A smile on my face

I expected to go faster today at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. After all, I had spent a swag of money upgrading my car, and I was expecting to go faster. Though having good driving skills is a prerequisite to driving fast, there are times when you can’t drive a particular car any quicker, and so modifications to the car are necessary if you want to go more quickly.

The first thing I noticed when I got out onto the track was how different the car was handling. It did not roll as much as it used to, and I felt much more confident pushing it harder through the corners. The track was still a little damp early, but once it dried out, I pushed the car harder and faster through turn one, the fastest corner on the track. I estimate that I was taking that corner 15-10 kph faster than I had previously done.

Driving up over Lukey Heights, the most challenging corner on the track due to its elevation and camber, the car held on and showed no signs of oversteer. I pushed a little harder each time I approached the corner.
The result was a new personal best lap time of 1:58.7, a justification for the money I spent modifying the track car.

Moreover, it put a huge smile on my face.