How To Brake?

[Skypalace]

Here's how I (used to when I instructed) explain releasing the wheel on exit.

I explain that there is always a limited amount of traction available, and the goal in a corner is to always use all of the traction available. So you brake fully, but have to start releasing the brake as you turn in, to 'release' traction so that you can start using it to turn. When you're at apex at max turnin, you can't be on the brake or throttle as you're using all your traction to turn.

When you want to start accelerating from the apex to track out, you need to 'release' traction to make it available for acceleration, and you have to do this by releasing the wheel as you slowly apply the throttle. By the time you're on full throttle at trackout, you have to have fully released the wheel, or you won't have sufficient traction!

I also do a visualization exercise - think of a string tied between your toe and the steering wheel. When you're on full braking, string is all the way tight from the bottom of the wheel to your toe. As you turn, turning the wheel will lift your toe on the brake. As you press the accelerator after exit, think of it pulling the outside of the steering wheel back down, so that you have to accelerate.

I think that many novice and intermediate drivers are scared of getting too close to the trackout, as they're worried about getting onto (or over) the exit curbing. After all, their instructors have told them numerous times about bad things happening when they drop a wheel off the outside of a curb on exit. So in response they're staying away from track out, but their mechanism for doing so isn't doing a trackout to a lesser point, it's to keep full steering input in while exiting the corner, which at best delays their throttle input until they're pointed straight (killing their corner exit speed), or at worst adding throttle with full input, potentially causing spins or worse (exiting track when overcorrecting after attempting to catch a spin for example).

Jim