How To Brake?

[Dell]

I'd agree more with Neil's approach. I think the problem is the semantics of "slamming" the brakes. Peter's approach does have merit. But the merit is learning where to find the limit is. It is NOT the faster approach. Brake like that and you are going to get passed in every brake zone by the competition.

My approach is to brake as deep as possible and then "slam" on the brakes. The semantics of slamming should be.....get to threshold as quickly as possible.

As has been said, braking is an art and very hard to master. Some people just have a very good feel of the physics of weight transfer, brake threshold, etc..

I have NEVER got into ABS in my car. By understanding what creates the ABS situation you can understand how to take it to the razor thin edge and stay there.

Back to my style. When I slam to threshold I immediately start modulating the brake pressure to keep the stopping right at the threshold (ABS) limit. If you are not at the limit you are not maximizing your brakes and thus not grabbing all those tenths laying around the track. Your goal should be to transition from brake to throttle just after corner entry. This method allows you to maximize front end grip and to TB into the corner which results in the need for LESS steering angle and allows you to get on the throttle sooner. Again, picking up tenths all over the place. I heard a quote from Jackie Stewart once. He said that the brake and throttle were ON/OFF switches working as a single switch. You are either on brake or throttle. Coasting is the enemy of lap times and weight transfer. If there is a time gap between brake and throttle or throttle and brake you are carrying too much speed into the corner or coasting. Not good.

If you ever get to watch an F1 practice live (TV is ok but not nearly as info packed) set yourself up at a high speed straight to tight corner transition. You will think that they all forgot how to drive. Why? They are sliding off the track left and right. Their is a method to their madness. They are trying to find both the perfect brake point for transition to corner entry as well as just how much they can bite off past that perfect spot should they need to "make a move".

The problem I see is most DE guys spend the entire session trying to set personal best times instead of setting sector or turn best times. I set out a goal for a specific sector or turn and work on it at the expense of total lap time. Then data analysis tells me what works and what doesn't. Once you truly understand what works ALL THE WAY AROUND THE TRACK then you can start putting it all together.

This doesn't mean you have to work on a section all the time. Some of the best sessions are had by just running with your buddies!