A beginners guide to preparing for HPDE (Road Course)

I'm new to this forum having purchased my first Mustang - a 2009 GT, but have been participating in HPDE events for the past 5 years in a dedicated track car - C5 Corvette - in HPDE 3/4 (Advanced Solo).

I prepared the following "HPDE Basics" information for my local club and thought I would share with the membership here. I hope you all find it helpful. I know we have many experienced members on the forum that may want to chime in. Perhaps this topic would make a good "sticky". Mike

High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE) Wikipedia

Lets take a few laps: HPDE lap around VIR Grand East Circuit and HPDE lap around Watkins Glen

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You will need to purchase a current SA20xx certified racing helmet (NO motorcycle helmets) along with wearing jeans, sneakers and a long sleeve shirt. Each club has their own set of rules – these are pretty common. There are many helmet manufacturers/models. Some models fit different head shapes better than others, e.g., Shoei, Bell, G-Force, etc.

Initial recommendations to prepare your Mustang for HPDE include: (1) Safety, (2) Braking and Cooling, (3) Suspension – you usually don’t need more horsepower or need to spend large amounts of money as you get into this HPDE hobby. Seat time.. Seat time.. Seat time..

1. SAFETY: Ideally, you will eventually want to invest in a set of race seats, roll bar and set of 6-point harnesses. However, if you are just starting out in HPDE 1 (and applies to HPDE 2) OEM seat and belts are good enough. If you want to upgrade for a reasonable price - a harness bar with a set of 4-point Schroth Profi II ASM FE harness are a great option because they can be converted to a 5 or 6 point harness when you’re ready to purchase race seats.

2. BRAKING and COOLING: Bleed the brake system with fresh DOT 4 Super Blue (or Gold) ATE Fluid (or similar quality fluid) and use fresh synthetic motor oil. Front brake cooling ducts are highly recommended given the weight of the Mustang, and a set of stainless steel brake lines - these really work!. If you're in HPDE 1 you can often stick with your OEM brake pads, but I recommend upgrading to either Hawk DTC-60s, Carbotech XP10s or similar because most beginners tend to use their brakes too much.

3. SUSPENSION: HPDE 1 and 2, really no need to touch your suspension till you get into HPDE 3+. It's preferred to learn valuable car control skills preferably on a good set of street tires. A wheel alignment and corner balancing makes a significant difference.

Here's a good TOP 25 "Basics" for HPDE/road racing - Enjoy!

1. Slow in / fast out. If you start turning and the car keeps going straight (push/understeer) you are likely entering the turn too fast. In my experience this slows down lap times more than anything.

2. Look ahead. The proper line is key for fast times. Looking ahead allows you to keep the car on the proper line. This may mean looking at the next turn before you are out of the current turn. Often requires looking out the side windows rather than just through the windshield.

3. Use the whole track. This goes with the proper line. In general, you want to make the turn as gradual as possible to allow for greater speed. However, stick to the clean line. Gravel and marbles will often accumulate the most off line and you will lose traction if you stray into it.

4. Whenever possible, ride with an experienced driver before your runs. Even better, co-drive your car with a good driver. This allows for great feedback on what your car can do for a particular course, and where you can pick up more time.

5. Try to get your hard braking done in a straight line and take a line that allows you to get the car straighter and on the gas earlier in the turn, particularly before a straight.

6. Unwind the wheel as you accelerate out of the turn. Getting on the throttle as you come out of the turn will generally cause the back end to step out (over-steer). Unwinding the wheel allows you to control the over-steer and generate more speed. Again, use the whole track.

7. Basic mechanicals. Full fuel, fresh brake fluid, at least 50% left on your brake pads, secure battery tie down, etc. Make sure the engine oil is topped off (continuous running track courses, add 1/2 Qt. over full).

8. Tire pressures. Most newbie’s start out with high pressures, mainly to save the sidewalls of the tires. Start by adding 6 psi to each tire, COLD. Cold, like before you leave home in the morning cold. After each run (each run because you'll be picking up speed on each run) check to see that you're not running onto the sidewalls. Wear on the corner of the tread is OK, but not past that.

9. Interior. Get everything out of the interior that can move. Floor mats, radar detectors, CDs, etc. You'll be braking and turning harder than you ever have before, and you won't believe the stuff that'll come out from under the seats.

10. Personal. WATER, WATER, WATER! And eat light. Especially if you get some runs with an instructor, it's easy to get a queasy stomach.

11. Leave your EGO at the door, I can’t stress that enough. I see way too many guys wrecking their cars just because they THOUGHT they are great drivers.

12. DO NOT FOLLOW THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU BLINDLY!!! You will be surprised how many guys DO NOT take the correct line. A bad line will get you one of two, a bad lap time or an off track experience.

