JC in NY

The racing line is one of the most critical things we teach in DE, it is among the first priorities as an instructor. Yet it also can cause an otherwise good first-time DE driver to become tense and intimidated on the track because it is a new concept. Also, it is often taught poorly.

For a guy who just wants to take his car on the racetrack and flex its muscles and never aspire to competiton, what is the purpose of stressing the line? There is no line on the street. Yet there are still good skills amd high performacne driving techniquies to be taught.

Should teaching the line be left for later sessions, lower than the priority of car control and technique? After instructing for many years, I am starting to think so.

Veloce Raptor

Properly placing the car on the track is the cornerstone of safely & properly flexing a car's muscles on track. It is ESSENTIAL.

TD in DC

With all due respect, I fundamentally disagree.

The line is crucial. Even when you are racing, if you can move over two or three feet to make your line better, you can gain 100 or 200 rpm on your competitor at track out, which just might be enough to let you pass them. This past weekend at Watkins Glen, I would let someone pass me on the inside at the toe of the boot because I knew that the better line I had would let me make it up the hill faster and take the pass right back from them on the right.

The same is true on the road. If you find yourself in a tricky situation, knowing the theory of the "line" might help you get that extra bit of traction that lets you make it out ok.

Far more importantly, though, is that when you go to the track, it is easy to be overwhelmed. I know I was the first few times. As opposed to throttle, braking and shifting techniques, which are actually fairly complicated and difficult to explain well, teaching someone the line is relatively simple and easy for both the instructor to explain and the student to understand. By focusing the student on one thing, the line, you can develop a rapport and the other things "should" start to fall into place naturally.

I do not believe that there is such a thing as a single "line." I do think that teaching people how to understand corners begins with teaching them one line, and why it may be better than others.

JC in NY

A correct and accurate line is essential for a fast lap. But is a correct and accurate line essential to teach high-performance driving? Think about the guy who just wants to learn high-performance driving techniques that he can apply to make him a better and safer driver but he does not aspire to competition.

TD in DC

Yes, that was my point. It is far easier to begin with teaching someone the line than any other single thing. Also, if you are on a good line, you can get away with far more errors than you can if you are on a less than ideal line. Teaching someone why the line matters DOES make him or her a better and safer driver.

Geoffrey

John...I'm surprised at you...

At DEs we teach the DE line which is much different than a given racing line. The difference being mainly turn in and where the apex is with most racing lines having an earlier turn in and earlier apex, at least in a 911. The DE line teaches the theroetical optimial way to drive a corner.

The purpose of teaching a line, whatever that line may be is that a student must learn the anatomy of a corner. Without understanding how to drive a corner, the student cannot learn when he is in trouble, he cannot learn when it is appropriate to correct, and when he is screwed. You can argue which line is appropriate for which cars, which students, which run groups, however, I don't think you can argue that teaching a line is not important. Most people have no concept of how to drive a corner, just follow someone through an on ramp and watch them immediately be to the right of the white line.

Greg Fishman

+1.

JC in NY

I get your point, but I'm thinking for a guy who is at a DE for one day, I dont want to overwhelm him trying to get him to drive a perfect racing line. I can think of many concepts he should know first. Like braking in a straight line, learning about ABS and what it feels like, how to apply power, how to make smooth inputs, how to select gears and downshift properly, etc, etc. I'm not saying drvie the car without regard to track placement, but relax the importance of the perfect line.

JC in NY

Just a topic for discussion, nothing to worry about.

I got some new ideas about instructing after my two days at the Metro DE.

Greg Fishman

That makes some sense to me. Our region does some "drills" with first time drivers where they do get to threshold brake and some other basic skills.
But honestly how many gear shifts do you allow your green students to make? Most of the time it is one upshift on the straight and one downshift at the end, the rest of the time is spent in one gear (at least at the tracks I instruct at).

Bob Rouleau

The "Line" (the DE line to make a distinction) is the safest way around the track. That's why it is considered essential.
It is not taught as the be-all and end-all, rather it is an essential part of learning basic car control skills.

JonH

I'll give you guys my .02 having just completed my first DE in a new 944T, I knew mentally I would be overwhelmed with the input of first time high speed track driving, and by focusing on a correct line with the car, I felt much more "comfortable" if that makes sense. My instructor did a GREAT job with feedback on the correct line, and didn't overwhelm me with to much technique the first day. I knew each lap that the car was in the right place or not, and to work on smoothness and balance at that point. "connecting the dots" gave me a mental focus point in the car and let me concentrate on weight transfers, smooth shifting, braking, etc.

Doug H

Go to car control clinic if you want car control. If one cannot drive the line, they should not be on the track. Not sure how one can teach car control safely, and I stress safely, on the track if the student is constantly off line.

Once a student gets on line and becomes smooth, I usually start teach car control techniques and, on some tracks, the racing line if the racing line is different from the DE line. All depends on the student.

I, however, believe that my student may be a danger to my self, his self and others if he cannot drive on line. Early apex leading to overcorrection is a big concern and clogging up traffic behind results in impatience and fusteration to all.

schwank

And of course for every instructor, there's a slightly different 'optimal' line based on their own personal experiences. I have this many times with varying instructors from AudiClub to PCA. ACNA guys are used to driving front heavy understeering pigs and having AWD to help out. PCA guys know the porsche specific line including the aptly named 'Porsche bump' at PIR, where an errant shift or lift will cause one to take a sightseeing excursion through the weeds. Some instructors treat certain turn complexes differently than others. It all comes down to personal experiences and instructing style.

The line is the comfort zone not only for the student but for other drivers. It is the best way to learn the nature of the track and car control, and the best way for other drivers to have some clue of what you are doing. Once you have the line you can then safely go about working on technique each time around.

Of course driving off the line is important in its own right but is generally held for intermediate drivers .

Larry Herman

Succinct and well stated. "The line" is your road map through the corner. It will provide you with the preferred path that can be taken at the maximum speeds. Once you truely understand and have grasped the abstract nature of this concept, you can literally drive anywhere in the corner, because you will be able to gauge your speed with respect to where you should be if you are on the line.

Driving a turn requires calculating a mutitude of dynamic factors including changing speeds, changing radiuses, changing loads etc. You need to have a solid base on which you can build, and the line is that base. That is why it is and needs to be taught first.