Bob,
Please don't use "excellent driver" and me in the same sentence, except maybe as my goal in the future.
No, I don't use 2nd gear at the track, just 3rd and 4th. I think I can use 3rd once more than I did last weekend: probably going into 3rd gear. I noticed AJ dropped down into third while I kept my car in 4th. He walked away from me exiting the turn. :bmad:
I need to take a different line into Turn 5, also. I was way too much over to the left side, although during the race that was the defensive line. But I took this approach during qualifying, also.
I was braking way too early into Turn One virtually every lap; I knew this, but I have yet to learn the art of "threshold braking." That will come in time.
I think I got a bit sloppy going through the Carousel during the race. But I was also protecting my "behind," so that had something to do with it. I never really exited it in a good fashion, so there is another point to work on.
I did feel pretty good in Turn Ten; I started using more and more of the curbing, even sometimes getting over it and on the rumble strips.