Creating this thread to give my review of the Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga and hopefully others will chime in and share their experiences, tips, pics and videos. Yes there is a thread from 2012 but it didn't get any traction so here's starting fresh.
First of all, the track itself:
Very flat, very twisty with 2 pretty decent straightaways to open up the throttle. At no point was I ever concerned that I would hit a wall because the track really is quite open. You could hit the wall at the last corner before the straight alongside the pits but you'd have to be doing something pretty stupid for that to happen.
Turns 3, 6 and 10 are very tight and I found myself trying to drive them too aggressively which resulted in me going through those turns a lot slower than if I had approached them smoothly and applied the power where appropriate. The 2 chicanes at 4/5 and 7/8 are quite fun and can be take at some speed especially 7/8 but you'd better be prepared to brake quickly to scrub speed for turn 9.
Things I've noticed about my car and my driving style on that day:
1. Started the day's session likely dragging the brakes into the turns and through the turns. This resulted in my brakes smoking. Made an adjust to brake harder and shorter and did not have that issue again. While on the topic of braking, although I was braking harder and shorter, I was braking hard at the point of entering the turns. Great for getting traction to the front to get into the turn, but made the back super light which did result in me spinning the car once and then a lovely slide while @Kiyomi was on my tail. Smart braking is something I personally will have to work on if I attack Cayuga again.
2. Aggressive and hard on the throttle in the turns doesn't mean faster. A learnt from ILR Track School, faster will actually feel slow because it is smoother. With a pretty front heavy, high powerered front wheel drive car, it did not seem to like the twisties all that much, however, if I just took it a bit slower on the turns, took the time to brake earlier and set up to get on the throttle through the turns, I probably would have been a lot quicker in general. Next time.
3. The straights. No issues. She pulls. Couldn't catch the red Corvette at the end of the day though, but by then it was so hot and humid she wasn't make nearly as much power.
Things that make would make the most difference IMO:
1. Racing harness. Racing seat would be nice but not as beneficial as the harness itself. With all the twisties on this course, you spend so much of your energy trying to keep yourself in your seat that you're spending less energy and focus on what is most important - steering your car through the turns. A properly set up harness would hold you in place and give your left foot a break from stomping on the death pedal as well as allow a light grip on the steering wheel to properly turn into and out of those 12 challenging corners.
2. Tires. My 235/40/R18 Hankook RS-3s have pretty good grip but they seemed to be no match for Kiyomi's 255 Toyo R888s. He was able to turn aggressively into the corners and, watching from behind, the car appeared to handle the speed through the corners comfortably. My car on the other hand was trying to torque steer through the corners, this however could be attributed to the wrong driving style of forcing the speed as opposed to allowing it to come naturally and smoothly. Next time. A dedicated set of track tires would go along way. Unfortunately the Gen1 speed3's are pretty limited in how wide you can go unless you raise the car up - see @Thrizzl3 's soon to be ex-speed3
3. Driver mod. Although listed at #3, this truly has the greatest effect on how quickly you can navigate the course. No matter how good a driver you think you are, there is always a few simple adjustments that can be made that will shave a tonne of time off each corner resulting in quicker times, less wear on your brakes and tires and an overall better driving experience while on the track. Learn from those with that experience, ask lots of questions, go for ride-alongs, let someone else drive your car.
Must haves for a day at Cayuga:
1. Portable canopy. It is hot. There is no shelter.
2. Lawn chairs
3. Cooler with food and lots of fluids
@Kiyomi @MajesticBlueNTO @breakfasteatre @Fobio please feel to share you experience and tips as well as anyone else
I'll post up a few videos shortly