Q: Could Ayrton Senna’s throttle technique still work in modern F1?
Q: “I want to know, could Ayrton Senna’s throttle technique still work in modern F1?”
Q: Window up or down when track driving?
Q: “Do you have an opinion on windows all the way up or down with respect to street cars without window nets being driven on track during DE.”
Q: When should I downshift?
Q: “When you are running a road course, how do you determine when to downshift?”
Q: When should I trail brake & when shouldn’t I?
Q: “Through the years I was taught trail braking and using the rotation of the car to aid in getting through the turn. Everything has worked well for me until I had a professional driver and coach sit right seat. This pro driver suggested all the braking be done prior to entering the corner and be sure the vehicle is settled well in advance of the corner. We were able to implement this technique and see positive results. I would classify it as a medium speed corner but that may be because it’s at the end of the front straight and I’m hard on the brakes. Now I’m confused. I have two different approaches to driving and want to continue building my skill set, however, I want to solidify and build on a technique that is safe. What are your thoughts?”
Q: How do I know if I’m over-slowing by left-foot-braking?
Q: “I am very comfortable using left-foot-braking and have found many situations where it seems to be an advantage, but other than lap times, how can I know if I’m really using left foot braking too often or too much? I switch between right and left foot, depending on the corner, and sometimes I feel that I over-slow the car when braking with my left foot.”
Q: How far ahead should I be looking on track?
Q: “The brain takes 1/4 second to process and recognize visual images from the eye. At 100 mph you’re traveling at 146 feet per second, or 37 feet per 1/4 second. What you “see” is 1/4 second in the past. So, at 100 mph, when you “see” your tire at the apex, you are actually 37 feet past the apex. We are essentially driving in the future. This doesn’t take into account the time to send a signal from the brain to body to control the car, around another 1/4 second. There is something going on here rather mysterious to me. Experiments show brain wave activity occurs prior to consciousness and movement. When we look ahead at where the car is going maybe we provide input to allow the mental calculations of position. Maybe when we are in the zone, groove, rhythm, we are in some predictive state allowing driving in the future. So do we need to look 1/2 second ahead?”