Technique Talk #6: Experimentation

[rslonaker]

Tips for Improving

If you reached the point where you are pretty comfortable with your driving and are able to do some reasonably consistent times and have reasonably accurate lines, next time at the track, start to intentionally experiment with different lines and techniques. Too many drivers get into the pattern of being over instructed and forget that they can do some thinking for themselves. Once you reach a stage where you feel that most of your inputs are intentional and you have a pretty good handle on what you are doing, don’t be afraid to challenge the conventional wisdom. Just like when your mom told you not to ride your bike with no hands because you might fall and hurt yourself, you had to go and try it and quite possibly you fell and hurt yourself. But it is this innate ability we have to question, and ask “why”, that many of us forget and just take what is told to us as the only way to do it. If for no other reason, experimenting will answer “why” by showing the other ways don’t work. The answer to a question always sticks best when you answer it yourself.

What I am trying to say is, once you get comfortable enough with your driving that you begin to really feel like you are in control, then don’t forget to do some thinking on your own. If you are wondering why no one ever early apexes the Left Hander at Lime Rock, go back and do it and see why. You probably haven’t seen that part of the track since one of your first days on track and you probably forgot about what if felt like, if you even knew what you were looking at back then. See how it affects your exit speed off turn four and compare it to the conventionally accepted approach of the late apex compromise.

Another good reason to experiment with “off line” driving is if you have any racing plans in your future, then knowing what every part of the track looks like, how to get yourself back on line quickly and the fact that you may not even be able to see “the line” for the first few laps of a race, makes it well worth the time experimenting.

The biggest thing is, don’t just become a robot mindlessly hitting your marks. Pay attention, think about why and keep your mind focused and thinking.

[cdh]

Thanks Rob, these are great. There is now a link in Rob's signature that takes you to his instructor profile where you can find his articles archived. They will continue to be linked there as new ones are posted.

[GEORGE]

Thanks again Rob. I always read your threads first and each time you suggest something I am always amazed at how simple the suggestion and it clicks. I get the usual "Why didn't I think of that?"

[rslonaker]

Thanks George,
Glad to be helpful.

[Slowhands]

Rob--

Thank you for taking the trouble to post these teaching points. I haven't had time to go through all the threads, but I hope to later this week.

I think this one in particular is great. Especially when you say that it is easy to get in the habit of just following all the instruction you get mechanically, without analyzing how appropriate it might be for one's level and/or driving style. Since everyone has their own style, and since there are sometimes as many different ways through a corner as there are instructors asssigned to it in the course of 3 days, I have found that one particular person's feedback may be easier to integrate into my style or level of ability than someone else's. So it's great to hear you suggest experimentation, as we can get the impression that this is discouraged since many of us are still relatively inexperienced.

It is interesting that I was able to begin experimenting after being taught how to "read" car balance at different points in the corner by you and Bobo at the Masters Invitational at the Glen. This finally gave me objective feedback with which to judge the effect of a change in line, brake point, etc, besides just tach readings.

Also a good point about driving on different parts of the track. The outside of Turn 8 at mid-O is a great example-- it was MUCH slipperier than the normal line, which some people found out by getting sideways during the race, especially in the early laps when it was side by side through there --almost happened to me twice!

[GT-Subject]

Hey Rob - You mean like 3rd gear at Canidiot corner at RA? Thanks for the tip - much to some instructors dismay. I am looking froward to more expermental ideas when we get together at Mont Tremblant.

[Slowhands]

Hi Rob--

Read this thread again right before RA and decided to put your suggestions into practice. The result was that I learned more in those 4 days than I have in a very long time. Experimented with lots of things-- hand speed, aggressiveness of turn-in and turn-in points, different styles of braking and brake-turning, entry speed, where to go to the gas, different places to pass. Got in the habit of checking my tach at the exit of every corner to decide what worked and what didn't. Pushed the limit as far as I ever have in a car and survived (ok, so maybe that pass into the Kink wasn't the best idea, but I wanted to try it, I had the run, and now I know how it feels, might even do it again ) . Although it made my driving pretty ragged, I wanted to know what it feels like just on the other side of limit, before you lose the car, both on the brakes and on the gas, while there was still a chance of control. Believe it or not, I think its going to help my driving in the long run.


See you in Atlanta.

