[Rhodes22-list] Driving School

[Rik Sandberg]

Brad,

Great post. Sure hope some folks will take it seriously.

Feel the car, it'll tell you what it needs.

Rik

A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one...
Benjamin Franklin



Brad Haslett wrote:
> This is all true stuff - especially the last one.  I learned to drive during
> the same time as I was learning to fly. My first flight instructor was anal
> about using brakes.  I still am.  Brad
>
> ----------------
>
> What I'm about to share I've learned racing formula cars and attending more
> than a dozen professional driving/racing schools in the U.S. and Europe. As
> I noted in my column in the November *Motor
> Trend*<http://www.motortrend.com/features/editorial/112_0711_the_asphalt_jungle>,
> I highly recommend that you find a way to enroll in one of these institutes
> of higher velocity yourself. A few days on the skid pad and race track will
> pay a lifetime of driving dividends. Admittedly, though, high-performance
> driving and racing schools are expensive. Until your bank account shows you
> the green light, therefore, I'm giving you a head start right here, right
> now. Free.
>
>
> *1. Be smooth. *Your car's transmission, its tires, its chassis -- they
> don't like abrupt inputs. Slamming on the gas throws the car's weight to the
> rear, unsettling the front tires (hey, you need those to steer). Diving on
> the brakes hurls the car's weight forward (now your poor front tires are
> overloaded trying to brake hard *and* steer, and the suddenly light rear
> tires just might decide to swing the tail around on you). Driving well is
> all about weight management, controlling the ever-shifting mass of the car
> so the tires are never overloaded. That means rolling the steering wheel
> gracefully into turns, squeezing on the gas and brakes, moving the
> transmission lever (if you have a manual) as if the shift knob were an egg.
> I was lucky enough to ride once with three-time world champion Sir Jackie
> Stewart in an original Ford GT40. The guy made that clattering old race car
> move as if it were swimming in Wesson Oil. Even though we were blazing
> around Laguna Seca, I wasn't being tossed around inside the cockpit.
> Instead, I was gently pushed from side to side, eased forward and back, as
> the Maestro conducted a ballet at the wheel. The sensation had much more in
> common with riding in an expertly driven limousine -- don't spill our
> champagne, Jeeves -- than with the typical Hollywood portrayal of "expert"
> driving. Trust me on this: Smoothness at the wheel is the single biggest
> indicator of driving skill. (Conversely, driving like Rambo is a dead
> giveaway that you're a wanker.)
>
> *2. Turn later.* "All God's children turn in early," a racing instructor
> once told me. And he was right. Watch the car ahead of you on a twisty road
> sometime. See how he crosses the yellow line when turning left? That's
> turning too soon. Even when driving briskly, you should always be able to
> corner within your own lane. Same thing happens when racing students first
> hit a track. "Why, that turn is coming up so fast and the road is running
> out so I'd better steer now!" And what happens? They clip the inside of the
> corner too soon and the resulting arc carries them right off the outside of
> the turn. Turning later takes practice, but it's key to balancing your car
> on the road and maximizing speed on a track. In effect, you're slowing down
> a little earlier, letting the car roll a little father into the turn,
> smoothly arcing the wheel so the tires can bite and provide you with maximum
> grip. Most important: Turning later means you can get on the gas earlier. If
> you turn early, you'll have to back off the throttle to keep the car from
> arcing off the road. Turn later, and your balanced machine will be ready to
> glide through the apex and charge toward the exit under power. Given that
> accelerating is the hardest thing for a car to do, the more time your right
> foot can be on the gas, the quicker you'll be around the track.
>
> *3. Look ahead.* Nope, not at the car in front of you. No, not at the car in
> front of him, either. I want you looking as far down the road as you can. On
> a mountain road, you're not looking at the corner you're in, you're looking
> for the next one. On the highway, your eyes are scanning the horizon, often
> a half-mile or more down the road. On the track, you're always *looking
> where you want to go.* Each of us is equipped with an Early Warning System,
> but too often we don't use it. Get your eyes up, and suddenly you've got
> advance info. You know what the next corner looks like before you fly into
> it. You can see that crash ahead before the driver in front of you pounces
> on his brakes. On the track, your hands and feet will instinctively follow
> your eyes; look where you want to go, and your car will go there. (Why do so
> many drivers crash into the only tree around for miles? Because they're
> looking right at the thing they don't want to hit.) Looking ahead takes
> practice, but you'll be amazed at how well it works –- and at how much
> close-up information you're still picking up simply from peripheral vision.
> Suddenly, you're not playing connect the dots with individual lane stripes;
> you're flowing past them, aiming at that spot way in the distance. You have
> more time to react; you can plan your next move, keeping your car in that
> critical balance. You're smoother, in better control, a vastly improved
> driver. Try it.
>
> *4. Brake like you're taking a crap*. Apologies if I offend, but this lesson
> from another racing instructor (yes, he was French) explains proper braking
> more effectively than any other. Remember Tip #1, Be smooth? In braking it's
> especially critical. Brakes are very powerful and can easily upset a car's
> balance -- even if you have ABS. So, in the words of my teacher: "Braking
> well is like taking a big poop. First you squeeze, then you push very very
> hard, and then you gently taaaaper off at the end." There. Now you know
> everything there is to know about how Lewis Hamilton dives so deep into
> corners. The best part: You can even practice while reading the new *Motor
> Trend*.
> __________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list
>
>