US CIRCUIT RACER PREVIEW LAP DRIVER

Overtaking/defending areas – for track days know where the safe areas (straights) are for overtaking.You can make up a lot of time by attacking the pit entry/exit lines. Where the pit speed limit lines are – crucial for racing with pit stops.Always find out where it is before you head on track and have a look for it on your first lap Where the pit entry is – often overlooked when learning a circuit.Some championships allow overtaking as soon as the flag is waved, whereas others will make you wait until you’re over the line If there’s a safety car, you’ll need to know when you can overtake. Green flag line location – important to remember when racing.Start/finish line location – they can be slightly different and are important to know for obvious reasons.

US CIRCUIT RACER PREVIEW LAP DRIVER

There are a few other things that are important to know regarding racing and track days – they won’t make you any faster, but as a good driver you should know them: Where it’s safer to push – knowing where you can make a mistake and get away with it will help you get up to speed more quickly.Elevation – when a car is pushed into an elevation (think the rise to Druids at Brands Hatch) it has more grip.Circuit camber – the more camber a corner has, the more load goes through the tyre, equalling more grip.Braking references – for the larger deceleration zones, using references can bring you up to pace more quickly.Curbs – more important to know at the older circuits, where there are big differences in construction.Bumps – affect grip level and how quickly a car might break traction.Surface changes – as circuits evolve over the years, different sections may be resurfaced causing differences in grip levels.Which way the circuit goes – important for obvious reasons!.To be properly quick at any circuit you’ll need to know in detail: You may think learning a new track is just about understanding which way the next corner goes, but there’s way more to in that that. This article is the guide I wish I’d had then when testing budgets were none existent and I had to learn the circuits during race-weekend practice sessions. At the age of 19, everything I was doing racing wise was on instinct – I didn’t have a strategy for getting the most out of my driving. This meant exciting, if a little dangerous, circuits with little room for error. It was a step into the unknown for me and aside from learning a whole new culture, I had to learn a load of new and difficult circuits too.īack then many of the American tracks were more ‘old school’ than those in Europe. When I was 19, I took my career to the USA. The do’s and don’ts of using video, simulators and driver coaches.Welcome to tutorial number nine in our Driver’s University series. This tutorial will cover:

Us circuit racer preview lap