13. BE SMOOTH!!!! Do not force the car or yourself, be smooth, speed will come with that.

14. If you come into a corner too hot you can ride it out and go off track a bit. Here's the kicker, if you accidentally get two wheels off track RIDE IT OUT! Don’t panic and try to yank the car back onto the pavement. The car will spin and when you regain traction you'll probably be pointed at a wall!

15. Someone who is in your mirrors did NOT start there, so they are faster than you are, let them by. Do not get frustrated by people that won't let you by. Pull into the pit, tell the course marshal you want some space, and they will let you back out into clean air.

16. Pay attention at the driver's meetings. Make sure you know and FULLY understand the passing zones, and passing method used by the people running the event. You may know what the flags mean, but make sure they are using them the way you think they should be using them.

17. Do NOT use the brakes on the cool down lap. Use it to cool down the car, but also drive the "perfect" race line in super slow motion. If you can't put the car where you want it at 40mph, how are you going to do it at 90mph? When you return to the pits, do NOT apply the handbrake. Chock the wheels and after about 45-60 seconds roll the car forward 6"-8". This will allow the part of the rotor that is inside the caliper to breath too. Pop the hood. While the hood is up, look for fluid leaks and double check your brake fluid level.

18. Know where the flag stands are, check them every time you go by them.

19. When there are unsafe conditions on the track, GET OFF THE TRACK. Pull into the pit, don't be afraid to end your day early. It's far better than having it ended early for you.

20. It makes sense to change to open lug nuts. The closed ended ones can get junk in the end preventing proper torque specs. This is referred to as "acorning." It would be a bad day losing a wheel at any kind of speed.

21. Screeching tires on a corner are fine, but "howling" tires are bad. After a few corners, you'll know what I mean. When the tire noise deepens and starts to "howl," you are right on the edge with street tires, so be very careful.

22. DO NOT LIFT if you're in a corner. The load of the car transfers forward with the deceleration, the rear tires get light, and the back end can snap around on you. If the rear then grabs, you'll be heading directly into the inside of the corner, possibly at a wall or other fixed obstacle.

23. Carry two extra bottles of brake fluid, a bleeder bottle, set of spare pads and rotors, and an extra quart or two of oil. DO NOT pay attention to the gas gauge, it may not read properly since the S197 has a saddle-bag shaped gas tank. The cornering can slosh fuel back and forth enough to create false readings on the gauge.

24. Your OEM rotors should be good for 3-5 events, again depending on the heat. Replacement rotors (they will wear and crack eventually) are cheap at Advanced Auto or Rock Auto or someplace like that. I carry a spare set with me so I can change out bad ones and keep on driving the rest of the weekend. Avoid drilled rotors - not good for HPDE because they will crack fast and ruin a good weekend.

25. Don't use your transmission/engine to slow your car as you enter a turn. USE your brakes! Brake pads are much less expensive to replace than repairing your transmission. It may sound "cool" to hear your car whine down as you enter a turn, but you're placing a lot of stress on your transmission and its "uncontrolled deceleration" that can spin your tail end around. Brake steady/hard and shift.

HPDE 3 drivers should learn and become proficient in Heel-Toe Shifting to rev match your RPMs while down shifting. Check out these videos: video #1 and video #2 to learn the "Heel - Toe Technique". You can purchase a custom gas pedal extension plate to make this easier.

Here's some good reading for HPDE:

Secrets of Solo Racing - Henry Watts
Speed Secrets - Ross Bentley
Driving in Competition - Alan Johnson
Drive to Win - Carol Smith; and A Twist of the Wrist – Lawson & Rainey

You can also learn the layout of various road courses by watching HPDE videos on YouTube, but don't rely on their "line" since they may be wrong or specific to their cars setup.

i just did my first track day/ driving school last weekend and had an instructor with me all weekend it was a great time and it got me hooked. nice write up also i will be passing it along.

thanks

My name is Charles and I approved this message.........

Very very good information.

I can honestly say i couldn't of said it better myself.

+1 for you!!!

High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) Guide

High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) Guide (Adobe Acrobat .pdf)

Examples of Vehicle Technical Inspection Forms - Safety First!!

Example #1
Example #2

Gray Ghost GT said:

10. Personal. WATER, WATER, WATER! And eat light. Especially if you get some runs with an instructor, it's easy to get a queasy stomach.

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This is VERY important. Start chugging water the day before the event, get a good night's rest (caffeine, IMO, is not a suitable substitute), and keep on drinking throughout the day...I probably go through at least 120oz of water during an event on a warm day, close to twice that if it's hot. Every event I've been to has had water available but don't rely on it, bring your own. Without rest and hydration, you'll never have your A-game. I've been guilty of not doing one or the other, and I can definitely tell when I have!

