Mid Ohio Sportscar Course, then and now

"SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman" (dasborgen) 06/10/2014 at 22:38 • Filed to: None

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7

note how the bottom left area (from the black and white pic) has changed. That area is more straight now between what is now T9 and 12

Bad Idea Hat > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 06/10/2014 at 22:40

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Also, the keyhole section bypass. I forget that it used to be a chicane into a 180+ hairpin

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Bad Idea Hat 06/10/2014 at 22:58

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that chicane into the Keyhole is still present and used by clubs. Pro car orgs don't use.

That's why I didn't note it.

I have many laps at that track. It's only 50mn from my house

Bad Idea Hat > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 06/10/2014 at 23:01

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Yeah, what I keep forgetting is that there wasn't a bypass originally. One of the handful of instances where it feels like a track improvement wasn't an "improvement" but something that actually made the track more interesting.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Bad Idea Hat 06/10/2014 at 23:12

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I've driven both configurations. They're both just as challenging overall, but for different reasons.

WIthout the chicane, getting the Keyhole right is pretty tough

The chicane is a little challenging to carry enough speed without spinning, but it does make the Keyhole much easier since it slows you down so much in the 1st place.

I had the chance to walk the track on Saturday evening/night and it's crazy how much of an incline you go up between T1 and the keyhole..... And it's also crazy how much downhill it is between the Keyhole and the kink (T3) on the back straight and then it flattens until China Beach (T4)

A few other subtleties of the track popped out at me.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > Bad Idea Hat 06/10/2014 at 23:20

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Here's a video of a CTS V chasing me 3 years ago around there!

Club configuration (with chicane)

tromoly > SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman 06/11/2014 at 00:05

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When I was at Mid Ohio last August a buddy of mine was telling our group about the old backstretch chicane thing shown in the top picture, a couple of us went walking around and found part of the old pavement still there in the camp ground but couldn't get our heads around the layout. I actually found that same image last week and sent it to the same buddy, pretty neat to see how it's changed.

SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman > tromoly 06/11/2014 at 00:07

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Yup, it's still there and can definitily be picked out in the infield are