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Time is only lost, never gained...

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Duane Black

Curbs go brrrppp
567
401
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Durham, NC
I've been making a foray into blogging... so I thought I might drop it here to post whore and satisfy my millenial craving for likes from people on the internet.

 
Duane, Quite a summary of Time related events in life you have observed. That lead car being taken out by a lesser car caught my attention...I know that lead driver had to be pissed!!!!.....Time escapes us no matter what we do. Do the best with it while you can............................................
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
986
1,277
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Connecticut
another vintage
Needs more cowbell.
Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'...

Nice article. Like you talk about, expecially in autocross, you have to realize when you've blown a run quickly, so you can switch to a Plan B strategy for that run. Driving 110% can be a valid Plan B to find if you're been "leaving too much on the table" on your previous runs in certain sections. If I have time walking the course, I'll sometimes look for alternate lines through a section, then make a mental note to try them on a "blown" run - I've built a Plan B and have it ready to use. Just another example of autocross being so much of a mental game.

A related philosophy (I think I heard it from Andy Hollis) is to always drive 110% on your first run - it will show you anywhere on course that you would have underdriven at what you thought was 100%. At the potential expense of a first run with cones, it lets you dial in your second run much faster than if you creeped up in speed from the start. When you only get 3 runs at Nationals, you need to be fast out of the gate.
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
986
1,277
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Connecticut
that takes a lap or two....maybe three....
And that's the difference between autocross and HPDE. For HPDE, you can have a few 20 minute sessions at Lime Rock, which pretty much hasn't changed layout in over 60 years, so you have plenty of time to build up to your best lap. At a national-level autocross, you only get three competition runs each day, and the course is completely different each day. And only your fastest run each day counts.

Let's say we typically underestimate available grip by 5%, and compare a "build up" strategy with a 95% of assumed grip first run vs an "overdrive" strategy with a 110% of assumed grip first run. So with the 5% underestimation we actually start at 90% or 105% of true avaiable grip. It's also easier to "dial back" overdriving that it is to "dial up" underdriving because you don't know where the limit is - and you can end up overdriving a later run.
Build up runs: 90% - 96% - 102% (cones)
Overdrive runs: 105% (cones) - 98% - 99.5%
Overdrive strategy wins - best "clean" run was 99.5% vs 96% for the "build up" strategy.

The key that makes this work is that running 110% at an autocross has much, much less downside consequence than running 102% at a track. Cone marks buff out, tire walls don't.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,155
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
I've been making a foray into blogging... so I thought I might drop it here to post whore and satisfy my millenial craving for likes from people on the internet.

So true, when I tend to push a little harder it almost always ends up slowing me down.
The laps that seem the slowest are actually the fastest ones....at least in my experience.
This last weekend I kept telling myself: "Eyes up, hit your marks, position the car for a fast exit, don't drive it in so deep." I swept both races leading every lap from the pole. I have lots to learn still but chanting that little mantra as I was driving really made a difference. I still made some mistakes and when they happened I told my self...."See? now knock it off".
 

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