Starting this month we will be running a series of articles that are of interest to any autocrosser. Craig Carr is a long-time autocrosser who along with his wife Gloria have earned multiple National Championships in their gorgeous ASP Lotus Elan. While Gloria has entered semi-retirement she is still a tireless cheerleader for not only Craig but everyone else! While Craig has changed his primary ride from the Lotus to a CMod formula car in the last couple of years he had a sucessful 2007 co-driving Mark Huffman’s DMod Lotus and finished a fine 4th at the 2007 Solo Nationals. Now that you know a little bit about the author here is…
Solo Lines by Craig Carr
Revelation
Autocrossers, it may be very much within your power to dramatically improve your times without spending any money. Whoa! (Shock. Disbelief.) Not possible! Everyone knows that the only way to make it fast is to throw money at it.
Well, we’ve all thrown lots of money. But I believe that I have made my greatest gains on those occasions when I have worked on my driving instead of on my car.
Starting with this article, I will offer a few driving items that have worked well for me. If I ‘splain ‘em good enough, maybe someone will find something here that he or she can use.
Ponder with me that ancient autocross maxim, “Slow down, you will go faster.” We have all heard it before, but so few of us are willing to apply it.
In my early autocross days, I heard this “slow down, go faster” advice more than once from my first autocross hero. But, since I already knew everything, I chose not to pay attention. Then one day I stumbled into a graphic example of the TRUTH.
On my first run on a course of slaloms and boxes, I went charging with my usual reckless abandon into the first slalom, yanking the wheel left, right, left, with each succeeding yank throwing the rear of the car further out of control until finally I was sliding sideways waiting to scrub off enough speed to make the last cone. Even I could figure out that I had lost sufficient time in that slalom to waste the run. But Fate interfered with the timer and I got a re-run.
With that side-slide still fresh in my mind, I had a novel idea: “Hey. Maybe on this re-run I’ll SLOW DOWN before I get to that slalom.” I again came roaring full throttle up to the slalom. But this time, I got on the brakes pretty hard, brought the speed down in a straight line, and entered the slalom. Instead of great, gnashing full turns of the steering wheel, I was suddenly motoring through this slalom with quick little left right flicks of the wheel. Flick, flick, flick, and I was on my way to the next exercise.
Now, even my brain was in second gear: “Hey! That went so well, maybe I’ll try it again on this box I’m coming up to.” Tried it again. Hard brakes in a straight line slowed the car, two short turns of the wheel, and I was out of the box and on my way. “Wow! This is going so well, maybe I’ll do the whole run this way.”
This time the timer worked. I had leaped from my usual fourth, fifth, or last place to first place ahead of two hot shoes that I had previously considered to be among the greatest autocross drivers in the free world (after my hero). There was even applause. This was unbelievable! I drove the course the same way on the second and third runs, actually improved my times, and took my first real win. Ecstasy! Autocross Heaven!
So what happened? There was no pit stop for new R tires, bigger sway bars, ultra-adjust shocks, or cheater cams. No, the difference was that the doofus behind the wheel brought into play a heretofore mostly ignored and always poorly used appendage called the brake pedal.
The magic trick: I had slowed down enough that the tires could hold the pavement when I turned the wheel. This to me was an absolute REVELATION. My hero was right. Suddenly it made sense. SLOW DOWN TO GO FAST. Slow down and stay within the limit of the tires, and the car can turn. Fail or refuse to slow down, and the car slides sideways–great fun, but the clock is still running while you are waiting for the slide to end so you can get pointed back toward the finish line. Very often, the total difference between first and last place is the ability or willingness to apply this rule.
Notice above that I said, “…brakes in a straight line.” Said it twice in fact. There are fast ways to slow down and slow ways to slow down.
Next Solo Line, “On the Threshold.”
Copy Right Craig Carr 2008
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the insight Craig! Always good to get input from someone as seasoned as yourself. And one stint in an FMod proves you correct. Just TRY braking one of those wit ha little turn in the wheel. Yikes.
I am always amazed at how runs that “feel slow” end up being quicker. I hope that eventually I’ll get to a point where I’ll recognize that I’m overdriving and dial it back before I ruin a run. I look forward to reading the next article.
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