Technique Talk #3: Car Control

[rslonaker]

I want to focus this month on car control. With all the recent riding I have done I notice there is a need for more car control awareness and skill. For the typical track day driver, as they develop their driving skills on the race track only, the chance for spending time sliding the car around is minimal. The natural progression of track days is such that the controlled speed and run group placement means that the only time you really get to slide the car is when you are going really fast. This is hard for the driver who hasn’t had much time “at the rack stops”. The difficulty lies in the hand speed and eye coordination at high speeds. Everything happens so fast that the driver’s input is often too slow or they are looking in the wrong direction.

Remember, everything that happens once you make the car roll off its parking space is a direct result of the drivers input. The car itself is incapable of making a mistake. This is why the correct driver inputs are so important. Spend a session just paying attention to what you do with the controls and see if you can identify the associated results. Every action by the driver has an impact (no pun intended) on the car. So make sure you are telling it the right control inputs.

The eyes are the driver’s best source of information so be sure to look where you want to go. This sounds so simple but it is the hardest thing to train for because in the panic moment our instincts look at all the things we can hit. The best way to train your eyes to keep looking where you want to go vs. where you think you are going, is at low speed. This is when you have more time to adjust and lower anxiety levels. Auto crossing or skid-pads are the best places for this, but some tracks also have low speed corners where you can work on these skills. Pocono’s infield tracks are good as an example. Unfortunately Lime Rock and Watkins Glen are not.

If you can get some time at low speed, really pay attention as you slide the car around and be sure to spend some time at opposite lock so you begin to understand the relationship of hands and feet on the controls and how the tires and springs re-act to those inputs. Consider doing a Skip Barber Car Control Clinic as way to hone these skills, it is well worth the seat time.

Next - Technique Talk #4 - Pay Attention
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