1:48s at Hungaroring: does that make me slow?

Slow, very slow or acceptable? I am driving the Lambo GT3 with race fuel (45L). My 1:48s are feeling fast but I see that the fast boys are putting me in my place with 1:44s on YouTube. Dang!

 

Thanks! I made a vid of my PB yesterday so I will post that here — unless you would prefer me to post it elsewhere — in an hour or so. I read your blog on the Hurracan carefully and thought I had come to grips with its particular challenges but there is obviously still work to do.

 

Yeah, sorry, I misspoke. Link only, of course. Incoming within the hour.

 

Well, here it is, fast lads, please be kind (or at least constructive). 1:48.7. I'd like to see 1:46. I thought I had learned to deal with the Lambo's pushier tendencies but perhaps not. I am pretty sure I am taking several corners one gear too low (patience is a virtue with this car). I am going to attach a faster lap by a quicker guy below for reference but here is mine. Sorry about the jagged resolution; I play ACC in very high res (and it performs superbly) but there may be an issue with either my recording or rendering settings.



And here is the faster lap. I can't get the "Copy video URL at current time" to work so please start at 1:21 on the timeline.

 

This is really helpful and much appreciated. I'm using the default aggressive setup (with 45L fuel) and, having read your excellent blog on the car, I certainly understand the need to coast to the apex rather than be trying to rotate the car with throttle, which just makes it push. I have not fiddled with TC or ABS settings as I think you are correct in identifying driving technique rather than setup issues as the source of my problem. You are right in your blog: it's quite a lot of work getting fast lap times in this car but it's worth it because it's very capable when driven "right".

 

I think the biggest loss comes from turn 2 and mainly turn 3.
You lose approx 1-1.5s only in these turns and in the straight toward turn 4.
Since you miss the apex in turn two you certainly cannot go into turn three in a good angle and with good pace.
Turn 4 is a bit too careful either.
The chicane is OK I think.
You miss the apex a bit in turn 13, too since you turn too wide. 0.5s there.
My best lap is 1:45.9xx, so I'm far from being the fastest guy out there but still, I think those are the errors you make.

 

All of this is just a symptom of a bigger issue in your driving. You brake too much in a straight line without feeding in steering and feeling the front limit while trailbraking into the corner. And then you release brakes without turning an appropriate amount. This results in not knowing how much grip the front tires have left to provide and consequently overslowing a lot of corners. This leads to low apex speeds and everything Aristotelis already mentioned in this post.

Main thing you need to fix is your braking. You are basically guessing every braking zone how much you need to slow down and since grip levels/tires change slightly every lap, your best guess is never as good as feeling the front grip and adjusting your braking accordingly.

 

I would say you could be at least 2-3 seconds faster if you adjusted your car's position on the race track to the ideal line. Brake a little earlier and drive closer to the apex.
Maybe adjust your FOV closer to the front, this allows you to drive more precisely.
And then move on step by step...
Have fun and enjoy every tenth of a second you gain. Don't look at the aliens times.

Check this video, it may help

 

Timestamps are from the video not the lap timer.

0:31 You drive too far to the outside, keep inside so you can attack the next corner without lifting, the further you are outside the slower the next corner will be. Shown at 1:57 in the other video.
0:43 A little bit too hesitant on the throttle
0:48 The way I brake here is I position my car on the left and position my car so that the right tyre is facing the grey curb on the right and brake
0:52 Too hesitant on the throttle you can accelerate earlier here.
1:03 In these next corner being precise means being faster, not bad here.
1:32 When braking here position your car so that the left tyre faces the grey curbing.
1:42 Same as before but now your right tyre has to face the red and white curbing on the right, just a short but strong touch on the brake and coast through the corner, very easy to unsettle the car here.

 

Thanks, gents. Fr0zzen, can you explain what you mean when you refer to tires facing the curbing? Many thanks.

 

With fast track you should aim for 44 low. Diving into 43 with optimum

 

I am on the controller and am doing on optimum track with 45L and aggressive preset 1:47:3xx. Guess thats respectable for controller?
Half a second more is in there, but for more i might need a wheel.

 

It's great that you posted your lap. A 1:46 is a realistic and achievable target. I think you have enough advice on the driving side however I am curious though... Have you ever tried using the default cockpit view (not the helmet view) with a high lock to horizon setting (80%+)..? It's all personal however for me I found with the helmet view and all it's camera movement this cost me lap time because I wasn't able to see the chassis movements and track contours etc...

Good luck on your quest

 

Coanda, my bad, I always use the default cockpit view when driving but changed it out of habit for the video without thinking. And after making the video I did a lap with the helmet view still in use and found it impossible. Your point about the lock to horizon setting is well taken; I will experiment with that because I do find that in the LH at this track I am not seeing some of the apexes from as far out as I would like. Thanks!

 

A 1.45 is definitely possible with a gamepad. I managed a 1.46.0 in the Audi in an online race a few nights ago, which was by the far the fastest I've ever gone there.
I think the braking zones are where its easiest for pad-users to lose tons of time compared to wheel-users, especially when trailbraking is required.

 

You are spot on. It's a track I haven't put the hours in and I can do high 45's/flat 46's on a gpad in the Lexus with no assists. On average your always going to get -2+ seconds on a wheel.