Nissan Primera GT (BTCC) – Tor Poznań Zima Hotlap Guide

Welcome to the 27 celcius icy race track of Poland’s Tor Poznań during the April(!) winter! Below is a SRS qualifying session hotlap. Don’t close the video when the lap ends as T1 of the subsequent lap is much better.

Some tips for a fast lap at the Zima configuration of Tor Poznan with the beloved Primera BTCC:

T1 is the trickiest corner to master on this track and it might need some special setup attention.

T1: A late apex or a double-apex is faster than hugging the inside. I tend to have late apex. The hotlap video demonstrates a minor error here, as the rear stability is lost for a second. However, T1 of the subsequent lap is just perfect. Below sector times’ comparison show you how much you can save by having a stable midturn. Having some throttle before you start steering >30 degrees will help to achieve this. In addition, you can let the front of the car roll more (adjust front ARB) so that you don’t lose the rear abruptly here.

T3: In my experience, approaching the apex with some trail braking is faster than being early on the throttle.

Things can go wrong at T7 or T8 pretty quickly. This tranquil combo is actually a very technical section where you can’t win a race but you can definitely lose it.

T7: Very easy to lose the car at the exit if you try to let go off the throttle abruptly, especially when using the race setup with medium tires. CAUTION: YOU GOTTA “FEEL” THE COMPLETION OF THE LOAD TRANSFER HERE. Make sure that you do not go flat out but do not release any throttle either during midturn. Did I say do not release throttle here? Do not release throttle while the car is still transferring load. Not driving at the limit here, especially during the race, is not a bad idea.

T8: Try to eliminate understeer or sliding wider during midturn. I achieve this by tapping on the brakes and downshifting to 2nd gear. Make sure that you use the apex kerbs without clipping your rear tires.

T10: Slow down just enough to allow 3rd gear, and go flat out right before you hit the apex. Use the brown concrete part of the kerbs generously. I generally release a tiny amount of throttle before T9 to have a wider entry into T10.

T11-T12-T13: Do overdo your braking here. Releasing them gently after T12 and entering T13 flat out is ideal.

T14: A slight tap on the brakes and down to 4th gear. If you slide, that’s probably gonna be okay during qualifying as it could still be a fast way to make this turn. But during a longer one with medium tires, I try not to slide much to save tires.