Getting back to the original question re Zandvoort lap times.
Hristo is quite right ( very annoying coz he usually is!!) it is the exit speed of some of the critical corners that is important and you should be able ( in a 65 car) to keep it flat out from the long right hand loop all the way to the corner leading onto the straight.
So a lap of Zandy ( for me in the Cooper ) should be something like..
Controlled braking into Tarzan so that the car settles neatly into the apex and allows you to apply early smooth throttle on the exit in 2nd gear.
up to 3rd
I take a late apex on the next left flick, keeping to the left, down to 2nd, to give me a faster line through the right hander leading to the hairpin. down to 1st on entry
The exit from this hairpin is one of the "critical" points, (so a good controlled entry is essential) and only practice will tell you how hard and how soon you can apply the gas. The best I can say is "feel the grip Luke , feel the grip" . short shift into 2nd to avoid wheelspin
Then it is full bore in all gears up and over the crest 3rd- 4th possibly 5th and, if you get it right, all the way to the entry to the long right hand loop. Another critical corner. A smooth entry is essential down to 3rd and I hug the kerb, but avoid hitting the kerbs because that will lose you speed, looking for the exit to open up so that I can get the power on as early as possible.
From there, it is max acceleration up the slope 4th through the apex of the slight left hander, allowing the car to drift well to the right to take a late apex to the first proper left hand bend up to 5th. I find that if the setup is right, the transition from the left hander to the right hander is a natural "bounce" and the car settles easily into the second apex without lifting off. But, if in any doubt it is better to take a fractional lift to ensure a tight line and avoid putting a wheel on the sand at the exit!!!
Keeping the gas valve wide open we approach the right hand sweep at the bridge. If you get this right, there is no lift, just an early turn in 5th for the Coop allowing the car to 4 wheel drift past the apex, probably snatching top gear if you are going fast enough, but certainly on the red line.
The next right hander I lift slightly still in 5th just to get the nose to tuck in and again 4 wheel drift through the apex on full gas, aware of the sand on the outside and prepared to ease a little if there is any danger of putting a wheel in the sand. I continue the arc of the corner to get the car across to the right hand side and then drop a gear to 4th to accelerate through the left hander before braking to get the car settled for the entry into the final corner.down to 3rd as i crest the small rise.
This entry is another critical one. If the car settles quickly and smoothly into this corner you can be heavily on the power ( in 3rd to minimise wheelspin and if the ratio is right it will pull cleanly), very early and exit onto the straight at maximum bananas, carrying those extra few mph/kph all the way to Tarzan!!
Simples!! a 1:28 lap in a Cooper
It is worth mentioning that with the 65's a slight lift is often preferable to brake application and should transfer enough weight onto the front wheels to get a little entry oversteer and tuck the nose in, whereas a good application of throttle can make the car "push" wide if you are in danger of being too close ( or hitting) to the kerb at the apex.
I find Zandvoort to be a circuit where once you have the "rhythm" the lap is very relaxed and just sort of flows. The only real overtaking place is the entry to Tarzan, but that is fraught with danger of outbraking oneself and needs spot on accuracy to execute it right.....but it feels so sweet when you manage it
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