Eau Rouge flat out in 488 GT3

[Billy Pilgrim]

I just had a race at Eau Rouge in the GT3 Ferrari. On the sixth or seventh lap (with tyres still mostly blue in the tyre app) I could take Eau Rouge flat out - not even coming off the throttle for a moment. I was driving at, I think, 20 degrees ambient temp (maybe 18 or 19)

I shouldn't be able to do that, should I? I seem to remember that they'd fixed the problem of being able to take Eau Rouge flat out.

I haven't checked if it's the same with other GT3 cars yet. Anyone else know about other GT3 cars?

 

[mclarenf1papa]

You guys please share how you do it.
With none of the Kunos GT3 cars I can go through Eau Rouge and stay within the track limits at Radillon (cutting over the left hand kerb at the hilltop towards Kemmel straight).
The cars simply do not turn into the right hand corner leaving the compression but understeer, plowing ahead when trying to go 6th gear full throttle through the section.

I have not just to lift but break just before the apex of the right hander through the compression to rotate the car. I end up leaving the section onto the straight at about 215 - 220 km/h when staying within track limits (cutting the left hand rumble strip, but staying with at least two tires within the track).

When racing with the URD EGT Porsche 911 GT3, full throttle 6th gear is easily possible but I do not trust the physics of the URD cars as much as I would Kunos cars here.

I aways race with track conditions at green at the most (a pity, standard condition is always at an unrealistic optimum).

I also admit that I do not achieve the insane sub 2:20 min times as during this year's 24h race in any of the Kunos GT3 cars.
With a very nervous McLaren 650s I can do a low 2:24.
With the Mercedes AMG GT3, I have done a low 2:23.

Oh I have to mention - all the above is true when racing with medium tires and 45 liters of fuel in the tank on the out lap - so far I didn't try the soft tires around Spa.

So - how do you do it.

2:15s are possible with AC cars...

 

[Qazdar Karim]

As soon as you start adding a bit of downforce, Eau rouge becomes really easy to take flatout in AC, i couldn't find an explanation to this.

 

[PhilS13]

mandatory tyre in Blancpain is pretty much the equivalent of hards in AC.

 

[Cristian Haba]

Do Blancpain GT3 even use mediums or softs for qualifying or at least testing? I'd imagine they'd be quite fast on those tires then.

 

[Kurt "Yoda" Kalbfleisch]

The line through Eau Rouge is absolutely critical. I've gotten to the point of being able to take it flat out in the Ferrari GT cars (and the URD Ferruccio cars) if I'm on the line during the approach to the first left-hander in the complex. Two wheels on the kerb there, or you won't be able to open up the right-hander enough to avoid going outside the track boundary at the second left-hander. My setup doesn't add any downforce, I just soften the front springs a notch. I'm running medium tyres.

For last year's Belgian GP, I had seats in the stands to the left of Eau Rouge, which gave me a chance to study the F1, GP2, and Porsche Cup cars though that section...if they were on the line, they stayed on the throttle all the way from when they reached top gear going down the hill and then back up to the braking zone for Les Combes, and you could hear them running the kerbs at each corner through Eau Rouge/Radillon: brr-brr-brr-brr. When a guy went off the line, you could hear him lift for a moment to stay within the boundaries.

 

[Lily Starfox]

...

 

[Kurt "Yoda" Kalbfleisch]

Same, I can do this with any GT2/GT3 car.

Clearly, I'm a little fixated on prancing Italian horses.

 

[Lily Starfox]

...

 

[Kurt "Yoda" Kalbfleisch]

Huge fan of Italian jewels too!
I can't get enough of the Maserati GT4 they released this summer.
Oh ... I haven't tried Spa with this car yet!

Good heavens, woman! Get thee to the track!

 

[Tberg]

Nobody mentions the weighttransfer when turning in left, then right uphill.
For a flat out Eau Rouge, it's absolutely easiest if the car is settled before the right turn uphill. To do this, stick to the wall on the right before going left over the kerb, it will be easier to straigthen the car while passing over the kerb before going right again uphill. The further from the wall, the harder to get the car straight before the turn and avoid sudden change of direction.