Race Driver Coaching

You can brake much faster than you can accelerate so the forces involved have greater potential to unsettle the balance of your car and cause loss of traction. Squeeze the brake pedal smoothly, never stamp on the brakes, and try not to get into the habit of allowing ABS to sort out locked wheels. This doesn't mean that you can't press the pedal hard, but ensure that the pressing and releasing motions are progressive. This will keep weight transfer spikes to a minimum and reduce the chances of unnecessary weight transfers or wheel-lock.



Graph 2 below shows the grip demands placed on the tyres by braking smoothly, yet relatively hard. There tends to be an early peak of force as the weight transfers forward (which is when wheel-lock is most likely to occur). Brake application should be tapered at the start and finish to avoids spikes on the graph.
Graph 2: Demands on grip created by braking


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Steering

When driving on the track, hold the steering wheel at the ten to three position (Diagram 1) to allow fairly tight radius corners to be tackled without having to take your hands off the wheel. If your car requires a large number of turns from lock to lock you should reposition your hands on the wheel accordingly before taking a tight bend.
Shuffling your hands is not a smooth technique.

 Diagram 1: Correct steering position for maximum smoothness

Graph 1 below plots the grip demands on the two front tyres which result from turning a simple corner (ignoring other forces). In this case, the driver does not approach the limits of grip at any point as a result of steering. When turning a corner, there is usually a spike in force as the weight transfers to the outside of the car, and it's at this point loss of traction is most likely to occur. Grip demands then remain relatively constant for the duration of the corner, then reduce as the steering lock is unwound. Once the car is straight, there is usually an additional small spike in force as the weight transfers to the opposite side (this is known as the pendulum effect).

Graph 1: Demands on grip created by smooth steering

The lessons to take from the graph are as follows:

• Avoid 'chucking' the car into a corner - ease it, in allowing the weight to shift to the outside of the car in a progressive manner. Spikes in force need to be avoided when driving near the limit.
• Do not place additional demands on the tyre's grip early in the corner (i.e. by braking or accelerating hard), as this is when loss of control is most likely.
• Unwinding the steering in an aggressive manner is just as likely to upset the balance of the car – steering motions should be smooth.

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Race car driving

In every discipline from drifting to racing, aggression does not equal speed.
If you only learn one skill to improve your driving technique it should be the art of smooth driving. On the track, driving smoothly allows you to minimise weight transfers, make the most of every last bit of grip, and maintain control at higher speeds. On the road it makes the drive more comfortable for your passengers and can even increase fuel economy.

Remember, if you're driving at only 50% of the car's potential, you'll be able to get away with changing gear roughly and braking, accelerating and steering aggressively. But when you're driving near your car's limits these actions can lead to loss of traction, poor track times and increased risk of an accident. It's important to get into good habits even if you're not travelling at break-neck speeds.
The key topics covered in this article include the following:

• Steering
• Braking
• Acceleration
• Gear changes
• Weight transfers
• Rev matching
• Combined forces during cornering

Most of the elements above are discussed in more detail on other pages, so watch out for the links.



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