Due to some upcoming events, I have had requests for a turn-by-turn track guide to Lightning at NJMP. I don’t have time right now for a detailed right up with video, so below is a preliminary guide. I’ll base my corner markings off this map here. NJMP’s site says Lightning only has 10 corners, but there are 11 radius on the map I just linked to. I will go by the map.
Lightning is driven clockwise. Turn 1 is in the bottom right corner of the map, just after the long front straight and pit row, but BEFORE the entrance to the track from the pits.
TURN 1
VERY high entry speed for all cars - I’m doing around 110 mph in my Miata. There is a HUGE hill here that you can’t see on the map, which crests BEFORE the apex (which is therefore blind). GO SLOW UNTIL YOU FIGURE THIS CORNER OUT! You really don’t want to launch yourself over to Thunderbolt.
Braking zone has a slight hump just before it, making the car light and grip low. Fortunately, you get a TON of compression with the hill, so you can brake very late once you figure things out. Think through the hill to where the apex and trackout points are, and set yourself up accordingly. There is a mini straight right after Turn 1; stay to the left to setup for Turn 2.
Also, people enter the track right after Turn 1 and you are pretty much blind to that. Partway through Turn 1 look to the right and you should hopefully be able to see if anyone is about to enter. Adjust things accordingly.
TURN 2 - 4
This is a series of tight compromise corners, 2nd gear in a Miata. All that matters is that you are back on the left side of the track for Turn 5, with a short, straight braking zone right before it. There is a small but not insignificant straitish area between Turn 4 and 5. Miatas and the like should try to carry as much speed through Turn 3, as there isn’t enough power to put down otherwise here. Faster cars can compromise Turn 3 more to get power down sooner. Everyone kicks up dust at Turn 3 (on the right side) because the rumbles are about 1 foot too short. Be advised.
TURN 5 - 6
Turn 5 demands precision, and is very important as it sets you up for the long, curved straight (you’re flat out, and thats a straight to me!). It is much like Turn 1, just smaller and slower. Good amount of elevation gain, the drops back down before the apex, so that is blind. Slow in fast out is your friend here because an EARLY APEX IS CATASTROPHIC! Apex 5 then head out to track out on the left. I never even realized the “Turn 6″ radius listed on the map existed, so just ignore it - you want your speed to carry you out to the left regardless.
The Turn 6 area/track out for Turn 5 continues to curve right, which is why the apex for Turn 5 is so crucial. Even 1 foot early puts you that much closer at track out, and because it is curving away from you you run out of track REAL fast. Runoff is decent enough, but lets try and stay on the blacktop.
Turn 7
Treat this like a straight. Line didn’t even begin to matter in my Miata, so just hug right to shorten our distance. If you have enough power, you may wish to take a traditional style line through here as needed. Just make sure you end up at the right side of the track for Turn 8.
Turn 8 - 9
This is the hairpin of this track, though by any other standard it is just a left turn. It is just a bit tighter than 90 degrees, so watch your track out as it can be easy to run out of room unexpectedly. I believe I was 3rd gear through here in a Miata. You now have a good sized curvy straight. You want to end up on the left side of the track for Turn 10. Turn 9 again doesn’t really exist once you are on track - just setup for a left entry to “the bowl” area.
Turn 10
This is an awesome corner! ABSURD amounts of banking makes this a 4th gear corner in the Miata. Rumor has it Spec Miatas are flat out all the way though here, but my street tires definitely don’t have that much grip.
Entry is much like “the Bowl” at NHMS. A mix of straight line braking and trailbraking is probably fastest, but I didn’t bother trailbraking because I had to drive my car home at the end of the day and it isn’t worth the risk for me. That same mentality carried me through Turn 10, so I left about 1 car’s width between me and the edge of the track on the left. Once you hit the grass up there, there isn’t much between you and the containing wall.
HOLD LEFT until you reach the turn in point for Turn 10, which is most of the way around the bowl. It is easy to turn in to early. There was a mass of tire marks on the track in mid September 2009 which was a good reference point for turn in (not spot on but pretty close). If it is still there, start with it and adjust accordingly. Once you see you’ve made the apex, gradually squeeze on the gas and let your gas take you out to the left side of the track.
TURN 11
This is like Turn 7 - technically a turn but so wide it doesn’t really matter what you do. I was cutting in by the apex because 1) I figured cutting distance is faster and 2) cutting the apex on high speed corners amuses me greatly. Many others were holding wide to the left, saying it was faster. I tried it, and my speed was slightly higher at the end of the front straight, but I’m not 100% convinced that line is faster. There is a very slight incline by the apex, so you might lose some speed going “up” that (though the incline is very minimal). OR you might get a higher speed because the track distance is longer if you stay left, and more time on the gas = a higher speed. You’d need a lap timer to know for sure, and I don’t have one.
Welcome back to the front straight and WATCH OUT FOR TURN 1!!
