The rest of my 2 cents
Low HP momentum cars vs high HP fast cars.
Much different, but yet so close to being the same. You drive each one differently but look to bring out the advantages of both.
I have been on track many times with low HP momentum cars that were harder than hell to catch and pass on shorter tracks. Some I never catch, LOL.
When I started racing tracking, I started off with low HP cars and became a momentum driver with the theory fast is smooth and smooth is fast. That's how I learned, that's how I teach new students.
When I stepped up to my current HP NSX, (TTU, 558 rwhp) I had to start learning to drive a little differently and it was a new learning curve I'm just now starting to fully understand. I'm being coached on track by our NASA-AZ Regional Director and Multi time NASA National TTU Champion Tage Evanson to understand the differences and how to get the best of both worlds out of it. You should never stopped being coached. You stop learning if you do.
A momentum driver depending on the track can stay on the throttle more, be on the throttle sooner and maintain more of a momentum of time and speed in & out of corners and on the track as a whole. Much better technique for a shorter track. Try keeping up with a well prepped Civic or Integra on a real short track with a high HP car, they are momentum driving since they have very little Torq and HP and they can be faster than hell. Watch Will's video's if you doubt that
The HP car has the advantage of power, torq, coming out of corners thus giving the high HP car more momentum of speed and time down the straight to the next corner, longer tracks. A momentum car may have a faster entry speed than a high HP car, but where power comes into play is exit speed. The "In Slow, Out Fast" theory now enters the picture. That's only where part of the time is gained.
Then comes late threshold braking other wise you give that time right back, soooo... you have to have better brakes to slow the speed down you've just gained, not to mention learning new braking techniques at a much faster pace. More time picked up when you get it right and combine it with above.
The higher HP car you drive, the harder it is on the car and you, your reflexes have to be without thought and correct. Driving a high HP is not easy by any means as some people might think on track. The speed you carry off track is faster and you hit things harder. You can make mistakes in low HP cars and still recover that you cannot make in high HP cars and recover.
Many drivers actually run better times in a lower HP car than they do in a high HP car on the same track. I dropped 50 rwhp in 2013 and my times got 1 second better because I could get on the throttle sooner coming off the corners and the car was easier to control. Billy Johnson I'm not. I will be probably dropping another 25 to 30 later this year now that I'm learning to run slicks on track. I expect to to see a sub 2 minutes at Chuckwalla CCW next time out there or very close to it. I'm pretty sure that will be my 8/10th
and.....as far as the "I" drive my NSX at 6/10, 8/10th stuff, who's are we talking about ? The 8/10th in MY own mind that's as far as I'm willing to risk my car, could be Regan's, Will's or Jim's 7/10th or 9/10th, who knows. So when someone says I drive my car at 8/10th, don't take it to heart because it really doesn't mean a whole lot from one to another.
So in my view there are two ways to get faster... learn to carry more speed through the corners (dangerous) or make the car faster down the straights (expensive but relatively safe).
