Lightning:

Arriving at the braking zone for T1 on the far left, be aware that the pit straight rises gently at the end, compressing braking and working the car's suspension well. Wait until you feel the compression on the straight before actuating the brakes.

Decisively turn in for T1 and know that the uphill entry allows more mechanical grip than you might expect. At turn in, apply 10-30% power and add steering input as the road rises, with the goal of touching the first half of the curb with your right front, getting the wheel as straight as you can as the car lightens at the crest. Make sure the car tracks all the way to the left curb and is parallel with it at the exit. Foot down!

Breathe or brush brakes and bend the car through the fast right T3 under power, touching as much of the curb as possible and allowing the car to slide out driver's left to create a straight line braking zone on a diagonal from the right to the left, setting up for the tighter right turn T4. Braking is at least as heavy here as it is for T1, so brake hard in a shorter distance rather than gentler, longer. You should not be close to the beginning of the apex curb for T4, if anything the apex is at the very end of the curb. Good place for brake-turning to make the car do more of the work.

The exit of T4 is sacrificed to position the car properly for the entry to the quicker left T5. The car should never be positioned further than one third track width from the right edge of the road in the short straight between T4 and T5.

This next left, T5, is more open than T4 and your goal is to optimize exit speed from T5 for the straight run up to the challenging uphill cresting T6. Be sure you use ALL of the road at the exit of T5 on the right for the earliest possible throttle application. Get out to the curb and drive around the gentle right sweep, touching the right hand curbing for it's full length and afterwards, progressing on a diagonal from the right side curbing to the left aiming for the curbing on the left side marking the turn-in for the entry of T6.

If you are successful getting all the way to the left on the flat and the gentle rise leading up to the curbing on the left, brake less than you think you ought to and turn in decisively deeper, towards the end of the pavement and not before, touching most of the inside right hand apex curbing for T6. As the road rises, add steering input to orient the car for a tighter exit so it may slide across the face of the crest and track out gently to the exit curb as you release steering. The track width is greater at the exit than at the entry, so USE it.

Often in T7, especially in smaller, less powerful and lighter cars, it is not necessary to track out full track left through the long right sweeper leading up to the bridge. Be careful in a big, heavy and more powerful car touching the right side inside curbing too soon as that will require more steering input longer through the sweeper and will prevent getting the car straight for the most effective braking for T8. In a smaller, lighter car, just hug the right curb and as soon as the car is straight, brake hard for the third time in the lap. Use the bridge as your permanent landmark to initiate braking before or at.

For T8, most cars drop one too many gears here. There is some superelevation (banking) present and the exit is more open than you think, so try and preserve good speed through T8. Avoid the temptation to "crab in" and under no circumstances touch the apex curbing at T8 before the middle with your left front wheel. This is the most common "early apex" of the course. T8 is a very important turn because the straight leading through the gentle left bend T9 is of significant length. Make sure you track out all the way to the last three quarters of the exit curb at T8 and bend the car to the left gently and over the crest at T9 on the left edge of the road, aiming at the left end of the soundproofing wall. You will need to shift up and back down for T10, Lightbulb.

For Lightbulb, the most important and valuable knowledge is that the track is banked as much as 15 degrees throughout this long, long "carousel" turn, with the curbing at the bottom two-thirds to three-quarters of the way through being the place to place the car closest to the bottom. It's best to enter "high" and progress from the outer three-quarters of the width of the track at the beginning to halfway slightly more than halfway through and place the right front tire against the last half of the curbing, tracking out and "releasing" the car all the way drivers left at the exit.

As the car sweeps gently to the right, make certain that you position the car far right over the last blind crest on the lap to allow any pavement change not to upset the car. Allow the car to track left as you proceed over the crest and down the pit straight, lining up on the left for another approach to T1. That's a "Hot Lap" of the new NJMP Lightning Raceway!

For Thunderbolt, some notes I sent to a friend:

There is no curve (as there is on many maps) between T6 and T7. The outline page is correct, the corner number page is not. You will not be using the inside motorcycle chicanes, just the outside perimeter of the course in the T2 and T3 areas.

Turn 1 is faster than it looks. Begin braking no earlier than the beginning of the left side curbing. Turn in is at the end of the curbing or just before. You should have power ON by the apex, 2/3 of the way around the inside curbing. Place your right wheels over the curbing. Track out to the middle of the left hand exit curbing.

Turn 2 is faster than it looks. The road does not turn as much as you think. It is imperative to turn in at the end of the left side curbing and put your right wheels over the middle of the inside curbing on the right, releasing the wheel as the car gets light and driving STRAIGHT across the crest, tracking out ALL THE WAY to the exit curbing.

