Watkins Glen International – COM Sports Car Club

“BOOT” CONFIGURATION – 3.4 Mile

Track Records

Driver: Jeff Wasilko

Watkins Glen International has one of the most fascinating histories of any race track in the northeast. Much like Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, this upstate New York facility started life as a collection of public roads that had been joined together to form a circuit for motorsports competition.

The architect of the entire enterprise was a Cameron Argetsinger, an Ohio transplant who had spent his summers in the area as a child. Eager for others to enjoy the same roads he had learned to drive on, and of course always on the look-out for a new venue in which to test the speed of his MG, Argetsinger drew up a 6.6-mile course that looped in and out of

the town of Watkins Glen itself over both paved and gravel sections of road.

By working together with the SCCA, Argetsinger was able to get the town on his side (and convince the railroad company that owned the tracks they were crossing to shut down for a day). Thus was born the Watkins Glen Grand Prix, which ran 12 glorious laps for the first time in October of 1948.

In the early 1950s the organizers moved the event to a second set of country roads in roughly the same area. The temporary solution ran 4.6 miles and had a very different character, lacking much of the flow of the initial race course, and it wasn’t long before Argetsinger and his SCCA enablers began to explore leaving public roads behind and

building the perfect, and permanent, home for the Grand Prix.

In 1956 the new track finally opened for business, a 2.3-mile setup on 550 acres of land within the familiar confines of Watkins Glen. Over the next 15 years the track hosted Formula 1, NASCAR, and sports car racing of every kind, quickly becoming the locus of motorsports not just in New York but along the East Coast.

The increased attention and use lead to a string improvements and changes: the introduction of the ‘Boot’ in 1971 (that came with a number of other corner modifications and additions) was the most notable, as it lengthened the course to just under 3.4 miles in total. Additional configurations for the circuit continued to be refined over the ensuing years, and following a string of serious on-track incidents a pair of chicanes were added (one before the turn 4 back straight, and the other before the ‘Loop’).

There have been many memorable performances at Watkins Glen regardless of series, from AJ Allmendinger’s first NASCAR win after banging off Marcos Ambrose during the final two laps in 2014 to James Hunt’s dramatic win in 1976 that paved the way to his F1 championship (Hunt would win at WGI again the following year). Despite the lack of a long main straight, the section of the track moving uphill from the first corner, through the esses, and onto the back straight allows drives to gather a surprising amount of speed, making it one of the fastest courses in New England. That same momentum has to be bled off prior to entering the loop corner that leads downhill to the chute, where drivers are slowed momentarily by the sharpness of corner 7 (the toe) before making the climb up the boot straight that leads to the also-quick U-shaped sequence of corner 8, 9, and 10 that eventually leads back to the straight in front of the pits.

Watkins Glen International is one of most challenging and fun-to-drive stops on the COMSCC schedule. Incorporating technical corners with rollercoaster elevation changes, it’s a thoroughly engaging race track that easily gets lodged in your brain after just a few laps.

Summary

Safety first – before proceeding with any pace, identify the location and occupancy of all flagging stations; additionally, scout possible run-off/escape areas, and identify potential hazards and risks.
Big crashes – even though some corners have lots of runoff, the potential for big wrecks exists in each corner; get up to speed slowly and make sure the car. Many wrecks here lead to trips to the hospital.
Need to think 3-dimensionally: Watkins has significant total elevation change, but more importantly, each corner has its own “grooves” and camber changes that drastically affect grip. Some corners have towering changes in elevation that require drastically different approaches – textbook 2d lines will need to be adjusted.
The line does not change much from car to car – instead optimized to take most advantage of camber “grooves” in each corner
Most cars should hit most curbing in most corners
Trail braking – while always important, just about every type of trail brake is required on each lap, and fast laps depend significantly on nuanced brake technique
Each corner is a unique challenge, and because most corners are preceded and succeeded by a long straight, each corner is “important” in terms of lap time
Managing distances both long and wide feels unnatural
Remain disciplined on track exit – don’t go for the throttle until you know you won’t have to lift; patience will be challenged as throttle pick-up points are very late in corners with diminishing camber
Round out edges – pedal and wheel inputs as well as the path traveled through each corner should be smooth, sometimes to the point where it is difficult to tell when braking ends and coasting begins; slowness of wheel/pedal inputs should be exaggerated
Use easily visible brake boards preceding most corners as reference points for applying/releasing brake pressure as well as turn-in point
Focus on quickly getting to and holding threshold braking
Practice releasing brake pressure before turn-in to allow suspension to settle before high speed sweepers

