Ask Ross
Q&A with Ross Bentley
Q: How do I get better at sensing different levels of grip at a race track that is new to me?
Q: “How do you go about learning the traction gradient at a new track? As a track day noob (just doing HPDE events), what scares me more than anything is running across a piece of track with a level of traction I wasn’t expecting — whether that’s because of marbles, dust, different pavement, a puddle, or even a bump.
Q: What is slip angle and how do I use it to drive faster?
Q: “What is slip angle? I hear it talked and written about, but I don’t really understand what it means, or how I can use this knowledge to drive faster.”
Q: What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?
Q: “What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?”
Q: How can I “test” for grip by turning the steering more in the middle of a corner on a race track?
Q: “Can you clarify something for me? What do I learn, and how, from the quick input understeer? I don’t get how that helps me understand how much grip is available. I’m guessing that maybe the answer is paying attention to how much understeer a quick input causes? Lots of understeer meaning that I was already close to the limit? I’m used to using slower turns of the wheel to see if I have more grip available than I am using. If the radius tightens, I was not at the limit. Is this not as valid a test as I think?”
Q: Should a coach talk a lot or little when in-car with me?
Q: “Is it a golden rule in coaching to prioritize quality and minimize advice for maximum impact? Or am I mistaken, and are there some very good coaches who talk a lot during sessions?”
Q: In racing, what does it mean to “present” myself to the driver I’m passing?
Q: “I’ve read about, and heard about, the idea that I should present myself to the car/driver I’m passing. Can you clarify what that actually means?”
Q: Can you talk about rotating the car into a corner using lots of rear brake bias?
Q: “You talk a lot about rotating the car by trail braking, but I find that I can just dial more brake bias to the rear and get the same thing. With more bias on the rear brakes, the rear tires almost slide when I turn into corners and I can turn in earlier and get to my usual apex. What are your thoughts on this?”
Q: Can you help me understand how to use the Garmin Catalyst to improve braking?
Q: Can you help me understand how to use the Garmin Catalyst to improve braking?
Q: Should my car feel as though it’s “on rails,” or is being “messy” okay to be fast?
Q: “Should my car feel as though it’s “on rails,” or is being “messy” okay to be fast?
Q: Can you help me improve my race starts? How do I get better at the start of a race?
Q: Can you help me improve my race starts? How do I get better at the start of a race?
Q: When I’m told to look farther ahead, how far ahead, and specifically where do I look?
Q: “When I’m told to look farther ahead, how far ahead, and specifically where do I look?”
Q: How can I improve how quickly I apply the brakes?
Q: How can I improve how quickly I apply the brakes? And is it possible to apply the brakes too fast?
Q: Should I be using one hand more than the other when turning the steering wheel? And what are your thoughts on the so-called “top hand dominance” method?
Q: Should I be using one hand more than the other when turning the steering wheel? And what are your thoughts on the so-called “top hand dominance” method?
Q: Can you explain who owns a corner when two cars go into it side by side?
Q: “I’ve been racing in endurance races lately, and have had more than my share of close calls, and even a couple of car-to-car contacts. One of the close calls was when another car dive bombed me, and one when I was trying to out-brake another car. Is there a rule or guideline as to who owns a corner when two cars are going into it together?”
Q: How do I go from knowing what to do, to actually doing it on track?
Q: Your ‘tips’ are very interesting but I cannot envision applying what I read to my hands and feet when I’m on the track at a later date. How do I go from knowing what to do, to actually doing it on track?
Q: How do I fix my car from understeering early in the corner and then snapping to oversteer exiting it?
Q: “My car is trying to kill me! 🙂 Going into and through the middle of a corner, it understeers. Then, just past the apex, as I’m getting on the throttle, it snaps into a deadly oversteer. Any thoughts on how to fix that?”
Q: How far from the steering wheel should I be sitting?
Q: “At a recent track day, an instructor told me that I was sitting too far from the steering wheel, and yet it feels comfortable to me. I’ve seen other drivers sit closer to the wheel, but that looks cramped to me. Is there a rule of thumb for how far from the steering wheel I should sit?”
Q: What’s the difference between turning the car and rotating the car?
Q: “What I was wondering is how to describe the difference between turning the car and car rotation. We talk about car rotation and using the brakes to effect it, but what is the difference from that compared to turning car with the steering?”
Q: How do I improve my corner minimum speed?
Q: “I have a question not about corner entry speed but rather about MID-corner speed (minimum corner speed). A friend of mine and I compare lots of data when we go to DE’s. He drives a nearly stock 987 Cayman S, is a pretty good driver, and runs tires he can get 30 track days out of. I drive a 718 Spyder with quite a bit of negative camber, Michelin Cup 2s, and have to replace tires every 6-10 track days — fronts more frequently than rears. I feel more comfortable with the car moving around than my friend does, and very comfortably trail brake as needed to balance/rotate the car. I have more grip, more power, and I do turn faster laps, BUT… his mid-corner speeds (or minimum speed in the corner) are sometimes equal to mine! That shouldn’t be the case. What am I doing wrong? Am I just being a wimp? Or does it go deeper than that? I generally brake VERY hard and VERY late and do a lot of trail braking (I go through brakes faster than anyone else I know). Is that part of the problem? Am I overworking my front tires? I record and analyze my tire temps after every session and pay attention to which end of the car I’m ‘overworking’ (determined by tire temps). Throughout any given day, I tend to transition from overworking the fronts to overworking the rears — it’s not significant in either direction, but that’s my trend. Can you help figure out if I’m being too cautious, or if I’m doing something else wrong?”
Q: How do I get better at driving blind corners, such as Turns 2 & 3 at Road Atlanta?
Q: “You must have had this question dozens of times: At Road Atlanta, I struggle with the turns 2 and 3 sequence, which, as you know is blind. What is the technique and thought process when entering that sequence of turns, and what track references do you use?”
Got Questions?
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