At 05:45 PM 6/7/99 -0400, Mari Clements wrote:
>HOW DO YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT LINE TO DRIVE?
>So, any great "ah-hah" experiences or breakthroughs? Rules? Suggestions?
>Thoughts? Things I can try with Hot Wheels cars?
Mari,
Actually, the basic principle I've used since 1976 is "Late Apex". I'm sure
that there are some cars and some driving styles where this is not
appropriate, but your MR2 is probably not one of them. You can be rather
competitive with this approach.
In case anyone doesn't know what a late apex is (I'm sure Mari does), just
pretend you are driving a van and/or towing a trailer and you don't want
the van's inside rear tire or the trailer tire to go over a curb or drop in
a ditch!
There are exceptions. For example the 180's at the far ends at the
Petersburg Pro where the series of chicanes ended such that to late apex
those corners you would have to slow too early and swing very wide to the
outside of the course because you were coming from the inside of the last
segment of the chicanes. In cases like those, you don't actually "early
apex", just don't bother to swing out too wide to late apex the entry. John
Ames is quoted as saying "late apex as early as possible".
Just don't get too extreme, especially at sites where the outside of the
course gets dirty.
You can and should practice this anywhere and everywhere within your
traffic lane. Just watch out for the people who want to drive in your lane!
As you practice, just see how soon the car is pointed straight enough that
you could go to full throttle if traffic (and common sense) permitted.
Late apex also gives you some cushion if you happen to brake late because
you usually have to brake a little earlier in order to late apex.
In most autocrosses, if you don't late apex you hit the apex cone with your
inside rear tire (for example the apex cone in the last corner of the
Petersburg Pro) and/or you will have to wait a very long time to go to full
throttle.
At major events, watch the various run groups and see who is fast and who
isn't. The difference in line will be VERY clear.
When you get to the level of the top drivers, then refinement is possible
and necessary. However, most of what you see the top drivers doing when
they walk the courses umpteen times is trying to be sure they know EXACTLY
where the course goes so they have NO questions regarding where the course
goes during a run.
Hope this helps.
Dick Rasmussen
CM 85
85 Van Diemen RF-85 Formula Ford
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