[Rhodes22-list] Driving School

[elle]

Brad,

Good stuff..I sent it off to my youngest .

 My dad used to say," Drive with the seat of your
pants."

elle


--- Rik Sandberg <sanderico1 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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*.
> > __________________________________________________
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> >
> >   
> __________________________________________________
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> www.rhodes22.org/list
> 


We can't change the angle of the wind....but we can adjust our sails.

 1992 Rhodes 22   Recyc '06  "WaterMusic"   (Lady in Red)


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