Also, if you're fair skinned...SUNSCREEN! Even here in Seattle, which the FDA has approved as an alternative to sunscreen, you can really get lobster-ized. Four 20-30 minute sessions means you're in the car for 2 hours or less of a roughly 8 hour day..that means 6 hours you're potentially in the sun. If you've got one of those pop-up canopies, it would be a great idea to bring that and some chairs; this is also a great way to meet people make friends as the lesser prepared seek shelter, especially on hot days.

good stuff.

Sleep is for the weak. There were times I worked on my car till 5am, which was just enough time to pack and leave. I felt like death on the way up there, but track time is the cure-all. Adrenaline keeps you goin.

Random Asshole said:

Sleep is for the weak. There were times I worked on my car till 5am, which was just enough time to pack and leave. I felt like death on the way up there, but track time is the cure-all. Adrenaline keeps you goin.

Click to expand...

True, and been there done that, but maybe not the best advice for the n00bs..haha.

Random Asshole said:

good stuff.

Sleep is for the weak. There were times I worked on my car till 5am, which was just enough time to pack and leave. I felt like death on the way up there, but track time is the cure-all. Adrenaline keeps you goin.

Click to expand...

its the off time that kills me

Awesome list, Ghost, if I may, I'd like to add a few things to it... You cover a LOT of territory that really doesn't apply to a true "beginner," and if somebody is contemplating giving open tracking a shot, we don't want them freaking out about how much they "have" to do to their car just to survive their first weekend...

Gray Ghost GT said:

2. BRAKING and COOLING: Bleed the brake system with fresh DOT 4 Super Blue (or Gold) ATE Fluid (or similar quality fluid) and use fresh synthetic motor oil. Front brake cooling ducts are highly recommended given the weight of the Mustang, and a set of stainless steel brake lines - these really work!. If you're in HPDE 1 you can often stick with your OEM brake pads, but I recommend upgrading to either Hawk DTC-60s, Carbotech XP10s or similar because most beginners tend to use their brakes too much.

Click to expand...

I will disagree with you slightly here... I've run both XP and DTC pads, and for true newbies, they will be a bit much. Both of those types of pads will require some heat in them to function properly, and as an instructor, I would rather see something like a Hawk HT-10 pad, or even an HP+ that will stop, NOW, even if it's turn one on the out lap... Yes, newbies use their brakes too much, BUT they also generally don't brake properly either. Also, Super Blue will stain the reservoir of the master cylinder, so I would push either the Super Gold or, my preferred fluid, Motul RBF600. Either way, for a first-timer, just make sure the fluid is new, even if it's stock factory stuff.

Here's a good TOP 25 "Basics" for HPDE/road racing - Enjoy!

1. Slow in / fast out. If you start turning and the car keeps going straight (push/understeer) you are likely entering the turn too fast. In my experience this slows down lap times more than anything.

Click to expand...

I use "In slow, out fast: In fast, out backwards"...

2.

Click to expand...

Look ahead. The proper line is key for fast times. Looking ahead allows you to keep the car on the proper line. This may mean looking at the next turn before you are out of the current turn. Often requires looking out the side windows rather than just through the windshield.

Click to expand...

Ideally, as soon as you make your wheel input at turn in, you should be looking PAST your apex to the track-out point. The car will follow your eyes.

3.

Click to expand...

Use the whole track. This goes with the proper line. In general, you want to make the turn as gradual as possible to allow for greater speed. However, stick to the clean line. Gravel and marbles will often accumulate the most off line and you will lose traction if you stray into it.

Click to expand...

4. Whenever possible, ride with an experienced driver before your runs. Even better, co-drive your car with a good driver. This allows for great feedback on what your car can do for a particular course, and where you can pick up more time.

5. Try to get your hard braking done in a straight line and take a line that allows you to get the car straighter and on the gas earlier in the turn, particularly before a straight.

6. Unwind the wheel as you accelerate out of the turn. Getting on the throttle as you come out of the turn will generally cause the back end to step out (over-steer). Unwinding the wheel allows you to control the over-steer and generate more speed. Again, use the whole track.

Click to expand...

All excellent advice!

7.

Click to expand...

Basic mechanicals. Full fuel, fresh brake fluid, at least 50% left on your brake pads, secure battery tie down, etc. Make sure the engine oil is topped off (continuous running track courses, add 1/2 Qt. over full).

Click to expand...

