TRAKCAR

Sean thanks for the youtube links, good stuff enjoyed watching it, but sorry, there is nothing there that I would call shuffeling.. Sometimes thay have to "grip over" because the have too, it is clear these guys keep the hands on the steering wheel unless the HAVE to...

Flying Finn

What, you're looking Jim Clark for driving advice now, who is he and WTF did he know about driving?!

SundayDriver

Unlike you, I don't think there is one, and only one way to drive. You can always find some evidence to support a particular style. I am not advocating that anyone else take on my style, but it seems silly to think that you cannot control the wheel with your thump up but can only do so with your thumb wrapped. I agree that most pros wrap their thumbs, but some do not. I have had in-car coaching from some (and not someone who paid for a ride but some who were paid to race at the VERY highest levels) - they are not unanimous on either thumb position nor some shuffle steering.

So Clark did not shuffle steer. One video of a champion must set the rule. So how do you account for he earlier video of Senna who did a lot of shuffle steering in the video? I don't say your position is wrong for everyone, rather I say that your position is just one of many approaches that seem to work well for drivers at every skill level.

Circuit Motorsports

I think you need to stop thinking in absolutes.

Sunday has possibly more miles on track than you have on the street. He speaks the truth about this.

I've heard from a number of SRF guys similar stuff about thumbs in their car. FWIW I drove a 240Z once that took two big bloody gashes out of my thumbs before I stopped hooking my thumbs with it. Not all cars are created equal some require odd techniques to get around the course.

Flying Finn

Mark,

I think mtosi was commenting (I know I did) against the advice some give AGAINST locking thumbs or advocating shuffle steering.

I agree with you, there are many ways to drive but I disagree with those people who say you should not lock your thimbs or you should shuffle steer. There's plenty of top drivers in highest level (i.e. F1, FIA LMS, ALMS) who lock their thmbs and do not shuffle (unless it's necessary in those situations such as Lowes corner in Monaco etc.) and I think that is the right "principle" to follow. There will always be peole who do things differnetly and it works for them but that is not the way to teach.

I used to write indivudual letters (A, B & Cs) from bottom to the top and it was fine but they don't teach people in schools to write that way because it actually is better to write individual letters from top to bottom.

I don't know about others but that's my point when I'm talking about shuffle steering or the thumb lock that we now talked about.

MTosi

he's driving a street car where he needs more than one lock of steering, and his hands are generally at 10 and 2????? I'd be willing to bet 90% or more of prof. drivers hook their thumbs on the spokes.

Not to start dropping, I know this guy who knew a guy, but my old man instructed for skip barber for fifteen years, won four prof. 24 hour races including one for Porsche and pretty unanimously any decent person he ever raced or taught with including guys like david hobbs, dorsey schroeder, skip barber and many others would pretty conclusivly say keep your thumbs hooked on the spokes, keep your hands at ten and two, and it will work for 95% of all your driving.

Am I going to tell you your wrong.....of course not....to each his own, your car, you can go how fast you want to go and drive anyway you want to. But I get sick of people making excuses for bad habits like shuffling hands, then in turn telling rookies, or people new to the sport its okay, or thats the way it should be done. If you want to shuffle because you feel like its a better way to drive thats fine, I respect that. However new people should be taught the proper way to do things, so they don't end up with bad habits. If a new driver can be taught to.....

Holds his hands at 10 and 2 or 9 and 3 and not shuffle
Hooks their thumbs on the steering wheel
Matches on downshifts (H/T)
Be precise and not miss apex's
and be smooth

They are doing better than 75% of amatuer racers/drivers

MJSpeed

I'm against shuffling unless it's a necessity...I just see it as, you're creating more opportunities of making mistakes...

Sean F

I'm fundamentally against people who aren't like me

Sean F

Except when they completely let it go and it freely spins like Senna does

mark kibort

I know you know how to handle a 4 wheeled vehicle, and many a folk can spin a great lap time while shuffle steering, but i cant telll you of the amount of incar footage ive seen where things have gone wrong, and that "position" of the hands contributed to the accident, or loss of control.
There is no reason to shuffle steer, unless you are in the paddock or on the street, where the turns are slow and you need that amount of steering input.
on the track, its better to let go with one hand to at least continue with the proper aligned position of your hands in respect to the wheel (2-10clock)
mk

Veloce Raptor

Fast hands in slow corners.

Slow hands in fast corners.

Sean F

People who cut corners go around in circles

mark kibort

thats shuffle steering, and he can get away with it, and it only happend once. AND, that wasnt the fastest time around the track in that car. I bet if he got suited up, and there was money involved, that mistake wouldnt be there, as with many during that "fun" lap. got to love the lofers

mk

Bryan Watts

There's no reason to steer with one hand...

Veloce Raptor

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