tonypai

You need a new badge. PW8.

PaulW

Now I have Dunlop Sport Race 265/35/18's on a 18x9 wheel (the ones in my sig picture). The tires are 5% smaller in OD than stock, so my gear ratios are lowered 5% and the car sits 0.6" lower to the ground also.

You can't really tell from the picture because of the lack of light on the wheel wells.

Those are just my track wheels/tires, was doing the shake down cruise when I took the picture.

target01

Please, and I speak for a lot of peopl I think, make another video!

dimitristx

have they painted the asphalt to show the optimal corner lines, or is it resurfaced?

audilvr

Professional Drivers like Randy have long mastered smooth driving techniques that emphasize properly loading the contact patches to perform their best in cornering, braking and accel functions. Tires last longer in these ***** hands, but brakes are definitely another story. Higher speeds attained by faster entry corner exits and late braking are the norm. Randy would recognize the limits of adhesion on Paul's tires and drive within their limits. If Paul had race rubber, things might have gotten even MORE interesting.

Paul W must have some awesome brakes, as the factory brakes would be on fire. Randy started his racing career in a Jetta I think, and he mastered FWD techniques which should transfer real well to the A8 or any AWD setup-- but of course he can drive anything at this point in his experience curve. Watch the video and see how gently Randy holds the steering wheel, and then look at how he links the "turns-between-turns" together, and particularly on the most important turns leading onto the straights.

He is smooth, comfortable and makes it look very easy as he is reeling in all the less experienced drivers.

docmusolf

racing for audi does that mean you make a good living? I know that NASCAR you have to be in the bush series at least to make a good living but for G.T. racing when does that occur?

audilvr

I used to race with PD Cunningham about the same time Randy was starting his amateur career-- 1985 or so, and both of these guys have made a decent living driving cars-- but it is not a way to get rich except at the very top of the heap. Getting rich is not actually the reason most of these guys sty in racing. They do it because they can make it and because they love it. It involves a lot of inconvenience in the way of travel-- and lots of weekend work if you know what I mean.

ryoung

<img src="http://www.pccchicago.com/images/paul/midohio/MidOhio_trackmap01sm.JPG">
Turn 11 is the scariest on the track for me. The entry doesn't look bad, but track out in the exit leaves you only about three feet from a concrete wall. I drive thru this corner well under the capabilities of the car (discretion is the better part of valor), but since it leads onto the 3rd longest straight, it's important for a good lap time. Randy Pobst went thru T11 at 63 mph; on my best lap I was 5 mph slower. {I had my data logger in Paul's car for Randy Pobst's session.}

The Turn 11 entry looks fine, but ...
<img src="http://www.pccchicago.com/images/paul/midohio/turn11sm.JPG">

You're close to the wall in the exit. Notice the skid mark on the alligators!
<img src="http://www.pccchicago.com/images/paul/midohio/turn12sm.JPG">


Turn 1 is probably the most intimidating corner for most. This is the fastest corner on the track and the entry is up against that bridge abutment. Randy Pobst went thru T1 at 75 mph, and again, I was 5 mph slower.

Turn 1 entry
<img src="http://www.pccchicago.com/images/paul/midohio/turn01entrysm.JPG">

BTW: Don in my S8 was 6 sec/lap quicker than Randy Pobst in an A8. In 2003, I was running in the expert group while Don was running in the advanced group, where he passed <i>every</i> car in his group. On that Saturday, between the two of us, we had about four hours and 300 miles on track. The brake rotors had already seen six track days before then, but this is how they looked at the end of that last day,

<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/17157/alcon_cracked.jpg"><ul><li><a href="http://www.audipages.com/on_track/Midohio0.html">An S8 at Mid-Ohio</a></li></ul>

target01

cracked, how are the new ones holding up? And how much did you pay for those?

ryoung

I'm assuming that Randy Pobst wasn't driving at 10/10th's in a stranger's car; did you notice how easily he drove off line to pass another car in the middle of Turn 1. And heck, I'm only a student at an Audi Club driver education event in my daily driver :-)

Wings and a diffuser do help a bunch. Our Formula Continental has almost twice the power/weight ratio of an A8, but it still doesn't brake at all for Turn 1. Actually, a Continental doesn't brake for Turns 1 2 6 9 10a 10b 12 and 15 at Mid-Ohio. A quick lap is about 1:27 with the T3 chicane and 1:24 without ... that's about 25 sec/lap quicker than the A8/S8 !!

And those Alcon rotors are ~$600 each :-(