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Trying to cure my ignorance

1K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  ColdSRT 
#1 ·
I went to an SRT Track experience up at Texas Motor Speedway a few years ago. During my lap with the instructor he told me I was "driving too hard into the corners". What the heck does that mean and how do I stop doing whatever it is? I've been running straight line runs with cars all my life but I never had to turn while I was racing.

So at the time since my heart was going into over drive and I was hanging on for dear life as well as trying unsuccessfully trying to keep a maniacal grin off my face, I didn't ask him what the heck he meant. Now I'm planning on attending the Track Event just outside of Houston in May and I need to educate myself on this. Thanks for any advice.
 
#3 ·
It's possible since I was on the rear/minimum distance to the person in front of us :) I'm thinking he was commenting on the way I was entering the turn but I was hitting it at the cone they has placed at the optimal turn entry point so again in retrospect I'm a little bumfuzzled.
 
#6 ·
Then it beats the hell out of me unless you're being too extreme. You're supposed to be smooth in transitions to keep your suspension settled. In a race of any distance you'd have to preserve your brakes to make the distance.

*shrug*
 
#7 ·
Thanks Zoomin, It could be that I was simply taking the corner(s) too fast. I know the car [a 300 SRT8] felt like it was on the edge of breaking loose. But I was confident that I had a handle on that since these cars [in dry conditions] really telescope their intentions before breaking loose. That is, unlike the Vipers and some Mustangs I've driven. The poor guy prob thought I was going to put us in the dirt.
 
#8 ·
It really all depends on the car and track but overdriving the corners means you are bringing too much speed into the corner and it is slowing you down. It is hard to explain without a timer. If you have to slow way down to keep the car under control you basically erase all the time you gained by coming in to the corner faster. They have a saying around the track that we race legends cars at- "slow down to go faster". The best way for you to understand this is to time your laps and try braking earlier and later. You will get the hang of it.
 
#9 ·
Thanks ColdSRT, I'm beginning to think I was just being a little too aggressive. I was hauling and accelerating hard, then riding the brakes coming into the corner then beginning my turn and accelerating according to my feel of the car and track [but steadily] and then hammering it again once I exited the turn.

The instructor didn't comment on any of this other than the "you're driving it too hard into the corner" thing. I'm beginning to really look forward to grilling the instructors at the next Track Event and improving my driving.
 
#10 ·
Like I said the only way to get better is to practice. When I first started racing legends I had the same problem. I thought I was giving it all it had but if you are right on the ragged edge you are probably not going to be that fast. What is fast and what seems fast are different things. It is hard to grasp sometimes because it feels like you are going slower because you come in softer but you actually carry more speed out of the corner when you do it right.
 
#11 ·
Ask the instructor to use his hands in front of you to help in brake "clamping" and "unclamping". Sounds like there's alot of pedal thing going on while the steering wheel is in lock (maybe). Slamming (hammering as you put it) of the gas pedal will set off a training experience too, it's a must in braking though. Good luck.
 
#12 ·
I forgot to add that you should not feel ignorant. Some of the best veteran drivers in the worlds top series are occasionaly guilty of doing just what you describe. You have to take into account that the instuctor who was riding with you not only has made many passes in that exact car but he has also rode shotgun for many more runs. That means he has a huge advantage over you. Just getting caught up in the thrill of the moment can make you overdrive the corners. Drivin many different cars on the same stretch just makes dialing in for fast lap times even harder. Add in the short time you get with each and you really have the odds stacked against you. Did you have any of the cars you drove at the track? I think I would have a fair shot of at least knocking down a competiive time in a 300,charger/challenger and the jeep. I would probably not fair so well with the viper without some seat time. Even if the timer wasn't where I wanted it I bet you couldn't pull the smile off my face with a freightliner. :bigthumb: What you should do is try to get your car out on a track if at all possible and time get timed. You might have so much fun that you pick up road course racing. Not a terribly expensive form of racing and can be allot of fun. Then you can go show that instructor who the f$%#ing wheelman really is.
 
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