A bellcrank system starts off on it's stroke as needing a larger amount of movement to move the shock a smaller amount, in the same way a lever does, and as such a smaller force can move the shock more easily, this is for the smaller bumps on a track, it absorbs them without influencing the chassis movement too much and keeps the wheels on the floor as much as possible, also acting as a 'softer' set up for grip. As it continues through the stroke the angles it works at now mean a larger movement at the wishbone means a larger movement at the damper, so if you land off a jump it doesn't just slap the chassis on the floor, also acting as a slightly harder setup for the faster corners to reduce roll and other undesired effects.
Progressive damping is something of a black art though from what I've read, on one track your car is the fastest thing out there, on another it's being lapped by the guy 1 place in front.
This also means you can get away with far less movement while retaining enough damping to survive the jumps and a soft enough setup for the smaller bumps for grip. However if you try and hit a fast bumpy corner with the progressive rate too hard at that point it ends in tears.
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