BMW ride along

[old phart]

So just participated in a track day where they had some BMW factory drivers giving ride alongs. I was having issues with two corners so signed up so I could see what line a professional would take in those corners. WTH! So have I been doing it wrong all this time? Before corners he would slam on the brakes throwing me forward and then hit the gas. I thought the whole idea was to be rather smooth in your driving technique? I realize that when I'm driving I know when I'm going to brake and brace my self accordingly so don't feel it as suddenly hitting the brakes. Is this what I'd experience if I was riding along with myself or do 'professionals' hammer the brakes before corners and then accelerate out? He had me pitching back and forth for both laps.

[omgzirra_exe]

It depends on your speed before the corner and how the corner exits. you either get on it hard or just lightly tap it to shed some speed.

you talk bout how he slammed on the brake, but how did he get back on power? how was the follow-up? details like this are important to see why they did what they did,

[dogbone]

I’ve taken a number of passengers in my car over the years. The most common commentary I get is—-holy shit, the braking. The lateness and the violence of it can be shocking.

If you’re going to late-brake, there is nothing gentle about it. I generate 1.6G in braking zones coming in hot off a supercharged straight with slicks. As a driver, you are anticipating it. But for a passenger, it’s very unnerving. I’ve had passengers in the car that were 100% sure we were flying off the track, but the car slowed under control, carved the corner and was fine.

[DukeofAlexandria]

Originally Posted by old phart

So just participated in a track day where they had some BMW factory drivers giving ride alongs. I was having issues with two corners so signed up so I could see what line a professional would take in those corners. WTH! So have I been doing it wrong all this time? Before corners he would slam on the brakes throwing me forward and then hit the gas. I thought the whole idea was to be rather smooth in your driving technique? I realize that when I'm driving I know when I'm going to brake and brace my self accordingly so don't feel it as suddenly hitting the brakes. Is this what I'd experience if I was riding along with myself or do 'professionals' hammer the brakes before corners and then accelerate out? He had me pitching back and forth for both laps.

Yes, you've been doing it wrong. It's called threshold braking and while it can occur anywhere on a track, mostly in long straight aways. You build up speed, and brake at the last possible second before turn in for the line and then gas gas gas out of a corner.

This is standard practice and allows for the most optimal speed, cornering, and settling of the car. Watch any professional racing event; F1 particularly as its most noticeable here. You'll see them build massive speed but then slam on breaks going to a decent amount of corners and gas out of it.

-Duke

[DrFerry]

Originally Posted by DukeofAlexandria

Yes, you've been doing it wrong. It's called threshold braking and while it can occur anywhere on a track, mostly in long straight aways. You build up speed, and brake at the last possible second before turn in for the line and then gas gas gas out of a corner.

This is standard practice and allows for the most optimal speed, cornering, and settling of the car. Watch any professional racing event; F1 particularly as its most noticeable here. You'll see them build massive speed but then slam on breaks going to a decent amount of corners and gas out of it.

-Duke

Well said. Exactly right. There were a few common sayings I heard around various paddocks over the years (and in different countries too). Here's a couple of them:

"Wait until you see God and then brake"..

"He who spends the most time on the gas wins"..

Violence in braking or threshold braking where needed in every 'major' corner means the sum integrated time on the watch spent during braking around the circuit is massively reduced. Hence, more time is left to spend applying the gas pedal (throttle). Now for 24 Hour races i.e. endurance racing - where mechanical sympathy is needed to make the car last, drivers will increase the braking zone distance (sometimes referred to as floating the car in) BUT the corner entry speed is still "almost" the same as the entry speed with threshold braking in a sprint race. This technique is easier on the brakes and tires during endurance racing BUT it's much more difficult to determine the correct braking marker in downforce OR tin-top cars than plain old reliable and fun threshold braking.

Personally speaking I wait until I see God in the braking zone before the corner, then immediately go to maximum braking effort, chuck the car in while trailing off the brakes during the first phase corner entry, mash the gas prior to the apex, while dealing with any loss of traction using car control techniques.. But that's just me. It's why I loved working with Porsche 911s on track because they're so easy to steer with the gas pedal, and have excellent brakes that can handle threshold braking technique.

[bigjae1976]

Its not just about how you get on the brakes...its how you get off the brakes. I bet you didn't notice when he was off the brakes.

It's all about weight transfer. If you're smooth and quick off the brakes onto the throttle then you are increasing the overall grip.