Michael Schumaker can get away with riding the brake because he has the
car set up uncontrollably loose compared to anyone else.
I use to ride the breaks all the time and I could get away with it in
front drive cars pretty well. It was easier to set a front drive car up
to work like this. Most people in Denver who ever drove my neon usually
DNF'd or spun because it was set up loose. Some people this happened to
was Bob Tunnell, Kyle Watkins (the wild man), Bill Lampkin (360 in a
slalom), and Kay Bailey only a few times (she had many more
opportunities to spin in my car than anyone else). Kevin Bailey was the
best at hoping into my neon. He was leading after the first run!!
Anyway this riding the brake thing is the downfall of left foot
braking. If you ride the break you are not getting the full potential
out of the car. I believe that what ever you are most comfortable with
will work best.
Potentially left foot braking is faster if we are robots but we are
not. In fact left foot braking will slow you down in some spots. This
is why I now left foot some areas and use a right foot braking style in
other areas. I feel it really depends on the manuever to whether left
foot braking is faster or not. Usually when you add up a whole course
together I think you could turn the same times either way.
--Brian Priebe
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