July 2010

Basic Cornering Techniques

This article was written for novice drivers who are just starting out with racing or intending to start racing.

The first thing that you will need to keep in mind is that cars and drivers alike only have a 100% capacity. If you are using 80% of your traction for braking, you only have 20% left over for cornering. If you’re using 80% of your traction for cornering, you only have 20% left over for acceleration.

Likewise, if the driver is using 80% of their attention towards steering inputs, they will only have 20% of their attention left for speed adjustments. To push the limits while driving, we need to adjust our street driving techniques for the track. Remember, just like while skiing, you go where you are looking, so you need to look as far down the track as possible to remain smooth and in control. Also, always keep your hands at the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock position, except when shifting. Your car talks to you through your steering wheel, so listen with both hands.

10 Common High Performance Driving Errors

1. NOT ENOUGH MENTAL PRACTICE

The more complex the task, the more improvement is likely to result from mental practice; and motor racing would surely qualify as sufficiently complex. Mental practice is the most important part of any driving exercise. Stretching the mind prior to competition prevents mental cramps. Imagery can be used to create intensely realistic pre-experiences that give the feeling of having been there before, with the confidence and competence that comes with it. Arrange the course into a mental slide show. With your eyes closed replay the course exactly as you intend to drive it. Mentally rotate the steering wheel, shift gears and brake at appropriate locations. Repeat these images until they become fluid. Since the brain makes little distinction between a visual image and a thought image, by practicing purely within your mind, imagery can create, modify or strengthen pathways important to the co-ordination of your muscles. Fine skills or complex techniques can be slowed down, analyzed, and on-track driving scenes and actions can become familiar. Familiar scenes are important in order to process the abundance of real-time information created by increasing speed.