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Reply to "Tour de Smo' 2021"

Lane, I officially want to welcome you to the MEOC, or Mid-Engine Owner's Club.

Be careful, a mid-engine car's limits are higher, but there is little to no warning between going and gone. I've no idea how your car is set up. I'd take it into an abandoned parking lot and play a bit in second gear. Lift off the throttle in mid-corner on purpose just to see what happens. Mid-engine cars have a REALLY good philosophy: NEVER LIFT! That doesn't mean you have to floor it, just MAINTAIN the throttle and steer into it if the tail starts coming round. But never lift, it WILL definitely come around then.

I had a very slight throttle lift(momentary lapse in concentration) going up through the esses at Watkins Glen, at over 100 mph. The back end got loose on the left hander, there is a slight flattening of the hill right at the apex. I squeezed a tiny bit more throttle and steered into it. My instructor said "that is the one and only warning you'll ever get to NEVER lift there. However, that was a most excellent recovery, you gave it just the right amount of squeeze and reacted SMOOTHLY. Well done." Needless to say, that track has a lot of Armco and it's really narrow going up through the esses. That would have been painful and expensive. That was at the end of the first day and I was flat out from the turn one exit to the bus stop. On the next lap I was going about 135 and lost my brakes trying to slow for the bus stop. I straight-lined it, weaving through the cones and got it slowed down.

Anyway, explore the car slowly and gradually increase speeds. And the bottom line: have fun, safely.

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