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Today, I spent most of the day testing a Formula BMW. I was taught a technique that is largely unknown to most drivers. I learned a LOT today. 
Basically what you do is you brake as normal, but let let off, and let the car coast into the corner (NO throttle, NO brakes), scrubbing off speed as it rolls in. Then, AFTER the apex, mash the throttle. Obviously, this would be different in a 750 bhp Champ Car, but still, throttle application would be a little more abrupt than using a more classic style.
If you are getting on the throttle at or before the apex, you aren't entering the corner fast enough. It's counter-intuitive, but it works. In some corners, this technique can be worth upwards of half a second in that corner alone. Today, I spent most of the day testing a Formula BMW. I was taught a technique that is largely unknown to most drivers. Basically what you do is you brake as normal, but let let off, and let the car coast into the corner (NO throttle, NO brakes), scrubbing off speed as it rolls in. Then, AFTER the apex, mash the throttle (obviously, this would be different in a 750 bhp Champ Car, but still, throttle application would be a little more abrupt than using a more classic style). If you are getting on the throttle at or before the apex, you aren't entering the corner fast enough. It's counter-intuitive, but it works. In some corners, this technique can be worth upwards of half a second in that corner alone. (I've got some interesting data-acquisition graphs that show the gains quite well)
Now, rolling into a corner would scrub off less speed than slightly drifting (about 2-3 degrees). Therefore, put the car into the corner 5-7 mph faster, and allow the car to drift on the entry, and you will scrub off that extra speed by the time you get to the apex of the corner. It was quite weird to have a team owner say "ok, now I want you to keep entering this corner harder and harder until you either slide wide or spin." He wanted to see a tiny bit of oversteer on entry. It was raining when he said this, so the oversteer wasn't much of a request to fulfill!
The owner mentioned that when he followed some of the faster drivers in Formula Atlantic, he said it was insane how much speed they entered the corners with. They would throw the car in (drifting at about a 2-3 degree slip angle) and would coast/drift most of the way through the corner. Since they were almost at the exit of the corner when they could get back in the throttle, they didn't need to feed it in slowly; they just mashed the throttle and accelerated hard.
Very neat stuff.
Basically what you do is you brake as normal, but let let off, and let the car coast into the corner (NO throttle, NO brakes), scrubbing off speed as it rolls in. Then, AFTER the apex, mash the throttle. Obviously, this would be different in a 750 bhp Champ Car, but still, throttle application would be a little more abrupt than using a more classic style.
If you are getting on the throttle at or before the apex, you aren't entering the corner fast enough. It's counter-intuitive, but it works. In some corners, this technique can be worth upwards of half a second in that corner alone. Today, I spent most of the day testing a Formula BMW. I was taught a technique that is largely unknown to most drivers. Basically what you do is you brake as normal, but let let off, and let the car coast into the corner (NO throttle, NO brakes), scrubbing off speed as it rolls in. Then, AFTER the apex, mash the throttle (obviously, this would be different in a 750 bhp Champ Car, but still, throttle application would be a little more abrupt than using a more classic style). If you are getting on the throttle at or before the apex, you aren't entering the corner fast enough. It's counter-intuitive, but it works. In some corners, this technique can be worth upwards of half a second in that corner alone. (I've got some interesting data-acquisition graphs that show the gains quite well)
Now, rolling into a corner would scrub off less speed than slightly drifting (about 2-3 degrees). Therefore, put the car into the corner 5-7 mph faster, and allow the car to drift on the entry, and you will scrub off that extra speed by the time you get to the apex of the corner. It was quite weird to have a team owner say "ok, now I want you to keep entering this corner harder and harder until you either slide wide or spin." He wanted to see a tiny bit of oversteer on entry. It was raining when he said this, so the oversteer wasn't much of a request to fulfill!
The owner mentioned that when he followed some of the faster drivers in Formula Atlantic, he said it was insane how much speed they entered the corners with. They would throw the car in (drifting at about a 2-3 degree slip angle) and would coast/drift most of the way through the corner. Since they were almost at the exit of the corner when they could get back in the throttle, they didn't need to feed it in slowly; they just mashed the throttle and accelerated hard.
Very neat stuff.
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