brucegre

Well, occasionally we learn that concrete is very hard and can be a real impediment in the search for the golden second.

Seriously, Mark mentioned having a better driver in your car, and getting coaching. I think he mentions it every time. I'd like to re-iterate that thought - if you can find someone better than you, and they can explain what they are doing vs. what you are doing, you can make great strides.

A year ago in DE, I was running in black and thought I was going fast. This spring, I joined the instructor group and had a few Rennsport instructors really take me to school (we're all in similarly prepped GT3s). Through thought and question/answer, I've been able to close that gap considerably because I've had open access (and an open mind) to guys who are better than me.

When I race, I do the same thing - I pick someone who is faster than me in a particular corner and try to follow him through to pick up on where I'm leaving things on the table. The coaching part is harder, since any advice given by a fellow competitor has to be considered a little suspect.

I will absolutley agree that if you are not noticing track changes as you go around, you aren't that close to the limit. I think it was Paul Frere who said "if the car feels like it's on rails - you're driving too slow"

Cheers,
Bruce

2002 GT3 Cup
2004 GT3
2003 Diasio D962

earlyapex

Mark, thanks for your comments on where to find speed in corners versus lap times. It really corelates with my experience as I'm in the improving my entry speed point of driver skill developement.

RedlineMan

Relax G;

I knew that you knew that I knew what you were going to say, and I did, before you said it, like you said. I know you know it too!



Sometimes I kill myself!

Wreck Me Otter

I got this thing wired....all I have to do is driver much more consistently and go faster...other than that...no problems....that's where my 4 seconds are.....

Geo

I need a beer....

Robert Henriksen

There's a great quote in one of the books on driving - I think it's in Going Faster! Something along the lines of:

"If you're comfortable while driving at speed, you're not fast yet. Fast feels like walking along the edge of a cliff, where the soil under your feet at the very edge is loose and crumbling away into the abyss as you walk - and your toes are digging into the dirt and straining, trying to cling to it as much as possible. That's when you know you're driving fast."

Larry Herman

I would say that being with-in 2 seconds of the front runners with a comparable car is quite fast. But I just finished a club race in a 996 Cup Car where I was running mid-pack, about 2 seconds off of the front runner Tom Pank. I would attribute about a second of that to the car, as I could see where the faster cars had more grip than my car did, and the other second to my driving; maybe with more familiarity with the car?? I do have to say that I felt slow though

JCP911S

I alway compare myself to the "known" top guy in my class. I know what my differential should be. I alway look at the differential as a way to "adjust" for track conditions.

This year I have consistently been slower than last year both in absolute times and differentials. I redid my suspension and it took a while to dial in, but now it handles very well, and I am still a second off... I am totally frustrated.... believe me it is extremely difficult to figure out. I have three theories:

1) My driving style was perfected for cars with worn out shocks, broken swaybars and binding bushings

2) My engine is tired and when I replaced the muffler with the big hole in it, I choked off the exhaust system

3) i'm too old, and I suck.

I'm so desperate that I'm almost ready to put the car on a dyno (but hesitate as I don't really want to rule out theory #2....)

So, the comprehensive answer to the question of how you learn to get faster is... who the f*ck knows....

Robert Henriksen

I worry about something similar - if I spend all my time practicing on older tires, will I really pick up the pace & take advantage of fresh rubber when I cough up the $ for it? Oh, for a pro-team tire budget!

Larry Herman

That's what I'm afraid of too. The older I get, the faster I was. I think though that there will always be someone who is brilliantly fast, and if you are with-in a second or two of them, then that is just plain old fast.

Dirt Track Racer

I can't believe 55 posts and no one has really answered the question.

Its so simple that everyone is missing it.

How do you know when you're fast?

Hmmm, let's see.

1. You know you're fast when your Sparco gear is no longer clean and you no longer stick out in the paddock like some ******** in a red ferrari suit.

2. You know you're fast when you know you're slow.

3. You know you're fast when you don't have data acq excuses for being slow.

4. You know you're fast when its not the car's fault.

5. You know you're fast when you know when you ran out of talent and don't drove it into a damn wall.

6. You know you're fast when you don't ask about what you can do to make the car faster (tires, suspension, motor, etc...)

7. You know you're fast when you ask about what you can do to make the drover faster.

8. You know you're fast when you don't need a 100k car with 400 hp to power down the straights.

9. You know you're fast when you can drove a 100 or 200 hp car around the track faster than the slow, rich guys in the 100k 400hp cars.

And finally,

10. You know you're fast when you run near the front of the grid in a Spec class like SRF, SM, and some others (read not PCA, POC or other places where he with the most money wins).

Larry Herman

Yes, but some of us like to chase down the 600 hp guys.

BTDT. Some of us guys with the slower cars actually got lucky and eventually were able to buy the really fast ones. I drive mine the same way I pounded around in my Carrera.

Or am I just paranoid because your response came directly after mine?

JPhillips-998

Dirt Track, I like the list how 'bout an addition...

you know you're fast when you can admit to being passed (as opposed to the "when I let you by", "this happened and I let him by", "I let you by because...", etc. etc. etc.) There are only about two people per year that I "pass" most everyone else seems to let me by?

It is the good guys, the guys that I trust that come up and say "good pass" or "good move".

SundayDriver

I will add some of my 'You know you are fast when":

You stick with someone who you know is faster than you, and they congratulate you for the drive.

You are in a race with 3-4 other cars that you know are 2 seocnds a lap faster than your car, with decent drivers, and you beat them w-2-w.

You can run mid pack or better (times and finish position) in a real spec class, like SRF - any race of 20+ cars.

You can run mid pack or better (times and finish position) in a real race like Speed GT, Grand-Am, ALMS, the Run Offs or a very well attended National level club race.

You are fast, or well on your way, when you understand that there are no excuses and virtually all mistakes are because you 'ran out of talent'.

SundayDriver

That is very satisfying, but it is also satisfying to know that the other group will probable never get any faster and very soon, you will simply blast by them as they hold someone else up.