[Richard Hudgins]

Mike,

I have to agree with your gear choices at Willow with a 3:55 rear.

Chucks car has this gear and I find that I end up the same as you.

Chuck has the .6 top as well and it is just too big a jump. It falls on its face.

I found that turn one was indeed 4th (You run out of third before the apex) and carry 4th until turn 3. But I went to second for 3 and shifted to 3rd before turn in at the top. (Chuck has a 351 crate and the power band was fairly narrow, It did not like to pull up the hill in 3rd.

I would shift into 4th right after the apex of 5 and carry 4th until just before 7. It really was a toss up between 4th and 5th through 8. The tall gear was just too tall to pull well and I could just let the car run up against the limiter in 4th.(6.5k, kind of hard on the motor.)

With Chuck's car, 9 was 3rd gear. The engine would be just below the powerband in 4th at the apex and it would not pull well off of nine. I would shift to 4th just after the apex and this seemed to give the best results in that car.

Of course, I would shift to 5th just past the pit entrance and I would swear that the car slowed down.

I tell anyone who is looking at a JBL to never use the .6 5th. It is useless.