4wheeldrift
03-19-2004, 03:46 PM
Solo 2 season is coming up, and for those of us who have been pining for some cone dodging action it couldn't come sooner :) So in the spirit of mangling some pylons here is an interesting set of tips from Andy Hollis, multiple times SCCA solo 2 champion in various classes. Sorry if the formatting is kinda whacked, this is copied from another board.
posted March 18, 2004 11:51 AM
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I think I've posted this before but it's good to post this at the beginning of the season.
ANDY'S TOP TEN AUTOX DRIVING TIPS
By Andy Hollis
(Andy is a multiple National Solo Champion and an instructor for the
Evolution Solo School)
Originally posted on Miata.Net
1. Position first, then speed. Positioning the car perfectly is more
important than trying to attain the highest potential speed. For
example, you will drop more time by correctly positioning the car
nearer to slalom cones than you will by adding 1 or 2 MPH in speed.
Same with sweepers (tight line). Same with 90-degree turns (use all
of the track). Also, position is a prerequisite for speed. If you are
not in the correct place, you will not be able go faster. Or at least
not for very long!
2. Turn earlier...and less. To go faster, the arc you are running
must be bigger. A bigger arc requires less steering. To make a bigger
arc that is centered in the same place, the arc must start sooner
(turn earlier).
3. Brake earlier...and less. Waiting until the last possible second
approaching a turn and then dropping anchor at precisely the correct
place so that the desired entry speed is reached exactly as you come
to the turn-in point is quite difficult to execute consistently.
Especially when you consider that you get no practice runs on the
course, and the surface changes on every run, and you aren't likely
to be in exactly the same position with the same approach speed on
every run, etc. Better to start braking a little earlier to give some
margin of error. And by braking less you can either add or subtract
braking effort as you close in on the turn-in point. This will make
you consistent and smooth.
4. Lift early instead of braking later. Continuing with the
philosophy of #3, when you need to reduce speed only a moderate
amount, try an early lift of the throttle instead of a later push of
the brake. This is less upsetting to the car, is easier to do and
thus more consistent, and allows for more precise placement entering
the maneuver (remember #1 above).
5. Easier to add speed in a turn than to get rid of it. If you are
under the limit, a slight push of the right foot will get you more
speed with no additional side effects. On the other hand, if you are
too fast and the tires have begun slipping, you can only reduce
throttle and wait until the tires turn enough of that excess energy
into smoke and heat. Don't use your tires as brakes!
6. Use your right foot to modulate car position in constant radius
turns, not the steering wheel. In a steady state turn, once you have
established the correct steering input to maintain that arc, lifting
the throttle slightly will let the car tuck in closer to the inside
cones. Conversely, slightly increasing the throttle will push the car
out a bit farther to avoid inside cones. It is much easier to make
small corrections in position with slight variations in the tires'
slip angle (that's what you are doing with the throttle) than with
the steering wheel.
7. Unwind the wheel, then add power. If the car is using all of the
tire's tractive capacity to corner, there is none left for additional
acceleration. At corner exit, as you unwind the wheel, you make some
available. If you do not unwind the wheel, the tire will start to
slide and the car will push out (see #6 above).
8. Attack the back. For slaloms (also applicable to most offsets),
getting close to the cones is critical for quick times (see #1). To
get close, we must move the car less, which means bigger arcs. Bigger
arcs come from less steering and require earlier turning (see #2).
Now for the fun part... When you go by a slalom cone and start
turning the steering wheel back the other way, when does the car
start to actually change direction? Answer: When the wheel crosses
the center point (Not when you first start turning back!) How long
does that take? If you are smooth, it takes .25 - .5 seconds. Now,
how long is a typical person's reaction time? Answer: about .5
seconds. Finally, how long does it take to go between slalom cones?
Answer: Typically on the order of 1 second. Given all of that, your
brain must make the decision to begin turning the steering wheel back
the other way just *before* you go by the previous cone!!
Since this is a mental issue, a good visualization technique to get
used to this is to think about trying to run over the back side of
each slalom cone with the inside rear tire of the car. To hit it with
the rear tire (and not the front), the car must be arcing well before
the cone and the arc must be shallow. Attack the back!
9. Hands follow the eyes, car follows the hands. 'Nuf said.
10. Scan ahead, don't stare. Keep the eyes moving. Looking ahead does
not mean staring ahead. Your eyes must be constantly moving forward
and back, and sometimes left and right. Glance forward, glance back.
Your brain can only operate on the information you give it.
Bonus Tip: Don't forget the stuff in between the marked maneuvers!
Too often we think of a course as series of discrete maneuvers. There
is typically more to be gained or lost in the areas that are in
between. Pay special attention to the places where there are no
cones.
