by Ross Bentley
Again, we come back to this compromise: Increase the radius of the turn and we can drive faster through the corner, but the more we alter the line toward a late turn-in/apex (a tighter radius early in the corner), the sooner we can begin accelerating and the faster we will be down the straightaway. Finding the ultimate compromise—the ideal line—for each turn on every track you race on is the challenge, one of the biggest challenges of race driving.
Some corners on a racetrack are more important than others. Fast lap times and winning races come from knowing where to go fast and where to go (relatively) slow. When learning any track, concentrate on learning the most important ones first.
PRIORITIZING CORNERS
There are three important reasons for prioritizing the various corners on a racetrack:
• When you are learning a track, it is difficult (if not impossible) to try to learn every corner all at once. It is much easier to work on one or two corners at a time, moving on to the next when you feel you are doing a good job with the first one(s). When you know which corners are most critical to your overall lap times, you can concentrate on getting them right first.
• There are times when you must compromise the car’s setup to suit one corner more than another. In this case, it is best to set up the car for the most important corners.
• Even when you know a racetrack well, you should constantly be trying to find some new or different approach to your driving technique that results in more speed. When doing that, sometimes you may have to compromise one turn’s speed for another. If you know which corners are most important, you know which ones can be compromised and which ones can’t.
There are two ways of looking at which corners on the track are the most important. The first is which corner is most beneficial to producing the quickest lap time; the second is which is the most challenging.
The old rule was the corner leading onto the longest straight was the most important in terms of your lap time. The new rule is that the most important corner on the track is the fastest one leading on to a long straight. After all, some tracks have straightaways of almost equal length; which, then, is the most important corner? And, even though a 40-mile-per-hour hairpin may lead onto a straight that is a little longer than another corner that can be taken at 80 miles per hour, improvement in the faster corner will result in the greatest gain in speed. It is not as simple as just determining which corner is followed by the longest straight.
SPEED SECRET
Focus on the most important corner first and the least important last.
The corner that is the most challenging or difficult is also a factor in determining the most important turn. Usually, the most difficult corner will give you your greatest improvement in lap time. Why? Simply because that is the corner that you are most likely to be farthest away from having “perfected.” And, of course, if it is challenging to you, it probably is to your competitors as well. That means that if you can perfect it, you will have gained the most on the drivers you are racing against.
When you analyze any track you will find that there are only three types of corners:
1. One that leads onto a straightaway
2. One that comes at the end of a straightaway
3. One that connects two other corners
Some people believe the most important corner, in terms of lap speed, is one that leads onto a straightaway; the next most important is one that comes at the end of a straight with little straight after; and the least important is a corner between corners. This way of prioritizing corners was really made popular by Alan Johnson in his 1971 book Driving in Competition.
The reasoning here is since it’s easier to pass on the straightaway, and on most racetracks you spend more time accelerating than you do cornering, it’s most important to maximize your straightaway speed to take advantage of all that time spent accelerating. The corner that leads onto a straight will determine your straightaway speed. If you don’t begin accelerating early, you will be slow on the straight.
ILLUSTRATION 10-1 Looking at this track map, which turn is the most important corner? Is it Turn 7, the one leading onto the longest straightaway? Or is it Turn 4, the fastest corner leading onto a long straightaway? Right, Turn 4. Which is the least important corner on the track? Probably Turn 2 or 3 because they don’t lead onto much of a straightaway.
ILLUSTRATION 10-2 Prior to going to a track, sit down and write out what the track’s corner priorities are, along with any other notes, thoughts, or ideas you may have about driving the track.
This way of analyzing and prioritizing types of corners is not a bad place to start, but if you want to win, there is more to it than this.
SPEED SECRET
Before you can win, you have to learn where to go fast.
There is far more to gain or lose in a track’s fast turns than in the slow turns. In fast corners, since your car has less acceleration capabilities, it is much more difficult to make up for the loss of even 1 mile per hour than it is in slow turns.
Let’s look at an example, comparing a slow turn—one usually taken at around 50 miles per hour—and a fast turn taken at around 120 miles per hour. If you make an error and lose 5 miles per hour in the slow turn, it is relatively easy for your car to accelerate from 45 to 50 miles per hour. But your car will not accelerate from 115 to 120 miles per hour as quickly.
ILLUSTRATION 10-3 Based on the type and speed of corners and lengths of straightaways, this map prioritizes the corners at Road Atlanta. Prioritizing corners at each track you race tells you which ones you should concentrate on first, and most, regarding your driving and the car’s setup.
Another reason the fastest corners are the most important is that many drivers are intimidated by them. Plus, in most cases, the slow corners are the easiest to learn. The sooner you perfect the fast corners, the sooner you will have an advantage over your competition.
