cornering and balance?

[IanMcLeod]

Helen.

I just talked to Laura and Charles and can you allocate one of the spaces to me as well. I'll reply to your email to me when I can.

Thx
Ian.

[Helen]

Hi Ian, yes indeed i can just e-mail me your address and i'll post a form and instructions out to you.

rules, and running of event will be the same as last year, but with only 25 car instead of the 35 which we all though was far too many.


or come along to ddk midlands meet on 28th nov at appleby inn, appleby parva.

[Mike Usiskin]

HI Helen,

can you explain what a sprint day is?

regards

Mike

[Helen]

sprinting is one car on track at a time.. each car is sent out and does two laps, first lap if a trial and second lap is timed.
as one car comes in next car is sent out for their go....so no chance of any comings togeather, or worries about being over taken, you can set your own pace.

with 25 cars attending you should get 4-5 goes per car in the day.

[Bertroex]

Helen

if I were you, hold on to at least 5 of these places. Its only november and plenty of space inn those new garages Larry is building

Bert

[Helen]

unfortunatly i won't be able to attend myself as i'll be on holiday.

[Mike Usiskin]

Hi Helen,

if it's timed does it need special insurance as timing means competion though i'd love to be wrong

mike

[rafiki]

I was on a rally driving course a couple of years ago and for doing a 180 degree bend he had me doing the following:-

(It's a 180 degree right hand bend)

Hooning up to the corner and slamming on the brakes - braking in a straight line deep into the corner and past the apex (but not turning towards it or anything - so it almost looks like you've not seen the corner and are going to plough straight on!) - when the car was down to about 5 mph he had me do full right hand lock on the steering and floor the accelerator. Because the car was going so slowly it turn instantly and by the time the full amount of the torque hit we were heading for the exit at great speed. His words (when he stopped screaming at me) were that the slower the speed you got down to the faster the exist speed, which is what it was all about.

We did this in a mitsubishi evo 6

The course you end up taking through the corner is much more pointy, and not at all like smoothing it out and clipping the apex

Aside from that lesson, I've never tried this on a track but works a treat on GT4

Mark

Funny old thing...I've always found hammering into a corner and then depressing the clutch as I heave on the handbrake whilst turning the steering wheel in the appropriate direction gets me round the 180 degree hairpin. Worked on my Imp, too. (Have not yet tried it on the 912, though!) Works extremely well on loose surfaces, but not quite so well on tarmac.

[Helen]

Hi Helen,

if it's timed does it need special insurance as timing means competion though i'd love to be wrong

mike

timing is totally un-official and your on the track alone so you can opt out of being timed if you like, there are no winners or losers,prizes or awards at this event.... insurence has never been an issue.

Rafiki....handbrake turns, never really mastered them myself unless in a rally car on gravel and with the sort of handbrake that dosn't lock in position....then weeee great fun.

[rafiki]

Rafiki....handbrake turns, never really mastered them myself unless in a rally car on gravel and with the sort of handbrake that dosn't lock in position....then weeee great fun.[/quote]

Yup...

[veryporky]

Ref the turn in Mike is quite right, there is a benefit to be had in braking as you turn into the corner due to the weight transfering to the front. It is in some ways similar to the left foot braking used by the '60s rally boys. Bear in mind they never used the clutch to change gear and the box was always changed after an event. We don't have that luxury and it was no way to make a box last at le mans so trail braking can help. As we know tyres can only do so much work. So if you are braking 100% there's no way you can turn in. But at the instant you begin to point the car at the apex the force applied by turning is only around 10% building to 100% only as you near the apex. So carry some brake in as you start to turn the wheel it will help it turn in. As you apply more lock keep smoothly reducing the pressure on the pedal. By the time you near the apex you will be off the brake on the throttle to some degree
depending on the corner. But as you are locked over the car will not accept full throttle in much the same awy as it will not accept full brake. Throttle is is eased in as lock is unwound. By the time the wheel is straight the throttle should be flat. And if you find yourself needing to add lock after the apex you clipped the apex too early. Like I said this is known as trail braking. It keeps the tyres working near 100% and helps get the thing pointing at the apex. Carry too much in though and you''ll generate bags of understeer or at worst take the car off. Needs to be executed with the utmost smoothness in one flowing movement. I'm no driving guru though - this is the technique in the Elford book. He was a God, the rest of us mere disciples in this respect. I find it works though.