The biggest mistakes newer and intermediate drivers make.
12-19-2017, 03:22 PM
#1
The biggest mistakes newer and intermediate drivers make.
After coaching enough students that I see a trend developing I have the following thoughts for those that are newer or intermediate drivers. Maybe even some advanced drivers can gain from this, I know I have been guilty of #1 on occasion. I am ignoring braking here as some people just don't want to brake as hard as they could, or whatever, it would be it's own topic 5x this long anyways.
1. Maintenance throttle is not always the answer - in fact it seldom is: Some glaring examples of getting this wrong are T1, 11, 12, 20 at COTA. Like was discussed in the coasting thread. You REALLY need to get the car rotated on these corners so you can get back to full throttle sooner. Maintenance throttle just makes the corner take forever and makes you think you have the wheel turned as much as the car will hold when you don't. Somewhere you can use maintenance throttle would be say T6b at cota where you are just trying to keep some speed up the slight hill.
2. Never move your hands. Start practicing this on the street, hands at 9-3 and don't shuffle steer, let go of the wheel to finish turns, or anything but 9-3.
3. Make sure that as the car slows down to enter a corner you ADD more steering. I see a lot of people turn in and that's it, their hands never move again, you need to get the wheel turned a tiny bit more as you approach the apex and scrub speed so that you can start unwinding it sooner.
4. UNWIND THE WHEEL! Here is a big one, we will drive past the apex and then boom full throttle, because we are now tracking out right? Well the wheel still hasn't moved so the TC kicks in and nothing happens. This tip follows getting 3 right, but as soon as you are (roughly) past the apex, start adding throttle and unwinding the wheel together, you can't just expect the rear tires to hold more G forces just because the apex is behind us if nothing else changed.
5. TYPICALLY the fastest line will feel right and smooth. If you had a previous instructor tell you a different line, or you saw one in a video, and you get conflicting advice, try them both and see how they feel. (this assumes you are not yet at the point of looking at data).
6. Start finding places to go full throttle. Everywhere, every extra foot of full throttle adds up.
1. Maintenance throttle is not always the answer - in fact it seldom is: Some glaring examples of getting this wrong are T1, 11, 12, 20 at COTA. Like was discussed in the coasting thread. You REALLY need to get the car rotated on these corners so you can get back to full throttle sooner. Maintenance throttle just makes the corner take forever and makes you think you have the wheel turned as much as the car will hold when you don't. Somewhere you can use maintenance throttle would be say T6b at cota where you are just trying to keep some speed up the slight hill.
2. Never move your hands. Start practicing this on the street, hands at 9-3 and don't shuffle steer, let go of the wheel to finish turns, or anything but 9-3.
3. Make sure that as the car slows down to enter a corner you ADD more steering. I see a lot of people turn in and that's it, their hands never move again, you need to get the wheel turned a tiny bit more as you approach the apex and scrub speed so that you can start unwinding it sooner.
4. UNWIND THE WHEEL! Here is a big one, we will drive past the apex and then boom full throttle, because we are now tracking out right? Well the wheel still hasn't moved so the TC kicks in and nothing happens. This tip follows getting 3 right, but as soon as you are (roughly) past the apex, start adding throttle and unwinding the wheel together, you can't just expect the rear tires to hold more G forces just because the apex is behind us if nothing else changed.
5. TYPICALLY the fastest line will feel right and smooth. If you had a previous instructor tell you a different line, or you saw one in a video, and you get conflicting advice, try them both and see how they feel. (this assumes you are not yet at the point of looking at data).
6. Start finding places to go full throttle. Everywhere, every extra foot of full throttle adds up.
12-19-2017, 06:40 PM
#3
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12-19-2017, 08:37 PM
#5
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Driving the car like your on the street not the track. Race track speed and lines are not street lines and speeds. Get mentally prepared to "race" the car corner to corner in smooth lines. Smooth is fast.
Novice drivers tend to brake way to early and not look through the turn
A few of my observations over the years.
Novice drivers tend to brake way to early and not look through the turn
A few of my observations over the years.
12-19-2017, 09:56 PM
#7
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12-19-2017, 10:01 PM
#8
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After coaching enough students that I see a trend developing I have the following thoughts for those that are newer or intermediate drivers. Maybe even some advanced drivers can gain from this, I know I have been guilty of #1 on occasion. I am ignoring braking here as some people just don't want to brake as hard as they could, or whatever, it would be it's own topic 5x this long anyways.
