Weekend report · Coaching summary

Sung T. at Circuit of the Americas

COTA weekend, October 2026

2023 Toyota Supra 3.0 (8-speed automatic)Circuit of the AmericasChin Track DaysOct 3–4, 2026Green (novice)
Weekend best
2:38.12

Sun 15:30, flying lap 8 (dry)

Improvement
−9.7 s

from a first-session best of 2:47.83

Full laps
63

across 10 sessions

Top speed
147.5 mph

Saturday with an instructor, Sunday solo: Sung's best came down from 2:47.83 to 2:38.12, including a 1.70 s step right after he rode along while I drove his car. Next time: repeatable esses, the Saturday T9 exit, and one brake marker for T11.

Progression

Session by session

  1. Green 1
    Sat · 09:30 · dry
    2:47.83
    10 full lapsmedian 2:55.16144.3 mph topBefore coach ride

    Instructor in car. 3:20 down to 2:48.

  2. Green 2
    Sat · 11:30 · dry
    2:43.32
    7 full lapsmedian 2:52.02144.6 mph topBefore coach ride

    Instructor in car. 2:43.32 on flying lap 6.

  3. Green 3
    Sat · 14:00 · dry
    2:44.81
    6 full lapsmedian 2:51.12144.6 mph topBefore coach ride

    Four of six flying laps 2:44 to 2:52.

  4. Green 4
    Sat · 15:30 · dry
    2:44.83
    7 full lapsmedian 2:46.87145.2 mph topBefore coach ride

    Three flying laps 2:44.8 to 2:45.2.

  5. Coach drive
    Sat · 16:03 · dry
    2:40.87
    2 full lapsmedian 2:41.14143.7 mph topCoach driving

    Bill driving, Sung riding.

  6. Happy hour
    Sat · 16:00 · dry
    2:41.62
    3 full lapsmedian 2:43.13144.9 mph topAfter coach ride

    2:41.62 on flying lap 1.

  7. Check-ride
    Sun · 09:50 · dry
    2:47.50
    6 full lapsmedian 2:53.36144.4 mph topSolo check-ride

    First solo. Faster each lap to lap 5.

  8. Green 2
    Sun · 11:30 · rain
    3:03.15
    6 full lapsmedian 3:05.03142.6 mph topAfter coach ride

    Flying laps 2 to 6 within about 3 s.

  9. Green 3
    Sun · 14:00 · wet
    2:56.59
    6 full lapsmedian 3:03.33144.7 mph topAfter coach ride

    10.6 s quicker, flying lap 1 to 6.

  10. Green 4
    Sun · 15:30 · dry
    2:38.12
    8 full lapsmedian 2:42.13146.6 mph topAfter coach ride

    2:38.80 and 2:38.12 (flying laps 3 and 8).

  11. Happy hour
    Sun · 16:00 · drying
    2:38.25
    4 full lapsmedian 2:45.97147.5 mph topAfter coach ride

    2:38.25 on flying lap 2.

Every full lap time across the weekend by session, with the coach drive marked between Saturday 15:30 and the Saturday happy hour.
Every full lap you ran, in order. The shaded band is where I drove your car; orange diamonds are my two laps. The dashed line is your best so far.
The coach ride

What changed after the coach drove the car

Sat 16:03 to 16:18, happy hour — Bill driving Sung's Supra, Sung riding along

You asked me to drive your car (as instructors we drive students' cars only when they ask) and rode along while I showed you lines and brake points. The biggest gains came in the corners we worked on; some is simply more laps.

