to the floor, increasing speed down the front straight, passing the start finish line. Depending upon gearing for the front straight, you may use 3^rd gear only or 3^rd and 4^th gear. Track right and setup for the braking zone before turn 1, the fastest turn on the track. Between the 100 and 200 markers, brake enough to settle the car. With the right side of the car close to the wall on the right, just before the bridge and as the nose of the car goes under the bridge, commence the left turn on this high-speed sweeper. Take turn 1 late; do not turn early. The apex is at the end of the concrete island after the bridge. As you approach the apex for turn 1, slowly feed in power and before the track out, squeeze the throttle for max power. Let the car track right to the track out for turn 1.

Track left for the entry the esses (turn 2). Do not brake; instead feather the throttle to settle the car. When the road between turn 2 and 3 looks like a straight line, turn right, with the right side of the car driving over the concrete rumble strip at the entry to turn 2. Center the car in the middle of the track before turn 3, tap the brakes to settle the car’s nose. Then track left to clip the apex at turn 4.

Approaching the keyhole (turn 5), track right, complete your braking before the concrete rumble strip and steer as close to the rumble strip as you commence your 180 degree right turn. Let the car go deep momentarily as you  cross over the middle of the road around the keyhole. Steer right toward the apex near the backside of the keyhole. If you are wide here, or stay out too long, the road is off camber and it will be difficult to get the car back on course. Increase power as you exit the keyhole for the fastest part of the course.

Stay left on the back straight until you crest the small rise in the road. Continue feeding in power and shift to a higher gear as you run out of revs on the back straight. Cresting the small rise, begin tracking right to clip the apex at the kink (turn 6). Continue increasing speed while tracking left for the braking zone. Depending upon your terminal speed before the end of the back straight, the braking zone may be as late as the 400-300 markers. Faster cars will have to brake before the 400 marker, close to where the concrete fence ends on drivers left. The braking zone at the end of the back straight is hard braking. Stay left. You need to downshift and brake at the same time, an advanced technique. Starting the turn-in for 7, stay left.  As you see the apex for turn 7, steer right and clip the apex with the car’s right wheels.

At the apex for turn 7, squeeze the throttle and steer the car in a straight line toward the turn-in for 8, called madness. Your car should be near the center of the track. When you see the apex for turn 8 at the top of  madness, steer left toward the apex. As the car crests the hill, continue the left turn and try to get the driver’s side close to the curb in madness. As the top of the hill, the car gets light and you can not see the road as it drops down sharply. On the downhill run, try to get the car parallel to the road between turn 8 and 9. Stay left, tap the brakes at the bottom of the hill, turn right and clip the apex of turn 9 and follow the road toward the bridge.

Track left before the bridge, clip the concrete rumble strip on the driver’s side, and stay left for the next curbing at turn 10. Turn 10 is a blind left hander followed by an off-camber right hander at turn 11. At the end of the 2^nd curbing near turn 10, turn right and steer for the curbing before turn 11. Get the car straight and brake before the curbing. You have to complete your braking by the end of the curbing on your left before turning right into turn 12.

Turn 12 is the most dangerous turn on the track. Steer right toward the apex on your right and get as close to the apex as your car will allow. There is a concrete wall at the track out for turn 12.  The car feels light as you crest the hill. Let the car track left to the edge of the road. Stay left or in the middle of road through the chute (turn 13), also called "Thunder Valley". This is a fast section of the track.

To correctly set-up for turn 14, track to the right side of the road, steering for the 100 marker in the braking zone. Tap the brakes to get the weight transitioned to the front of the car, turn left sharply, clipping the apex at turn 14. Let the car track right and follow the road as it bends to the right to the up-hill-braking zone, before the carrousel (turn 15).

Apply the brakes in the uphill braking zone before entering the carrousel. Upon entry, steer the car near the middle of the road. Left of center also works. Going deep initially helps set up the car for getting the car’s right side close to the curbing as you transit the turn, following the curbing. The apex for the carrousel is on the backside of the turn. At the track out point for the carousel, track left for the apex at turn 16, clip the apex. Feed in power for crossing the start finish line.

You have just completed a hot lap of the Mid-Ohio track.