Back in the old Cal Club days (50'sand early 60's) drivers that were a
problem were brought up before the contest board and if found wanting in
attitude or ability were sentenced to a weekend of working a corner with the
flagmen. Boy is that a REVELATION.and SCARY. Those people are crazy.
Drivers are only nuts.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ted Schumacher" <tedtsimx@bright.net>
To: "tom strange" <tstrange@new.rr.com>
Cc: "Dave Riddle" <dave@microworks.net>; <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 08, 2003 6:44 AM
Subject: Re: Learning to Drive
> Excellent point. Whenever I instruct, my studnets have to go work a
> corner for an entire session. Gives a "whole new meaning to life" for
> them. Ted
>
> tom strange wrote:
>
> >One more note I dont see here (now that my computers running again....)
> > Corners you have trouble with... go out and corner work at them. Its
> >amazing what you can see people doing from a corner workers point of
view.
> >Sometimes it takes a lot of the mystery out of a corner.
> >
> >Tom
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Dave Riddle" <dave@microworks.net>
> >To: <fot@autox.team.net>
> >Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 11:40 PM
> >Subject: RE: Learning to Drive
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>At 09:47 PM 11/7/2003, Bill Babcock wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>Oh, one more thing, a late apex is safer, a slightly earlier one is
> >>>generally faster if you're putting the car close to the limit.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>That's funny and convey's what I always tell students that show an
> >>appititude (those without ability I don't waste the time telling) "you
> >>
> >>
> >want
> >
> >
> >>to late apex as early as you can". It is hard to describe and even
harder
> >>to do but the first time you actually "do it" it is like a little light
> >>goes off. Sometimes it is really only a way of visualizing a corner and
> >>how you want to drive through it (notice I did not say around it).
> >>
> >>For example: If you ever drive the road course at Phoenix International
> >>(which I don't really like myself - it is boring) you will be told that
T2
> >>is a late apex corner, and it is. You need to go so deep into the corner
> >>that you think you have driven right past it and could never get the car
> >>rotated. Going into that corner I am looking so far through it and at
T3
> >>that I can imagine seeing a "channel" magically appear as the curbing of
> >>
> >>
> >T2
> >
> >
> >>on drivers left falls away to reveal the second bit of curbing of T3 on
> >>drivers right (I completely look past the first bit of the curbing of
> >>T3). I have walked the track and from no vantage point does it really
> >>"look" like that, but in my minds eye I can visualize that it does exist
> >>and I feel like Moses parting the Red Sea. This lets me bring the power
on
> >>earlier than other guys can and like Bill mentions I feel I can "hustle"
> >>the car though the corner faster.
> >>
> >>I tried to help a fairly new Spec Racer Ford guy look at that corner
that
> >>way and he could only see it with his eyes not with his brain. He came
> >>back in and said "I thought you said the corner opens up". It does, but
> >>you have to have the ability to imagine and view the geometry of how the
> >>corners work together to "get it".
> >>
> >>So my advice would be to look at the track and it's corners as a whole
to
> >>see how they work and then find the lines that tie the track
> >>together. Those lines are often times very different than what the
> >>"obvious" layout of the track is. Another saying I use with students is
> >>
> >>
> >to
> >
> >
> >>"drive the line not the track".
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Ted Schumacher
> tedtsimx@bright.net
> http://www.tsimportedautomotive.com
> 108 S. Jefferson St.
> Pandora, Ohio, USA 45877
> Fax: 419.384.3272 (24 Hrs.)
> Phone: 800.543.6648 (US & Canada)
> Tech/ Gen. Information/ Worldwide: 419.384.3022
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