June 23, 2005

By Jim Llewellyn

Each year Nextel Cup competitors face a formidable opponent that requires substantial changes for both car and driver. What is this ominous foe that causes such tumultuous upheaval? It’s the dreaded right hand turn.

In days gone by, the road course was an annoying nemesis for many NASCAR drivers. Today, most stock car pilots have a firm grasp on road racing, and some of them even take part in other sports car racing series.

But understand this: It’s not guts or a lead foot that allows drivers to excel in this form of racing. It’s the development of specific, technical skills that may not always be clearly evident to television viewers at home.

Morning class

The Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, located just outside Phoenix, is one of the premier racing schools in the United States where many folks go to learn the ins and outs of road racing. This program has an incredible list of alumni that includes Jeff Gordon, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

Bondurant multi-day classes provide plenty of in-car instruction. Dan Dineson, a Bondurant spokesman, said the primary teaching tool is the Corvette C5 with a V-8 engine capable of producing 350 horsepower for the 3,200-pound car. But before you strap into a vehicle there is book learnin’ to be done in the classroom. And the education starts quick when Chief Driving Instructor Mike McGovern unveils a series of mind-boggling topics and skills to be developed during school days.

“It takes a lot of effort to be a good driver, but most people don’t put a lot of effort into driving,” McGovern advises students. “The idea of staying on the gas as long as you can and then braking as late as possible, throw that thought out the window.”

Helmets and uniforms

The first step to becoming a proficient road racer is to understand the theory of weight transfer and its impact on tires. Simply put, the car’s weight shifts to the left when you turn right, and vice versa. When you hit the gas, the weight goes to the rear. Hit the brakes and the weight shifts to the front. This additional weight in specific areas pushes down on front or rear tires and increases the amount of rubber in contact with the road, which improves a vehicle’s ability to accelerate, slow or turn. But beware, shifting the weight improperly can actually decrease tire adhesion, according to McGovern.

“When we start to push a car closer to its limits, it’s important that we understand how to manage the car correctly,” he said. “The idea is to coordinate the gas and brake with the steering. The smoother you are, the more balanced the chassis of the car will be. If you’re aggressive with those inputs you can easily offset the car’s balance, causing the vehicle to understeer, which is a front-wheel skid; or oversteer, which is a rear-wheel skid.”

The transmission can also play a role in weight transfer. A driver who shudders the car while shifting from a higher to lower gear may inadvertently move weight around and destabilize the vehicle. There is also the chance of spinning out of control if rear tires lock up during a downshift.

To decrease the chance of this error, Bondurant instructor and Grand-Am Cup driver Steve Pfeffer said the heel-and-toe technique was developed. To accomplish this maneuver the driver pushes in the clutch with the left foot while the right foot maintains stable pressure on the brake pedal. When the clutch is fully depressed, the driver twists his or her right foot so the heel moves outward toward the throttle while the ball of the foot maintains steady force on the brake. The heel is pressed lightly on the gas to increase engine RPM enough to match the RPM of the tires. Once the revs go up, the driver shifts to the lower gear and the clutch can be released. When done correctly, the car continues to decelerate at a constant rate. When done improperly, the car will buck like a bronco.

Last minute instructions

Downshifting ain’t easy, but Pfeffer insists it’s a skill that must be mastered because “you cannot exist on the race track without a real good knowledge of heel-toe downshifting.”

Downshifting is employed while a car is slowing, but the transmission is not used to slow the car. That is the job of brakes. But just like everything else in performance driving, Pfeffer said few people know how to correctly use the brakes to maximize speed.

“Any steering you introduce into the car in the braking zone will diminish the ability of the car to brake,” he said. “So you want to utilize the straight line braking zone as the area where you’ll scrub off the maximum amount of speed. Then as you approach the turn-in point, you will begin to trail off those brakes to restore balance to the car. Once you understand and begin to apply the technique of ‘trail braking,’ you’re going to realize you have the ability to carry far more speed into a corner than you are used to.”

Once you know how to slow the car properly, then it is time to learn about turning. Bondurant instructors teach that there are four parts to every corner: braking, turn-in, apex, and exit edge.

“What I’m doing when entering a corner is setting up for the exit of the corner,” McGovern said. “Before I get to the turn-in point, I look for the apex. Once I get the car pointed to the apex then I look for the exit point, and then the turn-in point to the next corner.”

Putting the knowledge to use

For all this to happen smoothly, drivers must “keep their eyes up” and look as far down the track as possible. At corner entry that might even mean gazing out a side window to see where you want to end up. According to Pfeffer, the proper use of vision is one of the most important and difficult tasks of performance driving.

“Somebody once said that racing is 75 percent vision and 25 percent feel,” Pfeffer proclaims. “It’s a lot of work to discipline your eyes to stay up in front of the car, looking as far ahead as you need to. And the faster you’re going, the further ahead you need to look.”

It’s not only the eyes, however, that have to be focused. The mind must be sharp, too.

“Concentration is critical,” Pfeffer said. “Your brain has to be fully engaged managing not just your sensory apparatus but also your hands and feet. The faster you’re going in your car, the more focused you need to be.”

The byproduct of using both the eyes and brain to their fullest is the ability to anticipate what will be coming up next on the track.

“Reaction time is highly overrated in the sport of motor racing,” Pfeffer insists. “What this is really all about is being so tuned in to your environment, so aware of what’s happening that you’re able to avoid stuff by anticipating it.”

The ability to anticipate is just as useful within the cockpit. Foreseeing what will be required next in regards to turning, braking and shifting will result in a smooth driving technique -- and smooth equates to fast on a race course.

“One of the goals inside the car is to have a quiet upper body,” Pfeffer tells students. “You don’t want to be moving around in the car, flailing all over the steering wheel, hurling your hand down to the gearshift, jamming the car into gear and throwing your hand back on the wheel. What you really want is for everything to be smooth.”

The issues discussed in this article are only a fraction of the concerns that drivers must address during every single racing lap on a road course. So while you’re watching NASCAR compete at Infineon Raceway or Watkins Glen International, have appreciation for each little thing that goes into conquering a twisty track.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.