Trail brake, or don’t trail brake? In this quick performance driving tip I give you a general guideline about when and where to trail brake, and when and where not to. Trail braking is a bit of a controversial topic because so many drivers have different ideas about when to use it – and even what it is! My goal with this driving tip is give you an edge to help you be a faster driver.
Speed Secret: Drive the car, not the track. Learning A New Track…
Your job as a driver is not to tell the engineer what to change on the car. Your job is to report what the car is doing and what you’d like it to do. Too many drivers try to engineer the car themselves. Do your job and let your engineer do his.
The speed at which you turn your steering wheel depends on the type of corner you’re driving through, as I explain in this Speed Secrets Quick Tip. Some corners require a quick/crisp turn of the wheel, while others need a slow “bending in” of the wheel. In my driver coaching and instructing, I see too many high performance drivers and race drivers of all levels who turn the steering wheel at the same rate, no matter what type of corner they’re driving. You have to adapt and adjust, depending on the corner (oh, and car).
Drive the car with the mindset that you’re trying to find its weakness – understeer or oversteer on entry, mid-corner, or at exit; instability while braking; inability to put the power down; “lazy” turn-in; etc.
Driving the limit is all about honing in on it, driving slightly below it, over it, under it, over it… and finally reducing the amount you’re over and under it until you’re at the limit. It’s all about tuning the oscillation.