Starting from the straight in front of the pits (assuming you are already hot)…
Stay left - you want to be left as you pass the pit wall, setting up for the downhill, right-hander coming up. It is key to brake at the end of this straight while still driving as straight as possible. The pavement goes off camber very quickly after the turn begins - too much trail braking here could get you sideways. As you enter into T1, make a nice late turn-in, don't be afraid to use every bit of pavement here as it will set you up to make your trip through the esses more straight.

Do not rush into T1, keep your eyes up and use slow hands. Keep your inputs simple (set and hold steering angle). This is a very late apex…so late in fact that, if done just right, you can actually start opening the steering just before reaching the apex point. As soon as you have reached the apex, open the wheel as T2 is immediate - thus the "S" part.

T2 requires only minor steering angle and is relatively flat, leading to an uphill, so you can get in the power quickly. Staying in the throttle all the way up the small but distinct incline, you can execute the last two turns in the esses under power. As you crest the hill and exit T3 staying in the throttle, you still have a slight left-hand "S" turn left, and the nose of the car may feel a bit light. Do not get spooked, there is lots of pavement here and if you are making slow precise steering adjustments, the apex to the final "S" turn (T4) will simply arrive at your front left tire without you having to do anything.

Upon exit of T4, you should be left of center on the track, if not almost all the way left. This is a long straight and a time for you to get collected (while under power) for the next section of the track. There is ample passing opportunity here.

As you approach T5, the straight turns in (to the right) just a little. Stay out wide. Entry (turn-in) to T5 occurs some 8-10 feet after you have passed all the curbing on track left. This is a decreasing radius right hand turn that changes from flat to downhill just after turn-in. It also has a very late apex and although it is slightly on camber, the downhill can threaten over-rotation if your gas-foot is too happy.

T6 (a left-hander) comes up quickly after a brief straight and reverses the topology - it is a severe uphill but off-camber turn. The forces will want to push the car wide so entry speed is critical. Once at the apex, open the wheel and aim straight for the curbing on the right, at the top of the hill. You can go to full power here.

This leads us to one of the more interesting turns on the course - T7. It is a blind, right-hand constant radius turn that is center-apexed. The apex point marks the transition from uphill to downhill. There is very little flat area here. As you touch the apex, open the wheel immediately and stay in the power. Because of the uphill/downhill transition combined with the lateral forces of the turn, you will likely feel light and some rotation. Even though the "pucker factor" screams skyward on this, once seemingly benign little turn, it is key to stay in the throttle! The rules here are quite simple: you lift, you spin. J Even lower horsepower cars can get significant rotation from a lift at the apex of this bad boy.

Exit T7 using all the track, allowing the car to fade to track-right. You most likely will not need to get the steering wheel completely level, leaving just the slightest amount of right-hand steering angle. This opens to a straight with a slight right-hand kink - thus the slight steering input. If you plot your course with, and put your eyes at the end of the straight on the right-hand side of the track at the crest of the hill, you will find the car smoothly crosses to track-right and goes through the kink with minimal to no steering input. You are now setup for T8.

T8 is a long, lumbering, extremely late apex turn that is almost another kink; however, you can turn in too early. If human nature has anything to say about it, you will turn in too early. The apex here is more of a patch than a point. Nevertheless, don't underestimate this turn, as this entire area of track is off-camber. Touching an actual apex point here is less important than having the car straight, level and balanced because things are about to heat up. You are entering a slow section of the course and any over aggressiveness will render swift and long-lasting punishment.

As you exit T8, you are looking at an all but blind right hander that is offset to the left from the line you are on. This is because in T8, you are driving "The Bitch" backwards and T9 occurs in the new area paved between the to cross-over roads that make up the North/South Course configurations. Braking begins (in a straight line) almost on top of the apex of T8.

T9's apex will become visible as you cross into the newer, darker asphalt that is its entry. The apex is very late and seems almost impossible to get to from where you enter the turn. Entry speed is critical! If you go into this turn just the slightest bit too hot, you will miss the apex and immediately go into crisis management mode. Braking is key and a little trail braking is almost expected to get the nose pointed at the apex. The camber of the road just happens to be OFF, to make life just that extra little bit more interesting.

T9's exit places you right on top of T10's entry - another very late apex and blind exit turn. As you exit T9, you cannot see past the entry due the transition of uphill to downhill. Stay slightly right here only just an instant to settle the car and then quickly turn to the left as you will see the apex is almost immediate. Even though the apex is late, the turn itself is very short overall. Fortunately, this on-camber turn helps you prepare for T11.

This is a small right-hand carousel turn that goes from downhill off-camber to uphill off-camber, with an apex later than an Air France flight. The pavement will want to induce understeer here and push you out wide. Throttle modulation is the key to getting to the apex. The more go-pedal you add, the wider you will be. Be patient. Once you reach the apex, you can open the steering and roll into full throttle as you do.

This exits to a nice uphill straight area providing lots of grip. The straight almost immediately turns downhill and you are quickly approaching T11, a gentle right-hander that allows much happiness for your right foot.

Be careful though…at the end of the downhill there is the final turn - T12. A gentle left-hand, slightly off-camber turn that is also pit-in. T12 is so gentle a turn, you can be in the throttle (because you're off-camber) throughout the entire turn. The apex is about at mid-point. Keep your eyes open though as the exit of T12 is all but straight, meaning you will still be on the left-hand side of the track when passing pit-out. Pit-out is on the left and thus the reason for extreme caution. Now you're back to turn one, having taken a hot lap around the VIR Patriot course!

by Chuck Hawks

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