2003 3S National Gathering Road Course Track Overview:
Updated 2/05/03
A quick overview of Gateway's Track:
Below is the track information the St Louis Porsche club provided.
When your instructional group is called to the Grid, you will be asked to bring your car to the area behind the
professional pit wall along the Start/Finish straight. Here the cars in your group will be assembled and held until
the last of the previous group has cleared the track. As soon as the track is ‘clean and green’, your group will be
ushered onto the track, so please do not delay in making your way to the Grid as soon as your group is called.
Entering the track
To get to the Grid, drive past the Driver’s Lounge and garage complex towards the northern banked turn. Directly ahead
at the northern end of the asphalt paddock area is a gate to the paved pit service area. Follow the turn to the back
of the pits and form a line behind the other cars in your group. When the track is cleared of all cars from the
previous group, you will be waved through the center gate in the pit wall to proceed down the pit lane to the pit
exit to the track. An orange gloved worker will be at the end of the pit wall to direct you onto the track.
If you are waved onto the track, stay on the left of the painted line separating the hot track from the pit
acceleration lane. If the track is free of oncoming traffic, you are free to turn onto the track once you have
passed the end of the painted line.
If other fast traffic is on the track when you exit the pit. Stay on the left side of the track until you are through
turn 2. Then, when traffic allows, steer to the right edge of the pavement and prepare your entry into the turn 3-4
complex.
Turns 3 & 4
Turns 3 and 4 are one of the linked turn complexes discussed earlier in this booklet. Like the turns mentioned in
the booklet, turns 3 & 4 can not really be driven as you would normally drive a turn because it would put your car in
such bad track position that you could not possibly complete turn 4 without running off the pavement. You need to
delay your turn in to turn 3 a little later than usual, and you must hold the car in the center of the track for the
exit of 3 to make your entry into turn 4 immediately thereafter. Here again, your apex will be late but you can allow
the car to power out to the left edge of the pavement. From there you can gradually cross the pavement to the right
side of the track for entry to turn 5.
Turn 5
Turn 5 is a fairly normal turn although the speed you will achieve coming up from turn 4 will make it
seem much tighter and more challenging than it need be. You don’t have a lot of time to get back
across to the right side of the pavement to set up for turn 5. If you carry a great deal of speed out
of 4,you may not be able to make it all the way to the right edge of the pavement. It is possible to
enter turn 5 from the center of the track and still successfully complete the turn without too much
loss of speed.
Turn 6
Turn 6 is one of those dreaded decreasing radius turns which require a decision as outlined in this
booklet – to very late apex or double apex. The decision will depend on your car, it’s weight and power.
If you car is light and capable of fast acceleration, a double apex could work, but heavy cars with cold
tires on a cold track may best opt for the very late apex.
To very late apex 6, hold the left edge of the corner well passed the three-quarter distance of the turn.
Trail braking can help transfer weight back on the rear suspension and tires and still keep enough weight
on the front to assist in the fast turn-in. Your very late apex will carry your car well out to the left
edge of the pavement. Puddles along the track were cars commonly drop a wheel off are a good indication
if you are apexing and accelerating early enough.
You do have the option to double apex turn 6, but I recommend you let double apexing to later in the
session when your tires and the track are warm and sticky. And you may not want to attempt a double apex
if your car is down on power and slow to accelerate.
Turn 6 is important because you surely want to carry as much speed as possible out of the turn.
If you’re carrying the proper speed into turn 7, the turn might come up so fast , it might catch you
unaware. Don’t get caught napping.
Turn 7
Turn 7 is a tight hairpin of slightly more than 180 degrees. After exiting turn 6, quickly steer to the
right edge of the pavement and prepare for a late apex in 7. Be careful not to apex too late or the
centrifugal force will carry your car out against the concrete wall on the outside of the oval. You want
to come as close to the wall as possible. During the driver’s educational event, you will be allowed to
pass on the back straight and banking, but we will require that you only pass on the driver’s left. The
reason for the restricted passing is that it is extremely easy to clip the wall when passing on the right.
Check your mirror when approaching turn 7 to see if faster cars are wanting to pass. If they are,
complete turn 7 and then slowly steer towards the wall to allow faster cars to pass on your left.
That way you, the slower car, will be more likely to approach the wall without centrifugal force carrying
you into the wall.
Banking
The traditional line for banking would have you speeding from your natural exit of turn 7 up against the wall
and slowly steering down to the lower, innermost lane about half way through the banking before allowing the
forces to carry your car out to the wall at the exit of the banking. But in most cases except in the heavies
and fastest of Porsches, there really is no need to drop much below the center lane. Let the lower lane to
the faster cars.
