The single most common mistake the grassroots racers make is over slowing corner entries and then trying to fix that by picking up the throttle earlier. To learn more about why this is a problem check out our free webinar on top mistakes amateur racecar drivers make here.
Today we want to cover the three correct potential ways to fix our over slowing issue (aka how to roll in more entry speed). There are really only 3 options available to us:
- Brake later
- Brake lighter
- Brake less
Now that we have this established our goal is to figure out which one of these 3 options is the right option for us to increase our entry speed in the corner we are focused on. At a high-level my process is to work backwards on this list:
I first focus on trying to get off the brakes earlier - I start by focusing on the backend of the brake zone. This typically works in any type of corner which is nice. From there if I am still over slowing I have a choice to make:
Brake later or brake lighter. This is where we really need to understand what braking type we want for the corner we're entering. Blayze has an in-depth braking masterclass article that covers that here. The general rule is if I'm entering a sweeper style corner I want to focus on a lighter brake application and if I'm entering a hairpin I likely want a later brake application.
It's important to know that braking later is the very last thing I start to work on when building up to the limit. Why? Well, if you brake too deep there is literally nothing else you can do, you're just along for the ride and hoping you don't hit anything at that point.
When I'm coaching drivers that over slow I very much work on two simple things: get off the brakes or brake lighter. Most people in our sport would be immediately faster focusing on just these two things!