quick tips

T1 – use the brake boards to brake at same point every lap, nail the lower part of the apex curbing, use all of the exit curbing
Esses – track-out to mid-track from T2 to connect dots from T2 to T3
Bus stop – reduce inputs to just 2 wheel inputs: 1 to the right and 1 to the left, then straighten; take as much of the first curb as possible; straightline as much as possible – focus on maintaining min-speed
T5 – cut distance while getting to WOT as early as possible
T6 – trail down the hill, and hug the apex until track-out is sighted
T7 – carry as much speed up the hill with trail brake and inside line, pause before hitting WOT
T8 – medium trail brake to combat understeer at turn-in, be prepared for balance to shift to neutral around apex, get on gas early as grip increases at corner exit
T9 – find tight line just off of inside curbing around off-camber; be prepared to unwind when car gets loose over crest
T10 – bleed off as little speed as possible, use brake boards to figure out ideal turn-in timing
T11 – get on/off brakes gently and early, car should be flat at turn-in; fastest track-out is all the way to the wall

turn 1

Safety first – there’s a ton of run-off on the outside so if there’s a small issue, straightening the wheel is usually a good option (be mindful of marbles and debris in runoff area); vision is good throughout, turn is sharply downhill with an initial “drop” right at turn-in that can upset the car; in case of brake failure there is NOT enough runoff to stop. It’s a good idea to start with a really early brake point, in some cars earlier than all the brake boards. Pit-out merges as the track gets tight.
Approach this slightly downhill, slow-in/fast-out right hand corner from track-left
Focus on precise threshold braking from the exact same point each time – use the brake marker boards on the left for reference
Experiment with turn-in to find the best arc along the groove of favorable camber through mid-corner and onto the flattened portion of the apex curb
Trail the brakes slightly until car on trajectory towards apex curb – because corner is downhill, some trail braking will be needed to get front left tire to bite, but too much will cause the rear end to snap around
Do not miss the flattened base of the curb
Try to get to full throttle as early as possible, ideally before apex – only grab throttle once; apply some coasting until exit trajectory is right
Focus on unwinding the wheel from apex to exit
Track out steadily and smoothly with minimal sliding or tire scrub
Use all allowable track-out curbing
Vision – spot the turn-in point as soon as you crest the front straight and it becomes visible; catch the brake marker out of your peripheral vision while aiming vision towards the apex; shift focus to apex curb when braking, as soon as car is turned-in spot exit curb

ESSSES

Safety first – most cars can take the esses flatout without issue, but if you aren’t sure, don’t try it because there’s no room for error. Armco crash barriers line the track on all sides. In higher speed cars, the car can get loose between T2/3 transition. Partially blind. Understeer at T3 can be catastrophic. In addition, ridiculously high closing speeds between fast and slow cars increases overall risk.
The esses consist of heavily banked sweeping right hander into a dramatically steep uphill sweeping left hander into a long, flattening and sweeping right hander that continues moderately uphill all the way to the bus stop
Connect the dots as smoothly as possible
In many cars the esses can be taken flat-out; however, this guide outlines the good places to lift
Approach turn 2 from track left and lift before the end of the turn 1 exit curbing/turn2 entry curbing
Follow the deepest groove of favorable camber to the line at the apex of turn 2
Hug the apex of turn 2 until the end of the curbing on the right in high HP cars to setup a late apex at turn 3; lower hp cars and let the car release earlier to avoid scrubbing and carry more momentum up the hill
Lift between turn 2 and 3 before turning-in
Connect the dots between the apex of turn 2, and apex of turn 3
Track-out slowly and gently, unwinding the wheel deliberately and aiming towards the first brake markers for the bus stop
Vision – look as far ahead as possible, imagining your vision curving around each of the armco barriers; spot the apex before turn-in for turn 2, and as soon as they are visible spot the apexes for turns 3 and 4

