What is the correct way to drive through a curve (spirited driving)?

[Perfectlap]

I read an article once, by an indy lights driver I think, saying its actually "fast in, fast out".
I have to dig that up. The long and short of it was that people are teaching it all wrong, "slow in and fast out" is not a golden rule, that this just conditions the driver to upset the balance of the car. "Slow in, fast out" are just training wheels that need to be ditched once the driver firmly has the basics down. The key he argued, and what was common among the quickest drivers, was the principle of using a marginally earlier turn in to carry more speed.

[Jim Rockford]

If anyone hasn't read it, I'd strongly recommend a book called The Unfair Advantage by racing driver Mark Donohue. Besides having insights on driving technique, it was just a really engaging read.

He was racing in a time where there were differing schools of thought on how to go fast still emerging. His approach developed into trying to master braking, turning and accelerating in one smooth integrated action.

He found it faster to do some of the final braking during the initial turn in. This being said, he was a professional racing driver, and the balance required to execute without issues would obviously pose a challenge. I've seen some analysis of Schumacher's footwork during cornering and it's proven that he's often overlapping use of the brake and throttle at the same time while transitioning towards mid corner, so that supports the blended approach that Donohue took.

The other great thing with that book is that Donohue was educated as an engineer, and he pioneered some interesting developments in racecar technology, and a lot of his time was spent as a Porsche works driver and long term relationship with Roger Penske.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Jim Rockford

He found it faster to do some of the final braking during the initial turn in.

That technique is well known as trail braking (and I mentioned it in my earlier post).

The first thing that I want to say is that there is no single "best" way to take a corner in a Boxster (we all have roughly equal cars) because so much depends on the skill level of the driver. Jay and Perfectlap's points are both valid - the technique employed depends entirely on the driver skill level.

Once a driver gets the basics down, then trail braking and several other advanced techniques are quite useful and probably faster.

For example; one of my favorites is to enter the turn faster than the turn can be executed. The innate understeer at turn in will scrub some speed; then completely lift off of the throttle to purposefully upset the balance - this will put weight onto the front tires and unweight the rear tires. At the same time as lifting the throttle, give the steering a big input. The rear will literally slide as the car rotates in mid-corner.

What you've done is purposefully created the start of a spin. The trick is to drive out of it.

As soon as the car starts to rotate (this happens FAST in a mid-engined Boxster so if you wait until its already rotated, its too late and you will spin), jump back on the throttle hard; this will shift weight to the rear tires and they will hook up. Done properly, you can then drive the car out of the corner at full throttle.

Fast in - fast out.

This and many other techniques should be in every performance driver's toolbox and this is one thing that I love so much about performance driving and racing - no matter your skill level, there is always more to learn to improve your capabilities.

The important takeaway is to get good instruction so you properly learn the basics and then work your way up to more advanced techniques. And the best place to learn is on the race track where the cost of a serious mistake is minimized.

[nieuwhzn]

The fun factor increases when your tires are less grippy. It is way more fun when your car starts sliding well before you reach the bleeding power edge.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by thstone

That technique is well known as trail braking (and I mentioned it in my earlier post).

The first thing that I want to say is that there is no single "best" way to take a corner in a Boxster (we all have roughly equal cars) because so much depends on the skill level of the driver. Jay and Perfectlap's points are both valid - the technique employed depends entirely on the driver skill level.

Once a driver gets the basics down, then trail braking and several other advanced techniques are quite useful and probably faster.

For example; one of my favorites is to enter the turn faster than the turn can be executed. The innate understeer at turn in will scrub some speed; then completely lift off of the throttle to purposefully upset the balance - this will put weight onto the front tires and unweight the rear tires. At the same time as lifting the throttle, give the steering a big input. The rear will literally slide as the car rotates in mid-corner.

What you've done is purposefully created the start of a spin. The trick is to drive out of it.

As soon as the car starts to rotate (this happens FAST in a mid-engined Boxster so if you wait until its already rotated, its too late and you will spin), jump back on the throttle hard; this will shift weight to the rear tires and they will hook up. Done properly, you can then drive the car out of the corner at full throttle.

Fast in - fast out.

This and many other techniques should be in every performance driver's toolbox and this is one thing that I love so much about performance driving and racing - no matter your skill level, there is always more to learn to improve your capabilities.

The important takeaway is to get good instruction so you properly learn the basics and then work your way up to more advanced techniques. And the best place to learn is on the race track where the cost of a serious mistake is minimized.

Isn't this basically drifting through a turn?

I need to actually ask my dad about this, he's a DE driver for AMG/Mercedes.

I still won't let him drive my car, though.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Porsche Chick

Isn't this basically drifting through a turn?

No, its not drifting in the sense of sliding the car all the way through the turn. If you were watching, it is likely that you would never notice the rear slide around - its very subtle and only for a moment to get the car to rotate thru mid-corner. No big slip angles and no big tire smoke.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by thstone

No, its not drifting in the sense of sliding the car all the way through the turn. If you were watching, it is likely that you would never notice the rear slide around - its very subtle and only for a moment to get the car to rotate thru mid-corner. No big slip angles and no big tire smoke.

Awwwww . . . where's the fun in that?