The Racing Line at Virginia International Raceway

Surrounded by fertile lands and bordering North Carolina, Virginia International Raceway is a big track with the intimidating corners and bigtime straights to match. Known particularly for the uphill esses (Turns 6C-9) and Oak Tree (Turn 12), VIR delivers elevation changes, high speeds, and narrow spacing, all serving to make it an adventurous and challenging circuit. The influence of elevation and surface effects are especially to be taken into account when comparing to the 2D optimized results above.

The full circuit is the most common configuration, and stretches for three and a quarter miles through the Virginia countryside. Partly due to the narrowness of the track, the differences between lines for different vehicles are somewhat subtle in most places. What differs much more substantially are the inputs, lateral Gs and braking points.

Coming into turn one, many pilots of both cars and motorcycles will carve a line that resembles the optimized F1 path, getting most of their braking done before apexing at one. The optimization, on the other hand, recommends for most vehicles later braking, with a sharper tightening of the turn and a clipping the apex at Turn 2. The apex at 2A is not required, nor is necessarily setting up for 3 from all the way to the right. You should be close to the outside, however, and through 3 the lines are all identical.

4 to 5 is a straightforward left-right, where turn-in to 5 comes just before bringing the vehicle back parallel to the track out of Turn 4. Use the whole track on the exit and maximize your speed through 6 out onto the straight leading up to the uphill esses. The optimization shows the Miata at full throttle from Turn 5's exit all the way to the braking zone for Turn 10, but this will depend on your grip level and surface conditions, and requires perfect track utilization. Your approach through the esses will depend greatly on your experience comfort level, and will probably be quite a bit different from the simulation videos, so don't be in a hurry to come barreling into 6C at 130 mph. Work your way up to it.

The key to getting through Oak Tree fast is not braking too early. Continue scrubbing speed all the way through Turn 11, while maintaining high lateral loading, before getting on the throttle shortly before the apex at 12. Now you can take a breather while you thunder down the mongo 3800+ foot back straight - just don't forget to brake at the end.

Approach Turn 14, start drifting left fairly early - it's really just a setup. Stay tight through 14A. Exiting 15, the Miata will not have enough speed to need the full track, but faster vehicles will. Turn 16 is again a setup for 17, which, in combination with 17A, leads out onto the front straight. Motorcycles may take the apex at 17A, but many vehicles will benefit from letting their speed carry them wide of that second apex.

The big tree on the right marks the apex for 17B, which shouldn't require braking for anyone except maybe Jay Leno's jet bike.