IMSA: How the pros drive Lime Rock

Lime Rock is a track that looks “easy” when you’re staring at a track map. But to be pole‐sitting, IMSA race‐winning, record‐setting fast? Very, very difficult. Lime Rock has nuance and subtly and “secrets” that challenge the world’s best drivers. And that’s a big reason why the track is almost mythic in its appeal.

Big Bend

Big Bend is actually two corners (1 and 2) and combined, the car is changing more than 180 degrees in direction. Big Bend is a classic entry-speed corner – you want to carry as much speed into the entry as you can. Then you let the car drift up the track no more than mid-way, followed by a slight throttle lift to “point” the car to the second apex. The entry to Big Bend is the classic passing zone at Lime Rock.

The Lefthander

The Lefthander is the very definition of what’s called a “compromise” corner. That means you use a line that’s not the fastest for the corner itself, but rather, a line that sets you up perfectly for a corner that’s much more important to a good lap time. In this case, it’s the Righthander, because that leads to the second-longest straightaway.

The Righthander

As you approach, in some cars, you will brake a bit; in others, a long (not too long; if so, you’re better to stay on the throttle a bit longer, then use the brakes to slow your entry) or short breathe off the gas. In either case, your goal is to get back to power no later than the apex, using the Righthander’s mid‐corner positive camber (“banking”) to your advantage.

No‐Name Straight

Negotiate No‐Name keeping your hands as straight as possible and minimizing the steering changes. Done correctly, you need very little steering input to end up on the left‐hand side of the track, preparing to brake‐and-enter the Uphill.

The Uphill

IMSA TUDOR uses the optional Uphill layout. It’s a first- or second-gear 90-degree righthander. The braking zone is a great place to try a pass.

West Bend

This is a high‐speed corner that requires braking in a straight line and then turning‐in with the power on. The apex seems hard to reach because the curbing does not follow a constant arc – it actually bends in more sharply before the apex.

The Downhill

Between the Uphill and Downhill, which of Lime Rock’s signature corner complexes is more famous? They both have lots of “stories” to tell, but if you had to choose one over the other, the Downhill might be your pick because it’s the track’s fastest corner, and it begins at the iconic Bailey Bridge. What’s cool about the Downhill is that the corner itself is level; it’s the approach that drops four stories. You must be fast at the exit, because it leads onto 2,200-foot Sam Posey Straight.

Source: IMSA