The banking is one place at GIR that you will eventually have to get used to the idea of steering towards
the concrete wall at speed. The faster you exit the banking onto the Start/Finish straight, the more
centrifugal force will push the back of your car towards the outside wall. The faster you exit the banking,
the more you will have to steer towards the wall to counteract the forces swinging the back of your car
towards the wall. A number of accidents have happened when drivers attempted to hold their car away from
the wall. In most cases, the back of the cars crept out towards the wall as the drivers attempted to hold
the car low on the banking. The back end of the cars break loose, sending the back of the cars into the
wall and often then shooting the cars across the track to impact the inside wall as well – a very expensive
proposition. The Answer – learn to catch the back end by steering towards the wall. Once you get used to
it, it’s not as scary as you think.
The Straight
The Start/Finish straight is the one area of the GIR road Course that you can somewhat relax, but you have
to do it quickly because you will be rocketing down the track rather fast. Here is where you check the
gauges, wiggle your fingers, check your mirrors and set up for turn 1.
Turn 1
As you approach the end of the Start/Finish Straight, you’ll want to work your way up to the outside wall to
set up your entry into turn 1. Turn 1 is a very fast corner, which can easily unnerve beginning drivers.
Just keep one thing in mind… USE THE OVAL TRACK AS AN ESCAPE ROAD. If you have any doubts about your ability
to negotiate the turn, just keep going straight ahead on the oval, gradually letting off the accelerator and
bringing your car back under control. You can always turn around on the oval and back-track to turn 1 to
rejoin the course.
Turn 1 is a text book corner. You go from the outside wall, dive down across the banking, apex near the end
of the pit wall, and allow the car to drift out to the edge of the pavement.
Keep an eye out for slower cars exiting the pits and entering the road course. They should give you the
right-of-way, but as always, don’t bet your life or your car on it.
Turn 2
Turn 2 is also a rather simple corner, made more complicated by the fact that you’ll be bearing down on the turn
at tremendous speed. Your major Concern in your entry to turn2 will be to brake down to a controllable speed for
entry into the turn. From the right edge of the pavement, late apex the corner, and allow the car to exit the
corner by drifting to the right edge of the pavement. You Don’t wan to slow down too much, because the straight
between 2 and the ¾ complex is the second longest straight on the track, so its crucial to carry as much speed onto
the straight as possible. Once again, watch for slower traffic exiting the pits, accelerating to speed and entering
the traffic flow.
And now you can continue on your first full speed lap of Gateway International Raceway
Exiting the Track
After your session is over, you will exit the track through the pit entrance along the back straight after
turn 7. When you are ready to exit the track, completing turn 7 and indicate to the other drivers that you
intend to enter pit lane by raising your hand outside the driver’s window.
Steer to the left side of the back straight, and cross the line that leads to the narrow pit entrance that
turns inside the north banking. Allow the car to naturally slow and cool. Drive through the pits at reduced
speed.
The exit to the Paddock is at the south end of the Pits just short of the road that will take you on to
the track.. Slowly Motor past the Grid…passed the Start/Finish Opening in the pit wall and indicate to the
marshal at the end of the pit that you wish to enter the pits. He will point you to the opening of the
paddock drive at the South end of the paddock. Please continue to slowly motor to you paddock parking area.
Notes:
The best line through the corners will vary with your car, your tires and your abilities. These lines
are the lines I’ve Found to be relatively workable in a modified 914. Please listen to your instructor
for his/her input. He/She will be more familiar with your car and ability that I. Please don’t be
afraid to ask questions, and ask for help whenever you feel you need it.
Passing Zones
The 4 green sections are passing zones
A section on the front straight that begins at the end of the banking and ends at the Start/Finish Line.
A short shoot section between the apex of 2 and the beginning of turn 3
A short section after the carousel and before turn 7
A very short section that begins on the oval and ends before the banking begins.
These are the passing zones for Gateway. All clubs [that run D.E. events] at Gateway use these zones…NO EXCEPTIONS!
As an explanation, turn 1 is very fast, actually more of a bend, rather than an actual turn. However, it is also the
most unsafe location on the track. A large concrete wall looms just beyond the track surface and the tire wall won’t
help. Therefore, the line into turn 1 is critical. That is why we dictate all passing on the front straight be
completed before the start-finish line. That gives everyone time to get back onto the correct line before entering
turn 1.
Passing area #2 and passing are #3 are both fairly short in length and require the car being passed to slow down and
let traffic by.
Passing area #4 is just after exiting turn 7 and before the beginning of the banking on the oval.
We do not allow passing on the banked oval {instructors group is an exception]. The oval is banked enough so that
the mirrors in your car will not pick up traffic behind you.
We demand that all passing be done on the left and that NO passing can occur without the driver being passed
acknowledging the pass by sticking his/her left arm out the window so that the passing driver knows it is “safe”
to go on by.
Because Gateway is fairly short in length [1.62 miles] and that the passing zones are not too long, it is critical
that all drivers be aware of passing obligations.
The Problem Areas on the track are:
Big wall guarding turn 1
Early apex mistake at turn 4 can result in a spin into the wall guarding the paddock.
Very late apex mistake at turn 4 can result in a spin into the wall guarding the paddock.
Mistake exiting turn 7 will cause a spin and an “event” with the outside wall entering the banking on the main track.
