Mr Fox
03-12-2008, 08:21 AM
The Basic Racing Line
On the server last night i was driving around with someone that was wanting to improve there laptimes, i could see straight away that he wasnt hitting his appex and how critical it is in racing. These cars really make you suffer if you dont get good corner exit speed. He couldnt brake any later and unfortunatley thats where drivers think that they can pick up time but often has quite the opposite effect. Once out of shape entering a corner it can become quite hard to re-focus and complete the corner smoothley. It gets even worse in heavey traffic :) You must think the whole time smooth smooth smooth.
The aim at least for most drivers is to get around the track in the shortest possible amount of time. To do so we have to keep the fastest average speed possible throughout the track. Down the straights it is simple – just hammer the throttle and hold on. In the corners it gets more complicated.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a198/glen73/basic_line.jpg
The simple rule to the racing line is to go out-in-out. You should be on the very outside edge of the track when you’re approaching a corner. You then turn into the corner and hit the apex on the inside of the corner. The apex is a term for the part where you “clip” the inside part of the track. You then go out again to the very edge of the track. If you aren’t using all of the track you’re losing time.Watch a formula one race and you’ll notice that in most corners the drivers are at the white line on the entry, they then hit the curb on the inside, and then go to the very outside edge of the track again often over a curb. Watching motorsports on tv in general is good for having a look at the racing line. Pay attention to how well drivers use all of the track.The line you take determines the speed that you can drive through the corner. If for example you drive on the very inside edge of the track your distance traveled will be shorter, but because you’re driving along a much tighter arc you have to drive a lot slower.
The key to going fast when you’re starting out is to go slow-in, and fast-out of corners. What this means is that you should focus your attention on getting a fast exit out of the corner so that you can carry that speed along the next straight and don’t spend time accelerating from a slow speed. Brake hard but don’t think that attacking the corner entry will be fast.
You should have the car very stable when you’re entering the corner and you should be able to get back on the throttle almost immediately after you’ve started to turn the steering wheel. To ensure a fast exit you can sacrifice your entry speed a little by taking care to keep the car well under control to allow for a rocket exit. If you know this and your friends don’t you’ll have them complaining that they catch you entering the corners yet you fly away down the straight! They’ll blame it on the car but you’ll know the real reason.
Heading onto the track, relax!
When you’ve gotten in the car and are heading for the track just remember the driving advice above and relax. Take the out-lap and the first few laps nice and easy to familiarize yourself with the car and the track. Then start increasing speed little-by-little. Don’t think about attacking the track - think smooth, smooth, smooth and just let the times come to you.
Very often a new driver notices that their first lap was their fastest - because they weren’t pushing yet. Once they started attacking they started to lose time even though they thought they were going faster.Your entire body should remain relaxed - sit upright and drive by looking where you want to go and let your eyes do the steering rather than having a forced feeling to it. Be comfortable, smooth, relaxed, and remember these two: “out-in-out,” and “slow-in, fast-out.” Get those sorted and you’re already well on your way to beating RPO at the track.
On the server last night i was driving around with someone that was wanting to improve there laptimes, i could see straight away that he wasnt hitting his appex and how critical it is in racing. These cars really make you suffer if you dont get good corner exit speed. He couldnt brake any later and unfortunatley thats where drivers think that they can pick up time but often has quite the opposite effect. Once out of shape entering a corner it can become quite hard to re-focus and complete the corner smoothley. It gets even worse in heavey traffic :) You must think the whole time smooth smooth smooth.
The aim at least for most drivers is to get around the track in the shortest possible amount of time. To do so we have to keep the fastest average speed possible throughout the track. Down the straights it is simple – just hammer the throttle and hold on. In the corners it gets more complicated.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a198/glen73/basic_line.jpg
The simple rule to the racing line is to go out-in-out. You should be on the very outside edge of the track when you’re approaching a corner. You then turn into the corner and hit the apex on the inside of the corner. The apex is a term for the part where you “clip” the inside part of the track. You then go out again to the very edge of the track. If you aren’t using all of the track you’re losing time.Watch a formula one race and you’ll notice that in most corners the drivers are at the white line on the entry, they then hit the curb on the inside, and then go to the very outside edge of the track again often over a curb. Watching motorsports on tv in general is good for having a look at the racing line. Pay attention to how well drivers use all of the track.The line you take determines the speed that you can drive through the corner. If for example you drive on the very inside edge of the track your distance traveled will be shorter, but because you’re driving along a much tighter arc you have to drive a lot slower.
The key to going fast when you’re starting out is to go slow-in, and fast-out of corners. What this means is that you should focus your attention on getting a fast exit out of the corner so that you can carry that speed along the next straight and don’t spend time accelerating from a slow speed. Brake hard but don’t think that attacking the corner entry will be fast.
You should have the car very stable when you’re entering the corner and you should be able to get back on the throttle almost immediately after you’ve started to turn the steering wheel. To ensure a fast exit you can sacrifice your entry speed a little by taking care to keep the car well under control to allow for a rocket exit. If you know this and your friends don’t you’ll have them complaining that they catch you entering the corners yet you fly away down the straight! They’ll blame it on the car but you’ll know the real reason.
Heading onto the track, relax!
When you’ve gotten in the car and are heading for the track just remember the driving advice above and relax. Take the out-lap and the first few laps nice and easy to familiarize yourself with the car and the track. Then start increasing speed little-by-little. Don’t think about attacking the track - think smooth, smooth, smooth and just let the times come to you.
Very often a new driver notices that their first lap was their fastest - because they weren’t pushing yet. Once they started attacking they started to lose time even though they thought they were going faster.Your entire body should remain relaxed - sit upright and drive by looking where you want to go and let your eyes do the steering rather than having a forced feeling to it. Be comfortable, smooth, relaxed, and remember these two: “out-in-out,” and “slow-in, fast-out.” Get those sorted and you’re already well on your way to beating RPO at the track.