Course Mapping

It's sad to say this but it's been too long since I practiced on the local touge's. I want to keep my memory sharp so I decided to start course-mapping. Shown here are elevation and yard markers for a section of my home course. I'll add more specific hand-written notes on various corners and surface conditions later in the margins.

You may ask why I didn't number the corners like a track? The reason is touge is driven in either lane, in either direction. I wouldn't even label this section specifically as a downhill or uphill course... its a mixed course. Therefore its counterintuitive to number the turns like you would on a track because either way you do it, you'll be driving in reverse-direction just as often.

I could make two course maps for this stage that are direction-specific, and maybe someday I will, but for now I don't think its necessary. For me its better that I analyze and memorize markers in terms of elevation and distance. Maybe someday I can use these course maps to help others practice and memorize the course? That would be really fun!

However, course maps for other stages and other touge's in general will remain a secret, but I am willing to share with others in person... or those that wish to challenge me



The numbers on top are elevation markers and the "<" indicate the change based on which direction you are driving.

For instance a <-10' means the road descends 10 feet too this point when you are driving in this "<" direction. The numbers on the bottom are yard-markers indicating how much distance there is between the elevation markers.

This sort of thing is what I call course notes. Reacting to the road ahead of you that you can see is easy... Memorizing the road ahead that you can't see is much harder. Course notes help in this regard because they help you anticipate whats ahead rather then merely reacting to what you can see as you are driving. (See stick Rules of Touge #13) As I am driving I am always thinking about the road ahead that I can't see. Every road has a rhythm and that rhythm only becomes apparent when you can literally connect the dots (or elevation markers in this case) with a mental picture of the road.

thats why you name the corners, you could still number them they would stay the same number either counting up or down depending on direction of travel i prefer names to numbers personally

leadfoot_mf wrote:

thats why you name the corners, you could still number them they would stay the same number either counting up or down depending on direction of travel i prefer names to numbers personally

I think there are too many corners to name them all, especially if you consider the whole course and all the other touge's I'm going to map... but I do like to name certain corners. For instance, the turn my roommate totaled his TII RX7 on is known as The Devils Hairpin lol ...but thats one is in STAGE 2.

no wai name it after his carnage like champions corner in canada

So we need to have a sauders corner... Joey's cliff... Vance's gaurdrail...

~The_Duke~ wrote:

So we need to have a sauders corner... Joey's cliff... Vance's gaurdrail...

The Sheriff's crest...

^a story I have not heard...

The Sheriff got a mini van one rainy afternoon.

~The_Duke~ wrote:

The Sheriff got a mini van one rainy afternoon.

0_o ?

LOL