How do you learn a track?

[JoelGL]

Hi, I'm relatively new to racing, so far been driving F1 2012 / 2013 only, and just recently acquired AC.

With F1, there are markers w/c help learn braking points more easily. With AC, so far I only try to remember spots in the curbs. What techniques do you employ?

I know different cars have their own characteristics and performance, unlike in F1, so practicing each car's performance is a must, but perhaps you have some common techniques in studying tracks.

Also, I'm using a DFGT and just using the paddle shifters. At what point in the tachometer do you upshift, when the line goes red, midway, or all the way when the gear number turns red?

Finally, when turning in curbs, is it faster to make the car skid slightly but revving hard for the wheels to catch grip, or better off just slowing down and making sure not to skid?

Thanks.

 

[LazyBug]

Never do heel-toe before but just now try it with my bro's car, not sure if i do it right or not but at least the downshift work as usual without problem. My friends use to comment i drive like racing because i always up-downshift very fast, i wonder if this heel-toe thing allow me to shift even faster.
But then i imagine i might looks like a stupid driver who doing all those fast up-downshift & heel-toe thing driving merely a street car in a small town like i actually very pro or something

 

[William Levesque]

Never do heel-toe before but just now try it with my bro's car, not sure if i do it right or not but at least the downshift work as usual without problem. My friends use to comment i drive like racing because i always up-downshift very fast, i wonder if this heel-toe thing allow me to shift even faster.
But then i imagine i might looks like a stupid driver who doing all those fast up-downshift & heel-toe thing driving merely a street car in a small town like i actually very pro or something

In everyday driving, heel and toeing is merely to be easier on the car, and have smoother downshifts. Since you are not at the limit of grip, it shouldn't lock up (unless you are on ice/snow).

I personally do it all the time (I have a 94' MX-5), I prefer it. Easier on the drivetrain, and on the brakes since you can keep the car in gear instead of going to neutral, which eliminates a certain amount of resistance. Staying in gear means you can use less brake. It's also more fun, lol.

 

[Mark Quigley]

There is a distinction between going fast and learning to go fast.
Going fast needs the car at 100% all the time, you should be accelerating, breaking or turning, never doing nothing and always @ 10/10ths you need to be smooth as to not make that 100% bounce about, 90-110%, you will use loads of techniques to achieve this.

Learning is different, I'm still learning how to learn how to go fast at Spa
I have figured that Spa is about outright speed in 2 places but if you go faster in those 2 places everything changes, take an extra second into a race and everything is different, had a favourite passing place? not there any more, brake points are all different, you get in peoples way for a few races even although you have improved by a second.

Heel-toe imo is more about allowing you to change gear any time without upsetting the car, less about mechanical sympathy.

May the waste from the seasons excesses come painfully oozing out of all you for the next few days.

 

[Oemie]

I got the Rivali leaderboard app yesterday, in addition to the RSR one, and it has a neat new feature where it captures the performance data/speed telemetry, which you can then compare to others. I found from this that I am losing literally seconds in the turn 2-3 and 4-5 S-es, whereas the rest of the track I am pretty close.

I had been using AIM Race Studio Analysis already for my own laps, but being able to compare with others several seconds faster than you is excellent to find out where you clearly still have a wrong line.

 

[LazyBug]

I got the Rivali leaderboard app yesterday, in addition to the RSR one, and it has a neat new feature where it captures the performance data/speed telemetry, which you can then compare to others. I found from this that I am losing literally seconds in the turn 2-3 and 4-5 S-es, whereas the rest of the track I am pretty close

Too bad i dont know how to read those telemetry .. graph analysis thing always make me headache