SANDOWN 500
Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2005 9:47 am
The first of the endros commence this weekend with the running of the Sandown 500 at the historic track 25 kms east of Melbourne.
PLEASE NOTE:
Tips must be in by FRIDAY 10:45AM when practice commences.
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE.
The Circuit.
Sandown is a track which tests brakes, engines,gearboxes, tyres and drivers to the limit. Many say it is more of a car breaker than Mt. Panorama, Bathurst.
It is a 3:1km circuit run in an anti-clockwise direction
You have done your warm up lap, all the readouts are good to go and you take up your pole position halfway down the main straight, with a time you set of, lets say, 1:9:9386...a full second under Graig Lowndes 1999 Q record, and about 8 tenths under Ambrose' lap record of the same year.
The 10 second board comes out and you ease the box into 1st gear, take a huge breath and conciously try to relax your thoughts. You know who is beside and behind you and have already tried to guess their race plans.
161 laps lie ahead.
Green!
A good start moving slightly left to deter a move down the inside, banging up thru the gears to 3rd, onto the cold brakes and feeling the equally cold tyres squirming for grip, a nudge from behind unsettles the car momentarily, Ambrose is on your outside will he try to go all the way around with the fearsome sucking sandtrap waiting...its Ambrose of course he will, tuck it in tight for turn 1 in 3rd at 95..a 100kmh when the thing is warm. Mash the throttle as soon as the car is straight for the short chute to the right left combo of turns 2-3..down to 2nd, Ambrose is right beside you into the RH but you have track position for the LH immediately after. Lean on him a tad, damn there goes the mirror, blat it into turn 4 LH still in 2nd at 70, Ambrose is forced wide, but robs you of exit room out of the corner
Side by side you sweep out of 4 into the short chute to the kink in the back straight accelerating as hard as you can thru the gears, being forced back into the seat, and your helmet is lifting, and its now a drag race up the rising back straight til you hit 265 kmh check the readouts take a deep breath and another and keep the foot in to it as you crest the rise,snick it back into 5th and plunge into LH turn 6 at 175 kmh, the bloody thing wants to go straight ahead, sliding wide if we lose it here the day is done cos it is going to be a big one Ambrosehastofallinlinepoweronpoweroff, standing on the brakes thru the combo of corners and working the box hard til turn 9 at 70 in 2nd, up 2 gears to turn 10..190 in 4th down 2 gears to turn 11 in second, braking hard hard hard. Short burst to turn 12 at 80 kmh still in second then power power power upthru the gears onto the main straight again reaching265kmh.
Check the readouts, breathe, Ambrose has had a better exit onto the straight and is again on your outside, ease him as far right as you can and decide as you commence lap 2 of 161...race for position or drive for the win. The voice in your earphones is saying " let him go, its a long race, stick to the strategy" the voice in your head is saying "bugger it, we are here to race". Turn one is hurtling towards you....your choice.
One of the critical things about Sandown is the weather. Expect 4 seasons thru the course of the race and you will not be disappointed. In the past the race has been red flagged as the entire track turned completely white with hail in seconds, most of the field went off track, they were sliding off at 30kmh just trying to get back to the pits.
The pit stops are critical and the Co- drivers equally so.
Good luck.
PLEASE NOTE:
Tips must be in by FRIDAY 10:45AM when practice commences.
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DEADLINE.
The Circuit.
Sandown is a track which tests brakes, engines,gearboxes, tyres and drivers to the limit. Many say it is more of a car breaker than Mt. Panorama, Bathurst.
It is a 3:1km circuit run in an anti-clockwise direction
You have done your warm up lap, all the readouts are good to go and you take up your pole position halfway down the main straight, with a time you set of, lets say, 1:9:9386...a full second under Graig Lowndes 1999 Q record, and about 8 tenths under Ambrose' lap record of the same year.
The 10 second board comes out and you ease the box into 1st gear, take a huge breath and conciously try to relax your thoughts. You know who is beside and behind you and have already tried to guess their race plans.
161 laps lie ahead.
Green!
A good start moving slightly left to deter a move down the inside, banging up thru the gears to 3rd, onto the cold brakes and feeling the equally cold tyres squirming for grip, a nudge from behind unsettles the car momentarily, Ambrose is on your outside will he try to go all the way around with the fearsome sucking sandtrap waiting...its Ambrose of course he will, tuck it in tight for turn 1 in 3rd at 95..a 100kmh when the thing is warm. Mash the throttle as soon as the car is straight for the short chute to the right left combo of turns 2-3..down to 2nd, Ambrose is right beside you into the RH but you have track position for the LH immediately after. Lean on him a tad, damn there goes the mirror, blat it into turn 4 LH still in 2nd at 70, Ambrose is forced wide, but robs you of exit room out of the corner
Side by side you sweep out of 4 into the short chute to the kink in the back straight accelerating as hard as you can thru the gears, being forced back into the seat, and your helmet is lifting, and its now a drag race up the rising back straight til you hit 265 kmh check the readouts take a deep breath and another and keep the foot in to it as you crest the rise,snick it back into 5th and plunge into LH turn 6 at 175 kmh, the bloody thing wants to go straight ahead, sliding wide if we lose it here the day is done cos it is going to be a big one Ambrosehastofallinlinepoweronpoweroff, standing on the brakes thru the combo of corners and working the box hard til turn 9 at 70 in 2nd, up 2 gears to turn 10..190 in 4th down 2 gears to turn 11 in second, braking hard hard hard. Short burst to turn 12 at 80 kmh still in second then power power power upthru the gears onto the main straight again reaching265kmh.
Check the readouts, breathe, Ambrose has had a better exit onto the straight and is again on your outside, ease him as far right as you can and decide as you commence lap 2 of 161...race for position or drive for the win. The voice in your earphones is saying " let him go, its a long race, stick to the strategy" the voice in your head is saying "bugger it, we are here to race". Turn one is hurtling towards you....your choice.
One of the critical things about Sandown is the weather. Expect 4 seasons thru the course of the race and you will not be disappointed. In the past the race has been red flagged as the entire track turned completely white with hail in seconds, most of the field went off track, they were sliding off at 30kmh just trying to get back to the pits.
The pit stops are critical and the Co- drivers equally so.
Good luck.