8. Tire pressures. Most newbie’s start out with high pressures, mainly to save the sidewalls of the tires. Start by adding 6 psi to each tire, COLD. Cold, like before you leave home in the morning cold. After each run (each run because you'll be picking up speed on each run) check to see that you're not running onto the sidewalls. Wear on the corner of the tread is OK, but not past that.

9. Interior. Get everything out of the interior that can move. Floor mats, radar detectors, CDs, etc. You'll be braking and turning harder than you ever have before, and you won't believe the stuff that'll come out from under the seats.

10. Personal. WATER, WATER, WATER! And eat light. Especially if you get some runs with an instructor, it's easy to get a queasy stomach.

11. Leave your EGO at the door, I can’t stress that enough. I see way too many guys wrecking their cars just because they THOUGHT they are great drivers.

Click to expand...

The next deserves special emphasis, and expansion!!

12.

Click to expand...

DO NOT FOLLOW THE GUY IN FRONT OF YOU BLINDLY!!! You will be surprised how many guys DO NOT take the correct line. A bad line will get you one of two, a bad lap time or an off track experience.

Click to expand...

One of the most common "newbie sins" is to drive the car ahead of you, and not yours. If there is a car ahead, and you're not in immenent danger of running over him, ignore him, and just drive your car. Also, beware of driving in your mirrors. All HPDE-1 event require contract passing in designated zones, so even if somebody is right behind you, there's nothing you or he can do about it, so ignore him until you enter a passing zone. I had a SPECTACULAR off with a student that featured both of the above sins... Car A, ahead of us, was a Honda Civic, and Car B, ours, was an Acura RSX-S, which was chipped, and we were heading into a HARD right-hander right after the back stretch. Overtake speed was, to say the least, huge, probably on the order of 30MPH differential as the Civic headed into the braking zone. The Civic driver was driving in his mirrors, worried about the Acura screaming up to him, and blew through the braking zone completely before he looked forward again. The Acura driver, in the mean time, was driving the Civic, and was waiting to see the brake lights come on before he hit the hooks... Needless to say, BOTH cars went off, and I still don't know how the two didn't connect with each other plowing through the reeds.

13.

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BE SMOOTH!!!! Do not force the car or yourself, be smooth, speed will come with that.

Click to expand...

14. If you come into a corner too hot you can ride it out and go off track a bit. Here's the kicker, if you accidentally get two wheels off track RIDE IT OUT! Don’t panic and try to yank the car back onto the pavement. The car will spin and when you regain traction you'll probably be pointed at a wall!

15. Someone who is in your mirrors did NOT start there, so they are faster than you are, let them by. Do not get frustrated by people that won't let you by. Pull into the pit, tell the course marshal you want some space, and they will let you back out into clean air.

16. Pay attention at the driver's meetings. Make sure you know and FULLY understand the passing zones, and passing method used by the people running the event. You may know what the flags mean, but make sure they are using them the way you think they should be using them.

17. Do NOT use the brakes on the cool down lap. Use it to cool down the car, but also drive the "perfect" race line in super slow motion. If you can't put the car where you want it at 40mph, how are you going to do it at 90mph? When you return to the pits, do NOT apply the handbrake. Chock the wheels and after about 45-60 seconds roll the car forward 6"-8". This will allow the part of the rotor that is inside the caliper to breath too. Pop the hood. While the hood is up, look for fluid leaks and double check your brake fluid level.

18. Know where the flag stands are, check them every time you go by them.

19. When there are unsafe conditions on the track, GET OFF THE TRACK. Pull into the pit, don't be afraid to end your day early. It's far better than having it ended early for you.

Click to expand...

Again, all excellent, particularly #13: slow down to go faster!

20.

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It makes sense to change to open lug nuts. The closed ended ones can get junk in the end preventing proper torque specs. This is referred to as "acorning." It would be a bad day losing a wheel at any kind of speed.

Click to expand...

Specifically for HPDE-1 level, I wouldn't worry about this. The junk in the lugs usually happens when you're making frequent wheel changes, like bouncing back and forth between street and race rubber.

21.

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Screeching tires on a corner are fine, but "howling" tires are bad. After a few corners, you'll know what I mean. When the tire noise deepens and starts to "howl," you are right on the edge with street tires, so be very careful.

Click to expand...

I always tell my students to monitor the sound of the tires. A light squeel means that they are starting to carry good speed through that particular corner, a good, solid screech is what they're shooting for. I also have them work the line first, then start upping the speed with braking and throttle techniques, so the first squeel is the indication that we're picking up speed through the corners.

22.

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DO NOT LIFT if you're in a corner. The load of the car transfers forward with the deceleration, the rear tires get light, and the back end can snap around on you. If the rear then grabs, you'll be heading directly into the inside of the corner, possibly at a wall or other fixed obstacle.

