Track driving technique

[eph94]

Originally posted by Nordschleife
If you are of the smooth is fast school, it will even let you get the rear end out a bit without cutting in. It is most intrusive if you try to use the engine power to tame understeer, so a small adjustment to driving technique, if required, will allow you to proceed quickly and enjoyably without interference from the ESP and with longer tyre life.

I didn't want to hijack the ESP thread, so I took this quotation from there...

Robin, I gather from your posts that you have spent countless hours on the track with various types of cars. I would be very interested in hearing your opinion on track driving techniques that are specific to having quattro-equipped car.

I've read elsewhere on the web about the "quattro line" versus the traditional line through corners. I really don't know what to think. I was told by a former pro rally driver that if I drove the way I was supposed to drive on the track, then the ESP would not be intrusive at all since I wouldn't be setting it off. If it intervened, then my inputs were simply asking for too much from the car. He even went on to say that in the rain he posted slightly better lap times on the track with the ESP ON versus OFF. On the other hand, almost every "recreational" track person with more experience than me told me that they're faster with the ESP OFF, especially the quattro folk.

I had an instructor once that drove an AWD Porsche for his track car and he introduced me to an "AWD line" around some corners that included what I consider early apexing and letting the AWD do it's work (only worked with the ESP off). I never felt comfortable doing though since it felt counterintuitive, but darn it, sometimes my exit speeds leaving the corner were higher! Is that possible, or am I simply not consistent enough yet to make these comparisons (just 4 days on the track)?

Just curious to what the seasoned Audi track drivers think...

[Nordschleife]

JJV

Well, I wouldn't spend too much time listening to to me, what I do works for me and is roughly in accord with the methods developed by Audi's test drivers and instructors in Germany. But any mistakes are my own.

The emphasis on Germany is not accidental, instructors in the UK and US frequently differ in technique. However, one of the people who was deeply involved in developing these techniques was the man chosen to teach Michael Schumacher to drive on ice, and to coach Colin McCrea, and he is just one amongst a firmament of stars, to mention names would be invideous, as I would be bound to leave out somebody, and I listen too and respect these guys, they have been there, done that and won the t-shirt.

Several things strike you immediately when driving with these guys, nothing is rushed, everything is smooth, they are enormously relaxed, the wheel is not shuffled from hand to hand, and transisitions are relaxed.

In developing a track technique for AWD cars, I think its a good idea to start off learning to identify and correct -

understeer
oversteer

then learn to use the ABS properly

and, finally experiencing the same manoeuvers with ESP on and off.

By the way, the only way to turn ESP off is to remove the fuse. If you do this, turn off the engine and remove the key from the ignition whenever you remove or replace the fuse.

TTs behave differently from the other quattro cars; this is because the original Haldex differential behaves in a manner which is not always repeatable, in other words its 'open loop'.

Once you are comfortable with correcting over and understeer and have come to understand the advantages of the ABS system, then you can start to look at how you drive the car round each corner on the track.

Most circuits have several understeering corners and a few oversteering ones.

As you start driving at speed through the corner, with the ESP on, you will realise that you are getting smoother and faster as the ESP intervenes less and less. When braking, do try and get as much speed off as possible right at the start of braking, that way you are entering the corner in a smooth and balanced manner, and can indulge in trail braking, once you have used to what is happening. Trail braking is good because it helps you to rotate the car, yes, by now you can control the car's wayward behaviour well enough that you want it to do things you have spent time trying to stop it doing previously, but on your terms.

With practice, you will start to relax and then your speed will start rapidly improving. At this stage you will discover you have lots of time when driving through corners, this is good, it shows you are comfortable with what you are doing, you will be moving quite quickly by now, the ESP will hardly intervene and one corner will flow into another.

Its very hard to talk about a 'quattro line' as a great influence on the line you take through corners is dictated by the differentials, whether they are locked, or not, and by the tyres. What quattro definately does do is allow you a wide choice of line through corners, which is really important when racing as it gives you a great advantage when attacking or defending. Further, now you can induce oversteer at will and this lets you change the line through the corner.

Certainly, in Auto X, you will be faster without ESP; running on a proper race track, in the dry you may be indifferent as to whether you have ESP on or off. In the wet, in a powerful car, you will be faster with ESP on.

If the driver handles the car in a brutal manner, then ESP will intervene a great deal.

Many people have not been fortunate enough to have received driving instruction from top drivers and instructors. It is hardly surprising that their techniques are sometimes less than optimal, movies and television are full of people sawing to and fro on steering wheels and massive power induced slides. ESP does spoil this behaviour, but it was slow in the first place.

Your former pro-rally driver talks a lot of sense. The AWD Porsche driver does what works for him. I do recall driving a Turbo and whilst driving through a corner with a lot of loose material on the surface, I felt the rear end go out and out, and then the power transferred to the front wheels and as the car accelerated, the rear wheels were pulled back into line. This was very effective, but not particularly fast.

I haven't talked about specific lines, rather, I've banged on about basic techniques and approaches to driving on the track, I hope you will find what I've said, intelligable and helpful. If so, I am sure you will soon be able to answer your own questions.


R+C

[JP4]

Originally posted by Nordschleife
JJV

Well, I wouldn't spend too much time listening to to me, what I do works for me and is roughly in accord with the methods developed by Audi's test drivers and instructors in Germany. But any mistakes are my own...........

I haven't talked about specific lines, rather, I've banged on about basic techniques and approaches to driving on the track, I hope you will find what I've said, intelligable and helpful. If so, I am sure you will soon be able to answer your own questions.


R+C

I appreciate your modesty Nordschleife but you obviously speak the words of a man with much driving experience and a healthy dose of respect for what you and we are doing in this "sport". Your words of wisdom are always greatly appreciated.

JP4 :bow: :bow:

[eph94]

Originally posted by JP4
I appreciate your modesty Nordschleife but you obviously speak the words of a man with much driving experience and a healthy dose of respect for what you and we are doing in this "sport". Your words of wisdom are always greatly appreciated.

JP4 :bow: :bow:

Agreed. Thanks Nordschleife. And thanks to everyone who shares their expertise on this forum!