RSchoeni

This question is submitted as a second season DE solo driver. I drive a lightweight, torquey car with good acceleration. In an effort to improve my speed through the corners and corner exit speed, I've been attempting to use less brakes and get on the gas sooner. I'm also learning how, when and where to left foot brake.

So, using Sebring as a reference, are there places where left foot braking is an advantage in improving corner exit speed?
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Bob Schoeni

Nordschleife

Bob

Get comfortable with LFB, then ask yourself the question. make a habit of driving your street car and double de-clutching and heeling-and-toeing, all the time. When you can do this, you can LFB, as you wish. When you can do it on the street, you can do it on the track, make it instinctinve before you worry about it on the track.

When you feel you have the heel-and-toe and the double declutch sorted out, you can drive without any clutch at all. You match revs in neutral and voila, you have freed up your left foot to scratch your ear, or LFB if that is your bag.

A technique alone won't make you faster or slower, better driving will make you faster, however.

R+C

Flying Finn

T1 would be one and that corner in general is the one where you can either gain or lose a lot of time.
T13 is also a corner where you can use it.

This all depends on your gearing, i.e. for me, T13 LFB works if I take it with 3rd gear, not with 2nd (stock 993 gearing is not good at Sebring, couple of places 2nd is too short & 3rd is too long).
T1 I brake a little, put the car in 3rd gear and then while driving, might settle the car down with left foot so there I'm not really braking with left but just use it to settle the car. For T1 especially, you need a lot of feel & experience on doing it.

With sequential, I'd never brake with right foot.

mitch236

I agree with Finn above.

There is also a spot before turn 5 that using the left foot would be an advantage. Also the entrance to turn 16.

Having said all that, I found LFB too difficult to master. I just don't have the feel that I have with my right foot.

agio

The most important turns @ Sebring have to be 16 & 17, 16, 5/6 (Carrousel) & 7 (the safety pin) in decending order based on coming out to the longest straight to the shortest straight. Get these wrong and it will cost you.
The second most important turns will get you from the longest straights right to the numbers...and, then there are "throw-away" turns.
"Less brake and on the gas sooner" is the idea, but this idea really depends on many variables not known here such as tires, conditions, driver experience & skill set, car, etc.
Getting into the turns at the "right" speed so that you can accelerate through the apex and out of the turns fast enough to maintain control while accelerating is the idea. Coming in too fast and you will fight the turn...if you even get through it.

I also have tried LFB, but not comfortable and reliable for me for several reasons.

RSchoeni

Thank you all, for sharing your insights. I'm good with rev matching with heel-and-toe, but I will need that clutch for going through the gears for a while yet. I've been practicing LFB on the street and it's not a simple skill to learn.

I think I may have found that spot into T5 because it seems that a quick touch of the brakes helps rotate the car nicely. It seems I'm geared shorter than you Finn, but next time I get clear track I'll work on some of these turns. Except T1; it's killing me and at this point I'm working on consistancy.
Thanks again,
Bob Schoeni

Flying Finn

Yeah, I agree with Mitch, T5 is a good place for it too.

Practicing on street is a good thing to do. First of course you put way too much pressure on it (since your leg is used to the clutch action) but you'll get better and better.

mitch236

Actually I find turn one fairly straight forward. You must use all the track though, and that means going all the way right before turn in and apexing at the wall on the inside so close that you could stick your arm out and touch it. Track out does not have to go all the way right though as that makes the entrance to three much harder.

RSchoeni

[QUOTE] Great, it should be easy to fix then! Seriously, I lose several car lengths to other drivers in the T1 brake zone. I guess that means I'm over-braking because it feels slow at turn-in. I have no problem getting up to the wall, I've often got tires inside the line under the cone. Another thing I think I do wrong at T1 is cheat and turn-in too early and I think this is causing me to get back on the gas later than I should. If nothing else, I have great experience at driving off-line into T1.

Watching the tailights of the Super Solo and and Race groups, I've observed that some drivers will brake under the walk-over and touch the brakes again during the turn-in. I guess that's what Finn was describing that he does to settle the car.
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Bob Schoeni

mrbill_fl

I'm running a 2.7 ltr w/ a 901 box... and only LFB before T5... But it helps a great deal there. (and I am slower before the turn in, than one would think was needed...) I'm also downshifting at most turns... too

I could see LFB in T13, with a taller gear box.


On T1, I use slow hands... turning wheel initially maybe a 1/2", let car settle (transfer weight), then begin the 'rest of the turn' aiming for apex, and squeezing throttle, to help Drive car thru turn.


-are you running that A/C Cobra clone? (factory five?) how are brakes?

RSchoeni

Yes, It's a FFR (factory five) cobra. The brakes are stock 4-wheel Mustang GT discs with Porterfield R4 pads and ducts to the fronts. They are okay, but can do better with a more optimized setup. I've been focusing on getting good safety gear installed. I'm not a safety expert, but side-impact protection on this model isn't good enough.
Thanks.

mitch236

[QUOTE=RSchoeni]
Actually your left tires have to be crossing the line at the apex if you have it right. It's kind of a weird feeling at turn in because to do it right, you actually are aiming at the wall! But with the drift the car will take, it misses.

Bonster

Turn 1 is weird because of where you wind up going at track out. Seems to always want to pull me to exactly where I don't want to be. I'd think lfb would be good there (though, I throttle steer more than I lfb). I'd also have to say 5, 13, and 17 (but not too much on 17!!!). It has always amazed me that such a flat track has so many blinds. Hopefully I'll be there near the end of July instructing for Chin again. I really like that track.

Bonster

Correction -- it's Homestead that I'll be going to in July. DOH! I need to check my schedule more often. Anyway . . .

tkerrmd

how bout some tips on turn 17?? What is the fastest line?? I am racing there this weekend help me out guys!
tom