Race driving guideFrom TrackpediaWant to race? Good. Start reading, than! Advanced motoring is not about simply driving brutally fast through tracks and corners. It's about percision driving. In performance driving, every little aspect of driving has to be refined to maximal efficiency, and than put toghether with all other elements in balance, with the three basic creteria of such drivingbeing: smoothness, decisiveness and accuracy. All inputs must be carried out smoothly yet quickly, and just as nessecary. Out of these three, smoothness takes priority, but only with accuracy and decisive actions will you achieve a good result. Nothing save proper practice will help, but if you be patient and read through this whole guide and practice the methods and guidelines through it, you are sure to make better hotlaps. This guide in fully comprehensive. It's recommended to start with a simpler, basic guide beforehand. Note that there might be inconsistencies between the guides. This guide, however, incorporates the best, latest techniques from worldwide race tracks. It might be hard to be consistent in reading and/or understanding, and you are bound to forget much at the first time, so read in order, and than read again and again, in intervals of time until everything is sorted out. The best way to learn any of the following chapters is to first read the intro and look over the whole page quickly, and than making a through reading (possibly with pauses or rehearsals as nessecary, and read important portions out laud). Once you feel you got a certain subject understood (including at least part of the additional reading material and videos), you can take a notepad or open a Word document, and write a short summary of your own to the subject. After finishing two or three chapters this way, begin an overlapped study pattern. I.E. Go over your own summary of the former articles before moving on to the next. When you are about to embark on the next article, again rehearse all summaries to that point. Each article also includes "trails" which include self-made demonstrations, obligations for the reader to make and actual driving chores for him to do. Do it shortly after you get the material of the article sorted out in your mind. A note on driving as a concept Many people think about driving as speed and of "good" driving as fast. Others think in terms of safety, and of "good" driving as either being slow, attentive or simply not being involved in accidents. Others prefer smooth or comfortable driving, etcetra. As for you, have you never thought of driving as something "more"? Is there nothing more to high-performance driving than just fast? The truelly good driver distinguishes himself from all of those by talking in terms of "Effective driving", which is a concept that involves all the aspects of speed, safety, comfort, milleage. As drivers on the road or on the track, the techniques and the essence of "Effective driving" is own goal, and fast or "safe" are by-products of it. If you talk about effective or "professional" driving as a concept, as ART or as a value, than you have made the first and most important step to becoming a serious driver, even simply on the road! Drive good and invest thought and effort into every trivial aspect of driving, just to get it right, just to get it the way it should be done (and there is such a way), to do it like the pros do. They are the true artists. This will carry much greater an impact on people watching you, than the sloppy pose that says: "Driving is nothing for me". Instead, built a model of admiration and professionalism. Encourage yourself that you are not driving badly, but do not overboost your confidence by thinking you "drive good". You should always look for places for improvement. Know the difference (which appears slim to ameatures) between something that "works" and something that gets the job done optimally or near-optimum. Drive effectivelly in order to drive effectivelly. Use the model for "ëffective driving" as your menifest in driving, according to which you judge your driving and the driving of others. Beware of people who disgrace this important value, that drive in a certain way merely according to "habits" that they are reluctant to change, because it manages, by luck, supreme intervention or the skill of those around them, to get from A to B safetly or quickely, not wondering or carring even it could be done "faster" or "safer" than it is. Have a question, comment or suggestion? You can go to our dissucssion forums or contact the author below.
Preparing for the raceSafety at the trackMotorsport and performance driving might not be as dangerous as you think, because of the presence of driving skills, safety measures and rules. However, due to speed and physical forces involved, it's important to comprehend the dangers of motorsport and safety at the track. Car modificationsHow to make your car be fit for high-performance racing: Suspension, tires, brakes, etc... Note: You might prefer to go over this after learning to control a race car and study driving techniques. Driving PreperationsHow to prepare man and machine for a motoring event. This includes mental planning and preperation, mechanical check-up and driving mentality during the race itself. Practice sessionsHow to make the most out of practice sessions and laps and improve personal performance. Track rulesIf you are a true newbie, you are ought to learn the rules of the track, if you want to race on it. Seating positionSeat upright and generally close to the wheel, about one, possibly two, steps of the seat closer than you would on the road. Too close means you have a truble in operating the wheel. Too far means you are not controlling the car efficiently. Learn to position yourself accuratly to control and handle the car accordingly. Car controlGripGrip generates adhesion. Adhension generates steering, acceleration and braking, and is divided between the three operations. You must learn the concept of grip and adhension, and learn how to effect both in order to maximize them. SteeringUse the correct steering technique, pulling the wheel with the hand in the direction of the corner towards 9 or 3 O'Clock. BrakingA car can brake faster than it can steer or accelerate. Braking should therefore by smooth by application. However, braking should be quick, to enable the car to slow down effectively and quickly in small spaces, normally before cornering. Many drivers, even racers, fear the brakes needlessly. -Techniques: Rev-matchingHow to downshift smoothly before a corner. -Techniques: ShiftingShifting gears in high performance driving must be done smoothly but quickly for the sake of speed and gearbox integrity. Car skidding
Visual fieldOne of the things that will perfect smooth control over all of these fields is the eyes and where they are looking. Driving techniquesStart LaunchThe driver must learn the fine art of accelerating off of the line and into the track as fast as possible. Fast drivingHow to drive as fast as possible CorneringThe line the driver has to follow through the corners is the most important part of racing on tracks. The driver must learn how to incorprate the racing line into the winding track. PassingHow to beat your opponents in traffic. OtherJumpsHow to get across jumps and crests quickly and safely. DriftA method of getting the car sideways while cornering or even spin round. This is advised for grip racers too. Handbrake turnThe skill of using the "oversteer bar" to get the car around the tightest corners in a Rally stage or Auto-X. Apel contra ApelA group of methods of further upsetting the more stable cars in slippery racing. J-TurnHow to end up opposite to where you was heading. This method is usefull for stunt driving and some autocrossing. DonutsHow to celebrate your fast lap by making cookies of rubber and smoke in a rear-wheel drive. Racing EncyclopediaThe Trackpedia Racing Encyclopedia, for various racing concepts.
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