TWS Super Tour - March 9-11

EPrill

EPrill

Well-known member
This is a good one.

First points races of the Majors Championship (for all Prod classes)
BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour - live timing, champagne, cool party
Three-day double - lots of track time
For my money, the most fun track in SW or MW Divisions. I like Hallett a lot too, but TWS is the opposite of Hallett. Just my opinion.

So far, the typical nice EP field entered. I know Texas has a race at MSRH this weekend. Perhaps some more entries will come after it.

Come on FP and HP guys--this track is an absolute ball! Here's some video of me driving the Webermobile if you've never been. Only Roval I ever liked. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axnKasFouOU

Sam Henry - you should come down! You're even closer to College Station than we are. Less than 10 hours!

EP
7 Larry Svaton red 2000 Caterham super 7 over fifty motorsports hoosier tire
23 Charles Davis White/Red 1994 Acura Integra IN-PATIENTPHYSICANS DALLAS TX
24 Andrew Robertson Lime Green/Black 2000 Caterham 7
28 Bill Allman Purple/yellow 1986 Mazda RX-7 Car Star/MAZDASPEED/Jesse Prather Motorsports
34 Jesse Prather Blue 2010 Mazda MX5 Jesse Prather Motorsports / Hoosier / Carbotech / OS Giken / Electromotive
46 Sydney Davis Red 1994 Mazda Miata JAWS Racing/MAZDASPEED/MSR Houston Charities
51 Jon Stautberg red 1989 mazda RX7 GTUS Overfifty Motorsports
77 Larry Svaton red 2000 CATERHAM SUPER 7 over fifty motorsport Hoosier Tire


FP
17 Eric Prill Red/Silver 1990 Mazda Miata JPM/Hoosier/OS Giken/TP7
25 Mark Weber Red 1993 Mazda Miata Goodyear/Redline Oil/ESCP
62 James Smith Blue 1996 Honda del Sol Over Fifty Motorsports
83 Frederick Bramlage black 1991 mazda miata Jesse Prather Motorsports


HP
53 John Trenery, Jr. Yellow 1965 Austin Healey Sprite
53 John Trenery, Sr. Yellow 1965 Austin Healey Sprite
66 James Rogerson Blue 1984 Honda Civic S MSRH Hoosier Over50Racing
 
Thanks, going in with your link letme see entries, when I went in directly from dlb, I didn't see entries.

Weird
 
On dlb go to the calendar, in the block for the date of the event you will see several icons. The first one that looks like a car is the link to the entry list. The one with a car in front of a sheet of paper is the link to the entry forms.
 
It might have something to do with being logged in.
If I don't log in, I can't see the 'racecar' icon for the entry list, but it does appear if I do log in.
 
Eric, thank you, I enjoyed watching TWS again. I would love to run there again. :applause:

Data acquisition and video was not as readily available as it is now. Enjoyed watching your speeds. In the 80's- 90's, I spent 12+ years running GT1 there and in the Southwest. My wife drove in SS, and IT with her first RX7. Always enjoyed it. Doesn't look like they have changed much. Lots of nearly fresh pavement. Your video shows using the infield out of the button hook. When we exited the button hook to NASCAR T3, it was always rough going over the bump in NASCAR T4. The tach would pick up 400 rpm as the back wheels came off the ground, in my GT1 car. When they allowed us to add rear spoilers, it helped reduce that. My approach to Turn 1 was from almost under the starter stand, much further out than you ran. But, I was carrying 40+ MPH over E/P cars. It got interesting in that area with the closing speed differential! The transition area also seems smoother into T1 than it was.

I miss it even more after watching the video, thanks. It was great racing there.
 
the entry into T1 can be taken about 1500 ways. I drive a push car and stay on the apron on the front straight, and don't even lift for the turn-in for T1. after the turn-in, I'll straighten it out and then scrub about 30mph and make the turn for T2. entry speed is about 115mph for me. There is zero bump coming out of the oval this way.
In a GT car, you run out of straight at 160+mph and usually take entry much later... brake hard on the oval, turn down onto the infield and get the car settled, then brake harder before turning in for T2. doing it that way there's a couple good bumps that can really upset the car.

Then of course there are many variations to the theme. I've seen starts go 7 wide into that turn, but you can only come out 3wide if you're careful. usually 2-wide is the practical limit, but I see SM and SRF go 3-wide on occasion.
 
I ran the Texas Race of Champions at TWS for several years. Don't know if they still run it. The race combined short track oval cars and road race cars. They had groups for 4, 6 and 8 cylinder cars, along with their late model and modified cars. And they had a NASCAR or IMSA celebrity driver as their star shoe-in.

