This diagram gives an overview.
If the gear change is done right before major application of the throttle (somewhere in the white/purple range around the apex), the car could spin. The car still has a lot of lateral load, and a gear shift upsets the car enough that spinning is a possibility.
If the driver waits until the car is completely straight (way off to the top right) before downshifting, then during the whole purple region the car is bogging in the wrong gear. (Great way to get passed before the next corner.) So the driver downshifts (using heel-toe to blip the throttle) in the orangey-red portion. This sets up the car for the best launch out of the corner.
The "Trail Braking -- (advanced)" indicates the gradual brake release I mentioned. With trail braking, the initial brake can actually be a lot later (since the release is a lot later), and the weight is smoothly transitioned from the nose of the car to the side of the car. The better balance from a smooth weight transition allows a higher corner entry speed.
For that type of corner, the trail braking graphic is a bit off. The orangey-red should be a gradient, since release will initiate while the car is still straight, Full release would likely happen a bit sooner than indicated. Excessive trail braking can spin the car too -- which is why the starting point is always "brake in a straight line."
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If the gear change is done right before major application of the throttle (somewhere in the white/purple range around the apex), the car could spin. The car still has a lot of lateral load, and a gear shift upsets the car enough that spinning is a possibility.
If the driver waits until the car is completely straight (way off to the top right) before downshifting, then during the whole purple region the car is bogging in the wrong gear. (Great way to get passed before the next corner.) So the driver downshifts (using heel-toe to blip the throttle) in the orangey-red portion. This sets up the car for the best launch out of the corner.
The "Trail Braking -- (advanced)" indicates the gradual brake release I mentioned. With trail braking, the initial brake can actually be a lot later (since the release is a lot later), and the weight is smoothly transitioned from the nose of the car to the side of the car. The better balance from a smooth weight transition allows a higher corner entry speed.
For that type of corner, the trail braking graphic is a bit off. The orangey-red should be a gradient, since release will initiate while the car is still straight, Full release would likely happen a bit sooner than indicated. Excessive trail braking can spin the car too -- which is why the starting point is always "brake in a straight line."
- mark 5-26-2012 12:31 am