In Chapters 4 and 5, I'll do my best to get into the nitty gritty of how to aim for successful lap times in the GGP's track event.
This post is a follow up to
GGP Planning - Chap. 2: This is a Time-Speed-Distance Road Rally
I've driven this event in 2011-12-14-15 (in 2013 I was out following surgery). Just about every year I've done a bit better in lap times scoring in this event. My first time, I knew next to nothing about Time Speed Distance rallies. Only doing this once a year, it's taken me a few years to got to some kind of competence on it.
Reviewing the basics:
Each lap is a "checkpoint" in the time-speed-distance rally. Instead of the traditional hut with a couple volunteers who note your arrival and departure times, the Watkins Glen finish line electronics log the time that you cross the line. This is recorded to thousandths of a second.
The stated goal is to achieve an AVERAGE lap speed of 45 mph. That's it.
So if you had a Ferrari with auto trans and cruise control, you probably could set it for 45 and it could peg that speed - within the limit of your ability to get it to PRECISELY 45 mph and set the cc for that. Also assuming the cc would NEVER let the car accelerate on a downhill.
So in the real world, how do we do this?
It's an ideal challenge for people who like math. I'm writing this chapter so you have a shot at some decent scores, without being a math nerd.
First, you need a tool that computes and shows your average lap speed as you're driving. It must show speed to a tenth of an mph. That is, 46.2 mph. You need to be able to reset the tool as you cross the finish line. In my car, the driver (me) operates that tool.
"RallyTracks" is a good app for this, for Android and iPhones. Or you can use a GPS if it has the capability. I have two phones with RallyTracks installed - on the newer phone (iPhone 5), it absolutely doesn't work properly. It works great on my iPhone 4. Go figure, ymmv. If this app is your tool of choice, get familiar with it in advance. You'll also need something to hold your phone to the dash.
My GPS has an average speed function that I could use for the GGP. The drawback: it requires two finger touches. One touch to "reset", and a second touch to confirm that you really want to reset. So the only way is to do the first tap while approaching the finish line, and then do the second tap right when crossing it. I expect that after the first tap, you won't see your average speed - but you won't need it any more either, until after you zero it for the next lap. Again, your GPS could be different - for this purpose, it could be better or worse than mine.
Second, your navigator needs a stopwatch. This is for capturing and recording your time for each lap.
One very important point is that after you press it to start the next lap (aka "split"), you still want to see your time for the lap that just ended! Without that, you have no feedback and the whole stopwatch thing would be pointless.
RallyTracks or your GPS will show you your average speed. But you're scored on lap time. The average speed information is only a guide towards achieving the perfect (or close) lap time. That's what the stopwatch is for - so you can see how well you did, immediately.
Remember there are all kinds of extra variables in play here - probably most importantly, how much you weave left-right on the track, and how precisely your device tracks that. Combine that with the fact that GGP scoring doesn't care about your many extra feet of travel - it only cares about raw lap time! So your average speed indicator, while an essential and critical tool, is only a starting point.
My excellent navigator (my brother!) tried using the stopwatch function in his phone but there were far to many times when his finger tap on the screen just did not do the job. Those timers aren't made for the responsiveness and precision we need. A car is a vibrating environment, whatever, it just was not reliable. And you have only one chance to hit that stopwatch button as you cross the finish line at each lap. So, beg borrow or steal a stopwatch. Sporting goods store or maybe a pawn shop. Watch counter at a Target or Walmart? It's probably too late to get a deal from Amazon or eBay. Maybe craigslist if that's your preference.
The stopwatch should ideally be able to track and record more than 35 laps or "splits", as they call them in the sports world. You don't really need it to be able to download data to a phone or computer.