F-Body Europe


It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 10:17 pm

All times are UTC + 1 hour





Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: AUTO-X racing tips
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 12:39 pm 
Offline
Senior Member
User avatar
 Profile

Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 11:34 pm
Posts: 653
Location: Wolfsburg, Germany
Here is a copy of an article that I wrote for my Porsche club.
Enjoy and learn.
2slow


AUTO-X RACING – THE LAST 10th OF A SECOND

You can divide your new approach to Auto-X racing in 5 parts: Preparation, Before the race, Before each lap, During each lap, After each lap.

A) GENERAL PREPARATION:
* Practice your driving precision. Know the corners of your car. Think about your lines. Drive clean lines on the street. Park precise. This type of training will help you to consistently place the car correctly and run closer than 10cm to the pylons.
* Know the behaviour of your car. Provoke your car on (safe, open) wet roads. Practice tailsliding and catching it. Practice braking, practice judging braking distances.
* Train your reflexes. Learn to juggle etc. where you train your hand/eye coordination.

B) BEFORE THE RACE:
* Bring an absolute desire to win. No compromises, no excuses. Test yourself, push yourself.
* Walk the track. Pace the distance between the pylons (are they constant spaced, increasing or decreasing spaced). Make a mental picture of the track. Talking to other people will disturb your concentration.
* Plan your approaches to the gates, estimate your brake points, plan your exits towards the next gates.
* Mental preparation. Don’t get psyched out by anybody or by a (perceived) better car. Take the equipment that you have at your disposal and make the best job you can with it. Never blame the car, rather adapt yourself to cope with the car’s faults. You want to train to be the best driver, not the guy with the best car. A twin-turbo might buy you an immediate 10 second advantage, but you as a driver will still stagnate.
* Ask for advice from the experienced racers, but only to supplement your own observations/planning.
* Observe the experienced racers (to see where they brake/accelerate etc.) and the inexperienced (to see where it is possible to default). You can learn a lot that way.
* Tire pressure. You can lower your pressure slightly to help cold tires to warm up quicker (more tire flex), but the car might then be less precise on high-speed sections. I personally run standard pressure.
* Empty out the car completely. Things falling around will distract your concentration and cost a few 10ths.
* Have the minimum amount of fuel in your tank. A full tank can cost you around a second or more.
* Clean your windshield.

C) BEFORE EACH LAP:
* Relax. Keep your heartrate/nerves/adrenalin level down. Relax your muscles. Do not run to your car etc. Be in the car, strapped in, at least 2 minutes before your run. Relax your mind. Do nothing that will excite you or disturb your required concentration.
* Sit comfortably, arms and legs bent. Straight arms and legs will cost you several seconds.
* Do not wear sunglasses or a tinted visor. It interferes with your depth perception and can cost you a few 10ths.
* Once you are ready to roll, shut out all distractions/sensory inputs that does not contribute directly to your driving. It’s like concentrating yourself into tunnel vision.

D) DURING EACH LAP:
* Make a decent start without too much wheelspin. Shift the car in 2nd gear before you turn into the first gate.
* One foot on the floor, either the gas or brake. Trailing throttle is „dead“ time.
* Pick your brake points and hit them precisely. Late, deep braking is for the experts and not yet recommended. You can easily blow a perfect lap by overshooting a gate. Braking should be done before the turn-in. Braking should be used to stabilize the car before the gate, so that you have a controlled acceleration through (not after) the gate.
* Get on the throttle early. Once you feel that the car is stabilized, get on the throttle. This is where you make up the most time. Compensate for your car’s throttle lag. Get on the throttle early. Try to accelerate everywhere, even between the closest pair of pylons. You pick up 10ths and 20ths everywhere.
* When you run on/close to the rev limiter, gear up. You will go faster with less effort.
* Through the serpentines, stay tight to the pylons, maintain a rhythm. Once you go wide, the effort to switch left/right/left/right nearly doubles. Your approach is very, very important. The car should be stable when you enter the first switch. If you start to swerve here already, then your rhythm will be disturbed for the whole section. Since you have already paced the serpentine earlier, you will know exactly what speed you can carry through the section.
* Think 2-3 gates at a time. It is like a good chess game where you have to think in advance. On certain tracks, if you mess up one gate, you will not recover sufficiently for the next 1-3 gates.
* Identify oversteer/understeer areas. Adjust your driving style immediately to cope with the situation.
* Learn to drive thru a tailslide or 4-wheel slide. Do not lift (if possible).
* Use careful doses of trailing-throttle oversteer to bring the tail around in certain tight bends. Only lift the throttle for a micro second (you should know your car). Do not lift for too long and spin out.
* Do not corner with crossed arms. Move your hands on the steering wheel.
* Memorize your whole lap (for analysis later).
* Never hit pylons. The penalty time cannot be made up anywhere.

