Club Racing: Now Featuring Big Air And A Free Lesson Regarding Steering
Whoa! The driver of the little Legends car had two ribs and his pelvis broken in this accident. But what can we learn from it?
Start with the good parts: Watch our driver’s heel-and-toe method. Notice how he saves all his shifts for the end of his brake zone and does them in rapid succession? That’s kind of the right way to do it. It’s much less dramatic than bopping down a gear at a time all the way through the brake zone like a Daytona Prototype heading into the Roller Coaster at VIR, but it’s the safe way for both the driver and the engine.
Now for the bad: Our driver is shuffle-steering, so when the BAD THING happens he doesn’t get to make a quick, measured correction. His hands are in the wrong place so he is forced to move them three times while hoping the steering wheel is heading to the right place. Luckily it all works out for him.
One of the neatest things about sedan racing at all levels, including LeMons, is that it regularly puts you in situations that street drivers will only experience a few times in their lives. If somebody ever blows a tire and spins out in front of our racer friend when he’s driving to work, he’s already had some real-life practice for the event. Wouldn’t you like to be able to say the same? Go race!
More by Jack Baruth
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I thought this video was going to be about the guy who rear ended the Legends car, not the guy who avoided an accident! Sometimes you just can't win.
I have just had a look at my copy of Roadcraft (UK Police driving manual) and it recommends two different methods of steering depending on the curcumstances. The "Pull-Push" method should be used most of the time as this gives more precision and control when negotiating tight corners at normal road speeds. The "Rotational" method should be used at higher speeds or when the car is skidding or about to skid. Race-cars and road-cars have a lot of differences; such as race-cars generally having a faster steering rack than road cars but have a worse turning-circle. Even an unmodified road-car on a track will need to be driven differently due to wider turning radii and higher speeds that are encountered on a track, than on the road.
"One of the neatest things about sedan racing at all levels, including LeMons, is that it regularly puts you in situations that street drivers will only experience a few times in their lives." Agree. I've only been rubbed maybe once or twice on the street, but on the track, well, I'd have to cound the scars on the side of the car, but it's many. Just hold the line because it AIN'T MY FAULT!
I race a similar car, and Jack, if you are suggesting that you could drive that car, on that track and never remove your hands from the steering wheel, you are mistaken. That car is a Nissan, much like mine. If try to drive it "locked", your elbows will hit before you have enough steering input to make the turn, you HAVE to let go, and "shuffle steer", it's not an option. Yes, some cars have a steering ratio that allows a locked approach. If you drive one of those, then that's the best method. The camera car however, isn't one of them. Perhaps you should do a little more research before you make recommendations that are impossible to execute.