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Wampum, PA
No public description is available for this track.
“There are two basic ways of using the brake pedal in brake-turning. The first is to constantly relax the pedal pressure as the car approaches the throttle application point. The second is by relaxing the brake pedal effort to a certain level and holding it there.”
Going Faster! — Carl Lopez (Skip Barber)
Pittsburgh's 19-turn layout with a mix of slow and fast corners requires both trail-braking techniques Lopez describes. Use the graduated release for the fast corners where the brake-turn segment is brief, and the constant-hold technique for the slow, tight corners where the car needs sustained rotation assistance. The diversity of corners at PittRace forces you to deploy different techniques corner by corner.
“Weight transfer, g forces and momentum all work together. Your goal is to make the weight transfer harmonize with the needs of the suspension and tires. You want to constantly blend your braking into cornering, your cornering into acceleration.”
Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving — Bob Bondurant
With 19 turns, PittRace keeps the car in near-constant transition. Bondurant's philosophy of harmonizing weight transfer is tested relentlessly — there is very little straight-line driving to reset the car between corners. Smooth, connected inputs throughout the entire lap add up to significant time gains. Any harshness in transitions is multiplied by 19 opportunities to lose time.
“Corner-entry speed is more important than late braking. If you update your mental picture of the corner-entry speed, to "y + 2 mph," for example, you will naturally brake a little later and not any harder.”
Ultimate Speed Secrets — Ross Bentley
With 19 turns, PittRace amplifies Bentley's corner-entry speed principle more than almost any other track. Even 0.5 mph more entry speed in each corner — multiplied by 19 — adds up to significant lap-time reduction. The mix of slow and fast corners means the mental-picture technique works differently in each: update the slow-corner targets by 1 mph and the fast-corner targets by 2 mph. The counter-clockwise direction loads the right side consistently, so ensure your right-side tires have adequate grip for the sustained demand.
Find HPDE organizers, car clubs, and sanctioning bodies that run events at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.