Click to expand...

23. Carry two extra bottles of brake fluid, a bleeder bottle, set of spare pads and rotors, and an extra quart or two of oil. DO NOT pay attention to the gas gauge, it may not read properly since the S197 has a saddle-bag shaped gas tank. The cornering can slosh fuel back and forth enough to create false readings on the gauge.

Click to expand...

I will disagree with the spares inventory, again specifically for HPDE-1 drivers. For fuel, I tell my students to start the day with a full tank, and budget 5 gallons of fuel for each 20 minutes of track time. You're spot on about the gas gauge, as well!

24. Your OEM rotors should be good for 3-5 events, again depending on the heat. Replacement rotors (they will wear and crack eventually) are cheap at Advanced Auto or Rock Auto or someplace like that. I carry a spare set with me so I can change out bad ones and keep on driving the rest of the weekend. Avoid drilled rotors - not good for HPDE because they will crack fast and ruin a good weekend.

25. Don't use your transmission/engine to slow your car as you enter a turn. USE your brakes! Brake pads are much less expensive to replace than repairing your transmission. It may sound "cool" to hear your car whine down as you enter a turn, but you're placing a lot of stress on your transmission and its "uncontrolled deceleration" that can spin your tail end around. Brake steady/hard and shift. Recommend learning how to Heel-Toe Shift to rev match your RPMs while down shifting. Check out this video to learn the "Heel - Toe Technique". You can purchase a custom gas pedal extension plate to make this easier.

Click to expand...

Excellent, but I would stress that heel-toe is NOT critical for HPDE-1 beginners. They should be focusing on the essential basic skills, running the line consistently, touch-press braking, smooth control inputs, and situational awareness. Half of HPDE-1 is spent just getting acclimatized to the track environs and sensory inputs. Heel-toe is important, but DO NOT try to learn it at the track! I would rather have a student brake too early, execute the shift and then turn in, rather than get the car squirrelly with trailing-clutch oversteer. Ideally, if they can't heel toe, shifting right after track out would be preferred, especially if they're in a high-horsepower machine like a Mustang.

You can also learn the layout of various road courses by watching HPDE videos on YouTube, but don't rely on their "line" since they may be wrong or specific to their cars setup.

Click to expand...

Also excellent advice, I am going to forward a link to this thread to some of my buddies who are thinking about coming out next year and giving open tracking a try!

Thanks! Most of my advice in the "Top 25" are for both HPDE 1 and 2 vs. the "true newbie", to help them build those foundation HPDE skills necessary to successfuly advance through the ranks to HPDE 3 Advanced/Solo. I appreciate your perspectives and hope more advanced drivers and instructors chime in!

hey i was just wondering if you can go in to a bit of detail of picking up your pace. when i was at texas world speed way my instructor relay drilled in to my head the lines of the track and on my last 20 miniuts on the track the instructor i had all day had to leave and go home. he was making me take a perfict line and not go to fast that my line was getting messed up. the instructor i had the last 20 mins was some 19 year old dude and was not nearly as good as the first guy and i was trying to pick up my pace a little bit but it was not working i was not able to keep my line and im also using the brakes way to much. i was just wondering if some of you more advanced guys can chime in on how to go about picking up the pace im going to another event in November for 2 days at the track and would like to be able to not get passed every other turn

o yah and mite i suggest this get turned in to a sticky

Here's an article from the NASA HPDE website that provides good info regarding "the line". When drivers talk about being smooth, they're talking about both the driver and the car. I'm not an expert, but take a look at my VIR video and watch my hands - I try to minimize hand movement to avoid unsettling the car - and watch how I unwind the wheel at track out while accelerating. This requires you to look through the turn so you can place the car at the proper entry point for the next turn - fluid movement from turn to turn. You'll develop a rhythm for the course - its awesome!

Entering a turn too fast is the most common mistake made that will significantly reduce your lap times. Once you're able to identify the apex for each turn on the road course and can consistently "hit the apex", you'll feel and see the proper line and become more confident on your entry speed and exit points based on the type of turn you're entering. You'll hear instructors talk about a Type I, Type II and Type III turns. The most important turn is the one that leads on to the longest straight-away.

Braking. Point "B" in the picture is the braking zone. All braking should be finished in a straight line then your foot is back on a constant throttle before turning into the corner.

Turn in. Point "I" is your entry into the corner starting at the outside edge of the track. You should have a steady steering angle and a constant speed to the apex.

Apex. Point "A" is where you are closest to the inside edge of the corner. The proper apex is usually not in the exact middle of a turn, but a little "late." Hitting the apex right determines how fast you can exit the corner. From the apex you should begin unwinding the steering and adding power as you now have available adhesion for accelerating. If you think about the Car Dynamics and Adhesion information above you will see that accelerating out of the corner will be an understeer situation. You won't require much steering input to "push" the car towards the outside of the track.

