I keep hearing that to get faster lap times you have to go into the corners
slow and exit fast. Can someone ellaborate on this a little so I can get an
idea of how to do this?
Vintook
If you go into the corner a little slower(brake early) you'll have more
control with the car and it will be easier to find the apex/line of the
corner, so then you'll be able to get on the gas sooner.
Getting out of a corner fast is far more important then going in fast
especially if the corner leads onto a big straight away.
You "can" go faster by braking deep and driving the corner hard but then
it also raises the risk on you blowing the corner.
Driving too hard can and probably will slow you down even if you think
your going as fast as you can go.
> I keep hearing that to get faster lap times you have to go into the corners
> slow and exit fast. Can someone ellaborate on this a little so I can get an
> idea of how to do this?
> Vintook
Instead of blasting into a corner, then spending the rest of the corner
recovering from the turn in, I brake earlier, setup my turn in with more
precision, then power out with much more control. Example: the second Lesmo
at Monza...I feel that exit speed at this turn is the most important factor
at this track. I come off first Lesmo sideways in second gear, gas it a
bit, but roll out of the gas early, let the car roll into Lesmo 2, apply a
bit of trail brake to set the car then power out in second gear. This gets
me a great run for the long back straight, and I find many opportunities to
pass before ascari. :) ymmv.
--
Kenny L.
#14 Generic Chevy
PRC Member
Wall Scrapers Racing Team
You need to develop a plan for each corner: an understanding of it. Work
out some reference and timing points. Reference points will be things like
the curbing, the apex, a target at the exit, and the timing points will be
also be reference points but also signals to change gear, to brake, to
balance the throttle etc and when to start the turn. All this information
and your idea of how to use the information will form the plan. Approach
the corner always with the aim to exit the corner quickly, that means
getting on the power as soon as possible, whilst retaining a good deal of
control over the car. Then, the other parts of the corner can be developed
from that idea. Start off by going in slower, and working on the
acceleration. Eventually you'll learn how you can modify the plan to
increase the speed through the corner, such as starting braking a few feet
further or holding more throttle throughout the turn. Unless you understand
the corner, it is difficult to improve your plan, and therefore hard to
consistently repeat your overall lap times. Also, once you do fully
understand the corner, you can then apply the knowledge to developing
overtaking techniques, knowing what the corner will and won't allow.
Good luck!
Mike.
Quoted text (17 lines)
>You need to develop a plan for each corner: an understanding of it. Work >out some reference and timing points. Reference points will be things like >the curbing, the apex, a target at the exit, and the timing points will be >also be reference points but also signals to change gear, to brake, to >balance the throttle etc and when to start the turn. All this information >and your idea of how to use the information will form the plan. Approach >the corner always with the aim to exit the corner quickly, that means >getting on the power as soon as possible, whilst retaining a good deal of >control over the car. Then, the other parts of the corner can be developed >from that idea. Start off by going in slower, and working on the >acceleration. Eventually you'll learn how you can modify the plan to >increase the speed through the corner, such as starting braking a few feet >further or holding more throttle throughout the turn. Unless you understand >the corner, it is difficult to improve your plan, and therefore hard to >consistently repeat your overall lap times. Also, once you do fully >understand the corner, you can then apply the knowledge to developing >overtaking techniques, knowing what the corner will and won't allow.Maybe that's because the 90 at wg is more difficult than Masta? Masta
only looks scary because it's so narrow, but it's not so hard. But the
90 at wg can be really difficult taken at full speed...
Andre
Nah, tis a good question. I would say that the understanding of a corner is
an inversion of the concentration level required to take it comfortably, and
at some point during the learning, you'll discover either through thinking
and/or trial and error how to make the optimisations. :)
Mike.
: Dumb question - how do you know when you understand the corner. I mean, I've
: been through the Lesmos 1000's of times. What does it take?
: I've also run many laps at Watkins Glen. I've discovered at least ONE thing.
: I'm more worried about the '90' than I am about Masta(!). That makes NO sense
: to me, but I've crashed more at WG than I *ever* did at Masta...<sigh>
Heh - but that's coz you've so much less at stake isn't it? I mean in
real life, if you spin out at 90 then you look a bit of a fool, you
right the car and you carry on or you tangle in that safety fencing.
Unless, of course you're really unlucky. If, on the other hand, you get
it wrong at Masta then you head straight to the obituaries column.
--
Richard G. Clegg Only the mind is waving
Networks and Non-Linear Dynamics Group
Dept. of Mathematics, Uni. of York
www: http://manor.york.ac.uk/top.html
<snip>
Yeah, the 90 is a pig. If I brake at my normal level I get instant
oversteer as the left front suspension seems to compress all of a
sudden. To counteract this I have my car set with higher left front
wheel rate. Even with this I am still nervous about braking at that
corner.
--
Peter Ives
(AKA Ivington)
