Best ways to improve driving skills

[cjm_2008]

here's an odd suggestion - get fit (if you're not already!).

I've found that my ability to concentrate has improved beyond any level I can remember since taking up crossfit & following a paleo diet regime. it's like my brain is finally working like it should be, and I'm feeling totally chilled when I'm racing. everything feels slow.

it hasn't turned me into an rc god as I simply don't get the time to race ad much as I'd like to. but it certainly helps!

[flipside]

1. get a normal, neutral setup (either from the manual or from someone who knows what he's doing and who knows you are a beginner) and a normal not too fast motor!
2. practise with that untill you can run at least 5 minutes without mistakes. Doesn't matter if your laptimes are slow. Practise on your own can help if you have to run down the rostrum each time you make an error, you'll learn quickly to stay on your wheels
3. go to clubraces and then try to race for 5 minutes without mistakes You'll notice it won't be so easy as in practise
4. watch the fast guys drive, go stand on different sides of the track and look at their lines. But especially, listen to the sound of their motor and be amazed how easy they go on the throttle (especially on clay)
5. try to copy this driving style---->practise again!

When you can race for 5 minutes without mistakes, then go talk to other people trying to change your setup. 1 change at a time! If you don't feel the change, or you are not sure it is better: put it back the way it was and try something else. Write it all down each time you change something, and also make a note about how much effect it had. In the end, you will know which settings have a drastic effect, and which are only minor changes, finetuning.

At a race, don't just look at your fastest lap. Take a look at you best 3 or 5 laps, count how many laps you have in the same second as your fastest lap etc... If a setup change only changed your fastest lap, but you ended up on your roof 5 times, change it back...

Slow=fast. That doesn't mean you need a slow motor, it means you need to go slow into a corner, and fast coming out of it. If you carry more corner speed, in other words your car doesn't lose all the speed at one point in the corner, you don't need to accelerate that hard getting out of it, and your car will look more stable. Usually you never need to brake very fast and hard, or accelerate very fast. When coming out of a corner, accelerate gradually, steer gradually etc...

This is an onboard video of some decent laps at kampenhout in Belgium:
http://youtu.be/Js-i8SgnAuM?hd=1&t=4s

Listen to the motor and brake sounds, take a look at the servo link, it's all relatively 'smooth'.

If you are comfortable with your car, and you know a bit how to set it up, what I found that helps a lot is driving with a laptime beep on your transmitter. This beep goes off every x seconds, so for example if your fast lap is around 25.0, set the laptime beep to every 25.5 seconds. Start the timer in your practise run for example right after a jump, then sart driving and try to be right after that jump again next time the beep goes. If your further on track, you are running faster laps, if you are behind on track, you are running slower. The goal is to do lots of laps and traying to stay ahead or at the same point as the laptime beep. This helps a lot in trying to be fast and consistent at the same time. Plus, you immediatly now when you had a very good lap if you gained on your beeper, and you usually know what you did well or bad in that last lap.

[Kelk]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their advice and support - went tot he circuit last night and it was a practise session so I was out as much as I possibly could.

I heeded the advice of going slowly and smoothly, especially as the track was moist to say the least and bsically just tried to put in as many consistent laps as I could. Having very little marshalling / track assistance forced this as well as errors often meant getting off the rostrum to go over and get the car back on track.

I was really pleased with the progress I made - the practise, practise practise attitude helped, as did thinking of the next corner. The car really felt like it came to me and I look forward to getting more track time.

Cheers guys

[Kelk]

Not sure if anyone is really interested but I just thought I'd post up - at SHRCCC yesterday it was a small meet with 2 rounds and I was pretty competitive for a newbie and ended up winning the 3rd B final.

Admittedly there were only 5 drivers in the A final and 4 in the B but I am very pleased with my win.

Thanks once again

[canon67]

The best advice i can give is this

1. Slow down a touch
2. Jump strait
2. Get your lines right
3. Stay calm
4. Let quicker drivers through and tag on
5. Watch what the quiker drives us ass tires and springs
6. Dont be affraid of asking pro drives there set up to.

Doo this and dont forget that this is just a toy car have fun.

Den.

[DerbyDan]

Originally Posted by Kelk

Not sure if anyone is really interested but I just thought I'd post up - at SHRCCC yesterday it was a small meet with 2 rounds and I was pretty competitive for a newbie and ended up winning the 3rd B final.

Admittedly there were only 5 drivers in the A final and 4 in the B but I am very pleased with my win.

Thanks once again

Nice one!!

Main thing is to enjoy what you are doing at whatever level

[HOTSHOT III]

Originally Posted by cjm_2008

here's an odd suggestion - get fit (if you're not already!).

I've found that my ability to concentrate has improved beyond any level I can remember since taking up crossfit & following a paleo diet regime. it's like my brain is finally working like it should be, and I'm feeling totally chilled when I'm racing. everything feels slow.

it hasn't turned me into an rc god as I simply don't get the time to race ad much as I'd like to. but it certainly helps!

I'd second that, and also try to eat/drink regularly on race days. I didn't do this on Sunday and after 3 heats where I was gradually improving, in the 4th heat I forgot to put my transponder in and crashed at least once on every lap.

I suddenly realised that despite bringing a litre of orange juice with me it was 3pm and I hadn't drunk any of it. I drank about a third of the carton straight away and had some bananas and in the 1st leg of my final 40 minutes later I was back on the pace. Although the car does all the hard work you still need to look after yourself...

[Fernandez]

Originally Posted by Kelk

I was wondering what everyone's thouhts were on the best things to focus on to improve driving skills and race times?

I appreciate that practise and tons of it are good (for any activity) but I wondered what I should try to achieve / work on whilst racing - I race on astro so its not like just driving on the lawn in th garden surely?

Any tips welcomed.

Thanks

drive a 2wd 1/10 buggy on a hardpacked outdoor dirt track.
when you are able to drive this buggy fast, you are good with any other car.