So, the most important corner is the fastest corner that leads onto a straightaway. The second most important is the next fastest that leads onto a straight, and so on down to the slowest corner that leads onto a straight.
Your next priority is the corners at the end of straightaways, which do not have a useable straight after it. Again, start with the fastest corners and work on down to the slowest.
Finally, concentrate on your speed through the corners that link other corners together.
Analyze where your car works best, as it will handle better in some types of corners than in others. It’s a compromise deciding whether or not to change the car to suit a more important corner. Again, the priority should be to work at making the car handle well for the fastest corners leading onto straightaways.
SPEED SECRET
The most important corner is the fastest one leading onto a straightaway.
The ideal line in a corner that leads onto a straightaway (Illustration 11-1) is one with a late apex, approximately two-thirds of the way through the corner. This allows you to accelerate very early in the corner.
ILLUSTRATION 11-1 To drive a corner that leads onto a straightaway, your priority is the exit speed onto the following straightaway. This means a relatively late turn-in and apex (approximately two-thirds of the way through the turn), early acceleration, and using all the track surface at the exit. Given relatively equal cars, the driver who begins accelerating first will be fastest on the straightaway.
In any turn leading onto a straight it is best to brake early, get the car well balanced as you turn in and then accelerate hard onto the straight.
When a straight leads into a corner that is not followed by a useable straight—one that is long enough to allow passing or being passed (Illustration 11-2)—an early apex is used. Why? Well, since there is not a lot to be gained on the exit of the turn, you want to maximize the benefit of your entrance straight speed. In other words, sacrifice the corner’s exit speed to maintain the straightaway speed for as long as possible. To do this, brake as late as possible, take an early apex, continue braking i
nto the turn and position the car for whatever comes after this corner.
ILLUSTRATION 11-2 Your goal in a corner at the end of a straightaway that does not lead onto another straightaway is to make the preceding straight as long as possible by braking into the turn. Once you’re past the apex and you have slowed down the car enough, then tighten the radius and head toward the exit point.
Now, I’m sure you’re saying, “Well, lots of corners at the end of a straight also lead onto a straight.” You’re right. When this is the case, drive them like a corner leading onto a straight, taking a late apex. Again, straightaway speed is of utmost importance. A corner leading onto a straightaway always has priority over one at the end of a straight. That is why you won’t experience many of these types of corners. They do exist, however, and it’s important to recognize them and know how to deal with them when you do come across them.
The last type of corner is the compound curve, where two or more turns are linked together, such as esse bends (Illustration 11-3). The rule here is to get set up for the last curve that leads onto a straightaway. Drive this last corner like you would any corner leading onto a straight, with a late apex. The first curves in the series are unimportant and must be used to get set up for the last one. Try to get into a smooth gentle rhythm in this series of turns.
Any time you have a succession of corners, your main concern should be the last turn. Again, concentrate on carrying good speed out onto the straightaway. Drive the corners in such a way as to maximize your performance through the final corner leading to the straight.
ILLUSTRATION 11-3 When dealing with a corner that links two other corners, your main concern is your exit speed onto the ensuing straight. That often means sacrificing the line through the “linking” turn to maximize speed through the previous and following corners.
CORNERING SPEED
Don’t you wish there was a magic formula to figure out what the optimum speed was for each car and corner combination? There is. The tire companies, Formula One, and some Indy-car teams use a sophisticated computer-simulation program to determine tire compounding and construction and chassis setups based on cornering speed. After plugging in hundreds of variables about the car and track, the computer will determine the exact theoretical speed at which the car will be at the limit. What’s interesting is that a good driver can usually go faster than the computer says is possible. So it’s still up to us to figure out what speed we can drive each particular turn of the track.
Using a very simple mathematical formula, however, and knowing some basic information (radius of the turn and coefficient of friction between the tire and the track surface, and assuming an unbanked track), you can calculate the approximate theoretical maximum cornering speed through a turn. Obviously, this is of little “real world” value. How could you ever drive through a corner while accurately monitoring your speed? What this mathematical exercise can do, though, is point out an important point.
For example, let’s look at a 90-degree right-hander that has a theoretical maximum cornering speed of 80 miles per hour. By not using all the track surface—entering the corner 1 foot away from the edge of the track, and exiting 1 foot away—you have reduced the radius of the turn to the point where the theoretical maximum speed is now slower, just over 79 miles per hour. Even though that’s only a little more than a 1 percent decrease in speed, 1 percent of a 1-minute lap time is more than half a second. That’s a lot time to waste by simply not using all the road!
