C&D lastest lightning lap

Marty Howard · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 10:53 am

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/the_lightning_lap_2009-feature

Some interesting results in this year's competition.

Frank Catena · **Joined:** Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:08 pm **Posts:** 418

Read that this AM ... They were surprised that the Z car's stock brake pads went away

Frank

Marty Howard · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:10 pm

Frank Catena wrote:

Read that this AM ... They were surprised that the Z car's stock brake pads went away

Frank

They shouldn't have been. All the recent Z's since the 2003 350Z have been underbraked with OEM pads. Nissan should really get a new supplier.

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Genesis was an automatic. Me want (sans auto).

Frank Catena · **Joined:** Wed Aug 27, 2003 1:08 pm **Posts:** 418

"Nissan should really get a new supplier"

I know.

Don't remember the details in C&D but something about better pads are now available from Nissan but they aren't standard on this model.

Since they ran Grand West some of the pics of the cars on track are certainly different.

Frank

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

i'm pretty sure they were at vir immediately before a nasa event, i remember being told at the gate we had to wait in the south paddock for an hour or two before we could set up in north. while we were hanging out there we saw many of these cars lapping the track one or maybe two at a time. the big lambo sounded *really* good

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

MikeWhitney wrote:

Genesis was an automatic. Me want (sans auto).

get it while you can, i wouldn't be at all surprised if within ten years you won't be able to buy a car with three pedals. the new ferrari 458 doesn't offer a manual transmission, nor does the gt-r, the top shelf evo, etc. unless i'm mistaken every powertrain combo has to be tested for epa emissions, so two transmissions means twice as much testing, and since manuals have somewhat different throttle application curves (more rapid on/off transients) that complicates things even further, especially during cold running.

Marty Howard · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:07 pm

MikeWhitney wrote:

Genesis was an automatic. Me want (sans auto).

another issue, Hyundai of NA is having trouble supplying coupes to dealers because of high sells in europe and Asia. Most the manuals seems to be going there instead of the US. Imagine that.

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:51 pm

I'm pretty sure that they run the Grand East layout even though they call it Grand West in the article. Unless I have this backwards, I thought Grand East was the turn into bitch/South off main course, run through Patriot to "North Course" side and exit at the top of the hill as in North. Grand West is turning into North Course as normal and then turning left on the Patriot cross-over to join up with the "South Course" portion/reentry to main at the top of the uphill esses. Isn't that right? Or have the times I've run Grand East been mislabeled?

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:53 pm

Just found these on wikipedia (although they show using that chicane on the back straight which I've only ever known motorcycles to use):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Virginia_International_Raceway_-_Grand_East_Course.svg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Virginia_International_Raceway_-_Grand_West_Course.svg

Jason Tower · **Joined:** Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:31 pm **Posts:** 1173

Chuck Branscomb wrote:

I'm pretty sure that they run the Grand East layout even though they call it Grand West in the article. Unless I have this backwards, I thought Grand East was the turn into bitch/South off main course, run through Patriot to "North Course" side and exit at the top of the hill as in North. Grand West is turning into North Course as normal and then turning left on the Patriot cross-over to join up with the "South Course" portion/reentry to main at the top of the uphill esses. Isn't that right? Or have the times I've run Grand East been mislabeled?

there's no consistency to the grand east/west thing, i've seen both layouts called both names. although i've never seen the second layout you describe actually used, i've driven grand two or three times and it's always the one with bitch and spiral entered from the back straight. usually i refer to that as grand east but some people seem to call it west. *shrug*

Chuck Branscomb · **Posted:** Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:22 pm

VIR refers to it as wikipedia links do as does iRacing layouts, so I think they made a mistake in the C&D article -- no biggie but is helpful to know what times they got for all these cars on Grand East for comparison sake.

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