Okay, just a few more cents to throw in here.
Fast should be smooth and smooth can be fast, but smooth does not equate
to fast. You can be smooth and slow. I think this is the important point
that Mark raises in regards to advice that may or not apply to you.
A lot of us are at different points in our learning and in our styles.
Some of us may take these nice lines, and drive very smoothly, and are 5
seconds back. Telling this person to be smoother may not be a good idea.
Also, smooth is what the car is doing, it may not be what you are doing.
Often, inside the car, there is a lot of things happening, and they
happen pretty quickly. We all know that upsetting the car, abrupt stuff,
etc is not the best thing, but I think sometimes "smooth" gets
misinterpreted to mean "slow". The best thing here IMHO is ride with
someone fast and watch. It was an eye-opener for me.
'Point and Shoot'? I think that applies more to high horsepower cars
and/or driving in the rain. Some of the best advice I have gotten
(Thanks Kevin Bailey, Rich Fletcher, and Peter Raymond) was to STOP
doing this. Quit "squaring off the corners".
I think a key thing is that you progress as you drive, and most of us do
not figure it out all right away. Almost 10 years later, and I am still
working on figuring it out (folks in San Diego are going "no duh"..) 8)
But we learn in steps, and often one thing makes a huge leap. So,
perhaps Richard, when you implemented your Point and Shoot, you also
made some other change?
Anyhow, for me and my MR-2, the line is often the smoothest arc I can
get, to not dive into the corner and then jerk the car around it. This
almost always means late apexing (but not always). I try to carry as
much speed as I can around the corners..but then, I only have 130hp.
Also, one important thing for me is to brake earlier and then apply
throttle earlier in the turn. And keep my hands on the steering wheel.
And to think to myself as I drive "why did I not get some different
tires?" 8)
Randy Chase
'91 MR2 CS
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