For this installment of the Yokohama Move of the Month, we’re on board with NASA Florida TT3 driver Bruce Dally on a searing-hot lap at Sebring International Raceway.
The car is screaming, due to no mufflers and an X-pipe setup that exits just behind the driver. It sounds like it’s making more than the tuned-for-TT3 296 horsepower, but it makes the most of it with a Sadev sequential gearbox with custom ratios. The car weighs in at 3,316 pounds and rides on Hoosier A7s, 335s up front, 345s in the rear and it makes good use of them on this lap. Dally was getting lower on fuel than he usually likes to, but he stayed out for one more lap. He was a bit concerned because he uses part of the fuel load to make weight. When he weighed the car afterward, he still had 9 pounds to spare.
“I go out with a full tank, and usually at Sebring I get one lap per gallon, basically,” Dally said. “So, usually I have the alarm set, I think to 15 to 14 gallons remaining. And so when it comes on, I’m like, all right, I’ve got one lap left and then I’ve got to limp it back in maybe. But I think it had come on the lap before that, and that lap was like a 2:17.9, I think. And I was like, oh, I’ve got to stay out. You know what I mean?
“And then I finished, I think that was 2:17.6 something and managed to limp back in,” he said. “I slipped it in high gear and just kind coasted as much as I could as I putted off the track.”
It all paid off because Dally set the new TT3 track record at 2:17.67.
“I think I had put stickers on Saturday and then two sessions, and then that was a Sunday morning session. So yeah, temperatures were right outside, the tires were fresh, the track was grippy and, yeah, I think everybody was running fast that day,” Dally said. “So I think that weekend everybody was really fast, actually. There was a lot of records that fell that weekend.”
Classic example of more grip than horsepower. Braking and cornering is amazing. I assume it has a restrictor for so little power?
Lap looked really good. Looks like you could have gotten on the power a bit earlier onto the long final straight before the pitts and used that exit curb.
What do you drive and where are your track videos so we may critique them as well?
Whatever I can get my hands on LOL. Over the years I’ve driven everything from mundane street cars to supercharged Miatas to Lamborghinis to various kit cars and race cars. Knock on wood never damaged any of them. I’ve coached many advanced drivers and made them better. Don’t have a dedicated track car right now, but when I do and am doing TT I’ll be sure to get a video over to Brett. I never mind constructive criticism and willing to experiment with ideas to see if it yields a better result.
Hey Steve, thanks for watching the video and providing the feedback. I don’t mind other drivers pointing out possible corrections. If anything it puts my face back in the data and there’s always something to learn there, even if it’s to reassure you did something correctly.
I’m not sure of the exact corner you are addressing talking about. Are you talking about exit of 16 of exit of 17. Some confuse the back straight area as a pit as it’s used at times for some series. I’m guess turn 16, cause theres a wall on turn 17 exit.
If it’s turn 16, I went back and looked at data, I say this in all sincerity and not argumenative. (hard to express emotion over text). I was full throttle before the corner worker which is also before the apex. There was no need to beat the car up on the rumbles. and when I say rumbles, exit of 16 rumbles are MASSIVE!!!! That particular corner is also what sets you up for a good mph into turn 17. Looking at data, because the exit was so good I managed to squeeze out 2 mph into turn 17 over my normal. Also the data shows that Turn 15-17 in this particular run were some of my fastest sectors. I will say this, a rolling lap starting from Turn 9 all the way back to turn 9 would have championed me a 2:17:58, so there’s nearly a have a second there, and looking at the Eclectic time it calculated a 2:16:70!!!
Now look what you’ve done!!! Now I gotta go chase another SECOND!!!! Thanks for watching, be sure to check out my youtube channel!! 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/@Poweredby8Racing
Yes, turn 16 onto the longest(I believe) straight. I’m saying as soon as you’re turned in and done braking, back to full power. Not just before the apex, but well before the apex. That wouldn’t be the case if you had another 150hp, but that car has more grip than power, essentially a momentum car. So you have to commit to throttle earlier. Or brake less, turn in earlier and carry more entry speed. As always, the more track you use, the faster you go. You’ll rattle the car on the exit curb, but I believe there’s time to be gained there on probably the most important turn on the track, since the exit speed you gain carries down that long straight. What the data doesn’t know is if you’re using every inch of track. Unless GPS technology is greater than what I’m thinking.
Did they make that exit curb more rough recently? During the IMSA races those cars are all over that exit curb.