Content Wrapper

[MechaniX_034]

Corner approach:

At this point, you'll be at wide-open-throttle and using up 100% of your tyre's grip to move the car forewards. Assuming that you're noy 500m away from the braking point[there will be markers at the side of the track denoting 300, 200, 150 and 100m marks if that is how its done in your country] you shold have to brake somewhere in order to avoid a collision with the wall or a trip into the run-off area due to your tyres becoming overloaded, hence you will travel straight or outwards in an arc away from the geometric centre of the turn.

This part is easy, you simply pin your foot to the floor and use 100% of your engine power to get you down the straight as quickly as possible.

Braking

Here things start to get interesting. Where do you start braking? If you've been to the track before, you'll know where the braking points are. If you haven't though, it is safest to begin braking at the 300m mark and gradually reduce the braking distance. No two cars are similar, and no two drivers have the same technique. You have to do what is right for you, and so you will have to rely on your own individual practice to tell you when you should be doing what.

Method:

Brake as hard as you can, while at the same time, no so hard that the tyres lock up. The objective here is to spend as little time as possible braking[or reducing speed] This will allow you to spend more time moving forwards under full throttle. This can also be used for out-braking manouvers, where you should ideally be occpying the inside line. If you have ABS, this is pretty easy as the system will do most of the work for you. Just focus on taking off as much speed in the shortest amount of time possible. If you do not have ABS, then you will have to feel what the tyres are doing, and practice some drills before heading to the track in order to learn how much brake you ca use without your tyres locking up[as above, focus on one corner and gradually reduce your braking distance. Do not attempt to exit quickly, just practice on dropping as much speed as you can in the shortest amount of time possible. It will feel much like panic-braking at first and the G-forces will be considerable. However, if you are harnessed in, the harness and the seat will absorb most of it leaving the sensation of your eyeballs leaving your head.

Drills, on track:

As above, ignore the corner itself and focus on scrubbing off as much speed as possible by braking at the 300m mark. Brake for longer at first, even if it means your comfort zone is well away from 300m. Even if it is as 450m, brake there and coast in[don't care if the other drivers fly past you, you are the one learning] As you get more comfortable with the g-forces and the pressure on the pedal, brgin braking later and later, and as you brake later you will also be applying more pressure on the pedal.

Drills, normal driving:

If you are at the front of the queue and the first car before the stoplight, go say 10-20km/h under the speed limit and try to stop before the stop-line. Ideally, your bumper should be 2-3" away whe your vehicle comes to a complete stop. Also, focus on releasing the brake smoothly so that the vehicle does "rebound" as the front suspension extends again from dissipating all that energy.

Application:

Now, the whole point of the above is to learn how much brakes you can use witout locking the tyres up. This is essential to SAFETY. The entire point of it all though, when looking at the big picture is how little speed you can scrub off so that you can carry it through the corner as momentum.

Turning in

Here is where you will need to pick your line. There are a couple of do's:

1. DO look where you want to go.
2. DO plant your foot on the dead pedal and use it for support
3. DO use the steering wheel to control the direction of the car and NOT for support against the g-forces.

The basic line is, to hit the apex of the corner. This basically means, taking the shortest part between two points around a common axis. That means, outside of the corner to the inside of the corner, then back to the outside on the throttle.

During the turn-in phase, you will be transferring from braking to cornering force, meaning that you will have to be coming off the brake while increasing the degree that you turn the steering wheel. All while scrubbing off speed. Imagine the total availible traction your tyres can give as 100%. Everythig you do with the wheel and the pedals will take up a measure of this. When you exceed 100%, your tyres break loose and the vehicle goes out of control. Thus, with a FWD platform, you will have to be extremely sensitive to what the tyres are doing. In the beginning you will need to do one thing at a time, braking, releasing the brake, then turning in.

Here, you will be transferring from 100% braking into 100% cornering force. Which means, you will need to come off the brake smoothly before turning the car into the corner. [hence why the drill above also emphasizes smoothness of brake release]

As speed drops, you can begin to turn the car in[more traction is now availible for you to change the car's direction with. The more grip you have left, the tighter you can clip the turn] Ideally, you will have taken off enough speed to make the apex. This of course, takes practice. So don't worry if you don't make it the first few times, it will happen with enough practice.

Also, it should be noted that the steering wheel should be turned only as little as need be. The less you turn the wheel, the less time the car will need to recover from the turn. And the less time it takes to do so, the more quickly you will be able to go from 100% lateral load to 100% acceleration. At the begining, it will feel like there isn't enough steering for you to make the turn[after all, you are limiting the amount of steer in order to preserve traction and the balance of the chassis] Again, it will take practice. And in order to get this right, you will need to be on the correct line. You will also have had to take off just enough speed so that the car doesn't understeer. Again, this takes practice. AND on top of it all, you will have had to transfer smoothly from full braking to full cornering loads.

The recommended hand position is 10 & 2, but generally you need to find what works for you. Resting your thumbs gently on the opposing spokes of the steering wheels closest to these points usually works the best since not all wheels are created equal.

WHat you will feel at this point, is the sensation of being thrown either against the side of your seat, or out of the seat by the centrifugal force[hence why it is ideal to have a seat with good support] Planting your foot into the dead pedal will help some, but it is no substitute for having a fixed bucket and a harness.

Drills, on-track:

As mentioned above.

Drills, normal driving:

Drive below the speed limit, and keep to your lane. At no time should any part of your vehicle leave it. You are focusing on removing enough speed to make the turn you're aiming for with the least amount of steering input possible. Do not change yur hand position, stop short of crossing your arms up. Your shoulders as well, should not leave the backrest of our seat. Practice with BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL, and change down before hand. Focus on putting the tyres where you want them to go, and look where you want to go.

The whole idea of driving below the speed limit, is so that you will not go wide and slam into oncoming traffic because of excessive centrifugal forces acting on your tyres. This is a dangerous exercise, and you should first attempt it on roads where there is no traffic.