BUS STOP (INNER LOOP)

Safety first – in the case of a brake problem go straight onto the old course instead of attempting to make the inner loop. There’s also a lot of runoff on the outside of the inner loop. Vision, overall is good. However, big wrecks still happen – snaps to the left or right can carry cars into the wall at speed, despite what seems like plenty of runoff. When getting up to speed, begin braking at the first brake boards…even lifting off earlier in really fast cars
The bus stop is a right/left/right chicane that is slightly uphill, eventually reaching peak elevation just after exit; at turn-in it transitions to just mildly uphill
Use the brake boards for reference in selecting the correct brake point each lap
Focus on applying threshold braking at the beginning of the brake zone, but quickly transition to start bleeding brake pressure before the turn-in point
Turn-in around the 200 board, where the painted line on the left side of the track gets wider
Fully release brakes by the 200 board so that the car is totally balanced and composed at turn-in
Gently turn-in the wheel, aiming car over apex curb on right
There are 4 lights! …anyone? no? ok… There are 4 sets of curbs through the busstop – in almost all cars it makes sense to straight-line as much as possible over the first curb; in cars that are sensitive to curbs, only touch the bottom of the second curb and mostly avoid the third and fourth curbs all together. In softer cars, experiment carefully with taking additional curbing
Use either a slight touch of the brake or a small amount of maintenance throttle to steady the car between the first and second curbs
Try to make just 3 motions of the wheel through the busstop: turn the wheel to the right to aim towards the first apex curb, between the first and second curbs finish unwinding and begin turning the wheel to the left to thread the needle between the third and fouth curbs, and just before the third set of curbs begin unwinding to eventually turn the wheel towards the right for turn 5 – overall use the slightest of wheel inputs, keeping as straight of a path through the busstop as possible
Vision – spot the first apex curb before turn-in, and catch the 200 board in peripheral vision; otherwise, stay 2 curbs ahead with vision

Turn 5 (outer loop)

Safety first – most common dangers in the outerloop are 1) spinning as the track pitches downhill and balance shifts, 2) understeer to snap-oversteer on exit; the exit is blind, and exit speeds are very high, potentially over 100mph, with minimal runoff on each side
Turn 5 is a sweeping downhill and blind right hander corner that’s 180 degrees if the exit of the bus stop is included
Continue whatever arc was established out of the bus stop smoothly into the entry of turn 5
Most cars need a lift or a brush of the brakes in order to make turn 5 stick – do so at or slightly before turn-in; experiment with the timing and amount of lift/brake carefully
Get on the gas once, ideally before the apex
Experiment with pausing before applying power so that WOT can be reached as early as possible, instead of a long, slow throttle application
Transitions off and on throttle should be as seamless as possible
Do not apex early, but quickly begin hugging the inside lane
Hold the apex curbing until the corner worker station and then begin tracking out
Using the track-out curbing is not necessary, but it can be helpful; however, it can also be unsettling – make sure the wheel is straight and the car is balanced and under control
Vision – bend vision as far as possible for the entire length of the corner, spotting the exit/track-out curbing as soon as it’s visible

Turn 6 (exits onto the laces of the boot)

