I Am Agonizing T3 at VIR...

[bman]

Just got back from 3 days at VIR with Potomac and was thinking about this thread. T3 and T10 are really great corners at VIR. T3, which L Herman points out, is pretty flat and straight forward but is a tricky to run fast...consistently. You enter with a good amount of speed and a fair amount of steering angle which, IMO, throws a lot of people off. Many seem to "point and shoot" it; i.e. reduce the steering angle, carry speed deep, straight line brake and turn in. I've stayed committed to the wider arc approach with early and light brake pressure, nearly to the apex, which seems to allow you to carry more speed. I don't have the data logger to prove it but found myself gaining on the point and shoot drivers consistently.

T10 is tough but I've gotten a lot more comfortable by changing my approach. I've found that an early and light brake is MUCH better than a late brake. Settling the car and spotting your turn in are critical to consistency and speed through this corner. If you don't have a calm car or miss your turn in, the pucker factor can be big if you're carrying good speed.

VIR is just a great place to drive and learn!!!