Excellent point. Whenever I instruct, my studnets have to go work a
corner for an entire session. Gives a "whole new meaning to life" for
them. Ted
tom strange wrote:
>One more note I dont see here (now that my computers running again....)
> Corners you have trouble with... go out and corner work at them. Its
>amazing what you can see people doing from a corner workers point of view.
>Sometimes it takes a lot of the mystery out of a corner.
>
>Tom
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dave Riddle" <dave@microworks.net>
>To: <fot@autox.team.net>
>Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 11:40 PM
>Subject: RE: Learning to Drive
>
>
>
>
>>At 09:47 PM 11/7/2003, Bill Babcock wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Oh, one more thing, a late apex is safer, a slightly earlier one is
>>>generally faster if you're putting the car close to the limit.
>>>
>>>
>>That's funny and convey's what I always tell students that show an
>>appititude (those without ability I don't waste the time telling) "you
>>
>>
>want
>
>
>>to late apex as early as you can". It is hard to describe and even harder
>>to do but the first time you actually "do it" it is like a little light
>>goes off. Sometimes it is really only a way of visualizing a corner and
>>how you want to drive through it (notice I did not say around it).
>>
>>For example: If you ever drive the road course at Phoenix International
>>(which I don't really like myself - it is boring) you will be told that T2
>>is a late apex corner, and it is. You need to go so deep into the corner
>>that you think you have driven right past it and could never get the car
>>rotated. Going into that corner I am looking so far through it and at T3
>>that I can imagine seeing a "channel" magically appear as the curbing of
>>
>>
>T2
>
>
>>on drivers left falls away to reveal the second bit of curbing of T3 on
>>drivers right (I completely look past the first bit of the curbing of
>>T3). I have walked the track and from no vantage point does it really
>>"look" like that, but in my minds eye I can visualize that it does exist
>>and I feel like Moses parting the Red Sea. This lets me bring the power on
>>earlier than other guys can and like Bill mentions I feel I can "hustle"
>>the car though the corner faster.
>>
>>I tried to help a fairly new Spec Racer Ford guy look at that corner that
>>way and he could only see it with his eyes not with his brain. He came
>>back in and said "I thought you said the corner opens up". It does, but
>>you have to have the ability to imagine and view the geometry of how the
>>corners work together to "get it".
>>
>>So my advice would be to look at the track and it's corners as a whole to
>>see how they work and then find the lines that tie the track
>>together. Those lines are often times very different than what the
>>"obvious" layout of the track is. Another saying I use with students is
>>
>>
>to
>
>
>>"drive the line not the track".
>>
>>
>
>
>
--
Ted Schumacher
tedtsimx@bright.net
http://www.tsimportedautomotive.com
108 S. Jefferson St.
Pandora, Ohio, USA 45877
Fax: 419.384.3272 (24 Hrs.)
Phone: 800.543.6648 (US & Canada)
Tech/ Gen. Information/ Worldwide: 419.384.3022
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