Safety first – this corner is dangerous even on a bicycle. The apex and exit are blind, and the corner is longer than it looks. Grooves of camber in the corner can upset balance if not on-line. There’s not much room on either side of the track at exit. Big risks here including losing control and going off outside at entry, mid-corner spins, tracking-out too early, and multi-car wrecks at exit. There’s probably not enough room to stop in the case of a brake failure.
Turn 6 is a particularly dangerous downhill, blind left hand corner that is about as long as turn 5 even though it doesn’t look that way on entry
Quickly line the car up on the right side of the track after exiting turn 5
Use the yellow barrels at the beginning of the armco on the right as a reference point for braking – may need to lift/brake well before this point when getting up to speed
Apply threshold brake, remembering the brake zone is downhill
Begin lifting brakes early and carry a light trail brake towards the apex, smoothly releasing the pedal in an exaggerated long motion
Find the drainage ditch on the right – this is the point where most cars should begin slightly aiming (slow, exaggerated long turn-in) toward the apex
At turn-in to mid-corner stay just inside the flatter/slightly off-camber track along the outside – marbles and debris often collect here
Continue arcing the car towards the inside and hug the apex curbing until the exit is visible – do not let the car leave the apex curbing prematurely
Apply throttle once, and only when the arc towards corner exit has been established – lift smoothly and early to correct any mistakes
Let momentum carry the car to the exit curbing
Vision – wrap vision around the inside of the armco until the exit is visible; begin looking into the corner just before braking, and keep vision moving forward and down the hill; spot the track-out curbing as early as possible

Turn 7 (toe of the boot, leads into the sole)

Safety first – lots of asphalt make this corner appear safer than it actually is. There’s not enough room to stop in the case of a brake failure. If on the racing line, minimal risk of offs early in the corner. However, easy to drop wheel on exit and snap to inside. In high HP cars, risk of understeer to snap/power-on-oversteer. Runoff narrows at exit on both sides of the track
Turn 7 is a 180 degree, tight, heavily banked right hand corner that begins moderately downhill and pitches steeply uphill at apex/exit
Begin from fully track-left, and use the brake boards as a reference point to hit the same exact brake point each lap – when getting up to speed, it’s a good idea to begin lifting/braking before the 300 board
Hold threshold brake and a very long trail brake deep into the corner and up the hill
Turn-in just after the 100 marker but inside where the favorable camber flattens out
Quickly arc the car towards the apex and hold the more heavily banked inside line around the apex curb, eventually reaching a late apex with the car pointed towards the exit and up the hill
Hold the brake to keep the car rotating while carrying as much speed up the hill as possible
Release the brake and pause just slightly before getting on the throttle to let the weight transition and for the arc towards corner exit to be established
Focus on unwinding the wheel and smoothly applying power from just before apex all the way through track-out
Track-out fully, taking advantage of the extra pavement on exit
Overall, more momentum up the hill, not necessarily earlier on the gas, translates to the fastest exit speeds
Vision – aim vision towards apex before braking; point vision along the apex curbing and as far up the track/hill as possible; spot the extra pavement on exit as soon as possible

Turn 8 (heel of the boot)

Safety first – definitely not enough room to stop in case of brake failure. Downhill approach to apex makes balancing car difficult. Should be enough runoff on outside if there’s a minor issue at exit. Common mistake here is to spin towards inside and hit the wall.
Turn 8 is a downhill sweeping (more than 90 degrees), slightly banked right hand corner that gets steeper downhill with increased banking at apex
Use the brake boards on the left to brake at the same point on each lap – begin braking before the 300 board before getting up to speed
Quickly get to threshold braking, but begin releasing brake pressure before turn-in to allow the suspension to settle slightly
Turn-in and arc towards the inside of the track, hugging the banked inner portion of the track around the apex curbing
Hold a long trail brake to prevent understeering and to hold the car on the banked portion of the track
Apex just past the geometric apex, and begin unwinding the wheel
Allow a pause between trail braking and throttle, applying throttle just before apex, getting to WOT smoothly but quickly
Unwind the wheel as the momentum carries the car to the track-out curbing – hold some wheel input towards the right to cross over the track and line up turn 9
Vision – after cresting the hill in the sole of the boot, spot the brake boards and then aim vision towards the banked portion around the apex curb; arc vision around the apex curb until the exit curbing is visible

Turn 9 (off camber, leads back onto the cup course)

