Question For The Racers

[Nazgul]

You are approaching a sweeping bend after you come off of a long straight stretch maybe hitting 100 to 120 MPH, but you suddenly begin to get the feeling just as you hit the foot of the bend that you might be going just a tad to fast for the tires to completely adhere. You are unsure.

What do you racers typically do to avoid throwing the car into a spin or running off of the track?

Sorry for my ignorance here...might sound like a dumb question but I am trying to get a consensus for what the experts do in the event of too much throttle and not enough brake quickly enough.

JC

[rudy oliver]

Good question, let's see some answers, I've spun and gone off the track. That gets the adrenaline flowing, usually have a spare pair of underwear with me.

[MSiska]

Hit the brakes as hard as you can and toss your Z06 into the turn and yell....Holy Moly!!! or something like that . Or you have to know the limitations of your Z06.

[Nemesis]

Mucho brake no jerky moves

[rushign23]

Usually, this happens after you've started to turn in a bit
as you head for the apex. Whenever you need max braking
power to slow the car (like to avoid someone spinning in front
or you're going way too fast to make the whole turn), you cannot
be turning at all as you need all the tire grip to decelerate the
car (as opposed to turn the car). So, the best thing to do is
quickly open up you steering input (get steering wheel to 12
o'clock) and get on the brakes hard. Make sure you don't get
on the brakes too much until the car has started to straighten
out. This procedure will give the max braking power to get
your speed down rapidly in the middle of a corner. Of course,
it's also OK to go off track assuming there is nothing to hit.
Most of the time it's better to go off than risk spinning and
getting hit by someone who's right behind you.

[Mark Olson]

Keep calm and keep driving the car. looking to were you would like to go,you may get there as speed and enegery bleed off. Then remember that that brake point didn't work and brake earlyer. It's all part of learning.

[ryan0]

kick in the ABS and go as straight as you can.. the last thing you need because of a bad judgement is to make it worse by turning hard, having the tires dig into the dirt and flip the car..

or trying to correct a mistake from the outside of the track and whipping the car back to the other side, thru trarfic or into a wall.. this is the reason for 90% of all damage to cars that i've seen..

cut your losses and worry about stopping the car safely.. not making the turn..

[David Pintaric]

A few Hail Marys are usually in line under those circumstances.

Seriously: You hold on and try to "correct" the situation as smoothly and gently as possible.

[Doc V.]

If I understand the example correctly, then the car starts to oversteer as it enters the "sweeping bend." Given the oversteer, the driver should (i) add opposite steering lock--that is, the driver should steer in the direction in which the car's rear is moving; (ii) settle the rear of the car by adding throttle judiciously; and (iii) gradually reduce the opposite lock until the steering wheel is centered. However, if the driver does not unwind the steering wheel effectively, the energy stored in the outside tires' springs (those springs contain compressed energy) will be transferred too quickly to the inside tires' springs, and the rear of the car will move in the opposite direction.

[Subdriver]

JC,
Pretty open ended question that I hesitate to post advice about.
I really don't want to talk to someone who put their car in a wall trying to do something I posted about online.
Please be careful out there. These are $50k street cars you are using at a DE event.

The best advice I can give you is to go to a professional driving school (Skip Barber, Jim Russell, etc). I have been to three driving schools and several of the shorter follow on versions.

My cautions noted for the record, , I read your question not as one of oversteer, or one of braking for a turn, but a situation where you are just past turn in, not to the apex, and realize you have too much speed to make the arc of the turn without exiting the track at the exit.
So you have come down the straight and finished braking, turned in and heading for the apex thinking... mmmm, this is a little fast for me..., what to do....
Feather the throttle. Not a big lift which unweights the rear and leads to big oversteer, but a slight lift to slow the car down and transfer weight forward. Feathering will either help reduce understeer and allow you to reduce the arc of the turn, or... lead to some oversteer which you should be ready for, depending on how your car is set up. The Z06 understeers naturally, but not much. Large lifting will induce oversteer.
But feathering and slowing will allow you to carve a tighter arc. On a long sweeper, you may need to stay feathered all the way to the exit of the turn to stay on the track.
If you do carry too much speed to the exit and drop two wheels off (assuming there isn't a wall there), DON'T PANIC. Don't jerk the car back on the track, you'll likely spin to inside in that case. Ease off the throttle, keep the car straight and gradually bring it back on the track.

A couple other thoughts for you.
- As was said above, look where you want to go, not where you don't want to go. Your hands will instinctively steer the car to where your eyes are looking. Train your eyes to look down the track, not at the wall, the tires, the spinning car in front of you...
- Comp Mode works well on the track. If you are using comp mode, steer the car where you want to go. If comp mode senses you are too fast, it will apply individual brakes as necessary to keep the car on that arc. It won't save you from the really stupid, but if you are close, it will work.

[janoz06]

Very good advise...I am no expert but this is what I would do..Don't panic,no sudden movements,let the car drift and settle(depends on how much room ),don't fight the drift,if you have to go off-road so what,go with the flow

[Late BrakeU2]

"you suddenly begin to get the feeling just as you hit the foot of the bend that you might be going just a tad to fast for the tires to completely adhere. You are unsure."

That scenario describes what you should be feeling every lap,just before turning in.If the tires are completely adhering you're leaving time out there..these are heavy cars with low grip,they move around quite a bit on the limit.

You'll know right away if you can't make a corner-you won't have time to get to "unsure".It usually manifests in the form of suspension/brake faliure and is accompanied by a loud pop-(that's your fore or aft sphincter snapping shut)-at that point it becomes damage mitigation,try to keep the car straight( if you still have steering) most courses are designed with ample run off at the entry for this reason.

[No Doubt]

You'll know right away if you can't make a corner-you won't have time to get to "unsure".It usually manifests in the form of suspension/brake faliure and is accompanied by a loud pop-(that's your fore or aft sphincter snapping shut)

We know how you got your username.

Ryan0 was correct when he said:

kick in the ABS and go as straight as you can.. the last thing you need because of a bad judgement is to make it worse by turning hard, having the tires dig into the dirt and flip the car.

That is if you're are absolutely certain you can't make the turn. Ie: brake failure, or doing 160 when you should be at 50

Subdriver was dead on when he mentioned proper training. The best way to avoid a bad situation is to not allow oneself to get into it in the first place. You shouldn't be driving at 10/10ths in anything other than a door to door race or qualifying session and certainly not at any DE events.

[Dr.Electron]

find a way to experience :trail braking in some tighter than sweeper turns. Bringing the rear around a tad on corner entry with the proper amount of drift [not slide] is the fastest way around the track. In slow, out fast works best unless you master in fast, out faster. Learn where there is ample run off that is the type of surface that will not be prone to flippin ya over. Soggy thick mud is bad, gravel is good [except for your paint and other various under carriage and brake parts. 2 cents that cost ya what it's worth.
If you are scientifically inclined, here physics of racing is a great link to the science of racing. Scroll to the bottom of the page and see "Physics of Racing"
Dr. Electron :z

[Nazgul]

Thanks guys !!! I see that we have a lot of experienced people here on the forum. This is always a good thing for novices like me to learn from.

Actually I would like to attend one of the driving schools and will probably never enter the ZO6 into SCCA racing. It is too much car to start with and too costly to have repaired for a novice like me. But I have considered Formula Mazda. Someday. Maybe.

JC