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The GT2 championships are still up for grabs, the #62 has the current lead, and a good solid finish will clinch the titles ... a last chance for glory.


The Track 


Laguna has several long (medium to high speed) corners and a low top speed: 240 kph or 150 mph, one of the lowest top speeds this season. Sections of the track are similar to street tracks, but with elevation changes. The surface is relatively smooth as the weather is very consistent all year round.

The big issue at Laguna is that sand surrounds the track edges, as opposed to grass at most permanent road courses. As the higher down force cars run near the edge of the track (or unintentionally off track) the sand is sucked on to the track which causes the track to be low grip and slippery and not always predictable. A moderate wind will also bring the sand on the track. Shortly after the start, the track will only have one racing line, and so it’s difficult for GT2 cars to go off line to pass (or get passed by faster classes) and have any grip.


The Setup


Laguna is typically a low grip under-steer track. The only real change of direction is the cork screw, but it’s relatively slow and falling away (down hill). It’s a unique corner all to itself and you don’t spend any time setting up for this corner. Although it does tend to set the minimum ride height for the car; cars will likely bottom here. A moderately stiff setup is better here; pitch platform is important for braking and turn-in and you need support through the long corners which you can’t do with dampers (shocks). The last corner is very slow and a good exit is important here as this leads to the main strait and to turn 3 which is a prime passing area. The car needs good low speed traction to get off the last corner.
 
The Race


The GT2 championships are still up for grabs, the #62 has the current lead, and a good solid finish will clinch the titles (drivers, team and manufacturers). It’s a long race (4 hours) and it will be tight on fuel for a 3-stop. Low grip translates to low tire wear. The Ferraris should be able to double stint tires if it’s strategically advantageous. The Ferrari will be the favored GT2 chassis.

The lack of long straits and several long corners will put the Porsche and Panoz at a deficit, the long corners play to the Ferraris’ handling advantage for our #61 and #62 cars. The #62 ran well here last year, winning the race in the closing laps. Let’s hope, in this case, history repeats at least the winning part.