Safety first – short brake zone and lots of asphalt at entry reduce risk of big wrecks at entry, but change in track banking after apex combined with narrowing runoff make corner exit dangerous. Important to catch oversteer mistakes early to prevent long, slow crash to inside guardrail.
Turn 9 is the slowest corner at Watkins Glen, it begins moderately uphill but then flattens off at apex and eventually pitches off-camber towards exit
Begin on the right side of the track, which dips down and then back-up when approaching the brake zone
Brake on the steepest uphill section of the track, quickly reaching threshold braking and then backing off early
Turn-in where the pavement widens slightly on the right side of the track, and arc towards the more banked portion of the track around the apex – don’t miss this groove
Hold a light trail brake deep into the corner, exaggerating the length of the brake release
Hug the inside of the track and begin releasing the wheel once a late apex has been reached – wait to apex until the arc towards trackout can be seen
Begin applying throttle slowly and ideally before apex
Unwind the wheel significantly before fully applying throttle – carefully unwinding all the way through track-out – prepare for the car to get very loose as the the track crests and falls away
Allow momentum to carry the car to the extra pavement and curbing on the outside of track-out – be careful of the wall right there and lack of runoff inside
Vision – before braking, aim vision towards the crest of the hill and to the apex; as soon as the path towards the apex has been established, begin aiming vision towards apex to spot the curbing beyond the extra pavement as soon as possible

Turn 10

Safety first – there shouldn’t be any issues because there’s a lot of runoff on the outside. However, crashes do occur as cars spin towards the guardrail on the inside (usually starts with early apex that causes more wheel input that induces understeer that snaps to oversteer at exit curbing). Unwind wheel and take advantage of extra runoff to correct for mistakes.
Turn 10 is a moderately banked, fast, slightly less than 90 degree left hand corner
Most cars require a lift, some require a brake…a few can go flat-out
If braking, get all braking done and come completely off the brake pedal before the 100 board
If lifting, experiment with the timing and speed of the lift/return to throttle
Turn-in around the 100 board
Make sure to nail the straightforward apex
Unwind the wheel smoothly after apex – track flattens out at exit and can get loose
Track out to the exit curbing, but continue arc towards the left to line up Turn 11
Vision – Find the apex on approach and notice the brake boards in peripheral vision; immediately after turn-in, spot exit curbing

Turn 11

Safety first – the camber and banking of Turn 11 encourages oversteer after turn-in, and the wide-open line of sight encourages aggressive driving onto the front straight. These, combined with the lack of any run-off at exit, can lead to big hits. The exit curbing can cause the car to slide slightly, potentially into the wall which is right there. Finally, the pit-in late runs through the apex of T11 – sometimes cars can be partially obscured and/or drastically off pace.
Turn 11 is a moderately banked, fast 90 degree right hand corner that is slightly downhill on entry and slightly uphill on exit
Continue the arc from turn 10 to quickly line up on the left side of the track for turn 11
Use the end of the tires/beginning of armco on the left as a reference for braking
Brake early, do not use a lot of pressure, and begin releasing brakes early – come off brakes nearly all the way before turn-in to keep car balanced and stable at entry
Turn-in slightly early, aiming for an apex near the geometric apex of the corner – use the slight strip of extra pavement on the left as well as the caution lights on the left as reference points (generally at the point where the new pavement begins, just before the caution lights)
Use the smoothest wheel inputs and immediately begin unwinding once an arc towards the apex has been established – many cars get loose just after turn-in, especially with too much trail braking; instead, allow the car to coast slightly between turn-in and apex
As soon as the car is settled and an arc towards the exit is established, get to WOT and continue unwinding the wheel – if the car slides, ease off the throttle and keep the wheel open
Let momentum carry the car up the hill and all the way to the track-out curbing for fastest lap times
Vision – look into the corner as soon as it is visible, imagining the arc from turn-in through exit; focus on the curb at the apex and quickly transition to the track-out curbing

Credit: Nick Fontana