While road course setups vary significantly from oval configurations, the laws of physics and the application of hardware remain similar. Obviously, the main difference comes from tuning with a left-side weight and suspension bias (oval), compared to a neutral setup configured for multiple types of corners (road course). Between both disciplines of racing, the symptoms of handling remain similar, too; just the initial point of reference differs. For those reasons, this story can be useful for oval racers as well. Road course naysayers, save your hate mail and subscription cancellations for somebody who's not trying to expand the way you think about a race car.
But First ...At the most basic level, each road course turn can be dissected into an entry, a middle, and an exit. Dissecting a corner into those elements and analyzing the car's performance is the key to going faster-just like on an oval.
Don't confuse going fast with scaring the bejesus out of yourself at every corner, either. As road course racers quickly find out, a smooth, steady, calculated, fast pace throughout the entire course results in better lap times. The abusive treatment of throttle and brakes just wear out the car faster.
The scariest part of going fast is doing it in a car that's not set up properly. When setting up a road course chassis, the goal is to achieve the most traction where it will benefit lap times and passing the most. That means compromise.
Circle Track consulted a variety of sources for this story, including road course ace Boris Said of Carlsbad, California. We also spoke with Ed Ash of Umpqua, Oregon, who owns Ash Racing Engines. He's much more than a respected Ford engine builder. His road course experience includes building Trans Am cars from the late '70s through the late '80s, building Stock Cars for ovals and road courses, and consulting NASCAR Touring Series teams on how to convert an oval Stock Car to a road course car. He's a Swiss Army Knife for race cars.
His son, Brandon Ash, races in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series and the Winston West Series.
At the minimum level, the information in this story applies to production-based sports cars with narrow tires and a relatively large amount of suspension travel. At the maximum level, any NASCAR-style Stock Car racers might find some of the information useful, too. Cars with very little suspension travel, big, 13-inch-wide tires, and significant aerodynamic downforce (like a modern BFGoodrich Trans Am Series racer) will typically follow more unique setup guidelines.
Analyzing the Track Since a car can only have one setup and a road course typically has around 10 to 15 turns, the approach to chassis setup should revolve around the most important corner. But what is the most important corner, anyway? According to Said, it is often the one that leads to the longest straightaway with the best passing opportunity. Of course, setting up a car for the most important corner doesn't mean ignoring the rest of the track, either. It's a compromise between having a setup that behaves as well as possible throughout the whole of the course, but places emphasis on making the car perform where it's realistically possible to make gains. With this approach, Said often finds that he is extremely fast in a few corners, good in a few more, and taking it easy in the bad corners.
"You need to know where to go slow to go fast," says Said.
The conditions of the track and its surface texture are also important factors. A smooth track without bumps will allow the car to be sprung stiffer. Also, concrete surfaces often provide better grip than asphalt, and asphalt can get greasy on blistering hot days. Street courses often present the obstacle of mixing asphalt and concrete surfaces. The bottom line: Be acutely aware of changing traction factors and adjust your driving style appropriately.