What this demonstrates is the extreme importance of using every little bit of track surface available and just how critical the ideal line is to your cornering speed.
Combined with a precise line through a corner, you must develop a delicate sense of traction and speed, as this is what ultimately determines your cornering speed. But remember: Increasing your radius through a corner effectively increases the speed you can carry, and vice versa.
WINNING PRIORITIES
Looking at what separates the winners from the losers gives us a guideline as to how to approach learning to drive at the limit:
• What separates the winning novice racer from the losing novice? The line, choosing the ideal line on a consistent basis.
• What separates the winning club racer from the losing club racer? The acceleration phase of the corner, how early and hard they get on the power.
• What separates the winning pro racers from the losing pros? Corner-entry speed, how quickly they can make the car enter the turn without delaying the acceleration phase.
• What separates the greats from the rest? Midcorner speed, how much speed they carry through the middle of turn.
Now, before you get any ideas about trying to carry blazing speed through the middle of every corner, realize that the greats became great only after perfecting the line, the acceleration phase, and the corner-entry speed. What this demonstrates is a priority list of how to drive at the limit and hopefully become a great race driver.
Before you can consistently drive at the limit, you need to know the track well. That doesn’t just mean knowing which direction each corner goes, although that’s part of it. It really involves knowing every last detail about the track. With some tracks, that may take a long time. Others are much simpler, taking little time to learn.
When “reading” the track, think about the track surface (asphalt or concrete types, bumps, curbs, and so on), turn radius (decreasing, increasing, constant, tight, large, and so on), road camber (banking: positive, negative, or even), elevation changes (uphill, downhill, and hillcrests), and the length of the straightaways (short or long).
On a track that is new to you, drive all corners with a late apex at first. This will allow you a little extra room on the exit if you find the turn is a little tighter than you thought. Then, with each lap, move the apex earlier and earlier in the turn until you are beginning to run out of track on the exit. Then go back to where you could accelerate out of the corner and still stay on the track. That’s the ideal apex.
The banking of a turn may be one of the most critical factors you need to consider. Earlier, I said the radius of a turn determines your speed through it. Well, the radius of the turn may not be as important as its banking in terms of cornering speed.
When driving a positive banked corner, try to get into the banking as soon as possible and stay in it as long as possible. This probably means turning in a little earlier than would be normal if it were not banked. Many drivers underestimate the additional traction resulting from a banked corner. Use the banking to your advantage.
With off-camber (negative-banking) corners, set up so that you are in the off-camber section for as short a time as possible. Also, the banking may vary from the top of the track to the bottom, so look at the track closely. Banking may not be noticed while driving through a corner. That is why it is important to walk a track, making note of the detail changes.
Watch for the uphill and downhill sections of the track. They will have a great effect on the traction limit of the car. You want to use these elevation changes to your advantage and minimize their disadvantages. Just remember, a car going uphill has better traction than one going downhill, as the forward motion of the car tends to push it into the track surface, increasing the vertical load on all four tires. Your goal is to do as much braking, turning, and accelerating as possible on the uphill sections, and as little as possible on the downhill portions.
Make note of pavement changes, especially in the middle of a corner. You may want to alter your line to take advantage, or lessen the disadvantage, of where there is maximum grip. You want to make most of your turn on the grippiest pavement and then run straight on the less-grippy pavement.
After cars have run on a track for any length of time, an accumulation of bits of rubber from the tires, stones, and dust will end up just outside of the ideal line. This is called “the marbles,” because it’s much like driving on marbles. It can be very slippery. Try to stay out of this area. If, because you moved off line t
o let another car pass, you had to drive through the marbles, your tires will pick up some of these bits of rubber and stones. They will not have much grip when you get to the next corner. Be careful. Usually, they will clean off once you’ve driven through one or two turns again.
WALKING THE TRACK
Walking the track is a useful technique in learning to drive it quickly. Many drivers do this, although they make the mistake of turning it into a major social event, walking among a large group of friends. Without wanting to take away some of the fun, I would suggest you will learn and remember the track a lot better if you walk it by yourself, or possibly with one other driver who will give you a few tips or suggestions. Remember, also, to walk the track exactly in line with where you are going to see it from: the driver’s seat. Even squat down to see elevation and asphalt changes and how the track looks from the height of your driving position.
Once you’ve driven a number of tracks, it gets easier. Every time you go to a new track, a corner will remind you of one from another track. You then take that information and apply it to the new corner. This is where experience really pays off.
Learning the track means recognizing and placing in your mind every tiny mark, bump, color change, and shape of every inch of the track. The bigger your database of reference points, the better you have learned the track. Shutterstock