Tenth Chasers / Vol. 7

Smooth is Fast

Tenth Chasers Vol.7

Article: Dennis Wolfe Photo: Luis Vivar

Here’s a thought experiment for you: If Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast, then therefore, Slow is Fast. Right? Right. Makes perfect sense. The slower you go, the faster you will be. This is right up there with “stupid is as stupid does, ma’am” and “you can’t see the forest for the trees”, which is to say, on its face, it simply makes no sense whatsoever. But bear with me a second… The essence of all of this wordplay is simply this: the smoother your inputs, the faster your lap times. So let’s discuss your inputs. There are essentially four inputs (three on PDK’s / automatics): steering, throttle, braking, and shifting. And when we say “smooth”, what we’re really saying is “progressive”. Progressive inputs start gently and then rapidly increase their amplitude / effort, as opposed to immediately imparting maximum force. When braking or accelerating, think about “squeezing” the pedals instead of “stabbing” or “stomping” them. Just add a little pressure at first, and then quickly add a LOT of pressure, but in a progressively stronger way. This is all about weight transfer and keeping the chassis in balance. Sharp, abrupt pedal inputs will shift the car’s weight fore or aft too quickly and cost you crucial stability as you set up for the next turn. Likewise, your steering inputs should be smooth and progressive, not jerky. Give the front tires a chance to “set” or “bite” into a turn, and then add more steering input. Jerking the wheel can cause either understeer (the car is plowing and NOT turning) or oversteer (the rear end is breaking loose) depending on how fast you’re going and whether you have a front or rear engine car. For manual transmissions, shifting smoothly is crucial, and that means revmatching on downshifts. Newer cars will do this for you (making you look like a genius), but with older cars, it’s on you to get this right. Heel-toe downshifting is the name of the game here, and if you don’t know what that means, Google it. It takes a lot of practice, but once you get it right, it’s like butter. So once again, in your quest for faster lap times, keep those inputs nice and smooth, and watch those precious tenths fall away. Next edition of Tenth Chasers: The Traction Circle Happy racing! - Dennis Got questions? Hit me up: denniswolfe101@gmail.com