Driving lines - Technical Skill or Talent?

[Ken Snider]

Some of you may have read a recent article from Car and Driver, titled - Doing Lines by Eric Tingwall. I quote an excerpt, "WHETHER YOU'RE AWARE OF IT OR NOT, you learned the basic rules of track lapping in kindergarten: Get in line, stay in line, and follow the line. And no hitting others."

Kindergarten for me was 50 years ago. Very distant memory. No wonder I struggle at the track. I'm curious about the methods the coaches use when teaching their own drivers. Or maybe that's a SECRET.

[Patrick Roth]

I tend to agree with most of the quote. The racing line is the racing line and deviations from it are typically going to be small for the sake of maintaining lap times; however, when trying to pass someone (or be passed from someone) you need to deviate from the racing line in a more dramatic fashion. The tricky part is when to make the decision as how far to take the challenge and ultimately to whom does the position belong (which I believe is what you are referring to?).

My approach is if I am being challenged, as soon as I can see the front bumper of the person next to me (must be slightly ahead of my helmet so I can see it in my periphery), I need to adjust my line to accommodate the challenge. This means if I see someone's bumper on the inside of me going into the next corner I need to give a karts width between me and the apex (the reverse applies if I see the person's bumper on the outside). If the person's bumper starts to move ahead of me going through the corner than I am likely to concede as soon as I believe they can no longer see my front bumper. If we go bumper to bumper into the corner, and stay bumper to bumper through the corner, than coming out of the corner the person on the outside will likely prevail as the person on the inside will come out slower because they will have to tighten their arc to prevent contact. More agressive drivers are going to assume control of the position sooner while more conservative drivers are going to let control of the position sooner.

When I first started racing I was automatically in conservative (preservation) mode; however, as I gained more experience I became much more conscious of the situation and take more into consideration as to how far to push a challenge. At the club level I know who I am racing with in my class (ex: I am less likely to push a challenge with a senior level shifter (typically a faster, younger class) than people in my own class, master level shifter) and I typically know the experience level of the people I am racing with. If I come up on someone who is less experienced than I take this into consideration and it is more in my court to make a clean pass. If I am challenging a more experienced person than I trust that they will race with respect and will make the necessary adjustments to race cleanly so we both finish the race rather than end up off track or with damage. It doesn't always work out perfectly as sometimes I have taken a challenge too far (fortunately an experienced driver will recognize the situation and adjust) while other times I have had to adjusted when others have gotten a little too exuberant.

I hope this is what you were looking for?

Patrick

[Ken Snider]

Excellent feedback Patrick. Maybe we can share some bleacher-seat time watching other classes than our own soon. You certainly pack a lot of information and are fun to talk with. There was no real reason for my original post other than to maybe hit a note with someone and start a conversation. I like using forums for many reasons. Sometimes it's just to get participation, bench-race, and talk about the passion I have for racing.
The racing line is something I've always thought I've had in my head since I was a kid. Thought it came mostly from watching ABC sports before ESPN came around and taught us everything we need to know. Never crossed my mind that the kindergarten teacher was actually teaching me something I'd use later in life.
As I learn the karting sport my goal is to improve with each outing.