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Re: No skirts in this email

To: Kat Bryce <katbryce@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: No skirts in this email
From: Randy Chase <randyc2@home.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2000 09:04:54 -0700

Kat Bryce wrote:

> Question, I have seen this 10/10th 9/10th...  Just what is meant by
> that?
> 

10/10ths (or 100%) is the theoretical amount you can push your car and
not lose it...or to be right on the edge...at an optimum amount of
throttle and slip angle. The idea being that a "perfect" autocross run,
would mean that car was at 10/10ths the entire time.

A general rule is that a good driver knows when (s)he is near 10/10ths.
As you go past the line of 10/10ths, you back off or open up the
steering to keep it on the edge. Novice drivers tend to drive around
8/10ths..and then into a corner at 13/10ths, not perceiving that they
went past 10/10ths. The old "Drive fast where you can, but not where you
can't.

I use the phrase 10/10ths for talking to people about street racing
also, because IMO, it's stupid to attempt to be 10/10ths *away from* an
autocross lot. A lot of factors are part of that fraction, and there are
too many unknowns on the street to really safely drive near 10/10ths. A
little moisture or bumpiness and 10/10ths magically turns to 13/10ths.

Randy Chase (can't memorize courses worth a darn...struggles to remember
what he just ran...pretty much uses a "Holy Crap" style of
autocrossing..hoping for a clean run)  :-)

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