Hey Racers welcome to the Blayze racing newsletter where every week you will get an answer to a racing question you ponder about after every session, a video will make your jaw drop, and one article that will change your racing life in one simple email.
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How do I get more confident in high speed corners?
Usually when we are barreling into a corner at 100mph+ we are thinking about one thing, "How late can I brake?".
This mentality is inherently good in 90%+ of corners on the race track. The reason behind it is to go fast on a race track we want to maximize time spent at full throttle.
But, guess what?
Our sport has exceptions to the rules! Annoying right? It's one of the reasons why it's so damn hard!
In high speed corners we are usually thinking about one thing and it's not about the brakes, it's, "Oh crap I'm in deep, I hope the rear holds!" Sound familiar? I hope so because that's about all I think about ;).
In these corners I care more about having a higher average minimum speed throughout the corner. So, my approach in high speed corners where it's usually just a lift is the following:
Actually lift a little earlierLift slowlyWork on reducing the percent of my lift
I don't care as much about trying to be flat as deep as possible into these corners and because I want higher minimum speeds, I don't care much about where I get back to full throttle.
Now, this should be obvious but apparently I need to call this out... this is all small margin stuff. I am NOT saying I am lifting like 200 meters earlier. I'm lifting slightly earlier, slightly smoother, to roll just a little bit more throttle.
What this does is it sends less weight to the front end of the car, less quickly, which helps keep more weight on the rear.
Have a question you want answered? Shoot us an email at [email protected].
Video of the week: Michael Schumacher Driving Style
This is an old video, and the music is maybe a little dramatic for talking about data, but boy is it a good one! Pay extra attention to the data they show in the video.
Notice in the screenshot above how Schumacher is lifting earlier than Herbert into the high speed corner before the big brake zone. But, he also lifts less. He lifts earlier + smoother + less which all sends less weight to the front nose and likely gives him the confidence in the rear to roll extra MPH through the middle of the corner (usually our priority in entry speed corners!).
Click here to check out the must see video of the week!
Article of the week: Racing skills in 60 seconds: Racing in the wet
Here is the next edition of our popular series, "skills in 60 seconds". This week Blayze coach, Dion von Moltke, gives his guidance to how he approaches driving in wet conditions.
