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Ross Bentley (Read 282 times)
Mike_the_Oldest
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Ross Bentley
Dec 20th, 2022 at 5:48am
 

     


When I recently stopped publishing Speed Secrets Weekly every week after nine-and-a-half years and 500 issues, I knew that I couldn’t stop myself from writing tips, advice, thoughts, opinions, and updates for people like you. I’m kinda addicted to doing that, like I am to driving and coaching.

While most of you reading this are past subscribers to Speed Secrets Weekly, some are not. I thought that if I was going to share my randomness, I’d share it with everyone in my Speed Secrets world. For free. That’s what Speed Secrets Randomly is all about.

This has no structure, no schedule, no set format. It’s whatever I want to send, whenever I want to send it. But don’t worry, I’m not going to spam you! As someone who receives at least fifty emails per day, I’m very sensitive to overloading your inbox. The only time I’ll send you anything is when I feel I have something valuable to share, mostly with the goal of helping you be an even better driver. And maybe with some entertainment, as long as it fits within our sport.

Random Tip, Advice, Thought, Opinion, Update
By a significant margin, the number one thing that I’ve helped drivers with from a driving technique perspective is their braking. And more specifically, what they should do towards the end of their braking zones.

That’s actually the first thing to think about: brake zones. It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on where you begin braking, the “brake reference point.” But there’s so much more to braking than just where you begin doing it. What you do with the brakes is not defined by a single point where you begin braking, or even where you end braking. No, it’s what you do throughout the brake zone, as well as where it begins and ends.

If you’re not already using what I introduced almost ten years ago, then meet BoB and EoB. BoB stands for Begin of Braking and EoB refers to End of Braking (the moment where your foot comes completely off the brake pedal, where the brake lights go out because you’re no longer applying any pressure).

When drivers I’ve coached (in person, in groups, who have joined me in online webinars, and who have read what I’ve written in the past decade) switched from focusing so much on where they’re going to begin braking for a corner (the BoB) to looking into the corner and to the EoB, their braking efficiency and corner entry speed improved. Oh, and they often found themselves beginning to apply the throttle earlier in the corner, too. What?

See, there are three reasons for using the brakes when approaching a corner:
1.      To adjust speed
2.      To manage the load on the front tires
3.      And to set the car up (position, angle, etc.) so you can begin accelerating earlier
I think the first two points here are obvious, but the third needs a bit of explanation. By getting the first two points (speed and load transfer) just right, your car will be angled, or rotated, just right so that you can begin applying the throttle early.

I suggest you think about using the brakes as a tool to allow you to get to full throttle sooner. That might mean a shift in your mindset, in how you think about using the brakes, but it could make a major difference in your driving.

This all starts with looking ahead, into the corner, to where you’re going to end your braking, the EoB. The next time you’re on track, I recommend you take some laps to solely focus on where your EoB is for each corner, and then how you can shift it earlier or later in the corner to your benefit (hint: so you increase corner entry speed, and can begin accelerating earlier). In other words, to deliberately use and manage where the brake zone ends, the EoB, to improve your corner entry and exit speeds.

Yes, by focusing more on your EoB, many drivers find they naturally improve their corner entry speed. If you’re one of many drivers who feel they tend to over-slow for corners, focusing on the EoB may make a big difference for you.

To be clear, I’m not saying that you comp
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