Permission to Publish below:
Andy Hollis Miata Forum Member Member # 3320 posted 18 March 2002
23:52
For those asking permission to reprint or copy elsewhere, no problem.
I only ask that you keep my name attached for credit.
posted March 18, 2004 11:51 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think I've posted this before but it's good to post this at the beginning of the season.
ANDY'S TOP TEN AUTOX DRIVING TIPS
By Andy Hollis
(Andy is a multiple National Solo Champion and an instructor for the
Evolution Solo School)
Originally posted on Miata.Net
1. Position first, then speed. Positioning the car perfectly is more
important than trying to attain the highest potential speed. For
example, you will drop more time by correctly positioning the car
nearer to slalom cones than you will by adding 1 or 2 MPH in speed.
Same with sweepers (tight line). Same with 90-degree turns (use all
of the track). Also, position is a prerequisite for speed. If you are
not in the correct place, you will not be able go faster. Or at least
not for very long!
2. Turn earlier...and less. To go faster, the arc you are running
must be bigger. A bigger arc requires less steering. To make a bigger
arc that is centered in the same place, the arc must start sooner
(turn earlier).
3. Brake earlier...and less. Waiting until the last possible second
approaching a turn and then dropping anchor at precisely the correct
place so that the desired entry speed is reached exactly as you come
to the turn-in point is quite difficult to execute consistently.
Especially when you consider that you get no practice runs on the
course, and the surface changes on every run, and you aren't likely
to be in exactly the same position with the same approach speed on
every run, etc. Better to start braking a little earlier to give some
margin of error. And by braking less you can either add or subtract
braking effort as you close in on the turn-in point. This will make
you consistent and smooth.
4. Lift early instead of braking later. Continuing with the
philosophy of #3, when you need to reduce speed only a moderate
amount, try an early lift of the throttle instead of a later push of
the brake. This is less upsetting to the car, is easier to do and
thus more consistent, and allows for more precise placement entering
the maneuver (remember #1 above).
5. Easier to add speed in a turn than to get rid of it. If you are
under the limit, a slight push of the right foot will get you more
speed with no additional side effects. On the other hand, if you are
too fast and the tires have begun slipping, you can only reduce
throttle and wait until the tires turn enough of that excess energy
into smoke and heat. Don't use your tires as brakes!
6. Use your right foot to modulate car position in constant radius
turns, not the steering wheel. In a steady state turn, once you have
established the correct steering input to maintain that arc, lifting
the throttle slightly will let the car tuck in closer to the inside
cones. Conversely, slightly increasing the throttle will push the car
out a bit farther to avoid inside cones. It is much easier to make
small corrections in position with slight variations in the tires'
slip angle (that's what you are doing with the throttle) than with
the steering wheel.
7. Unwind the wheel, then add power. If the car is using all of the
tire's tractive capacity to corner, there is none left for additional
acceleration. At corner exit, as you unwind the wheel, you make some
available. If you do not unwind the wheel, the tire will start to
slide and the car will push out (see #6 above).
8. Attack the back. For slaloms (also applicable to most offsets),
getting close to the cones is critical for quick times (see #1). To
get close, we must move the car less, which means bigger arcs. Bigger
arcs come from less steering and require earlier turning (see #2).
Now for the fun part... When you go by a slalom cone and start
turning the steering wheel back the other way, when does the car
start to actually change direction? Answer: When the wheel crosses
the center point (Not when you first start turning back!) How long
does that take? If you are smooth, it takes .25 - .5 seconds. Now,
how long is a typical person's reaction time? Answer: about .5
seconds. Finally, how long does it take to go between slalom cones?
Answer: Typically on the order of 1 second. Given all of that, your
brain must make the decision to begin turning the steering wheel back
the other way just *before* you go by the previous cone!!
Since this is a mental issue, a good visualization technique to get
used to this is to think about trying to run over the back side of
each slalom cone with the inside rear tire of the car. To hit it with
the rear tire (and not the front), the car must be arcing well before
the cone and the arc must be shallow. Attack the back!
9. Hands follow the eyes, car follows the hands. 'Nuf said.
10. Scan ahead, don't stare. Keep the eyes moving. Looking ahead does
not mean staring ahead. Your eyes must be constantly moving forward
and back, and sometimes left and right. Glance forward, glance back.
Your brain can only operate on the information you give it.
Bonus Tip: Don't forget the stuff in between the marked maneuvers!
Too often we think of a course as series of discrete maneuvers. There
is typically more to be gained or lost in the areas that are in
between. Pay special attention to the places where there are no
cones.
Permission to Publish below:
Andy Hollis Miata Forum Member Member # 3320 posted 18 March 2002
23:52
For those asking permission to reprint or copy elsewhere, no problem.
I only ask that you keep my name attached for credit.