I watched a few of them loose motors in practice between T4 and the entrance to the infield, because they were jetted for the short straights on short tracks... That straight was longer than the entire track they ran every week.

At the start of one race, I cautiously followed several of them into the infield. They took a low line, that I knew would upset their cars. What happened almost put me in the weeds, I was laughing so hard. Three of them, on the inside, collectively bouncing up in the air - high enough to put jack stands under them. I was laughing, because it looked like a flock of ducks trying to take off from a pond.... Wings flapping, legs hanging flapping down, bouncing off the water, trying again to gain altitude. My hat is off to them, they recovered, and never took that line again! They didn't understand the use of softer springs and larger sway bars in road racing either... They could carry an inside front wheel all the way thru a turn.

After running with them, it reasserted the quality of the SCCA racing organization, course workers and drivers to me.
 
Like Matt said, there are many ways to approach T1/T2 and whatever works is right for that car. In the Lotus I always just stayed on the apron, but I found I couldn't carry it as deep in there because the constant arch never gave me a real good hard brake zone to stab the pedal late. I spent a lot of time outside the track at T1 (next to the flagman) and watched a lot of the fast FM and SRF guys. The line I'm running in Marks car is closer to what they were doing and the data proved it to be quicker in that car. Not all cars are the same though.

John the first time I ran at TWS was in 2001 and we ran the 3.0 mile configuration. I think it was the last race ever for that config as the track was too bumpy in Nascar 3/4 and the T1 Vipers were running around 170 which was a little disconcerting. I was in a friend's EP RX7 and we were going 150 mph (10k RPM in 5th) in the draft. It was pretty incredible and a little questionable if we should be going that fast, quite honestly. Not surprisingly we blew two motors that weekend and left empty handed. I remember we met Steve Sargis that weekend and he was flying, as usual, with an old GP motor in his FP car, showing that the corners there are every bit as important as the long "straights".

Bill, you'll have to put in on your list to visit someday. I really do enjoy the track. Good medium and high speed stuff.
 
It looks like they have repaved the entrance to the infield, smoother and more gradual. It was like making a carrier landing, big angle of approach and a solid landing that compressed the suspension. Make sure your bump steer is good...

I always enjoyed the bumps on T3 & T4. But, then I had a motocross background and was comfortable with my elbows flapping in the wind over the bumps.

Also enjoyed the outfield back stretch. The first left hand turn prior to on the outfield back staight was where you gained your speed for the next 2 turns. The turn at the end of the back staight was always a BANZAI rush, good banking turning left, going up hill, and accelerating hard.

Lots of good times and good races there.
 
John, they don't run the old configuration back around NASCAR 3 and 4 any longer. The tunnel "bump" is more like a launch now. We tested with an Atlantic car and got it airborne. Now when you exit ten (carrousel) you take the infield all the way back to exit of NCar 4. Matt is right about the ten thousand ways to make the dive into the infield. If you turn in about the end of the spectator fencing and aim 8.3 feet to the right of the blend line there is a sweet spot. Or you can drive down even further and dive in almost parallel to end of the concrete of the inner track. Either of those two places has pretty smooth transition. Off very far and it's not so pretty. I've bounced the front end of the CSR completely off the ground dodging a SRF there at about 140. Not much fun to say the least. Your recollection of turns 5 and 6 are spot on. They are a perfect miniaturization of the turn 1-2 complex. Most people don't recognize that.

James -R
 
I never thought of it that way, but you're right- the layout and approach is very similar between the two. Throw a little camber into 6 though and you've got some good clean fun.
 
Turn 6 is positive camber. Just throw the car at the inside edge, point your front wheels down track, and let the slight bowl catch the lateral load of all four wheels at the same time. Good for about an extra 5mph of exit speed. Good (and bad) place to pass the heavier braking EP Cars on lap 1 to get a drag down to 7 and then repass at 10 to get a drag for at least part of the front straight. Miss the moment at 6 and I'm stuck in GTL / STU hell. :boohoo:

James -R
 
Doesn't matter as long as we run 1:58 or less. :roll:

I'm leaving the FF at home. Can't take the back to back races for two straight days with any snap on Sunday.

James -R
HP #66
 
sounds like I need a tow rope on your rear bumper then.. my best is a 2:03 there, but that's on R888s and no aero. I dropped 4 sec at MSRH with that, so I should be in the ballpark at TWS..
 
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