1. Maintenance throttle is not always the answer - in fact it seldom is: Some glaring examples of getting this wrong are T1, 11, 12, 20 at COTA. Like was discussed in the coasting thread. You REALLY need to get the car rotated on these corners so you can get back to full throttle sooner. Maintenance throttle just makes the corner take forever and makes you think you have the wheel turned as much as the car will hold when you don't. Somewhere you can use maintenance throttle would be say T6b at cota where you are just trying to keep some speed up the slight hill.
2. Never move your hands. Start practicing this on the street, hands at 9-3 and don't shuffle steer, let go of the wheel to finish turns, or anything but 9-3.
3. Make sure that as the car slows down to enter a corner you ADD more steering. I see a lot of people turn in and that's it, their hands never move again, you need to get the wheel turned a tiny bit more as you approach the apex and scrub speed so that you can start unwinding it sooner.
4. UNWIND THE WHEEL! Here is a big one, we will drive past the apex and then boom full throttle, because we are now tracking out right? Well the wheel still hasn't moved so the TC kicks in and nothing happens. This tip follows getting 3 right, but as soon as you are (roughly) past the apex, start adding throttle and unwinding the wheel together, you can't just expect the rear tires to hold more G forces just because the apex is behind us if nothing else changed.
5. TYPICALLY the fastest line will feel right and smooth. If you had a previous instructor tell you a different line, or you saw one in a video, and you get conflicting advice, try them both and see how they feel. (this assumes you are not yet at the point of looking at data).
6. Start finding places to go full throttle. Everywhere, every extra foot of full throttle adds up.
1. Maintenance throttle is not always the answer - in fact it seldom is: Some glaring examples of getting this wrong are T1, 11, 12, 20 at COTA. Like was discussed in the coasting thread. You REALLY need to get the car rotated on these corners so you can get back to full throttle sooner. Maintenance throttle just makes the corner take forever and makes you think you have the wheel turned as much as the car will hold when you don't. Somewhere you can use maintenance throttle would be say T6b at cota where you are just trying to keep some speed up the slight hill.
2. Never move your hands. Start practicing this on the street, hands at 9-3 and don't shuffle steer, let go of the wheel to finish turns, or anything but 9-3.
3. Make sure that as the car slows down to enter a corner you ADD more steering. I see a lot of people turn in and that's it, their hands never move again, you need to get the wheel turned a tiny bit more as you approach the apex and scrub speed so that you can start unwinding it sooner.
4. UNWIND THE WHEEL! Here is a big one, we will drive past the apex and then boom full throttle, because we are now tracking out right? Well the wheel still hasn't moved so the TC kicks in and nothing happens. This tip follows getting 3 right, but as soon as you are (roughly) past the apex, start adding throttle and unwinding the wheel together, you can't just expect the rear tires to hold more G forces just because the apex is behind us if nothing else changed.
5. TYPICALLY the fastest line will feel right and smooth. If you had a previous instructor tell you a different line, or you saw one in a video, and you get conflicting advice, try them both and see how they feel. (this assumes you are not yet at the point of looking at data).
6. Start finding places to go full throttle. Everywhere, every extra foot of full throttle adds up.
Things I've used that have stuck , where years later folks i have helped have come back and told me they have appreciated and still think about that advice.
1. Braking straight to slow or set the car before turning.
2. Thinking that the steering wheel is on an imaginary cable tied to the rear end and the gas pedal
3. shifting at near or at redline and keeping the engine in the max HP range
4. a couple of the points you made above, especially stopping shuffle steering.
12-20-2017, 07:45 AM
#10
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Originally Posted by Thundermoose
showing up in a Lotus
12-20-2017, 09:47 AM
#12
WRONGLY ACCUSED!
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I think one of the top three mistakes of new drivers is not keeping their eyes up a/k/a driving the nose of the car.
12-20-2017, 11:32 AM
#13
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Originally Posted by Thundermoose
As you mention, hustle between the corners.
Also between 4 all the way through 6. And from 13-15.
12-20-2017, 01:11 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
And of course also looking ahead for other cars or possible hazards.
12-20-2017, 08:25 PM
#15
Instructor
we will drive past the apex and then boom full throttle, because we are now tracking out right? Well the wheel still hasn't moved so the TC kicks in and nothing happens. This tip follows getting 3 right, but as soon as you are (roughly) past the apex, start adding throttle and unwinding the wheel together, you can't just expect the rear tires to hold more G forces just because the apex is behind us if nothing else changed....
I saw an instructor at COTA replacing his rear pads on his GT4 on Sunday morning. Front pads like new, left rear pad half worn, right rear pad completely gone.
I tried to explain this to him, but he KNEW the problem was that he was braking too hard and not accelerating enough in the turns.
Unfortunately, there are some students being taught that by him...