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Le Mans / ALMS
IN THE COCKPIT: Colin Braun, ALMS Winter Test
CORE autosport's Colin Braun files his first SPEED.com "In The Cockpit" column following last week's American Le Mans Series Winter Test at Sebring...
After many years away, Colin Braun jumped behind the wheel of an open-cockpit car for his first laps in an ALMS LMPC entry. (Photo: Rick Dole/CORE autosport)
It’s been quite a year of change for me and I'm thankful to SPEED.com for the opportunity to be writing 'In The Cockpit' columns on my American Le MAns Series efforts with CORE autosport this year.
Many of you know me as a NASCAR driver who occasionally dabbled in GRAND-AM, but my background includes almost all forms of racing, from quarter midgets to open-wheel. Basically if I can get into the car and win, I’m in.
That desire to win has brought me to CORE autosport and the American Le Mans Series. CORE autosport took the LMPC-class driver and team championships in 2011. They have only one goal – the top spot on the podium. As soon as I met with my co-driver and team owner Jon Bennett and team manager Morgan Brady, I knew it’s where I wanted to be.
And that’s how I ended up with one of the most interesting tests I’ve had thus far, the recent ALMS Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway in the No. 05 Composite Resources ORECA FLM09.
I’d never driven an LMPC car before. I hadn’t driven a car without a roof in years. And the downforce and brakes were truly staggering. Let’s just say the first day I was in the car it was a little…testing.
Let’s start with the most obvious. LMPC cars are open-cockpit. Jumping in the “roof” area to slide down into the car was a little off-putting – I’m used to sliding through a window opening or a door and then looking through a windshield. My mindset has always been that when the window net goes up or the door is shut, I’m in my office, and it’s time to go to work by fully utilizing my narrow view out a windshield.
Not so in an open prototype!
Besides not having that clip of a window net or clunk of a door…I could see everything! No windshield header, roll cage, pillars, just open sky. I felt a little exposed, actually. And just taking one lap there was so much more to process visually. It was like I was a rookie driver again – I had to figure out what to focus on and what not to.
That was only step one. The stopping power of a prototype with that much downforce and carbon brakes is downright staggering. You can feel the g-forces on your neck and it took getting used to sitting in a laying-down position, not to mention sliding forward pretty hard when you hit the brakes.
It’s just so very different than what I’ve experienced in the last few years. I had to recalibrate my brain. Don’t brake when you think you should…just wait one or two more beats, then brake and turn. The car could make the corner.
The first few laps on the first day of testing, I was totally out of sync with the car and what it would do – I was ahead or behind it. It was like you asked me to ride a unicycle for the first time. And no, I don’t know how to ride a unicycle. But the experience wasn’t dissimilar from my first day behind the wheel of a stock car on an oval – a little out of sorts initially.
By the second day, the No. 05 was my office and it had a view. The car did what I asked of it and as it turns out is one of my favorite cars to drive. Very well balanced, good power and of course those brakes!
So the office is set. And that brings me to my first full season of ALMS. I don’t know how familiar you may be with the LMPC class, but it’s kind of a class-between-classes. Not as fast as an LMP1 or LMP2 car, and faster than GT cars. In the past I’ve been in either the fastest or slowest cars, so I only had to worry about either setting up a GT car to pass or getting passed by a prototype - now I’ve got to do both.
It’s certainly going to be exciting out there this season. I am looking forward to developing relationships out there on the track, developing a code as to how we handle ourselves in traffic. And with 60-plus cars out on the track for the first race of the season - the Sebring 12 Hour - that’s going to be crucial.
Twelve hours. A long time to be sprinting, fighting with traffic and keeping your nose clean out there. At Daytona and Le Mans there are long straights to pass and a fair amount of places to do it, but not so much at Sebring. I thought it was bumpy out there – but that was in a GT car. But in a prototype…wow.
But I won’t be able to get to the top spot alone. I’ve driven for a lot of different teams in all types of motorsports, but I don’t think I’ve driven for a team that’s as well-rounded and put together as CORE autosport. If I could’ve created my own team this is how I’d do it. Morgan and Jon built a great organization – the guys get along, the mentality to how they approach the weekend and their respect for data is what I appreciate.
My No. 05 car teammate Jon Bennett is a really interesting guy. He’s a true professional and he does everything he can to make himself, the team and everyone around him better. There are other owner/drivers who just show up, drive the car and leave, but he’s wanting to sit down, review data and video and do it right. He’s so focused it’s not a surprise to me that he’s built up a huge business from nothing, and it started because he was looking for a way to fund his racing habit. I’m just fortunate that he has given me this opportunity.
OK, so this is a long first column, but there’s so much to cover. Make sure to come see us in Sebring if you’re out there and stay tuned for future columns!
