Note: For the purpose of this post, I will define 'accelerating' as it is used in layman driver terminology - giving the car gas to make it go faster.
Nice OP, Jawshee. I agree with the sentiment that this forum could used a sticky on driving theory (as well as one on racecraft/etiquette/rules of racing). It sure would have saved me a lot of trial and error. With that said, I think you have missed the most important tip for beginners and novice drivers:
Avoid accelerating from turn in to the apex! I believe that accelerating to the apex is the biggest and most common mistake that drivers outside of the top 1000 make.
-Why is it common? Because it is the easiest way to take a turn. You can come in slow. You don't need to worry too much about turn-in timing or angle since you can easily use the throttle to modulate your speed and turning arc.
- Why is it a big mistake? Because it's slow, duh. Let's compare driver A, who uses the throttle to modulate speed and angle between turn in and the apex... and driver B, who makes one move with the wheel (or stick) to turn in and then coasts to the apex.
1) Driver A has to brake earlier than driver B. This might only affect lap times by a couple or hundredths of a second per turn, which isn't a big deal.
2) Driver A takes
Longer to get from turn-in to the apex. Why? Acceleration taxes the car's traction. Between turn in and the apex, you want all of your traction to go towards turning.
A vehicle with zero net acceleration (or deceleration) can take an arc at a faster speed . Thus driver B has a greater average speed from turn-in to apex. Again, this time difference is only on the order of hundredths of a second but the speed difference makes a much bigger dent on time, which brings me to the next point:
3) Driver A
carries less speed through the apex! How much speed? 1 maybe 2 miles per hour? Not much, you say? Well, an extra 1 mile per hour over a mid length straight will save you
tenths of a second!
4) Driver A is often forced into a worse exit angle/earlier apex. When driver A accelerates before the apex, he increases his turning radius which pushes the car's nose outwards, in the direction of the track-out. Meanwhile, driver B's nose points more and more down the next straight as he approaches the apex. This means that driver B can get on the gas earlier.
Which leads me to attempt to succinctly answer a very debatable question:
What makes a driver fast? In my opinion, the biggest determining factor is
Corner exit speed! For the purposes of this post, I will define 'corner exit speed' as the speed the driver reaches as he passes the end of the track out. Actually, relative corner exit speed can be judged at any point in the straight past the track out, though it is important to note that speed at apex does not give you an accurate gauge of corner exit speed since angle and position at apex are a also a big factor since they determine how fast the driver can get the power on.
I believe that almost everything that a driver does to get faster actually revolves around improving corner exit speed. Car control, finding the limits of your car, knowing the track, timing (specifically turn-in timing)... All of these are slaves to corner exit speed. Which leads me to emphasize :
Turn-in to apex is by far the biggest determining factor in corner exit speed! So how should we go about turning in? I have already discounted the 'accelerate to apex' approach, below are the approaches that fast drivers use:
Method 1-
Coast- Brake straight (more on this later), release the brakes, coast for a moment (less than a tenth of a second) to ensure the wheels have stopped chattering, turn in with one movement of the wheel, coast to the apex, power out from the apex. The main advantage this method has over option 2 is that your turning radius will naturally decrease (because wind resistance and engine drag are slowing you down). This will give you a better exit angle at the apex (pointed more down the line).
Method 2-
Maintain speed- Brake straight, apply enough power to maintain constant speed/counteract wind resistance between turn-in and apex. This works well for cars with corner-entry oversteer since it keeps the car weighted towards the rear, improving grip in the rear.
Method 3-
Light trail braking- Brake straight, apply just enough brake pressure from turn-in to apex to keep the front end weighted. This can help counteract understeer.
Method 4-
Moderate trail braking- Brake straight, but continue with moderate braking as you turn-in. It allows you to brake later at the expense of corner-exit speed.
So which is best? It depends, though I will say that it seems the top leaderboard drivers use a combination of one and four. Also, it's important to note that these methods are
ideals to be strived for on most (the vast majority) of turns. Some sweepers might require you to accelerate/coast/repeat. Also, sometimes (more often for some of us) you will miss time your turn in and you will have to do some accelerating mid-turn to keep a reasonable line... It's just important make the distinction that you've made a mistake so it doesn't become a habit.
On braking late and braking straightJawshee has established that you get the most out of your brakes if you brake in a straight line, but I think that it's worth noting that you need to be straight
before you brake. If you make adjustments, even minor ones, just before braking then you may enter the braking zone with your car weighted slightly to the left or right. You want to avoid this since it may increase your stopping time. A major goal in braking is to set yourself up for a
consistent turn-in point and speed, you can't accomplish this without achieving consistent braking distances.
I mentioned before that braking late saves very little time, maybe 2 hundredths of a second. It is important to note that from a racecraft perspective, 2 hundredths of a second at the end of a long straight can mean the difference between keeping your position and losing it to the guy in your rearview. Why, because at 160 mph for 2 hundredths of a second, your opponent might cover a hundred yards, possibly giving him the chance to legally gain position on your inside before you get to your turn-in point.
A few other tips:-Start wide whenever possible
-hit every apex point and every trackout. For a standard 90 degree/constant-radius turn, missing the apex by 1 foot will cause a 1 mph decrease in corner exit speed.
-Choose very specific apex spots. Maybe the size of a tennis ball. I think it has to do with how the mind works, but it definitely helps with turn-in timing.
... More to come later, probably.
Edited by user Wednesday, June 25, 2014 3:35:59 AM(UTC)
| Reason: typos