The acceleration zone
To achieve your best performance on the track, it’s crucial to maintain either acceleration or braking throughout the straights. Any instance of lifting (coasting) can cost you tenths, if not whole seconds. Aim to accelerate continuously up to the braking zone, using Wide Open Throttle (WOT) until the very last moment.
Pedal Transition
Immediately before braking, there is a short period of time as you come off the throttle and apply the brake with your right foot.
- Left foot breaking can also be used but this is a more advanced technique that will be covered in another article.
Braking Zone
The braking zone is not just full on the brakes… this will result in lock up and could cause you to overshoot the corner. We need to divide the breaking zone into three actions.
1. Apply light pressure to settle the car and transfer weight to the front which will compress the front springs and increase your front grip.
2. Use progressive input pressure to maximum braking force.
3. Feather (blip) the pressure off before entering into the corner. Make sure to use subtle brake force into the turn if trail braking.
All of these inputs should be smooth, fluid, and considered… like a dance. If you are standing on brake pedal, you’re doing it wrong. Braking a car is one of the most intense forces to the car and there is serious potential that you can upset the overall balance as loads shift on all axes.
Because of the large amount of weight transfer from aft to bow of the car, it is very possible that you may lock your tires (or activate ABS, depending), as long as you are traveling in a straight line this should not carry any negative effects. Make sure that you are off of the brakes or have reduced braking to a minimum before the turn-in. The more you learn the track, and the warmer your tires are, you’ll find that you will be able to exit the braking point later and later.
Trail braking
Please have a look at this article about trail braking.
When to use trail braking?
If you have a car which is prone to understeer when turning into a corner.
If you have a car which naturally has a tendency to understeer, feathering the brake into a corner will maintain a forward weight transfer and can provide additional grip at the front wheels. This can sometimes allow a faster cornering entry, but the success rate depends on the setup of your car.
If you have accidentally left your braking too late and need to further reduce speed to be able to take a corner.
If you find you have entered into a corner too fast and feel that there is a risk you might not be able to remain on the track, trail braking can help. Remember though that the less braking you can get away with mid-corner the better. So only use as much braking as you absolutely need to — this will leave you with greater reserves of grip which can be used to keep you on the track while cornering. This technique should be treated as a method of recovery rather than a matter of habit.
If you have perfected the racing line and the phases of cornering and are looking to further improve lap times
Once you have cornering down to a fine art, trail braking is a method of further improving your lap times. When performing this technique at speed, it’s important to remember that the majority of the braking should still be completed in a straight line. However to squeeze every last ounce of performance from your car, you can start to leave your braking point slightly later and continue to use the brakes in the corner prior to the apex. Before you turn in, progressively start to lift off the brakes until they are fully released at the apex and ready for the acceleration phase. Some cars do not react well to trail braking, especially those prone to lift off oversteer — although there will be more grip available at the front wheels while trail braking, the rear will be more prone to break loose. Beware!
Gear Change
Before you turn into the corner you’ll usually need to downshift. The golden rule here is to select a gear which will allow you to accelerate out of the bend efficiently. Heel and toe shifting can be a useful technique to master here as it allows you to brake and downshift simultaneously while avoiding shock to the transmission which can unbalance the car and cause unwanted weight transfers.
Turn-in
When it comes to steering input, treat it the same as you do with your braking attitude. Don’t just yank the wheel and bring the car in, instead start with a very subtle “pre-steer” for a fraction of a second to let the car settle into the new attitude before you perform the main turn in action. Steering and braking need to work as one — having both of these element’s work in harmony is how the pros do it.
Trying to achieve the perfect corner involves tightening the steering until the apex and then gradually unwinding the steering lock. If you are fighting the car with corrective inputs to improve the steering lock through the corner after the turn-in, you are on the wrong line.
Neutral throttle
Demanded tire grip is going to occur between your turn-in point and the apex. Facts is facts. At this point in the turn, it is of the upmost priority to not place any additional demands on the tires. You can hold a constant speed, but most importantly the car is in a neutral state until after the apex. It is during this time that the risk of oversteer/understeer is the greatest.
Clipping the apex
One thing not to over concern yourself with is cutting the corner of the apex. Weight transfer is happening to the outside wheels and they are providing most of the grip. Positioning the front wheels to ride the curb or even slightly into the runoff area should not pose much of a threat.
Post apex acceleration
As you enter the apex, you should start reducing your amount of steering lock. While doing this, at the same time you want to progressively increase your throttle until the point of WOT. Dependent on your car, you may be able to open the throttle to max. This comes down to your car, the severity of the corner, and track conditions.
Looking ahead
You should already be engaged into focusing on the next corner. You want optimum position that will allow you to use the racing line efficiently. At times, this may result in taking a different route into the first corner, compromising your attack angle but setting you up for the turn ahead. A compromised line is not always a bad thing.
Cornering speed and you
The speed at which you can attack a corner depends on a vast majority of variables. This can include your experience, how your car handles, and overall track conditions. For example, a turn with a beneficial camber can dramatically increase the speed that can be sustained. It’s really important not to second guess cornering speeds but build up the pace gradually lap by lap until you feel the limits of grip approaching.
Additional note
Everything above relies on your personal driving stye and the car you are running. For cars with a higher horsepower and torque, you cannot tap into all of that power until the car is in a straight line and balanced. Every car is different and will act in different ways. Keep your wits about you and spend plenty of time practicing.