~Colin
The youngest-ever race winner in GRAND-AM history, Colin Braun returns to his sports car roots for 2012, competing in the American Le Mans Series with defending class champions, CORE autosport. The 23-year-old star, who spent the last few years in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, co-drives the No. 05 Oreca FLM09 with team owner Jon Bennett as they pursue the LMPC championship.
For more information, visit: www.colinbraun.com. You can also follow Colin on Twitter @ColinBraun
Many of you know me as a NASCAR driver who occasionally dabbled in GRAND-AM, but my background includes almost all forms of racing, from quarter midgets to open-wheel. Basically if I can get into the car and win, I’m in.
That desire to win has brought me to CORE autosport and the American Le Mans Series. CORE autosport took the LMPC-class driver and team championships in 2011. They have only one goal – the top spot on the podium. As soon as I met with my co-driver and team owner Jon Bennett and team manager Morgan Brady, I knew it’s where I wanted to be.
And that’s how I ended up with one of the most interesting tests I’ve had thus far, the recent ALMS Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway in the No. 05 Composite Resources ORECA FLM09.
I’d never driven an LMPC car before. I hadn’t driven a car without a roof in years. And the downforce and brakes were truly staggering. Let’s just say the first day I was in the car it was a little…testing.
Let’s start with the most obvious. LMPC cars are open-cockpit. Jumping in the “roof” area to slide down into the car was a little off-putting – I’m used to sliding through a window opening or a door and then looking through a windshield. My mindset has always been that when the window net goes up or the door is shut, I’m in my office, and it’s time to go to work by fully utilizing my narrow view out a windshield.
Not so in an open prototype!
Besides not having that clip of a window net or clunk of a door…I could see everything! No windshield header, roll cage, pillars, just open sky. I felt a little exposed, actually. And just taking one lap there was so much more to process visually. It was like I was a rookie driver again – I had to figure out what to focus on and what not to.
That was only step one. The stopping power of a prototype with that much downforce and carbon brakes is downright staggering. You can feel the g-forces on your neck and it took getting used to sitting in a laying-down position, not to mention sliding forward pretty hard when you hit the brakes.
It’s just so very different than what I’ve experienced in the last few years. I had to recalibrate my brain. Don’t brake when you think you should…just wait one or two more beats, then brake and turn. The car could make the corner.
The first few laps on the first day of testing, I was totally out of sync with the car and what it would do – I was ahead or behind it. It was like you asked me to ride a unicycle for the first time. And no, I don’t know how to ride a unicycle. But the experience wasn’t dissimilar from my first day behind the wheel of a stock car on an oval – a little out of sorts initially.
By the second day, the No. 05 was my office and it had a view. The car did what I asked of it and as it turns out is one of my favorite cars to drive. Very well balanced, good power and of course those brakes!
So the office is set. And that brings me to my first full season of ALMS. I don’t know how familiar you may be with the LMPC class, but it’s kind of a class-between-classes. Not as fast as an LMP1 or LMP2 car, and faster than GT cars. In the past I’ve been in either the fastest or slowest cars, so I only had to worry about either setting up a GT car to pass or getting passed by a prototype - now I’ve got to do both.
It’s certainly going to be exciting out there this season. I am looking forward to developing relationships out there on the track, developing a code as to how we handle ourselves in traffic. And with 60-plus cars out on the track for the first race of the season - the Sebring 12 Hour - that’s going to be crucial.
Twelve hours. A long time to be sprinting, fighting with traffic and keeping your nose clean out there. At Daytona and Le Mans there are long straights to pass and a fair amount of places to do it, but not so much at Sebring. I thought it was bumpy out there – but that was in a GT car. But in a prototype…wow.
But I won’t be able to get to the top spot alone. I’ve driven for a lot of different teams in all types of motorsports, but I don’t think I’ve driven for a team that’s as well-rounded and put together as CORE autosport. If I could’ve created my own team this is how I’d do it. Morgan and Jon built a great organization – the guys get along, the mentality to how they approach the weekend and their respect for data is what I appreciate.
My No. 05 car teammate Jon Bennett is a really interesting guy. He’s a true professional and he does everything he can to make himself, the team and everyone around him better. There are other owner/drivers who just show up, drive the car and leave, but he’s wanting to sit down, review data and video and do it right. He’s so focused it’s not a surprise to me that he’s built up a huge business from nothing, and it started because he was looking for a way to fund his racing habit. I’m just fortunate that he has given me this opportunity.
OK, so this is a long first column, but there’s so much to cover. Make sure to come see us in Sebring if you’re out there and stay tuned for future columns!
~Colin
The youngest-ever race winner in GRAND-AM history, Colin Braun returns to his sports car roots for 2012, competing in the American Le Mans Series with defending class champions, CORE autosport. The 23-year-old star, who spent the last few years in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, co-drives the No. 05 Oreca FLM09 with team owner Jon Bennett as they pursue the LMPC championship.
For more information, visit: www.colinbraun.com. You can also follow Colin on Twitter @ColinBraun
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