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“The basic rule with asphalt is that the rougher the surface, the better the grip, because it gives the tires something to bite on. Conversely, the smoother or more worn it becomes, the less grip it has. Visually, when you notice a sheen on the surface, especially in warmer months, you can expect reduced grip.”
How to Drive — Ben Collins
Podium Club's Arizona desert location means extreme surface temperatures from spring through fall. Collins' surface-grip relationship is amplified by the desert heat: the new, well-maintained surface provides excellent grip in the morning, but as ambient temperatures climb past 100F, the surface becomes greasier and tire grip falls off dramatically. Plan your fastest driving for the coolest sessions, and expect to drive with significantly more margin in the afternoon heat.
“If the tire is operating much below its designed temperature range, it will lack stick. If it is operating very far above it, it is in danger of blistering or chunking due to local destruction of the rubber compound's internal cohesion from excessive heat.”
Tune to Win — Carroll Smith
The Arizona desert heat at Podium Club pushes tire temperatures to the upper limit of most street-compound tires. Smith's warning about blistering and chunking from excessive heat is directly relevant: soft-compound tires that work well at temperate tracks can self-destruct here. Run a harder compound than you normally would, increase starting pressures to account for heat soak, and monitor tire surface condition between sessions. If you see blisters forming, the compound is overwhelmed.
“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. This will result in carrying more speed into the corner.”
Ultimate Speed Secrets — Ross Bentley
Podium Club's 15-turn layout means corner-entry speed gains compound rapidly across a lap. Bentley's mental-picture technique is especially valuable at a technical track where braking zones are moderate rather than extreme — the time is made carrying speed, not braking late. With the high-grip morning surface, progressively update your corner-entry speed targets. As the track heats up and grip drops, lower those targets proportionally rather than waiting for the car to tell you through understeer.
Find HPDE organizers, car clubs, and sanctioning bodies that run events at Podium Club at Attesa.