Re: Driving question

[Simon Favre <simon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Scott,

I love the ads: "In 1968, the Formula 1 rules were changed to reduce 
driver fatalities... Welcome to 1967." =:0

The other names for this technique are trailing-throttle braking, or just
late braking. The idea is that you are still braking after you turn in for
the corner. What this is good for is generating oversteer, but I guess
you figured that out during your "agricultural expeditions". ;=) Under
braking, weight is transferred to the front of the car. This makes the
contact patches at the rear smaller. If you still have some braking going
on after the point where you turned the wheel, what happens is that the
slip angles at the rear of the car are larger due to the reduced contact
patch caused by the braking. Larger slip angles at the rear is the real
technical definition of oversteer. What this does in a real race car is
give the driver a way to steer the car with the throttle, and swing the
rear end around quicker. I suspect the problem is lack of feedback in the
game, or perhaps you haven't learned to pick up on the clues it is giving
you. The technique does involve a gradual easing off on the brake as you
transition into hard cornering. If the brakes are an on-off switch, you
can't make a very gradual transition. With a video game, I suspect the
right way to do it is to know EXACTLY when to get off the brake and get 
back on the gas, and do that consistently on every corner. You are also
supposed to EASE back on the gas to prevent spinning out. 

Are you using a proper driving wheel/pedal combo for the game? Have you 
checked the optional control settings? Did you rotate the bleed screw to
the top? ... ;=)

Related story: A few years back, I was vacationing in Vegas. I went into
the video arcade at the Luxor. They had a huge side-by-side F1 racing game
with big screens, F1 style car bodies to sit in, the whole 9 yards. I put
up my $5. The game was run by attendants. I was the only one who raised a
hand when they asked if anybody preferred manual trans to automatic. I blew
up the engine on the first lap, but they had to restart anyway as everybody
else crashed. After the restart, I blew the entire field away. ;=) Setting
the car to manual trans gave it a higher top speed. Using a correct line
through the turn always got me around people making classic driving errors.
I was definitely the "ringer" in that crowd.

Scott Johnson, Alfa Spider FAQ Author, wrote:

>With all the talk about proper shifting, and my own efforts to turn a
>1:30:00 at Monza in Grand Prix Legends, I was wondering if the race-car
>folk could explain something to me:
>
>What, exactly, is "trail-braking", what is it good for, and how is it done?
>I've got some vague ideas, but when I try them I end up mowing grass on the
>virtual track.

------------------------------