How to drive a Momentum Car like a Miata?

Cool, what camera setup were you using?

Pat

I have an old Panasonic camcorder(~7 years old) mounted on an I/O port camera mount. This camcorder doesn't have image stability control, but the camera mount is design to soak up some of the vibrations. I got it off craigslist, but it's not too expensive new. The downside is, with the roll bar and camera mount installed, I can't raise the convertible top from my seat. But as you can see from the video, I'm pretty small so someone bigger and stronger can probably manage it.

"My question is, how does someone driving a Miata "think" about driving around a turn?" "Momentum Car"

Smoothness is a major factor. Pushing too hard into the turn causes you to slow down too much during the turn, and making it more difficult to get back the speed after the turn.

And related to that, anyone who's had track instruction has probably been scolded for "pinching" a turn--turning more sharply than necessary, and not using all the available road--which scrubs off speed that a low-powered car is hard put to regain. It's much better to brake too much on entry and accelerate early out of the turn, than to enter too fast and have to back off to avoid running out of road on exit.

If you have to go slowly, do it early in the turn; the goal is maximum exit speed. This may be the answer to the original question: sometimes the racing line must be changed to exploit a particular car's strengths. In a stock Miata, there's seldom a problem getting all the power down or keeping all the wheels on the ground, so a line can be chosen that takes best advantage of the car's considerable grip and balance. Miatas aren't as bothered, e.g., by bumpy corner exits as Corvettes.

Of course, all of these techniques work just as well for powerful cars, but they offer more opportunity to benefit from one's skill in a slow car that handles well.

Definitely, I need to be smoother.

Thanks, Mack

Slow in, fast out, and don't pinch the turns. Great advice. I ready know it's true, but getting myself to do it consistently is a challenge.

Thanks, Mack

It is for me, too. It helps when an instructor keeps screaming it into my ear. :-)

Resist the urge to hit the track solo if an instructor is available. It

Until you install harnesses (most organizations require the same restraints in both seats), get a CG-Lock for your OEM seatbelt. Not perfect, but a lot better than sliding around.

I'll do that. I know when I'm out there by my self, I probably waste most of the sessions making the same mistakes over and over again. I'm probably going to pick up one of these low end data acquisition devices soon. That'll gave me something useful to do between sessions beside admiring other people's cars.

I read one of you other threads about this. I almost brought one then, but ended up using this H shaped bracket that comes with child seats. But it's not as easy to use as the CG-Lock and I wasn't using it in the video.