We're here at World Time Attack Challenge with Ferris Cartumi with his Corvette that's behind me fresh off, setting lap records pretty much all around the United States.
This is Ferris's first time to the land down under and first time around Sydney Motorsport Park.
Welcome to High Performance Academy's tuned in field report podcast series.
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First up, ferris, I know we talked on the podcast and, to be super clear to those listening before they jump into the comments, you're not coming here looking to get on the top step of the podium, are you?
No, definitely not.
That'd be foolish to do, I think you know, before you get here.
Yeah, there is some pretty stiff competition and some teams that have been running here for as long as we've been coming and covering this event.
What I'm interested to start with is how did you actually prep for this event in terms of trying to learn the track?
Yeah, so I did a lot of sim time.
You know a couple hundred hours ish on the sim.
No car really handles like my car around a racetrack.
So I was in a GT3 Mercedes just trying to figure out really turn one, turn two and turn six.
Those were like the ones that I was like how do you really drive these corners?
So you've obviously already picked out those as key corners from a driving perspective for optimising your lap time.
I mean, turn one obviously is a very, very fast corner.
Some of the cars it's really more of a kink than a turn.
But how do you decide, when you're looking at a track map or even when you're on the sim, which are the key corners that you really need to focus on your braking point and your line through those corners?
Yeah, so one's pretty easy to dictate right it's a very long corner, it's a high speed corner, so obviously the faster you go through it, the more time you're going to lose or gain, whichever one.
And then like obviously really slow corners, like hairpins, also like corners that could be a shankane that you can take in different approaches.
Those also can equate to a lot of time gain or loss.
In terms of the platform you're using for your simulator.
Obviously there's a lot out there.
Can you give us an idea of what you're using in particular?
Yeah, so I got like a Amazon $90 stand a SimRig and like Logitech stuff off Amazon in an old seat that I have.
Okay, that's actually great, because it sort of goes to prove the point that you don't need to have a $10, $15, $20,000 full motion simulator to actually get benefit, correct?
No, not at all.
For you, though, is this more about just getting a sense of knowing which way to turn when you come out of pit lane, having an understanding of the flow of the track and the corners, as opposed to getting really sort of granular with the specifics of what you're going to be doing, where your exact breaking point is going to be, what gear you're going to be in.
Yeah, just familiarize yourself with the track.
Having, like the sight line, some idea of breaking points, turning all that really really helps.
If you never do any same time just show up at a track, it's going to take you so long to try to like just get that rhythm going.
And if you already have a rhythm going, regardless if it's 100% to the track or not, you still are kind of familiar with what you're about to get into.
Which leads us on to the next obvious point how realistic has it worked out?
How much did you gain from it?
And, maybe, where did it lack in terms of real life?
Yeah.
So I felt very comfortable yesterday in practice.
I immediately felt good to go around the track that pace.
I kind of backed out my breaking points a little bit, but I mean I was pretty much wide open everywhere I needed to go.
I felt very confident that I knew which direction and where the track was going.
My trackouts and different approaches changed and especially towards the last, the final two corners, I started taking that differently.
Then I actually was taking it in the sim.
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In terms of the setup of the car, is there anything that you have changed coming from the United States to Australia or, for that matter, is there anything that you are changing as you sort of learn the track and how?
the car is performing.
So I did raise the ride height a little bit in the front just for the mile per hour.
I mean, we are seeing 182 right now and so the car is on the ground and then you are asking it to turn.
So I raised it up a little bit and then also I had to add 350 pounds into the car to run this size tire 350 pounds.
Is that just a rule that you had to require that way?
Yeah, it was a tire rule Now that they are on slick tires.
Motorsports Australia said if you want to run a 71 side wall tire you have to weigh 2978 and the car weighed 2600, so in some weight went.
Is this the same tire that you were running in the United States as well, though?
Yeah, run this tire everywhere I go In terms of your approach to sort of building up speed over the weekend, both with your driving and the car I'm guessing you didn't sort of go out with the thing turned up to 10 out of 10?
No, no.
So we started out yesterday at 800, turned the laps just trying to familiarize myself and ended the day at like 950.
So got a lot of sleep, you still had a little bit up your sleeve.
Yeah, no, we got a lot off our sleeve and I think really the time to be gained is just figuring the track out, getting my braking points dialed in, exit.
A lot of things can, I think, will benefit in finding time around the track more than just horsepower.
That was what I was just going to get into.
I think a lot of people me included sometimes perhaps try and fix a lack of lap time with more power, but when you're still trying to find your feet on a race track, more power actually can make things worse correct.
Yeah, I know, I mean I'm guilty of that.
We all do it.
We all have the knob where you just dial in more boost.
That's going to equate to lap time, but no, I think in this particular scenario, just learning the track is what's going to find me the time, and then we can just turn on the boost later.
In terms of actual lap times.
Can you let us know what you've got down to so far with only a few sessions under your belt, and have you got a sense of where you think you might be able to end up?
Yeah, so we started out doing 31s at 800.
It's kind of figuring it out.
At the end of the day, we're at the 950 mark.
I did a 28-3, a 28-6, both in traffic, and when MoTek compared those two laps together it was a 26-9.
That's pretty impressive for your first time to Sydney Motorsport Park and obviously to those listening.
If you haven't been here before, it's hard to get a benchmark, but definitely you're in the mix, correct.
Yeah, I think the Pro-Am lap record was set by the Tilton EVO as a 24.
So if I can get a 26 right away, man, that'd be great.
Great to chat for us and thanks for your time.
We wish you all the best for the rest of the weekend.
Yeah, thanks, man.
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About this episode
Ferris Cartumi shares insights from his experience at the World Time Attack Challenge in Australia, where he faced a 350-pound weight penalty with his Corvette. He discusses his preparation, including extensive sim time to familiarize himself with the Sydney Motorsport Park track. Ferris emphasizes the importance of understanding key corners for optimizing lap times and the balance between car setup and driver skill. With impressive lap times already achieved, he reflects on the learning curve and the strategy of gradually increasing speed rather than relying solely on power.
'If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail' is a well-worn saying that is as relevant today as it was decades ago. During Feras Qartoumy's WTAC trip we get to gain some insight into how some time spent on some basic preparations can make a world of difference, including sim racing.
Interestingly, around 160kg (350lbs) of ballast has been added to meet tyre sizing and class rules, with WTAC entering a new era of tyre options from this year, helping cars like this Corvette have more grip and a bigger contact patch than previously possible.
GENERAL INFO: 28+ x Track Records, 1 x 1300HP Corvette C6 and one dedicated driver.
With 780hp at 8psi low boost and 1300hp at 20psi high boost (that's 969kW at 1.38 Bar) options on tap via 2 externally-ish mounted Garrett G35-900 turbochargers and an LME-built, 430ci LSX, Feras Qartoumy's @momo equipped C6 Z06 Chevrolet Corvette is no stranger to a trophy or two as discussed at SEMA.
The LSX is a 2000hp spec build using an RHS block, Callies crank, rods, Diamond pistons, Brodix head, a custom-ground camshaft from Comp Cams, and an MSD Atomic Airforce intake manifold. Part of building up to this level over the years involved using a lot of aftermarket parts that would support the required power levels, but were more suited for drag racing and dyno queen runs (no offence intended!), leading to some unexpected development requirements all for the better.
The car uses a MoTeC traction control system via the M150 ECU to help keep the full boost from 3500rpm under control, and a Bosch Motorsport ABS system at the other end of the straights which has had the biggest impact on car confidence so far.