Turn out. Point "O" is the exit from the corner on the far edge of the track. At this point the steering wheel should be straight and you should be on full power.

So essentially, you take a corner "outside-inside-outside." That is, you start at the outside edge for the turn in point and drive an arc to the inside near mid-corner, the apex, then drive to the outside again for the turn out.

If you turn in too late you won't be able to straighten out the corner as much as possible so you will be slower through the corner. If you turn in too early you'll hit the apex too early and you'll run out of track before you get to the turn out (you tried to straighten the corner too much.) As you can see turning in too early can be bad because you can get yourself in a situation where you have to turn in more after the apex where you should be unwinding the wheel and accelerating. If you're at maximum adhesion you have nothing left for turning and you will go off the track or spin trying to adjust. It's important to know that you hit the apex correctly. When starting out always turn in a bit late and apex late until you learn the corner.

If you have a series of curves to go through (S-curves) you want to be sure you're set up correctly for the last one so you can have the most speed going onto the straight at the end. This means you have to "give up" the first corner to get set up correctly for the last. This usually means very late apexes for the earlier corners so you have proper turn in for the next.

Some common beginner's mistakes:

1. Turning in too early. This happens because you think you're going to get through the corner faster because if you turn in early you're not turning in as tight, but by doing this you wind up sliding through the apex to turn out. It needs to be "slow in - fast out."

2. Entering the slower corners too fast, then scrubbing off speed as you squeal all the way through the turn. This may sound like #1 above, but it's not. Most new drivers are too fast into the slow corners, but too slow through the faster ones.

3. Braking while turning in. It's best to brake too early then be back on a constant throttle well before turn in. Then on later laps you can slowly move up the braking zone closer to the turn in. This is especially good for the faster corners.

4. Not looking ahead to your next reference point (apex, turn out, etc). Know where you're going next to prevent having to make any mid-turn corrections. Just before the turn in pick up the apex. When you get almost to the apex look for the turn out point. Hand-eye coordination is what's going on here. Look where you want to go.

5. Not using the whole track. Most of the first-timers quickly forget about hitting the turn in, apex and turn out cones. You shouldn't have more than a couple of feet between your wheels and the berms on the higher speed corners. Many inexperienced drivers will be eight feet away. On the slower ones actually being slightly on the edge of the berm may be good. When you pass by one of these points take a quick glance over to see how close you are. Have an instructor critique this.

6. Coasting. Always be either on the brake or the accelerator. Coasting means indecision because you haven't planned ahead well enough.

7. Trying to be fast right away. Start off by worrying about technique & smoothness. Speed will come later. If you start off wanting to be the fastest car out there then after a couple of times at the track you'll get frustrated by a lack of progress in your times. Inexperienced, fast drivers are usually very unbalanced, choppy and very rushed in the driver's seat.

8. Frustration because even though you are doing everything you've been told you feel like you're getting slower. If you practice doing it right then after a few open-track or autocross events you'll come to a point where you think you've gotten slower, but you're actually faster. That's because if you're really smooth and anticipate your next moves then this lack of hurriedness on your part will seem like you're slow, but you're actually just better!

Milestones for novice/beginner, intermediate, and advanced students as typically as follows:



Level 1 Novice Group Students

• Rules/procedures/format of school.
• Aware of vehicle condition.
• Proper seat & driving position - Mirror position - seat belts or harnesses snug - correct head and hand position.
• Traffic Safety Management: Observes pit line starter and watches traffic when leaving pit – checks mirrors often-signals and assists passing cars - observes corner workers & flag status - observes pit entrance procedures.
• Up-shifts and Downshifts properly and selects appropriate gear.
• Smooth clutch release and observes engine redline.
• Knows track layout and the proper driving line.
• Does not early apex.
• Vision - looks into turn, past apex and toward exit.
• Smooth turn in and smooth turn out – knows largest possible radius.
• Throttle on before turn exit.
• Correct hand technique, will introduce shuffle steering.
• No abrupt sawing steering wheel inputs.
• No driver body lean-keeps head up and vision far down stream.
• Clips apex’s consistently.
• Understands understeer & oversteer.
• Knows the location of run-off areas.
• Knows how to drive off track.
• Understands threshold and/or ABS braking.
• Performs hard barking without lockup.
• Corner entry speed correct.
• Follows directions and responds to instruction.
• Maintains appropriate car spacing (2 seconds).

