ProCoach said:In reply to DaleCarter :
I think the issue with a predictive lap timer is that people use the whole lap as a measure, which is too big a measure to work incrementally. Use the plus/minus value against your reference or best lap, NOT the PredT for the whole lap. In VBOX, use the bar graph, in AiM, use the LEDs on a Solo 2 DL or display logger set to 0.1 sec intervals ahead or behind of the reference lap.
The best use of a predictive lap timer is to learn what works and what doesn't using an A-B comparison through A corner or A corner complex.
Practice a "prime" approach and develop an "option" approach, A and B. Could be as simple as a alternate gear.
Get good at both through multiple practice sessions.
Then, in one session, on the same day, same tires, same track, warm up with few laps, then do A three times the best you can and then do B three times the best you can.
You don't have to wait until you come in and download to know if one is better than another.
Before the corner, check the plus/minus value, then again well after track out. If it's going up, no good. If you see that number going down (from positive number to less positive number, or from a negative number to a more negative number, you are able to validate that whichever approach yields that, the prime or the option, works better!
Really like this approach as it breaks down skills into manageable chunks that will pay off bigtime once they start compounding.
I think the other thing folks neglect a bit is that practice is practice and the game is the game. Yes, there's a certain benefit to "practicing like you play," but that's really more of a statement about commitment level and focus on task. But remember that practice is a skill-building mission and competition is a skill exercising mission and the approaches have to be slightly different to get max benefit from each.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Dang. I never really thought of it like that.
I think that applies well to other sports.
bmw88rider said:In reply to Tom1200 :
I don't. I'll look into it. It's my goal for this year as I hit the track so I'm interested in learning some new techniques.
The Keith Code method is nothing more than playing connect the dots; Brake at this mark, turn in at that mark, accelerate here, exit there etc. By having many markers you can do everything consistently.
Examples: at my a recent time trial my in traffic times ranged from 2:21.193 to 2:21.590 and my clear laps 2:19.275 to 2:19.525. Now for a professional I'm sure this would be considered mediocre but for an amateur I feel 2-3 tenths variance is decent. Before conditions improved I did have a session where the last 4 laps ranged from 2:20.006 to 2:20.085, I was very proud of that session despite it not being my fastest times.
My Datsun is hopelessly outgunned in it's class, so I shoot for my best overall finishes. In the last six races I've made last lap passes; it's been a picking off wounded cars or putting just enough pressure on someone that they make a mistake. We have 25ish cars in the group and I've been managing 10th place overall.
These are 9-10 lap races but often I'm only finishing 2-3 seconds ahead of the car behind me. If my lap times varied by say 6-7 tenths I wouldn't have picked up those places.
So as you can see consistency matters.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I am always surprised by people who don't practice driving off line; be they back markers or front runners.
How do you know what the traction is like off line on any given day if you don't drive there?
Before I started racing I remember reading about Kenny Roberts riding off line in practice for the Daytona 200. He was probing to see where he would be passing.
Tom1200 said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I am always surprised by people who don't practice driving off line; be they back markers or front runners.
How do you know what the traction is like off line on any given day if you don't drive there?
Before I started racing I remember reading about Kenny Roberts riding off line in practice for the Daytona 200. He was probing to see where he would be passing.
Yeah this is one thing that the Skip Barber School does really, really well. You'll run entire sessions with parts of corners coned off to simulate a passing line or a being passed line or a defensive line or whatever. It's an exercise that really favors autocross skills because you're watching the corner change dynamically basically in real time but still having to maintain momentum and positional awareness.
It's also one of the skills that gets overlooked with the modern trend toward high-end time attack competition where you'll never have to worry about anything but running the perfect line and if you don;t get to that perfect line the lap is a waste anyway.
JG Pasterjak said:Tom1200 said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
I am always surprised by people who don't practice driving off line; be they back markers or front runners.
How do you know what the traction is like off line on any given day if you don't drive there?
Before I started racing I remember reading about Kenny Roberts riding off line in practice for the Daytona 200. He was probing to see where he would be passing.
Yeah this is one thing that the Skip Barber School does really, really well. You'll run entire sessions with parts of corners coned off to simulate a passing line or a being passed line or a defensive line or whatever. It's an exercise that really favors autocross skills because you're watching the corner change dynamically basically in real time but still having to maintain momentum and positional awareness.
It's also one of the skills that gets overlooked with the modern trend toward high-end time attack competition where you'll never have to worry about anything but running the perfect line and if you don;t get to that perfect line the lap is a waste anyway.
Ironically in my ultra momentum car I can often end up with a faster lap by drafting someone from the apex out. So the penalty of turning in a smidge later is less than the extra 3-5tenths I get from a draft.
Of course this is an anomaly that probably only pertains to me and drivers in stock Honda Fits.
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