NIKI’s lap guide to Magny-Cours
NIKI’S LAP GUIDE TO MAGNY-COURS IN A PORSCHE 997 GT3 CUP S:
“You are in 5th gear coming up to the first corner, Grande Courbe. This is a very committing corner and you have to tap the brakes and let the car go fast in and slide to the edge of the track - letting the aero push the car to the floor. Once you straighten the wheel the road drops away and you are braking hard and shifting down to 4th gear as you are turning into Estoril. This is a very long dipped right hander. You have to get on the throttle very early there as the straight after this is very long.”
“You then go up to 6th gear as you drive through Golf, a flat out right hander. You then approach A de laide braking hard between the 200 and 100 metre marker, shifting all the way down to 1st year. You then get the power down as fast as you can shifting back up the gears to 5th as you approach Nurburgring. A long tap on the brakes and shift down to 4th - again get on the gas early, as the kerb by the second apex has camber, and so does the exit. Just before you switch to 5th and go along the edge of the circuit, you will brake hard in a slight arc down to 2nd gear to go through 180. Again, you must get a good exit here as you will get up to 5th on the exit and it’s slightly up hill too.”
“The next set of corners is a very fast chicane, and hard to get right too - Imola. You approach this around 130mph and the first apex is blind as the road dips away. It’s important to judge your braking point and turn in point correctly as to ride this kerb. Once you are over it you have to turn sharp left to ride the next kerb - this is through a dip and then over a crest, so there are tremendous grip changes. Once you let it drift to the edge you have to force the car back to the left of the circuit to brake for Chateaux d’Eau, which is a very tight 2nd gear right hander.”
“You will be in 5th gear as you are going through Chicane. Make sure you stay at the left of the track so you have a straight braking distance when you come into Lycee pin, which is another 2nd gear right hander. Be careful not to brake to late there, as it’s very easy to loose the back of the car there due to the adverse camber on the exit. You then accelerate briefly in 2nd gear, hit the brake again and going fast through the last chicane onto the start finish straight. That’s a lap at Magny-Cours.”
