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Re: Going Downhill

To: jesvilla@gte.net
Subject: Re: Going Downhill
From: Darren Madams <darren@madams.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2002 17:21:39 -0800 (PST)
More importanly, it's hiding in every braking zone and every straight
too... Jesus is a pretty good guy to listen to!!!!!!

2 seconds on a 60 second course is a little over 3% faster.  That means
if you're running about 35mph you need only be running at 36mph EVERYWHERE
to make up that time.  Of course it's not really that simple, but you get
the idea that you just need to be faster everywhere.  The important part
when learning is actually not to throw away time, rather than trying to
find time.  Slower in the slow parts and faster in the fast parts.  Oh,
and get a Geez cube and a codriver. :)

The biggest place to gain and lose time is the slowest corner before the
longest straight.  At the Atwater kart track that fact is painfully
obvious (and a delight for those of us that understand that secret).

Best book about this stuff is "Speed Secrets" by Ross Bentley (it was
recommended to me by Ben Martinez who is quick enough already)

http://www.blacklight.net/~spyder/shopping/ has a link... or directly
it's: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760305188/darrensautocropa

        --Darren

Jesus wrote:
> J C wrote:
>  
> > Now, I don't have a very good idea on where the hell
> > those 1.5 to 2.5 seconds are hiding and I don't even
> > know where to start looking (which is why you'll see
> > me at autocross school, 
>  
> > Cheers, Joe
>  
> Joe, that time is hiding in every corner you encounter. There is almost
> never one big chunk of time available at any one corner, unless you
> totally blew past the apex. There are, however, tenths to be gained in
> each corner, so if you have a course with 10 turns in it, then it's
> quite probable that you are losing .1 to .2  in each one, possibly more
> in some turns than in others, but not much. If you are within 1.5 to 2.5
> seconds from, say a nationally competitive driver in the same car, then
> you are doing a pretty good job of driving already. Just some fine
> tuning of your driving skills is all you need. The SCCA school will help
> you fine tune your skills, and seat time of course.
> 
> Jesus

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