Race Driving Fundamentals: 5 Things You're Probably Doing Wrong
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5 Things You're Probably Doing Wrong
04.49
| 00:00 | - With all the cornering basics now laid out, in this module we're going to go over the 5 most common things amateur drivers are probably doing wrong in a corner. |
| 00:09 | We've already covered some of these through the previous modules but we'll reiterate them all here in one place for easy reference. |
| 00:17 | Some of the items on this list may be completely obvious to you and some might be things that you had no idea were even a problem but solutions to all of them have been covered in the modules you've just completed so check back for more detail if needed. |
| 00:32 | This particular module isn't just useful as a guide but is also handy to have as a personal checklist, something to help keep yourself on task and focused on improvement when you're next at the track. |
| 00:44 | First on the list is incorrect brake application. |
| 00:48 | This is something that shows up nearly every time a beginner gets behind the wheel on a racetrack. |
| 00:53 | As the driver approaches the turn, they apply the brakes smoothly and softly, slowly building up pressure the closer they get to the corner which is the exact opposite of what we want. |
| 01:03 | Remember it's important to make sure that the initial hit on the brake is aggressive and we want to reach the highest amount of pressure at the start of the braking phase. |
| 01:14 | The brake pressure should then slowly bleed off once the initial straight line phase of braking is complete. |
| 01:20 | The next mistake also relates to our brake application and that's overslowing the car. |
| 01:26 | This is one mistake that tends to create so many other issues in a corner so it's super important that we get it sorted as soon as possible. |
| 01:34 | Unfortunately this issue isn't always something that stands out to a driver on track, it's often masked by picking up the throttle early at the apex which upsets the balance of the car, causing issues at the corner exit phase. |
| 01:47 | Over slowing the car is usually a combination of the incorrect braking technique we just discussed, combined with the driver getting on the brake too early which comes from a lack of confidence in the car. |
| 01:59 | We've gone over the fixes for these issues in the braking section of the course already but understanding the correct technique and then putting it into practice, should have you optimising your braking and arriving at the apex at the correct speed. |
| 02:14 | The third common mistake is trying to accelerate the car at the apex. |
| 02:18 | Like we just discussed, this is usually the result of the second problem, over slowing the car. |
| 02:24 | You'd think that the easy and simple solution here is to just recover this speed with a little more throttle but this is never a good idea, even if the car has been overslowed too much. |
| 02:34 | Throttle application at the apex will almost always result in the car running wide at the corner exit phase, compromising your speed for the whole of the next straight. |
| 02:44 | Force yourself to always start picking the throttle up after the apex, no matter how slow you think you're going. |
| 02:51 | You might feel like you're moving at a glacial pace but treat it as self punishment for over slowing and it'll force you to work harder on the corner entry so that you don't feel the need to carry that throttle at the apex. |
| 03:04 | Let's look at number 4, multiple driver input applications. |
| 03:08 | Remember being smooth is an essential part of going fast and to do that we need to make sure we have only one application of each input. |
| 03:17 | That means ensuring when we're braking into the corner it's one initial hard hit and then a slow bleed off the brake with one controlled pressure decrease. |
| 03:26 | Then one smooth input of the steering and finally one smooth linear acceleration input on the corner exit. |
| 03:33 | It sounds easy enough but it does take some practice to commit to muscle memory. |
| 03:38 | If you find that you're taking two attempts to get back on full throttle on the corner exit, this is an indication that you've either got on the throttle too early or too aggressively and it'll be costing you time. |
| 03:50 | The 5th and final common mistake on our list is looking in the wrong place. |
| 03:55 | This is incredibly common and like we discussed in the vision module, something that drivers often forget about. |
| 04:02 | Keep it in the back of your mind at all times, vision, vision, vision. |
| 04:06 | When a corner just doesn't feel right, think about where you're looking. |
| 04:11 | Make sure you're always looking one phase ahead of where the car is and that will usually lead you to understanding what you need to correct to be faster. |
| 04:20 | So in summary, the 5 common mistakes you want to pay attention to and work on avoiding are slowly building up brake pressure instead of being aggressive, over slowing the car on corner entry, trying to accelerate the car too early on the apex, applying an input multiple times instead of smoothly and only once and looking in all of the wrong places when you should be looking ahead at the next phase of the corner. |
