SouthernSon

Although there are so many finer points to fast, safe lapping on a road course I think it would be interesting for folks new to the sport to get some ideas from those with experience. I would love to see some pointers from the many track drivers that post here that remember from when they first started and what helped them most as they got faster. Although it is very difficult to limit it to just one, please try.

One of the best tips I got early on was to not try going so deep into threshold braking and learn to carry more momentum into the turn.

Bill Dearborn

The best tip I got was similar to yours. I was braking going into Turn 2 at the Glen like most Novices do. I was in an 86 Corvette and my instructor a Ferrari owner said, your car is similar to a Ferrari in the way it handles. As you are approaching the turn just easily lift off the throttle make your turn in and roll back onto the throttle. I had been going into the turn at 70 mph up until then. When I did that I went into the turn at 80 and within a couple of laps I was at 90. Each time I gained 10 mph entering the turn I gained 10 mph at the end of the back straight up to the point the car couldn't go any faster. That was 23 years ago.

Bill

Bad_AX

"Don't drive his line!!!"

HPDE is about learning, not racing. Learning means focusing on your driving, your car and your instructor. In traffic it is deceptively easy to start "following" the car in front of you and lose site of the lines, braking points, apexes, etc. that you should be working on. Ever notice how you can lead a tailgater in day-to-day traffic? I _uck with them sometimes to see how disengaged they are from driving. You see this at the race track too in traffic. People forget what they are doing and just blindly follow.

STANG KILLA SS

no contest:
looking/driving much further ahead than you naturally want to.

BEZ06

This one has to do with instructing.

Q: "How fast should you drive when giving your student a demo ride around the track?"

A: "No faster than you want to see them attempt to replicate next session when you get in the passenger seat with them driving!"

insertclevername

Smooth is fast.

Nowanker

Best advice that no one ever gave me: when you arrive at a corner going A LOT faster than than you expect, forget about the corner and lay the brakes on in a straight line. Odds are that you'll lose enough speed to make the corner anyway, with whatever crappy line you're left with. But if you still can't make the corner, at least you'll exit the track in a more controlled fashion.
Other sage advice that was given:
In a spin, both feet in
When you run off at exit, take a moment to gather the car before you try to bring it back on.
Somehow it seems appropriate to give the cautionary advice before showing someone how to go fast...But for actual 'help you drive faster' tips:
Keep your eyes up and look far ahead
Be smooth
Use up ALL the track

Jay_Davis

#1 tip:

Don't hit anything.

Works on the street to!

nolimits

Leave your ego at home, listen to your instructor, and ramp up slowly as you build a skill set and confidence. If you are out there to be speedracer off the bat, forget it, get a feel for everything and be safe for all.

Now for speed, do your best to not unsettle the car, no excessive input to brakes, throttle, or steering, they all upset the car and shift weight, unbalancing the car. Smooth in, smooth out, steady hands on the wheel just like you see F1 commentators pointing out.

Enjoy the experience and be glad you get to do this, most enthusiasts miss out and never do.

Car54

Best instruction one liner:

"look where you want to go and drive there"

bill

Olitho

The best tip my instructor told me, "You should go do something else."

Nowanker

Excellent advice!
Another one that I just made up:
If you autocross regularly... the 'slow down to go fast' rule applies at the track.
Or get a lot of practice with 'both feet in'

3on8

That certainly would have given some hope to the rest of us...

Bill Dearborn

My student in the last event had a situation like this. He was pushing his Mustang fairly hard and during the last session it started getting a little iffy when he got on the brakes going into Turn 1. He had one run into Turn 1 where the brakes weren't slowing the car like they had before. When that happened he did what a lot of people do which was to focus on the brake pedal, hold the steering wheel straight and hope it doesn't run off track. When he went past the turn in point I said "Turn the Steering wheel and go around the turn." There was an instance of confusion then he took his foot off the brake, turned the wheel and we went around the outside of the turn at a slow rate.

Bill

Larry Myers

One of the best tips from my instructor was, "don't go so high on the curb as it upsets the car".

Recall his name was Arti. And this was but one of several great tips.

SunnydayDILYSI

This is the biggest one for me too, both in terms of lap times and safety. It's hard to do early on (which is a great reason to learn with an instructor), but is critical to progressing as a driver.

CHJ In Virginia

Two items ---
1) LOOK AHEAD - see what the cars far in front of you are doing.
2) DRIVE THE LINE I TELL YOU NOT NOT THE ONE THE CAR IN FRONT OF YOU IS DRIVING.

apex26

Learn the line first, speed will come after that.

UrbanKnight

As I've progressed and started getting faster and chasing time, one of the guys told me... You should almost always be hard on the brake or hard on the gas. If you are not, you are losing time....

FASTFATBOY

One of my first instructors was great at wording things.

He told me to look through the car in front of me like a hologram, acknowledge where he is but picture the track through his car and run YOUR line...you know whats on the other side of his car although you can't see it.