That's happened to me too, still does, but for me it's only ever good for "great" laps, not "pbs"-

I think it comes down to how many laps you've done on a track and how close you are to your tpb. Once you have a lap which is very close to all your best splits combined after many hundred or thousand laps I don't think you'll get any faster by going on autopilot - then it's really looking for those hundredths with everything you've got.

However, one thing that's happened to me a few times lately is that on a bad first split, last lap, with nothing to lose I go flat out and get a fantastic second split. On the contrary to a great first split and it's all "oh no, too fast, must get pb now, this is the chance of a lifetime ... doh" ...and you just overdrive and overpush and don't get anywhere at all...

aceracer

That happens to me too usually, most of my laps are pretty average compared to what my spb is, theres only been very few ive been happy with, most even if its a decent lap im critical of but i suppose thats racing

Quote from aceracer :

That's happened to me too, still does, but for me it's only ever good for "great" laps, not "pbs"-

I think it comes down to how many laps you've done on a track and how close you are to your tpb. Once you have a lap which is very close to all your best splits combined after many hundred or thousand laps I don't think you'll get any faster by going on autopilot - then it's really looking for those hundredths with everything you've got.

However, one thing that's happened to me a few times lately is that on a bad first split, last lap, with nothing to lose I go flat out and get a fantastic second split. On the contrary to a great first split and it's all "oh no, too fast, must get pb now, this is the chance of a lifetime ... doh" ...and you just overdrive and overpush and don't get anywhere at all...

aceracer

yes , you are right . happends to me too... great first split then i blow it up a corner after..... but about pushing the car .... it depends on the track ... and after 10 laps or so in a certain aston configuration i managed to be at 1sec from the wr.... with some work i might go for the wr



but what can we do.... with practice comes wisdom , with wisdom comes speed , and with speed comes the wr's , but the wr's come with some practice ..... ( i dont kno if u get the idea..... )

which aston config do you speak of?

Quote from [DUcK] :

What you gave an example of there is subconscious driving, which is driving without thinking about anything, just 'in the zone', which is a good thing.

Exactly what I have found in myself. I started getting faster when I conditioned myself not to tense up and overthink things. Though, that frame of mind is hard to stay in all the time. I often manage to make a PB while holding down a button and talking not even realizing I was doing well.. Problem with that is I don't remember what I did and the shock of better my times, without extra thought normally slows me down again.

I also find that looking to the spot you want to go and not breaking eye contact with that spot will take you to that spot. So if I'm looking around, I postion the car in the same way I am looking.
Jay Odom

Quote from [DUcK] :

which aston config do you speak of?

Aston Oval.

Quote from [DUcK] :

which aston config do you speak of?

uhh... i was talking about making a record in an aston martin , in a top secret aston combo .....

or

i was talking about the aston configuration that is near your house .....

( no offence there.... )

fags
just wanna see if the wr is fast or not

I feel the quickest way to initially work out where the limit is, is to drive aggressively, let the car have it's head, and purposely push the car into corners. This way you will find the limits, exceed them, then smoothen out your driving to try and stay as close to the limit as possible without exceeding it too much or dropping below it and losing out potential time.

+1, that describes almost exactly how i learn in LFS, i'm not the fastest around, but i'm still practising

Quote from goldsbar :

I've been reading up on some racing technique and most people claim smoother movements (braking, accelerating and turning) will result in more grip and faster times. The explanation for the physics seems to make sense.

Then I watch the fast replays. They look anything but smooth. Instant on-off braking. Instant on off-throttle. Quick and big jerks of the steering wheel. What gives?

quick jerking results in premature tyre wear ( queue the puns )

if anything i try to be as smooth and fluent as possable as theirs a rythem to everything in life, namely racing and you just have to find it...

im never in tune though....

Quote from DaveWS :

I feel the quickest way to initially work out where the limit is, is to drive aggressively, let the car have it's head, and purposely push the car into corners. This way you will find the limits, exceed them, then smoothen out your driving to try and stay as close to the limit as possible without exceeding it too much or dropping below it and losing out potential time.

Agree.

Quote from DaveWS :

I feel the quickest way to initially work out where the limit is, is to drive aggressively, let the car have it's head, and purposely push the car into corners. This way you will find the limits, exceed them, then smoothen out your driving to try and stay as close to the limit as possible without exceeding it too much or dropping below it and losing out potential time.

Doesn't work too well for me ! I have a tendency to overdrive a car when I first get in to it and then have difficulty finding how much I need to slow down. I usually end up not pushing hard enough I think, because I can never seem to get any closer than 1-2 seconds off the fastest guys. Don't know why I do really, probably because I find it difficult to sense speed on a computer screen. I know in real life I am completely the opposite by being over cautious. But then that was on motorcycles, I've never done any track days in a car.

Getting back to the tyre phyiscs, something else I've noticed is that I get the impression that the slicks are way too forgiving. Now I've never driven/ridden on slicks but from what I've been told they are not anywhere near as progressive as road tyres when it comes to loosing them. They give great grip up to the point when they let go, but then they let go hard, (at least compared to road tyres). I think this is born out by my experience in watching people racing on slicks, you hardly hear any tyre squeeling and you hardly ever see anyone sliding the rear out around corners. They're either pretty much stuck to the road, (barring the squirming of the suspension of course) or spinning off. Nothing like the kind of behaviour you see on road tests all the time with people squeeling tyres and sliding around all over the place. In LFS I can't say I've noticed any sigificant difference between the behavior of the road tyres and the slicks, except of course in the total amount of grip. If anything the slicks are easier to pull back in to line than the road tyres, needing far less throttle/braking modulating to get the grip back.