E) AFTER EACH LAP:

* Analyze your lap. Know where you are fast or slow. Know why you are fast or slow.
* Plan your next lap based on the knowledge gained. Learn quick. Do not require 3 laps to figure everything out.
* If everything works out, walk up to your closest competitor and congratulate him on his second place.


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 12:43 pm 
Offline
Poster in Chief
User avatar
 WWW  Profile

Joined: Mon May 28, 2001 6:03 pm
Posts: 8686
Location: Houston, TX
Wow- that sounds very serious. I guess if you want to win, though, you need to be. :) Good article.


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 1:41 pm 
Offline
No Life
User avatar
 Profile

Joined: Fri Apr 26, 2002 7:17 pm
Posts: 1201
Location: Winder, GA
Thanks for the insight !!!!! What you said makes sense, especially training yourself durning daily driving!! You told me that along time ago and it alot of it has become second nature.

_________________
2004 King of The Hill
2005 King of The Hill
Retired US Army :)
[img]http://www.fbodyeurope.org/gallery/110_Image098.jpg[/img


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 2:33 pm 
Offline
Headin' for a divorce
User avatar
 Profile

Joined: Sun May 27, 2001 2:52 pm
Posts: 5556
Location: Mehlingen,Rhineland Pfalz, Deutschland
Taken to to heart and my documents.

_________________
Roy
My vids on Youtube
My vids on Streetfire


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 5:00 pm 
Offline
Poster in Chief
User avatar
 WWW  ICQ  Profile

Joined: Sat May 26, 2001 9:59 pm
Posts: 7823
Location: Bad Hersfeld, Germany
Cool post, tnx Stef!!!

_________________
Garry Glendown * '99 Firehawk Convertible

"Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall and torque is how far you take the wall with you."
"Speed doesn't kill - suddenly becoming stationary on the other hand ..."


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 5:49 pm 
Offline
Needs a Job
User avatar
 YIM  Profile

Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2003 5:59 pm
Posts: 2334
Location: Little Rock Arkansas
So, you think you know what you're talking about? :roll:






Jokin man. I can't wait to try out that map you had of the Hock.


Thanks for looking out for us

_________________
I wake up in the morning and piss excellence!
ImageImage


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:47 am 
Offline
Needs a Job
User avatar
 ICQ  Profile

Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2001 3:53 pm
Posts: 2485
Location: Mainz, Germany
Thanks Stef! :)

Ben

_________________
1999 Camaro Z28, black, T-Tops, M6
Image


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:05 am 
Offline
Fast Newbie
User avatar
 Profile

Joined: Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:24 pm
Posts: 67
Just what this AutoX'ing newbie needed! :D Vielen Dank!

_________________
Image


Top
 

 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 8:34 am 
Offline
Member
User avatar
 WWW  Profile

Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2004 8:39 pm
Posts: 177
Location: Gernsheim, Germany
Great stuff!

Bookmarked and saved.

Thanks Brother! keep it coming!

_________________
Garden Snake
"The F-Bodies Worse Nightmare!"


Top
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 9 posts ] 

All times are UTC + 1 hour



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group  
Design By Poker Bandits