Much to Do About Braking

23 Apr

I am somewhat obsessed now with how to brake better and
hence get around a corner faster.

I will assume that everyone will know how to go fast on a straight
line... if you don't,it is just stretch your right foot all the way on the
gas pedal !

Getting the braking point and the braking pressure nicely for a
corner is an art by itself. I am still learning in hope that I will get
to master it soon.

Here is another article from appm.co.uk, which I reckon will be
very useful.

Enjoy!


Braking Pressure

In our previous email we discussed how we calculate our braking point and in this email we will be looking at the pressure we use on the brake pedal when we initially brake and how that affects our late braking performance.

Many drivers don't understand the finesse that is required to brake absolutely on the limit and this lack of understanding prevents them from maximising the braking capability of their kart and consequently they lose time.

How To Brake Late

1. Develop finesse / sensitivity in your braking foot - This is the key to being able to brake on the limit of adhesion. The way that you apply the brake pressure and modulate it throughout the braking area is down to your judgement and 'feel' for the kart. To develop your sensitivity start by:

- Being more relaxed - take the tension out of your body so that you have more feel for the car and what you are doing with the brake pedal

- 'Think Soft' when you come to brake - soft does not mean 'slow' or gentle; come onto the pedal as quickly as you can but do it softly and slightly less hard than you would normally, (for a split second only) and then hard (but smoothly)

- Build up to it slowly - 'feel' what is happening


2. Understand where you need to brake late - Not all corners need maximum braking but they all need finesse. The pressure that we use to brake for slow, medium and fast corners is different. If we brake too late and too hard for fast and medium speed corners we can upset the balance of the car so it is rare in these corners to brake to the maximum capability of the kart. It is in slow speed corners that we really need to develop our late braking skills and utilise the brakes to their maximum capacity to gain time.

3. Understand that there is only a finite amount of grip - Braking on the limit for a slow corner requires you to use 100% of the grip available from your tyres - not 1% too much or 1% too little, it's like balancing on a tightrope. Think about it, this will require 'finesse' and 'feel' not brute force.

Late braking is not about bravery or brute force it's all about matching your braking technique to the requirements of your car's suspension and tyres.