Turn 3 is a ball test. Start easy and ad speed gently. Not sure braking is required, even in your car. First, release the throttle (coast) in a straight line, then pick up on the throttle BEFORE turn in. Apex the right side curb right in the middle, run your right wheels over it. Progressively lift for shorter periods and then lesser lifts off the throttle. If you're going to slow, do it in a straight line before turning in. You MUST be on the gas before turning in, can be 10-30% but needs to be something. SHould be full gas at inside curbing.

Turn 4, faster than it looks. Don't worry about staying tight to the right at the exit, you have plenty of time to come back over after tracking out. Brush the brakes at first after letting the car settle (come down) after the crest between T3 and T4, then back to power and turn in slow hands. Run your tires over the right side curb in the middle and let the car go out to the left. If the car is not moving to mid-track afterwards, you're braking too much! Allow the car it's head here and let it track out. Speed up until you can't keep it right of center after the curb. LOTS of speed here and you can out brake people on the left going into T5 by staying left at track out.

Turn 5. Gotta control yourself here. It's a long braking zone so it's a good passing opportunity. Pass on the left and control the corner at turn in from your competitor. If you are not passing and are alone, right side of the car should be a car width off the edge of the road and parallel with the right edge in a straight line. Make a decisive turn in working from the exit back to the apex, back to turn in. Plant the left front tire on the inside curbing 1/2 way to 2/3 of the way around (several car lengths) and get on the power early to allow the car to drift out to the right. Long straight at the exit of this so it's important.

Turn 6. I am driving towards the gate and the edge of the green ARMCO from the right side exit of T5 to the entry of T6. T6 is WAY faster than it looks because it is less than 90 degrees and very open. Middle of the curb on the right is your apex and if the car doesn't carry you out to the left at the exit, you're overslowing. This is a great place to set up a pass into T7. Try to go quicker here throughout.

T7, not as slow as Turn 5, has a favorable camber and a friendly apex curb. USE IT. Another longer braking zone, good place for a pass. Track out all the way to the left at the exit. IF not carried out, you're going in too slow.

T8, long sweeping right. Most important to be on FULL THROTTLE for as long as you can, THEN brake for T9. Most dawdle through here. Dawdling (part throttle, meandering around the middle of the road) BAD, full power and coming into apex the first right curbing so that you are carried out to turn in for T9 GOOD. Aim for the grandstand then stand on the brakes for the slowest corner on the track.

T9, slowest corner on the track. Number one error is that people turn in too early, with too much speed and from the middle of the road. You MUST get back to the left from the apex curbing at T8 and brake in a straight line diagonally to turn in to make this work best. Make sure you get within a car width of the left edge of the road before turning sharply to the right. Start your turn in TOO late, then work back, not the other way around. Get the car slower than you think you should so that under NO circumstances do you allow the car to track left at exit after reaching the T9 apex curbing. Put the right front tire ON the curbing for at least three car lengths. You should be able to open the wheel and go straight down the right side headed into T10.

T10, the hardest, longest and most patience requiring corner on the track. The road camber goes favorable to you and the exit is uphill, but far too many people enter to early and drive around the inside of the first two-thirds of the corner to make this work. You should turn in form ALL the way right, not more than a car width from the right side of the road. Turn in is when the edge of the road starts turning to the left. Stay RIGHT of center until AT LEAST the middle of the inside left hand curbing. Make an arc from right of center (or at the very least, left side tires in the midline of the pavement width) after the first 90 degrees to the left and put the left front tires on the last several car lengths of inside curb. Then you will be able to accelerate strongly through 11/11A and 12 from the left half of the road. If you feel yourself being carried out right of center in the short straight between the exit of T10 and the entry of T11, you turned into T10 from the middle of the road, early apexed or got on the power too hard, too soon. FIX IT. Progressively add power and if you have to come out of it for any reason, add throttle more gently next time or fix your line.

T11 and T11A should be connected by a straight line between the middle of the curbings. Use the curbings.

T12, Turn in is the leading edge of the bridge and you should use the low concrete curbing on the right as additional inside track. Keep the left side tires on the asphalt, right side tires over the curb. Track out near the end of the curb on the left on the pit straight. If you are tracking out early, you are either turning in early or wide of the apex. If you have to drive out to the track out and are not carried out, you are not going quickly enough.

Have fun. I sure did when I laid out the curbs in June. A few slow laps before the top coat are on YouTube under user ID 4REMD

Copyright 2008, Peter L. Krause, Krause & Associates LLC