sdef

If someone was to ask you for car and driver tips, what would you say?

examples

invest in better brake pads.

do not do many mods before you purchase safety gear. the car can be replaced, the driver can not.

VetteDrmr

Read the sticky at the top of this forum.

Have a good one,
Mike

John Shiels

When you close the door to go to the track and lock it make sure your ego is locked there also. As I always think I drove here in one piece the most important thing is to get it home in one piece along with myself and those around me. You have many events to gain knowledge and speed if you have a car to do it in. It does not come overnight.

Instructor tells you to go faster and you are not comfortable don't it's your car he walks away and they are not Gods.

gilly6993

I'm a newbie also....better pads, better, tires, mods, etc, etc don't mean anything....it's all about having fun....there are no trophies....no first place finishes....everyone wants to go home with their vehicle in one piece....you owe it not only to yourself but the other drivers around you to be responsible....

ghoffman

The sticky thread is a good start. For those of you in New England, come to the SCDA events and I will see you in person and you can ask away!

sothpaw2

In terms of driving....

...1) Learn the course before you get there: Do a parade lap at an earlier event and also watch videos. You should be able to close your eyes and see very corner and straight and know what to do. Mario Andretti could even do the shift and leg work and come within seconds of his actual lap time.

2) Be smooth: On the brakes, do most of your braking in the beginning of the straight, not at the end, so that you can release the pedal gently as most of the speed is scrubbed off. With the gas: plan ahead w/the straights to you never have to lift to modulate accelearion.

yakisoba

I'll credit Steve Hill with this (a very, very fast driver that can also teach quite well): Three C's. Control, Consistency, Cadence. In that order. Stay in control of the car until you can do consistent laps. You don't need a timer, but you do need to feel it. Once you are consistent, build your sense of cadence. Once you have that in your head, pick up the pace. More like speeding up a musical piece than driving faster. Pick up the tempo until you lose that control, then start again.

Driving is a cyclical learning pattern. You lose the consistency when you get faster because it throws your braking off, and your timing, and you have to adjust.

ghoffman

You have to hit your marks, period. When you speed up and start missing your marks, you are doing it wrong. When Kevin Harvick beat Tony Stewart at the Glen, they asked him what happened and Mr. Stewart said he hit all of his marks.

varkwso

find a cheaper obsession....

John Shiels

like Crack, it is easier to get off