Asian Motor Sports

Experienced A1GP race winner Jonny Reid will be on hand at Taupo on January 23-25 as A1 Team New Zealand’s second driver, with young ace Chris van Der Drift being given the green light to race in front of the home crowd.

Reid will keep his hand in racing a Porsche alongside Jody Vincent in a support race, and will also be helping out New Zealand A1GP World Cup of Motorsport broadcaster TV3 with commentary for the A1GP races.

Reid put New Zealand on pole position for the Sprint Race last year before going on to dominate and win the race.

But what does it take to bag a fast lap of the Taupo track, and what sort of speeds will the fastest guys be doing in their state-of-the-art A1GP Powered By Ferrari cars?

Here Reid takes you through the 14-turn, 2.06-mile course, corner-by-corner.

The start/finish line is along the short straight as you pass the pit wall entering into turn one. It is vital you have a strong exit out of turn 14 onto the pit straight to start the lap. I have even been known to change my line slightly to ensure the best possible start to a lap.

Turn 1: You approaching Turn 1 at a reasonable speed (200kph) in fifth gear and then brake hard at the 50m board and change down to 2nd gear. The force over the front axle is at its maximum and you can feel the front tyres just beginning to lock. This is when you know you have found the maximum braking point. You then release the brake pedal gradually and smooth as you can. While you are releasing the brake pressure, you are beginning to turn in. If you turn in too late here you understeer wide due to the camber change and dusty slippery surface. You coast or roll the car through a lot here. You seem to be waiting for an eternity before you can get back on the power. The left front tyre is half on the grass or dusty patch as you apply the throttle to exit the corner. Now you are controlling the car on the throttle as you accelerate and shift up to third gear and allow the car to use the road on the exit. It is important not to let the car breathe too much to the right of the circuit. After the exit of Turn 1, the car will need to be as far to the left of the circuit as possible for the entry of Turn 2.

Turn 2: The entry to Turn 2 is challenging. The car is forced through a number of camber changes throughout the corner. You approach it in third gear and roll off the throttle and turn in at around 165kph. It is easy to over speed on the entry and upset the flow of Turn 3 and Turn 4 by drifting wide on the exit of Turn 2. These corners in my view should be looked at as one. This is because each corner in this section (turns T2, T3 and T4) lead quickly in to one another. In other words if you are too fast in Turn 2 you will be too slow in Turn 3 and just average in Turn 4. It is always a compromise in a challenging “S” bend like this found at Taupo.

Turn 3: It is vital to carry good speed (around 170Kph) and be very committed to throttle through Turn 3. Stay very close to the apex curb and up shift to fourth gear. Hold the car to the left for the entry of Turn 4 as much as possible.

Turn 4: Turn 4 offers a new challenge. The corner is very off camber (from the apex sloping out), so the car always wants to slide off the circuit. On turn-in you brush the brake pedal to transfer the weight over to the nose of the car, as the front becomes light over the crest. Then you apply throttle gently to clamp the rear down as the rear becomes light over the crest. The car will slide all the way out to the exit curb and you line the car up for the tight Turn 5.

Turn 5: On entry to T5 you brake with a medium pressure and down shift from fourth to second gear. You can carry more speed than you think here. It is important to rotate the car as soon as possible at the apex and apply the throttle smoothly for a clean exit.

Turn 6: The circuit feels as if it narrows up as you exit Turn 5 and accelerate up to 200kph in fifth gear down to Turn 6. The later you turn into Turn 6 the better, because you can then reduce the steering angle in the braking zone for Turn 7.

Turn 7: The exit of Turn 6 and the entry to Turn 7 overlap one another. This creates a very tricky braking zone. Under braking for Turn 7 the right front tyre is easy to lock due to the steering input to the right while braking and down shifting from fourth to second. Over slowing the car is also a simple task here. As you roll into the corner the circuit gains camber. This makes the car stick or gain grip as the suspension compresses. The camber helps the car to rotate while holding a very tight line. Also early, clean throttle applications are vital here as the exit leads onto a flat-out section of the course.

Turn 8: There is not that much to Turn 8. It is a physical corner as you have to hold the steering in one position for a long period of time. I would say that Turn 8 and the bumpy Turn 9 are going to be the most physically demanding corners on the circuit in the new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car.

Turn 9: Turn 9 is the fastest corner on the circuit, and the minimum speed in the corner is around 200kph. However you approach this corner much quicker than that and downshift from fifth to fourth while braking with a mild pressure to ensure you do not pitch the car too much. As you turn in the circuit drops away slightly. At the apex the circuit is extremely bumpy. (This unsettles the car a lot and makes it very physical). As the car compresses you apply the throttle and slide out to the curb.

Turn 10: Almost non-existent but a definite change in direction as you approach the sweeper at Turn 11. Position on the track is important and you are poised for some challenging braking at Turn 11.

Turn 11: T11 is probably my favourite corner on the circuit. It is also a good passing opportunity if the rubber is laid down. The braking zone is very challenging. You basically start to brake as you turn in. As you turn in the car becomes very heavily loaded over the right front.

It is very easy to slow the car down too much on the entry here. The brave are definitely rewarded on the entry. As the speed comes off and the car is settled into the middle of the corner, you then line up the apex. At Turn 10 the apex is later than you think. You really need to maximise the exit speed and power down here as the next back stretch is very long and it is vital for a good top speed.

Turn 12: As you enter Turn 12 you are at maximum speed in sixth gear. You approach the braking zone at around 280kph. On entry, under heavy braking this is a passing area also, especially if you have had a good slipstream down the straight.

Over the two seasons I have previously driven at Taupo Motorsport Park Turns 12 and 13 – known as the ‘Chase’ – have changed dramatically. The second year a much tighter chicane was put in place. This slowed this sequence of corners a lot. But overall lap time was actually quicker due to the track surface having eighteen months worth of racing on it to build up the groove. This increased the grip levels as the circuit was more rubbered in.

The later brakers are rewarded into Turn 12. If you brake too late however it is very easy to overshoot. Be very careful of the apex cub at Turn 11 because it is very high and aggressive. Turn 11 leads into Turn 12 which means correct positioning of the car at the apex of Turn 11 is very important to be able to carry good speed at Turn 12. Again it is all about flow here and carrying good minimum speed.

Turn 13: Carrying a good minimum is important through T13. Use the entire apex curb to help carry speed and also to keep the car to the right for the final corner.

Turn 14: Turn 14 is a very nice corner. The car is loaded up on the right side for a long time. A good balance in the car can help here. You have to be patient and smooth with the throttle to allow for a good clean exit. When you commit to the throttle it is easy to be intimidated by the pit wall as you slide towards it accelerating to complete the lap.
As you come out of Turn 14 and accelerate down the pit straight you glance down at the information on the steering wheel to take read of the lap just completed.