Before
2:43.32
After the ride
2:41.62
−1.7 s
Weekend best
2:38.12
  • T8-T9: you braked about 40 ft later and harder (0.33 to 0.48 g average; mine 0.47 g).
  • T9 exit to T10: more speed up the hill (T9 exit 55.6 to 59.1 mph; mine 58.5).
  • T8-T9−40 ft
    Brake point, ft before slowest point
    before 243 ftafter 203 ftcoach 236 ft
  • T10 exit+7.4 mph
    Speed 150 m past T10
    before 94.2 mphafter 101.6 mphcoach 103.1 mph
  • T11 hairpin−0.7 s
    Section time incl. braking
    before 16.09 safter 15.35 scoach 15.59 s
  • T13-T15+0.8 s
    Section time
    before 19.1 safter 19.89 scoach 18.68 s
Keep doing this

What Sung did well

You turn coaching into lap time

About 30 minutes after riding along with me you were 1.70 s quicker. The biggest gains were in the corners we worked on; some of it is also just more laps.

T10 apex 80.9 to 84.0 mph. T11 section 16.09 to 15.35 s.

Steady build over two days

Your best came down over the weekend, from 2:47.83 to 2:38.12, and three Sunday laps beat my 2:40.87 in your car.

Sun 15:30 (dry): 2:38.12, 2:38.80. Sun 16:00 (drying): 2:38.25.

Calm and tidy in the rain

Every rain lap was a full, clean lap, and you kept using the car on the straights.

Rain flying laps 2 to 6 within about 3 s. Corners 15 to 21% slower than Sun 15:30 dry, back straight about 6%.

Next time

Where to find more time

1Make the esses (T2 to T6) repeatable

On your fastest laps you carried real speed into T3; on slower ones you gave it up between T2 and T3.

Sun 15:30 esses: best 28.95 s, median 29.58 s. T3 entry (between T2 and T3): 86.5 and 83.7 mph on your two best laps, 72.3 on flying lap 4.

DrillSame T2 turn-in every lap, eyes up the hill, no lift between T2 and T3. Aim for 5 laps out of 6.
2Keep the T9 exit speed from Saturday

After the ride you carried 57 to 60 mph out of T9 every lap. On Sunday it came and went. T9 exit to T10 is where your best Sunday laps lose most to mine; T13 to T15 and T12 cost a little too.

40 m past T9, Sun 15:30: 45.3 to 58.9 mph (median 55.5). Best two 15:30 laps vs mine: T9 exit to T10 10.68 vs 10.37 s, T13 to T15 18.86 vs 18.68 s, T12 8.13 vs 8.03 s.

DrillOne apex reference for T9, then keep the speed rising all the way to T10. Build it over three laps.
3One brake marker for the T11 hairpin

When you braked about 510 to 550 ft before the slowest point, T11 was quick. Braking earlier did not buy you apex speed.

Sun 15:30: brake points 512 to 715 ft; section best 15.30 s, median 16.04 s. Your slowest apex (28.2 mph) came after braking at 702 ft.

DrillOne fixed marker for T11 for a whole session. Judge it by your speed onto the back straight.
Solo

The check-ride

Heading out of pit lane for the solo check-ride, Sunday 09:50 CDT.
Sun 09:50, first solo session (dry)

Your first session without an instructor: six clean flying laps, each faster than the last through flying lap 5 (2:59.93 down to 2:47.50), then 2:51.86. The 2:47.50 beat your first-session best from Saturday (2:47.83), when an instructor was beside you. Build, don't prove: that is a good check-ride.

Heading out of pit lane for the solo check-ride, Sunday 09:50 CDT.

How this report was made

GPS data from the RaceChrono logger in your car; speeds in mph. Only full laps count (GPS path within 3% of 5,427 m, closing on the lap line); out-laps and in-laps are left out. Flying lap 1 is the first lap after the out-lap. Times use RaceChrono's lap line, about 280 m past the official start/finish.

Before = median of your 5 fastest Saturday laps before the coach drive; after = your 3 laps after it; coach = average of my 2 laps in your car. A change is shown only when all three after-laps moved the same way, beyond your usual spread.

No brake or throttle sensor: brake points are where speed peaks before a corner. Conditions: Saturday dry; Sunday 09:50 dry, 11:30 rain, 14:00 wet, 15:30 dry, 16:00 drying.

trackdays.ai · Speeds in mph.