TL;DR: Best day ever for me. I let ChatGPT draft this based on my notes and data for the day.
Event: Golden Gate Lotus Club Autocross — November 1, 2025
Location: Laguna Seca Lakebed, near Monterey Bay, CA
Car: 2013 Porsche 991.1 Carrera S (Bridgestone RE-71RS, 32 psi hot)
Results: Official Results
Conditions
The day started cold and foggy, with damp patches still lingering on the new pavement around 8:45 a.m. Tire pressures were 33 psi front / 32 psi rear upon arrival and quickly settled into a consistent 32 / 32 for nearly all runs as the surface dried and grip came in.
The course was a compact, high-rhythm layout built almost entirely from slaloms and two 180° turns. It rewarded smooth transitions, disciplined braking, and early throttle application more than raw power.
Run Log
| Run | Tire Pressures | Drive Mode | Time (s) | Cones | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 32 / 32 | Sport Plus — PASM On | 31.405 | Clean | Very good first run; smooth and confident. |
| 2 | 32 / 32 | Sport Plus — PASM On | 30.467 | Clean | Felt a couple of small slips at overlap, but strong progression. |
| 3 | 32 / 32 | PASM Off (not in Sport / Sport Plus by accident) | 30.437 | +1 | Still going a bit deep into the overtake 180. |
| 4 | 32 / 32 | Sport Plus — PASM Off | 30.035 | Clean | Focused on braking earlier before the overtake 180; exit improved. |
| 5 | 32 / 32 | Sport Plus — PASM Off | 29.875 | Clean | Best time so far — first run into the 29s. |
| 6 | 32 / 32 | Sport Plus — PASM On | 29.9 | +1 | Minor mistake mid-course, cost a little time and tagged a cone. |
| 7 | 32 / 32 | PASM Off | 29.639 | Clean | Refined braking into the overtake 180 and found a better rhythm. |
| 8 | 32 / 32 | PASM Off | 29.507 | Clean | Fastest clean run of the day. |
| 9 | 32 / 32 | PASM Off | 29.230 | +2 | Quickest raw time but picked up two cones at the end. |
| 10 | 32 / 32 | PASM Off | 29.283 | +1 | Aggressive push to close the day, slightly over the limit. |
Result: Fastest indexed time of the event and second fastest raw time of day.
RaceChrono Telemetry
To understand where the gains came from, I overlaid telemetry from Run 5 (29.875 clean) and Run 8 (29.507 clean). The graph below shows the speed traces for both laps.
RaceBox comparison: Run 5 vs Run 8 — small but important gains through the mid-course slalom and final 180°. Note: there’s actually a .36 difference that doesn’t show in this RC chart; not sure why.
In this overlay, the blue trace (Lap 5) and the green trace (Lap 8) tell a clear story:
- Entry to the first 180°: In Run 8 I braked slightly earlier, which let the car rotate more cleanly without overslowing. That set up an earlier return to throttle.
- Slalom section (mid-course): Run 8 shows a smoother, more consistent speed trace. The car stays better balanced with PASM off, and I’m able to feed in throttle earlier between cones instead of reacting with abrupt inputs.
- Final 180° and sprint to the finish: Run 8 carries a touch more speed through the exit and builds speed sooner, which accounts for roughly a tenth of a second in the delta by the timing lights.
The net improvement is modest on paper, but on a ~30 second course a 0.10 second gain is significant and mostly driven by cleaner technique, not extra risk.
Video Review
GoPro footage from the rear windshield mount backs up what the data shows: better rhythm in the slalom, calmer hands on the wheel, and more decisive throttle application on the two big 180s.
What Was Different Today?
- Lower fatigue: A one-hour drive to the site and a smaller walking footprint meant I started the day fresher and stayed sharper between runs.
- Course style: The layout was all slaloms and two 180s, which plays to a rhythm-focused driving style rather than brute power. Running in Sport Plus let me get to full power faster and more consistently with top speed of about 70 mph for a second or two before dropping to 20 in the overlap 180.
- Sim practice: I had been practicing slaloms in the sim in the days leading up to the event, so the motions felt familiar from the very first run.
- Observation first: I watched the first session and paid close attention to braking points for the overtake 180. The fastest line had braking done before turn-in and got back to throttle early, without overshooting the entry.
- Lesson from Crows Landing: At the previous Crows event I kept driving too deep into similar corners. This time I consciously backed up the braking zone and focused on exit speed. It paid off.
- No data rabbit hole: With about eight minutes between runs there was just enough time to jot down the time, capture a quick note, and check pressures. I deliberately stayed out of detailed data review during the heat to keep my head in the driving.
- Mindset: I showed up for fun rather than chasing points. That relaxed approach translated into smoother, more confident driving.
- Physical prep: A hard workout the day before left me feeling engaged and awake, not sluggish. The car responded exactly to what I asked of it.
Takeaways
The big lesson from this event is that discipline and simplicity win. Consistent pressures, a clear plan for each run, and a focus on exit speed made more difference than any setup change.
The 991.1 Carrera S felt best at 32 psi all around, Sport Plus with PASM off on this tight, technical course. Rotation was predictable, and the car was eager to change direction without feeling nervous.
Next goal: carry this rhythm into the next Crows Landing event and move up in P-05.