Need Braking Help

I hear about all types of ways to take corners. The way I drive reminds me of mixing ingredients into a recipe without being a cook, meaning I accelerate, I lift off and brake, I blip the throttle, I blip the brakes, so much each corner that my driving is very inconsistent in the next corner but even worse I can't do the same thing again in the same corner. If I can learn the right way to brake, then I'll know what to do in a certain corner and best of all, not forget what i'm doing when I have fast/slow opponents.

Could you give an example of a corner and how to brake/accelerate?

Couple of books I Highly recomend.

1. Winning: A Race Drivers Handbook: by George A. Anderson

2. Drive to Win, The Essential Guide to Race Driving: by Carroll Smith

ANd Visit this site... (http://www.turnfast.com/)

Since this thread, I have gone on an extensive hotlapping binge, learning from some really fast guys in the race sim GTR2. I shaved 6 seconds off my 'best' lap time and learned a lot, while getting advice, help, and encouragement!

I learned that braking softly and keeping it a constant degree was the correct way to brake. The braking points are key, when to brake, and when to ease up and off. If I'm entering a corner too quickly, you lift off the accelerator and gently push it down, of course when you're clear, stomp it to the metal lol. That's just my driving style. Blipping the throttle is never done, it's almost useless. Revving through a turn is another story as it helps to keep you on the racing line at optimum speed. Dab the brakes if you come too close to the edge of the track but just a bit.

Alright now it's time for some cold hard facts, BRING ON THE BOOKS!! I was told to buy Skip Barber: Going faster and the DVD. How do they compare?

nothing compares to doing it in real life.
get yourself to a go kart track or a race day where you can take your car to thrash around.
you'll learn much more about real driving from actually driving than any "practice" you get in a game.

nothing compares to doing it in real life.
get yourself to a go kart track or a race day where you can take your car to thrash around.
you'll learn much more about real driving from actually driving than any "practice" you get in a game.

I plan to get into Rotax in the summer. I also want to go to a skip barber driving/racing school, even just for one day. I agree monkey, Racing cannot be replaced or subsituted by anthing but I don't think you're giving GTR2 or other racing sims enough credit. I can tell you how realistic it is till hell freezes over but you should try it for yourself. If you have played GTR2 and don't like it, 'does not compute'.

Now let's imagine I don't have the 'immediate luxury' to jump onto a track this winter but I want to prepare for when I do. Which books or DVDs? LV I just noticed the site turnfast that you previously posted. Checking now...(looks at clock) checking tomorrow!

the single missing element in a computer game is how the car feels when you are moving and this greatly changes what you can do and what you think you can do. Feel makes the things that you do in a game unlikely for the average joe.

Considering that you can't feel any of the forces acting on you when you hold a control pad, you have no real idea of what the car feels like when it's reached the end of it's suspension travel, when the tyre on the inside rear is beginning to skip, when the front left is beginning to scrub, when the nose suddenly gets heavy or the rear suddenly goes clonk and locks or what it's like when the car switchs from left to right and feels like it's going to topple over and suddenly start bouncing a bit.
Then there's the fact that not many cars are going to of the type that you find in games like GTR2 and so however "real" it might be, it doesn't really relate to whatever you get to sit in.
Have you also noticed that 120+mph doesn't seem all that fast in a game?
In reality, 50-60mph will seem very very fast.

Trust me, the first time you go and drive what you think is "fast", you will see what I mean.
Then when the instructor takes you on a real fast lap, you'll see what it's really like to drive like how you play a game.

trust me on this.
Games and "simulations" don't count for even 10% of what real driving is.
I guess you can sort of learn what a track looks like from a game but how often are you going to be driving around a track that is in a game?

There are lessons to be learnt from playing a game though.
i) learn the track that you are going to be driving on. talk to people who have done the track and ask them for pointers on tricky areas; where there is a sudden change in camber, a slippery bit, a patch of new tarmac, a bit where you might bottom the car, anything else.

ii) depending on what your track experience is going to be (driving or racing) ask about the different (overtaking) lines to the major corners and where you should aim for.

iii) know what your car can do.
i.e there's no point changing up a gear when you clear chicane x because you'll need to brake for the hairpin (or whatever)
no need to brake because lifting off can get you to the correct speed