Level 2 Immediate Group Students

• Scans and attends entire visual field-Has high situational awareness.
• Brakes hard and late on straights.
• Knows and achieves brake traction limits.
• Has consistent brake point selection.
• Left foot braking as appropriate.
• Consistence cornering force.
• Can correct a skid – knows spin limiting techniques.
• Knows acceleration limits exiting turns and uses correct RPM range.
• Performs turn analysis.
• Can drive in both wet and dry.
• Uses very small steering corrections.
• Understands the significance and can evaluate corner exit speed.
• Can execute a early apex (capable of driving off line and stay on track).
• Can execute a late apex (capable of driving off line and stay on track).
• Knows "S" turn line and performs driving line analysis.
• Is aware of errors and can self evaluate/self teach.
• Steers accurately and consistently.
• Can recognize and is sensitive to vehicle feedback.
• Can evaluate vehicle feedback.
• Reads traffic-Looks through cars ahead.
• Exhibits calmness and self control.
• Knows driving terms.
• Has an action plan for each corner.
• Changes vehicle position by altering trajectory.

Level 3 Advanced Group Students

• Demonstrates spatial memory of course.
• Performs error analysis.
• Reacts well to the unexpected.
• Anticipates changing conditions.
• Reads road surface.
• Performs heal & toe down-shifts.
• Hard braking into turn/trail brakes.
• Can Throttle steer vehicle.
• Knows principles of vehicle dynamics.
• Knows weight transfer and is aware of brake bias.
• Is sensitive to vehicle dynamics.
• Understands tire dynamics.
• Understands slip angles - effect on grip - and cornering speed.
• Knows rain techniques.

Piper:

The first step to increasing your speed is to TRULY nail the line all the way around the track, and then refine it to the point where you hit your marks (braking, turn-in, apex, track-out) consistently, lap after lap. Once you have the line nailed, pick ONE corner, and start increasing your entry speed, by moving your braking point closer to the corner, by 25' or so. If you normally braked at 200', for example, brake at 175'. Note your exit speed from the corner: if it was higher, you're on the right track. Next lap by, move the braking point ANOTHER 25' or so closer, and again check your exit speed. Once your speed falls off, or you can't hit your apex, you know you're going in too hot, and you're scrubbing too much speed after turn-in. Once you have that corner dialled in, check the next corner the same way. Note, however, that as you pick up speed exiting the first corner, unless you move your braking point back at the second corner, you will be entering a little quicker! Don't get caught out and wind up with an off!

As far as the actual line through the corner, the typical generic right-hander like in Ghost's illustration above, there are really five different lines, and you should try and be familiar with them all! 1) Minimum distance. Hug the inside of the corner all the way around, this is the shortest path, but because the arc is so tight, it will NOT be the fastest. Know this line in the event you wind up going through the corner 2-wide with you on the inside. You'll have to know how much speed you can carry. 2) Outside arc. Run the corner on the outside edge all the way 'round. Faster speed, due to the wider radius, but still not the fastest. Good to know what you can carry in case you go in just too bloody hot for any other line. 3) Maximum radius. This is a geometric arc, using the absolute widest arc possible from turn-in on the outside, to apex at the center of the corner on the inside, through track-out back on the outside. You will carry the maximum possible speed through the corner, but you will NOT be able to accelerate until the car is straight again after track-out. Useful for a hot entry, or for low-powered momentum cars. NOT the fastest line for a high-horse car like the Mustang. 4) Late-apex line. Also called the "school" line, this is a compound arc, and extends the braking zone deeper into the corner, with a very late turn-in, sharp turn to an apex point roughly 2/3 of the way around the corner on the inside, and then an increasing-radius arc to the track-out point. While your speed through the corner will be lower than the geometric line, this line allows you to start accelerating as you pass the apex, and because you are constantly unwinding the wheel from that point on, allows you to be at WOT by the time you hit track-out, which results in a quicker net time through the corner, and a higher exit speed. 5) The rain line. Best description is that you only drive where there's grip. It will NOT be on one of the other lines, but will be as far OFF those lines as you can get. When the track is wet, the nice, sticky, rubbered-in arc through the corner will be extremely slippery. Try entering the corner about a carwidth to the inside of the normal line, go straight past the normal late-apex turn-in point, crank it over hard and aim for the far inside edge of the corner or mid-track for exit. Brake ONLY in a straight line, accelerate EXTREMELY gently, and only when straight, keep a tiny bit of throttle in during the turn, and for God's sake, stay off the candy stripes! The painted surface will be as slippery as a hockey rink!

