This is one of the most satisfying spots
on the track, if you got the first part
of Seven right: you can be at the
absolute limit of lateral adhesion
with just enough forward to accellerate
fully from here on out. It is a little
off-camber, and not easy to maintain,
as evidenced in the tire marks leading
into the dirt inside Turn 7a.

View to the crest of the hill, 7-8 straight.
In a fast car, there is undoubtedly
a little apprehension, as the ridge
hides Turn 8. In the infancy of Can-Am
aerodynamics, I saw a speedy racer take
off from this crest as if from a ski
jump. He did a flat spin for a hundred
yards in the air, landed and skidded to
a stop without turning over.

It takes a little learning to get over the idea
that at this point Turn 8 is not going to get
tighter and go off-camber before releasing
you to the left exit apex. This is at about
the location of the Mazda coupe on
Second RIR page. Click the picture to
see that page.

Here we finally feel release from the
more-than-180 Turn 8. From here it is
full-on accelleration for a long, long
time in a Vega. The lap times of a Can-Am
racer on the Grand Prix Course were within
a few seconds of a minute faster than my
Vega times on the Short Course.

RIR -2-

To our right rear, out of view, is the
link from Seven to the long straight.
I call it 7a, but it may be 7b in some
sources. Ahead is the uphill to the crest
before Turn Eight, part of the Grand Prix
(Long) Course, and of the NASCAR Course.
The Vega didn't accellerate much after
beginning the incline, kind of like at
Willow's Turn Two.

From the crest or a little after, a
view of Turn 8 as it bends around to
the right. The Armco parallels a 5 or
6 foot bluff. Beyond that, a parking
area and a fence next to California
Highway 60. I was always able to get
around this one a good deal faster
than much of my competition, who
never seemed to have figured it out.

Here's the spot where Turn Eight goes off-camber, just as you're tempted to full-throttle your way to the third apex and down the straight. On the next page you'll see the misadventures of someone who mis-estimated. This is also the place Phil Hill spun off in the 1960 Formula One Grand Prix of the United States. Click picture for a link.

Looking down the long straight toward
the Champion bridge and Turn Nine. On
the right see where the exit of Short
Course Turn 7a merges. Click the photo
to see the MGB roadster at the edge of
the straight after negotiating 7a. This
straight is close to a mile long, I think.