Yesterday while at work I was walking a team mate through a lap at Westhill where we have a internal league race coming up. That IM conversation inspiered me to put in to words what it feels like to run a lap on that track in the FZR. I tried to capture the pace and emotion this track inspires in me. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Gimpster
A Lap at Westhill International
As you cross the start finish line you stay to the center of the track until you are past the pit egress lane, you never know when some unaware hotshot will come blasting out of the pits forgetting to check their mirrors. Once certain it's safe, you set up as far to the left as you can in preparation for the first turn, a gut wrenching blind right hand sweeper than drops off to the outside The corner approaches fast and there are few warnings, you go with your gut and toss the car to the right just as you crest the slight hill. You find your reactions were a little late and are a little wide but a slight lift of the throttle to tuck the nose in followed but a return to full throttle puts you on a perfect line for the exit.
Powering out of turn one you slide over to the right edge of the tarmac keeping the throttle pegged until the last moment, then quickly drop two gears and brace for the entry for turn two. As your speed drops to 120mph you throw the car to the left towards the apex letting the car drift down to 114mph before powering out and running all the way to the right edge of the tarmac.
You grab fifth gear as you blast around the gentle rising right hander that is turn three. As you crest the hill the track starts to drop away and to the left. You eyes linger for a split second at the wall beyond the grass before you dive to the left hugging the inside edge of turn four. You slowly modulate the throttle to keep the nose turning and to maintain speed as the G-forces try and throw you off the track to the right. As the corner starts to open up you drift right and drop a gear.
Darting back to the left you lift just enough to get the nose turning as you dive back to the right, in to the apex of turn five. Checking you line to ease back on the gas as to drift wide to the left praying you don’t run too wide and drop a tire on to the grass, like the poor soul in front of you did a few laps back. You heart skips a beat as you feel your left rear tire toy with the edge of the tarmac, but hold your course and are rewarded as the car settles on the very edge.
Maintaining your line you drift back to the right as you steel a glance at the still fresh skid marks which disappear off the track heading out towards the wall. You snap you attention back to track, grab the next gear and dive back to the left as the track falls yet again. You feel the car get light as the track drops away through turn six, but you keep the power down as you know the grip will be back in moment, as you drift wide to the right as the track climbs back up.
Just as you crest the top of this little rise you catch sight of the rumble strip to your right and get on the brakes, drop a gear and slide back to the left the first apex in the turn seven complex. You hit the first apex late allowing you to power straight to the second and run your right side tires up over the curb. As the car starts to settle you dive hard for the last apex hard on throttle, the tires screaming in protest, but that hold their grip and you have a few moments to relax, at last and you grab the next two gears and rocket down the short straight towards turn eight.
As turn eight looms closer you line up on the right and count down the distance. Just before the 150 meter maker lift of the gas and work down through the gears to third, making sure to drop all your speed before the tune in point. Easing back on the throttle you make for the apex on the left which drop away quickly. You feel the back of the car start to step out and ease the power back, adding a bit of counter steer to settle it back in line.
Holding the counter steer a moment longer then needed starts the car rotating back around to the right as the apex for turn 9 approaches. Using subtle inputs to the gas and wheel you keep the car rotating until you perfectly aligned for the apex. You power out running out the very edge of the tarmac on the left. You hesitate a second as you pass under the bridge and let the left front tire touch the grass. Pretending it never happened you dive back to the right for the second apex that opens up to the fast complex that lies ahead.
Charging fast out of the second apex of turn nine you drift left through turn ten as you grab fifth gear. Hard the power the whole way to slide back to the right for the apex of eleven and ride the curb all the way through finally roaring out of the exit grabbing sixth gear as you bear down on the final turn.
You push out to the right and watch as the end of the rumble strip flashes past, time to start dropping speed. You stand of the brakes and drop through the gears to third. As you speed drops to dive down to the left in to the first part of the corner bleeding off speed as you go. At the apex you gently ease back on the power as you test the grip, and the back tries to step out but you reign in. As the car settles in to place you bring the power back up and rocket on to the front straight.
Finally you have a moment to relax, so you try and calm you heart as to grab forth gear. You feel the pressure in your chest relax a bit grabbing fifth gear as you fly past the pit entrance. You see the corner ahead and slowly move back to the left in perpetration for that gut clenching first turn. You grab sixth as you cross the start/finish line you nerves tensing, only 60 more laps to go. Then out of the corner of you eye you see a shock of color to your left as the pit lane ends and you realize you just crossed over in to the pit egress lane. You heart stops, you try and move back to the right as you stand on the brakes, but it’s too late and the next thing you remember is sitting in your twisted car, while the poor guy you just ran over is screaming at you in a language you do not understand.
Welcome to Westhill International Raceway.
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