For the Mustang specifically, start by treating all corners as late apex corners at first. You can judge your turn-in point by where you track out. If you can smoothly unwind the wheel from apex out, and you wind up on the outside edge of the track, you turned in at the proper place. If you have to wind the wheel in more, or you wind up running out of track at exit, then you turned in too soon. If you track out to the middle of the track, you turned in too late, and/or didn't feed in enough throttle after apex. If you run street tires, listen to them! You should make minimal noise while developing your line, but once you have, start picking up the speed through the corner, with your goal being heavy squeel (NOT squalling or pushing the fronts!) at entry, and then use your throttle to keep some squeel going through apex and track out. Rear drive cars are more stable with a little throttle fed in, but use the sound of your tires to help guide your throttle application. The idea is to get back into the throttle as soon as possible, so if your tires stop squeeling, you know you need more rapid throttle increase, a slightly higher entry speed (unless you pushed the front end), or a little earlier turn-in if you missed your track-out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUJnkpeNhC0 Is me at Blackhawk farms, for a good example of how to compare tire squeel to cornering force. Shoot for keeping the squeel going like I do, most of the way through most of the corners.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TJLeroux#play/all/uploads-all/2/j3qv0tDK4B8 Is a fellow instructor at Putnam Park, also on street tires. I used this vid for a quick refresher before I went down there last weekend. I managed to get Terry to take a ride with me, and he helped me shave quite a bit of time off. Great guy, great driver. I know the track more than well enough to instruct an HPDE-1/2 level driver, but Terry has pretty well figured out all the little tricks. You'll note that he keeps the tires singing as well.

For a brand new track, plan on spending about 30 minutes or so developing a working line, and then another 20-30 playing with variations to find what works for you. You can cut a bunch of time off if you can study vids (good ones, preferably in an S197, with somebody you KNOW can drive!) before you get there, so that you know roughly what the line is, and what the track layout is like. If you can get an instructor that knows the track in the car with you, that is a HUGE help, as well.

When you have your line developed, and start refining it, make very small incremental changes. Move your braking points around in small amounts, like 25', 10', even 5' at a time. Work on increasing entry speeds in 2MPH jumps, not 30MPH!! Once performance falters, then you know you have crossed over the limit, so back it down a notch, then push it up a half-notch, etc. Doing it this way will keep you consistent, and safe, without flying off the track, spinning, hitting stuff, etc.

Hope that helps!

damn this is quickly becoming my favorite new thread

thanks for the info as i remember back there were 2 corners in particular where i was getting my tires relay squealing it was the higher speed corners that freeked me out and was always slow through them but i was doing good on the slower corners

SoundGuyDave - excellent write up! Great information that can easily be applied by a beginner and refined as the driver gains more experience. Terry's video at Putnam Park is a terrific reference and learning tool for the S197.

Thank you both! Hopefully that will be of some help to people. It's pretty much what I shoot for with my students over a weekend in HPDE-1, or if I ride with an HPDE-2 driver. Piper: so that you can really get a handle on the whole "tire squeel" concept, do a google or wiki search on "slip angle" and study how it relates to the traction curve. Tires are actually most efficient with a slight amount of slip (spin) under acceleration, braking AND cornering, so that's actually what you're shooting for. You can use the audible feedback from the tires as a gauge of where you are on the tires' slip angle curve.

pieperz:

Some ideas on how to pick up your pace:
- As mentioned before work on being smooth. Turn ins, unwinding, transitions from left to right turns, throttle and braking. If you watch Dave's video at Blackhawk his hands look slow because he turns in smoothly.
- Find someone who is as fast or a little faster than you, and line up behind them in grid. Watch where you are quicker than them, and where they pull away from you. The turns they leave you behind are the ones you want to look at copying what they do.
- Have a plan. Know where you want to brake, when you want to turn in, where you want to apex, when you want to be back on the throttle, and where you expect to track out to. An aid to this is to say out loud what you are going to do, it forces you to think ahead of where the car is. It's also a great way to tell if you are aware of what's going on around you or if you're starting to get overwhelmed trying to describe what you are doing and driving at the same time.
- Brake lighter and longer. This will help you enter the turn at the best possible speed and insure you hit your desired apex.
- Use time stuck behind slower traffic, either make sure your line is perfect at a reduced speed, or work on taking turns offline. Tight in and wide on exit, wide in and tight on exit or tight all the way around, may give you some ideas on how you can gain some speed by slowing down in a throw away corner to gain some extra speed at the start of a long straight. It can also make it easier to set up passes.
- Pay attenting to your exits onto straights. If you ever have to back out of the throttle, you were on the throttle too soon or got on it too hard and its costing you time.
- Ride with more advanced drivers, ask them to describe what they are doing as some of it may not be obvious.
- If you have free time, watch some of the other groups on the track. You can often see a faster line through a corner by watching where cars make up and lose distance on other drivers.