Tracking my Pista at Laguna Seca Raceway

I had a chance to track my Pista for the first time at Laguna Seca today and I can say I am left stunned by this car as to how good it is. My best time ever at this track is 1min 39sec with my 991.1 Porsche GT3. On the first track outing with the Pista I hit 1min 40sec as the best lap time for the day (both cars have Cup 2 tires, even though the Porsche is N spec and Pista is K spec.) The car is very capable and clearly I am not able to push it to its limits. I also had just over 650 miles of break-in mileage, so I did not go full throttle acceleration and did not let more than two, very rarely three LED's to light up on the steering wheel.
The steering, braking, acceleration, turn-in, balance, sound, and feel of the car; all are just awesome. I cannot say enough how great this car is. I will soon post a track day experience in my new GT3 RS (Weissach) and try to summarize my impressions (note: I have always been a fan of Porsche's as track cars; Pista might change this!!)
A video is below...I know it may be boring to watch a car going around a track again and again; but I tell you it was thrilling to me!!!

 

Yes, definitely had to upshift and lift. You can see it on the video. I also drove further away from the sound booth - you can see how I deviate from straight line after turn 5.
Sound is amazing. I know there are non-believers, I am not one of them. As I said elsewhere, the sound is pleasing in any RPM; not too loud, not too quiet, not too growling, not too soft...it's just a beautiful sound.
Brakes are awesome. I was trying no to brake too hard due to car being so new. So, you can see I could have been braking much later in some corners, but I did not to control the pedal pressure. But the feel is absolutely solid and it stops the car in no time. I had a chance to drive a McLaren 600LT for a 20 minute session on the track too; no comparison...the Pista is much much better. I am assuming 720s has better brakes than 600LT.

 

Obviously I had more HP and torque than 570s, 600LT, or 12C; so if I wanted to challenge them, I could have. It's not a race. If I am babying the car and they are 3-4 seconds a lap faster, no point to hold them back. You lift a little so that they can enjoy their session and go for their lap undisturbed. The right thing to do.

 

Which car were you driving? I was the only Ferrari.
The orange 720s McLaren is a close friend. I have the video from his perspective when he was behind me. He is a fantastic driver and could have lapped me if he wanted! He was also getting used to his new car as he just switched from a 650s.

 

No excuses...if you listen to the car you notice the short shifting. I merely mentioned since I fully expect in the right hands (and no lifting at turn 5 due to sound limit issues) this car is easily capable of 1min 35sec on street tires at Laguna. That is a very respectable number... a 2013 Porsche Cup Car on slicks used to do 1min 33s around Laguna!
There is lots of debate as to whether Pista is as good as a 720s or a GT2 RS; every bit it is. By no means I am one of the fastest drivers in these events; if I can do 1min 40sec in the first outing despite all babying; imagine what it can do with a fast driver behind the wheel. Awesome car! Thanks for props!

 

Yes, in my video he was in front of me. I never passed him. He has a video of the first session where he was behind me for a few corners!!!
I don't know Sam. May be he can share somewhere soon. If it's loaded up on YouTube appreciate if you copy the link here.
Well, I guess you know Jim then. Soon he will get used to his 720s, puts the slicks on it and go around the place in 1:30!
I saw Ben's video in his Senna doing 1:30 in damp conditions.

 

I cannot say enough of fun factor with this car. The engine is lovely, really it is. It's a masterpiece. No turbo lag, very linear response, revs up so fast and effortlessly while making the most pleasing sounds (to my ear.) Steering is nice to hold and is weighted properly; giving you feedback all the time. I wished I had 5-pt harness in the car, the seats are not as tight as Porsche bucket seats, so you end up being thrown around a bit (I a sure that is 2s off my lap time right there) I also kept it on Race for the entire day. I am sure in CT or ESC it would be even more fun even though if you want the car to dance it will even in Race mode. Acceleration is breathtaking despite the fact that I did not go full throttle...it really pins you to the seat. The shifting is not the usual dual clutch smooth; I think they did it on purpose; it kicks when it shifts, which is absolutely lovely. The brakes are tremendous and the pedal is solid; almost race car solid.
And, the car looks beautiful. Many stopped by to complement the car (not the driver!!)

 

It's county ordinance based on neighbors complaints. The track existed way before those neighbors, but it is what it is.
It is a beautiful track. The scenery is amazing and yes you do notice it even though you are driving the hell out of your car. I don't know if there is any track with as much elevation changes as Laguna Seca. It's simply amazing. The sound is enforced only on turn 5, which makes it even more ridiculous because everyone as soon as they pass the sound booth, they get on the gas. Despite lifting and upshifting, I got black flagged at 94.6db (90db was the limit for the day) for the first session. I adjusted; no problem from then on. Same routine with GT3 RS or other louder cars and it will be fine. You can make a big deal out of it (some do) or just get on with it. It's just one corner...and there are higher db days on the calendar as well --- June 12th is one at 102db, unfortunately I will be travelling for business on that day