Passing a higher HP/wt. car with same lap times

Sterling Doc · #1 10-12-2007, 11:15 AM

At last Monday's Autobahn full track event, I registered in Supercup (SP3) as there was only one other 944 racing there (some in HPPE groups), and it was a Turbo in SuperCup driven by Ed Hazelton (nice guy!). He weighed 3,200lbs, was on Hoosiers. I weighed just under 2,600 lbs, and was on Hankooks. Our best lap times were less than 2 10ths apart. I could outbrake, and out corner Ed, but he would gain 1-4 carlengths on the straight, depending on how long it was. I found it very difficult to pass, as I could not get close enough to try an outbraking maneuver. Once I finally found a combination of corners that I could get by Ed late in the race, he drove right back up beside me in the next straight. I locked up the brakes, and he got by again. In the end, I was able to catch up agian, but only got by because Ed finally overheated his Hoosiers and spun. It's just harder to defend a straight than a corner!

Any strategies/thoughts on how to get by a higher HP car thats turning similar lap times? Unfortunately, I did not have the video running. Lap times can be seen at www.Mylaps.com - look for NASA's Autobahn event.

JimLill · #2 10-12-2007, 11:44 AM

Get him to use up his car first....... rather than trying to pass him, make him work hard defending the corners.... be patient so that when you make the pass, he doesn't have enough time left to get the spot back.

Sterling Doc · #3 10-12-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimLill

Get him to use up his car first....... rather than trying to pass him, make him work hard defending the corners.... be patient so that when you make the pass, he doesn't have enough time left to get the spot back.

It's hard to learn patience as a racer, but you're right, I'm finding it's important. I was hoping he'd do in his Hoosiers with his heavy car, and he did, but it took about 8 laps. Fortunately it was a 30 race" - about 10 laps!

f1rocks · #4 10-12-2007, 08:16 PM

Fast Eddie Hazleton is a pretty good hot shoe too. He had the Brainerd track record for PCA F class time trials for a long time, may still have it. Glad to see he's still out there hoofing the Turbos.

He was the one that wadded that Red turbo in the Brainerd Final Fling thread

jstecher · #5 10-13-2007, 11:59 AM

Speaking from limited experience here in real cars racing but a good deal of gokarting (with me being way bigger than my competition) back in highschool as well as "non-competitive" indoor stuff now. Also just my thoughts on how I would approach it so take it with a grain of salt.

(1) Dive bomb...seems to be fairly standard practice watch the 944 vids I have seen that this is an acceptable way of passing others so might as well use it to the advantage. Obviously being lighter and slower coming into the braking zone you can brake deeper and take away the line. Personally I don't like this technique but it works in gokarts and it works in real racing. I would say be prepared to fix a lot of fenders and have other drivers not like you.

(2) Wear out the other cars tires. Push the faster car hard in the turns and any place you can legitimately close up. Braking zones are huge to do this in I would think as you can break so much deeper being lighter. Close up and then push them out of the turn hard. In most cases it will cause them to get on a the gas a little harder on the way out and cook off some tires. Also if you can push then hard in the turns you can cause them to cook off tires all the while saving yours because your lighter.

(3) Use traffic effectively. There were numerous cases when someone would walk away from me and I would catch them because they got wrapped up in others battles. I can't really explain what to do but there are cases in turns where you can jam the faster car behind the slower ones and make a ambitious move around all three or more cars. Worked well in gokarting...havent tried it in a real car yet.

(4) Understand the track and plan your moves. Lots of times in a lower HP car you can get on quarter panel of a car on the inside coming out of a turn as tires cook off (you just need to later apex/sling shot approach). If the track plays to your hands the next turn then is in the same direction and you have a mildly nice position. Since the other car is heavier you can brake later and possibly take away the line. The other drive will have to check up in most cases giving you the ability to hopefully stay ahead.

In most cases really I think its luck and creating your luck by pushing the other driver hard. I know that I was never able to pull up and pass anyone in the carts at the end of a straight, but if you pushed them hard you could usually get them exiting a turn or under braking as they ran long. Once again just my two cents man.

JimLill · #6 10-13-2007, 12:06 PM

I agree with John........ if in a race, where the idea is to stay ahead after the pass, the wait strategy is critical.........

Sterling Doc · #7 10-13-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimLill

I agree with John........ if in a race, where the idea is to stay ahead after the pass, the wait strategy is critical.........

Thanks for the tips, I'll work with them. I need to get a timer, logger, or radio in the car, so I know how much time is left. Towards the end of the race I was just praying the white flag wouldn't come out before I got my chance. I did have some fun presenting for a pass I the parts of the track I was faster, even when I knew I couldn't make a pass, it kept Ed driving more in his mirrors. Of course, too much of this, and you slow yourself down.