[rslonaker]

Harsha and Paul,
Glad I could help and make a difference. One of the best aspects of this job is the instant gratification of knowing you have helped someone. Fun to see the progress and looking forward to more.
Thanks,
Rob

[GEORGE]

Here's to experimentation!!! But also, here is to getting comfortable in the car.
When I went to LRP last weekend (July 4th) I was excited to get in the school cars again. The R/T is a fun car but I was always worried that the car would get away from me and I wouldn't be able to catch it! Each time I spun in that car, I had a hard time learning WHEN the pause would happen and correcting accordingly. I almost wish we could take those cars out on the skid pad each race weekend to re learn the grip limits in a controlled environment. But that is just my limited racing schedule coming to bear.
However, Taking the School car out on Friday was a BLAST! The street radials have very little grip (must be those 100,000 mile treadlife units) and the light little car has very little side bite. Drifting into the turns and rotating the car was a fantastic exercise in car control.
So as my comfort level rose so did my EXPERIMENTATION. I started to feel as though I could handle the limits of the slide. I could instinctivly feel the pause and feed in throttle or reverse lock as needed. At on point I actually took the lefthander listening to the tire pitch as the howled and tried to keep the pitch at the same level throughout the full turn!! I even missed the racing line once in an effort to keep the pitch in tune. I had built up enough confidence in my driving (in this car) to know I could catch this car. I was experimenting with brake release, trail braking, throttle application.even the dreaded tt oversteer. I could catch them with newfound confidence.
Now I have a question for ROB. Can I translate this confidence back to the R/T or am I forever to be only a school car fanatic with no real ability beyond the go cart fun of a school car? I loved your feedback from your vantage at the lefthander but when we talked I was still on that speed high that I rode on after the second session. I have now had a chance to think about that session. I now realize that my EXPERIMENTATION was caused by my COMFORT in the car. I knew I passed that BRAKE,Release, Turn in, power, apex, track out, focus. I was really FEELING the car and trying different lines and inputs. Will this continue as I move back to the R/T? Will the confidence I have now, continue into the faster car?
And this, my friends, is my CRUSHING WORD COUNT of what floats around in my brain on a warm afternoon.

[Slowhands]

Originally Posted by GEORGE

So as my comfort level rose so did my EXPERIMENTATION. I started to feel as though I could handle the limits of the slide. I could instinctivly feel the pause and feed in throttle or reverse lock as needed. At on point I actually took the lefthander listening to the tire pitch as the howled and tried to keep the pitch at the same level throughout the full turn!! I even missed the racing line once in an effort to keep the pitch in tune. I had built up enough confidence in my driving (in this car) to know I could catch this car. I was experimenting with brake release, trail braking, throttle application.even the dreaded tt oversteer. I could catch them with newfound confidence.
Now I have a question for ROB. Can I translate this confidence back to the R/T or am I forever to be only a school car fanatic with no real ability beyond the go cart fun of a school car? I loved your feedback from your vantage at the lefthander but when we talked I was still on that speed high that I rode on after the second session. I have now had a chance to think about that session. I now realize that my EXPERIMENTATION was caused by my COMFORT in the car. I knew I passed that BRAKE,Release, Turn in, power, apex, track out, focus. I was really FEELING the car and trying different lines and inputs. Will this continue as I move back to the R/T? Will the confidence I have now, continue into the faster car?

George, I would like to reply to you as someone who has only JUST NOW gotten comfortable in the RT despite the many laps I have put in over the last 2 years. What you are saying is what I touched on in an earlier post-- CAR CONTROL IS THE KEY. And that leads to getting COMFORTABLE. And once you are comfortable, you can experiment and let it rip. Now that I have finally experienced that, it is starting to get REALLY fun.

The school car is so great because it allows greater slip angle than the RT and is a wonderful platform for learning to control a rear-engine (rear polar moment) car. I am certain that you will be able to transfer what you achieved in the school car to the RT. Because now your backside and hands know what they are looking for in terms of G-forces and timing. In the RT you have less warning, a shorter pause, and less forgiveness, so it becomes more important to actually ANTICIPATE what is going to happen in order to manage slip angle at speed. Now that you have done that in the school car, you should try to get out in an RT for a lapping day while the muscle memory is still fresh and just work on getting rotation and tire noise into the corner without worrying about lap times. If you can then force yourself to go to the gas while the car is still sliding, you will have power-on oversteer which you will have to countersteer to manage. But if you EXPECT this, it's no big deal after a while. You need more alertness in the RT, but if you ANTICIPATE what is going to happen, it takes reaction time and reflexes out of the equation most of the time.

[rslonaker]

George,
You can translate back to the RT. In fact the RT is more predictable and stable because of the better spring shock package and bigger tire. The School car is less stable and therefore easier to get the big slipangles. Just keep applying the same techniques with the intent of making the car slide and you will get the results desired. It will take just a little more speed at turn in and the slipangle will be less but still happen.
Have fun trying and keep your eyes on the desirable target.