Climbing to NightKids Summit: Power Meets Precision
The Myogi uphill run reverses the aggressive downhill into a power-limited technical climb. Those tight switchbacks that flowed aggressively downhill now require perfect exits to maintain momentum climbing. Power-to-weight ratios become critical. Turbo lag becomes noticeable. And the rock walls that provided inside reference downhill now feel claustrophobic when you're grinding upward at lower speeds.
Uphill Myogi punishes poor exits brutally. Exit a switchback 5 kph slow, and you lug up the next 100-meter climb trying to recover momentum. Clean exits matter more than aggressive entries. Nakazato's R32 had power advantage over many opponents, but even with 280hp, poor exits cost time. Focus on traction and acceleration out of corners rather than entry speed.
Exit Speed Criticality
Uphill Myogi punishes poor exits brutally. Exit a switchback 5 kph slow, and you lug up the next 100-meter climb trying to recover momentum. Clean exits matter more than aggressive entries. Nakazato's R32 had power advantage over many opponents, but even with 280hp, poor exits cost time. Focus on traction and acceleration out of corners rather than entry speed.
Gear Selection Strategy
Myogi's uphill switchbacks demand perfect gear choice. Too high: bog down, lose momentum, drop out of powerband. Too low: hit limiter before next corner. Stay in optimal torque range through every switchback. Turbo cars need to maintain boost. NA cars need to stay on-cam. There's no recovery time between corners to fix gear mistakes.
Turbo Powerband Management in Climbing Switchbacks
Nakazato's R32 ran twin-turbo RB26DETT with boost typically building from 3,500 rpm and hitting full pressure by 4,200 rpm. Myogi uphill's challenge: every switchback drops you below 3,500 rpm unless you nail the exit. Exit at 3,200 rpm and you're lugging up the next climb waiting for boost to rebuild while naturally-aspirated competitors pull away on torque alone. The psychological impact compounds — you know you have 280+ hp, but it's not available yet.
Smart turbo drivers manage this through strategic downshifting before corner entry. Rather than staying in 3rd gear and exiting at 3,000 rpm, drop to 2nd before the switchback, carry 4,500 rpm through the apex, and exit at 5,000+ rpm with full boost already online. Yes, you lose time during the downshift and braking phase, but you gain it back immediately on corner exit when competitors are still waiting for their powerband to arrive.
The R32's ATTESA system provides additional advantage here. While FR turbo cars must modulate throttle carefully during boost onset to prevent wheelspin, the GT-R can apply full throttle at 4,000 rpm and let the AWD system distribute torque as boost builds. No traction management required — just rotate the car to exit trajectory and floor it. This is why Nakazato could carry such aggressive pace uphill despite turbo lag — his drivetrain eliminated the traction compromise that slowed other turbo cars.
Thermal Dynamics: Sustained Load and Cooling System Stress
Myogi uphill generates sustained thermal load that reveals cooling system weaknesses faster than any dyno session. You're holding 5,000-6,500 rpm continuously for 10+ minutes under load. Turbo cars generate massive heat: exhaust gases at 850-950°C spinning turbine wheels, compressed intake air raising intake manifold temps, engine oil temperatures climbing as it lubricates both engine and turbo CHRA bearings.
Data from local tuner shops shows oil temps climbing to 105-115°C on stock cooling systems during aggressive uphill runs. Water temps stay manageable (85-92°C) if radiator and water pump are healthy, but oil takes longer to stabilize because it's not directly cooled. The RB26DETT's factory oil cooler is adequate for street use but marginal for sustained touge pace. Upgraded oil coolers (typically 19-row or 25-row) drop temps by 10-15°C, keeping oil viscosity in optimal range.
Watch for heat soak affecting turbo performance. Intake air temps (IAT) rise as engine bay heat saturates everything metal. Factory top-mount intercooler on R32 sits directly above engine, absorbing radiant heat. IAT climbing from 35°C to 55°C costs 15-20 hp through density loss and forces ECU to retard timing. Front-mount intercooler conversions stay 10-15°C cooler but add piping lag. Race teams running Myogi repeatedly would cool cars for 20+ minutes between runs, idling with hood open and fans running — heat soak prevention matters more than immediate mechanical cooling.
What Myogi Uphill Teaches: Power Delivery and Momentum Conservation
While Myogi downhill teaches precision, Myogi uphill teaches momentum conservation and power delivery optimization. Every kph you lose unnecessarily costs twice as much to regain when climbing. Gravity becomes a harsh accountant, tracking every wasted joule. This route exposes exactly how efficient your driving is — not in some abstract fuel economy sense, but in kinetic energy management.
You learn to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary braking. Downhill, you brake to avoid exceeding grip limits. Uphill, you brake only when corner geometry absolutely requires it. Every brake application is momentum you'll have to regenerate with precious horsepower working against gravity. Advanced drivers use engine braking and corner geometry to scrub speed instead of brake pedal when possible. The difference between intermediate and expert on this route is often just 5-6 fewer brake applications over the full climb.
Myogi uphill also teaches powerband intimacy. You become deeply familiar with exactly where your engine makes torque and where it falls flat. NA cars learn their cam crossover points and VTEC engagement rpms. Turbo cars learn their boost threshold and compressor efficiency ranges. Unlike drag strips where you're just holding throttle, or circuits where you have multiple laps to experiment, touge climbs demand you nail powerband management on every single corner because there's no recovery time between them.
First-Timer Uphill Strategy Guide
Pre-run mechanical verification: Climbing Myogi exposes cooling system, clutch, and drivetrain weaknesses ruthlessly. Check coolant level when cold, inspect radiator cap seal, verify cooling fans operate properly. If your clutch has been slipping occasionally on flat roads, it will slip catastrophically here — climbing switchbacks with partial throttle will generate enough heat to glaze friction material permanently. Verify transmission fluid is fresh (under 50,000 km) and filled to proper level; sustained high-rpm shifting stresses synchros.
Power-to-weight reality check: Myogi uphill is one of few routes where power-to-weight ratio directly predicts competitive pace. A 180hp naturally-aspirated car weighing 1,100 kg (164 hp/ton) will outpace a 280hp turbo car weighing 1,450 kg (193 hp/ton) if the turbo driver can't maintain boost between corners. Understand your car's actual performance envelope rather than its spec sheet. A well-driven Miata will climb faster than a poorly-driven GT-R here because momentum conservation beats peak power.
Pacing strategy: Unlike downhill where you can start conservatively and brake harder if needed, uphill demands you commit to a sustainable pace from the start. Going too hard early means heat-soaking your cooling system, fatiguing yourself, and potentially overheating before summit. Start at 70% pace and increase only if temps remain stable and you feel controlled. Monitor gauges more than speed — water temp and oil pressure matter far more than mph on this route.
Corner-exit mindset shift: Downhill rewards late braking and precise entry. Uphill rewards early positioning and aggressive exits. Your corner begins 50 meters before turn-in — that's where you select gear, position car laterally, and plan exit trajectory. Entry speed matters less than maintaining momentum through apex and deploying power decisively on exit. First-timers focus on entry. Regulars focus on exit. The psychological shift is simple but profound: stop thinking about how fast you can enter corners and start thinking about how much momentum you can carry out of them.
Route Information
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