[}{arlequin]

Originally Posted by turbo23dog

TD,

Can you provide some small details of what you mean about Cervelli driving (droving ) you car?

he means he was really scared. both, b/c of how fast he was going, and b/c it's HIS car IF things go tits up.

i've felt that before in another of my cars. when good drivers drive their own, the sensation is 'one way', but when they scare the crap out of you in your own car, there's more at stake and fear factor increases.

btw,
you know what happens when you ask td to provide "small details" right?

[Andy Clements]

Originally Posted by turbo23dog

TD,

Can you provide some small details of what you mean about Cervelli driving (droving ) you car?

He went really really fast.....in an "I didn't know my car could go that fast" kinda way.......in an "I'd need to change my shorts if I didn't have confidence in this guy behind the wheel" (and maybe even then) sorta way. But that was just my interpretation from the paddock chatter....I'll let the real passenger give his input.

[TD in DC]

In reality, I was only a little scared during the first lap until I saw (and felt) what Cervelli was doing.

Cervelli is a big proponent of trail braking. Before I saw how he drove my car, I would get "most" of my braking done in a straight line, turn in, and then get immediately back on full throttle and power through the apex to track out.

By contrast, Cervelli would brake about the same distance as I would, but he would use about 50% less braking pressure, which he would continue as he turned in to the corner. His corner entry speed was consistently 10-15 mph faster than mine. He would use the brake to rotate the car at the beginning of the corner, and then he would modulate the throttle until he could get back on the gas. He would get on the gas far later than I normally do, but he was so much faster because his entry and mid corner speeds were so much higher. He also corner braked to some degree at every corner on the track.

It was stunning to me because I had never ridden in a car with someone driving like that. I knew the theory behind what he was doing, but I had never personally experienced it. Nothing replaces feeling how a car feels when driven by a true professsional. I didn't know my car was capable of that, nor did I realize what my goal needed to be. Now I do. Imagine going 60 mph into Turn 6! It was even more shocking because it was in my car, so I knew exactly how much of it was car and how much of it was driver.

I felt that his method of driving is much safer, believe it or not. However, you really shouldn't run out and try this until you practice at lower speed and SAFE corners, because it takes a lot to get used to the proper timing of everything.

He also said that probably one of the most important differences between good drivers and great drivers is confidence in car control skills. So, if your goal is to be a great driver, you need to focus on the basics and become entirely comfortable with your ability to control your car before you try to imitate Schumacher.

Here is a comparative speed graph for Turn 5 at the bottom of the chute. The black line shows how i drove before I saw what Cervelli did. The red line shows Cervelli driving. Notice that I entered the chute a little faster than he did. We both braked for about the same distance, but he braked with less pressure, rotated the car with trail braking, and then held the car at a higher speed through the corner by modulating the throttle (he could not get back on the gas without spinning us) until he could accelerate fully again. By contrast, I overslowed without corner braking (I probably went about fast as I could if you don't trailbrake because my car understeers through that corner in the absence of trailbraking), which allowed me to get back on full throttle immediately. V shaped curves are slow. U shaped curves are fast.

I have more, but as }{ points out, I type too much.

[HoodPin]

Originally Posted by TD in DC

Here is a comparative speed graph for Turn 5 at the bottom of the chute. The black line shows how i drove before I saw what Cervelli did. The red line shows Cervelli driving. Notice that I entered the chute a little faster than he did. We both braked for about the same distance, but he braked with less pressure, rotated the car with trail braking, and then held the car at a higher speed through the corner by modulating the throttle (he could not get back on the gas without spinning us) until he could accelerate fully again. By contrast, I overslowed without corner braking (I probably went about fast as I could if you don't trailbrake because my car understeers through that corner in the absence of trailbraking), which allowed me to get back on full throttle immediately. V shaped curves are slow. U shaped curves are fast.

TD,
Just to confirm I'm reading your graph correctly. Is it indicating that the same track section was navigated .3 seconds faster by Cervelli? And (as I'm gathering from what you've described) is Cervelli left foot braking?

Also, thanks for the explanation. Fascinating stuff this driving is.....

[Mark in Baltimore]

Tony,

Chris is not a big proponent of left foot braking, although he did say it can aid in reducing the brake-to-throttle time if your left foot is sensitive enough to brake as well as your right.

Like my new avatar? Thank you!

[HoodPin]

Originally Posted by Mark in Baltimore

Tony,

Chris is not a big proponent of left foot braking, although he did say it can aid in reducing the brake-to-throttle time if your left foot is sensitive enough to brake as well as your right.

Like my new avatar? Thank you!

The little bit of left foot braking I've ever tried was always an exercise in futility for me. So Chris is transitioning from brake to throttle somewhere in the turn? Can you reveal whether it was generally before or after the apex? Or was different in each corner?

Your avatar looks great! What can I say, I like taking pics of cool looking cars (which partly explains why I don't have many of mine.... )

[TD in DC]

Originally Posted by AJ986S

TD,
Just to confirm I'm reading your graph correctly. Is it indicating that the same track section was navigated .3 seconds faster by Cervelli? And (as I'm gathering from what you've described) is Cervelli left foot braking?

Also, thanks for the explanation. Fascinating stuff this driving is.....

Yes, you are reading the data correctly. Imagine that, he picked up 0.3 seconds in the so-called "throw away" corner. If he can do that there, imagine how much time he can pick up using that technique in the "important" corners.

As Mark points out, Chris does not left foot brake. