Herewith a setup for the Lola/MG EX257 (you may remember the MG EX.181, a Bonneville streamliner that Stirling Moss drove to a class record of 245.7 mph back in 1957; I don't know what happened to all the MG EX's in between). The EX 257 (the badge on the steering wheel says "Lola-Rebellion") ran at Le Mans in 2001 and 2002 in the LMP900 class, but failed to finish both times. This iteration, from Assetto G***** is a lot more reliable, if somewhat finicky about its setup and being manhandled by the driver, but still great fun to drive. Ten-lap setup for Road America.
Why I test at Elkhart Lake. 1. It doesn't have any stupidly slow hairpins or chicanes, which interfere with repeatability; at least the way I drive. Spa would be ideal if it weren't for that ugly, contorted chicane at the end of the lap. 2. The Carousel. Unlike the Nordschleife's Karusel (tight and lumpy), RA's Carousel is the closest thing you'll find to a high-speed, steady-state skid pad (or 'pan' as they call it in Blighty). It will give you an indication of absolute grip, with numbers you can compare, car-to-car and setup-to-setup (anything below 100 mph = pokey; anything over = speedy). 3. The Kink. The scariest turn in North America. Little cars will barely notice it, but big cars will make or break a lap-time depending on whether or not your setup will allow you to take it flat out.
Why I test at Elkhart Lake. 1. It doesn't have any stupidly slow hairpins or chicanes, which interfere with repeatability; at least the way I drive. Spa would be ideal if it weren't for that ugly, contorted chicane at the end of the lap. 2. The Carousel. Unlike the Nordschleife's Karusel (tight and lumpy), RA's Carousel is the closest thing you'll find to a high-speed, steady-state skid pad (or 'pan' as they call it in Blighty). It will give you an indication of absolute grip, with numbers you can compare, car-to-car and setup-to-setup (anything below 100 mph = pokey; anything over = speedy). 3. The Kink. The scariest turn in North America. Little cars will barely notice it, but big cars will make or break a lap-time depending on whether or not your setup will allow you to take it flat out.
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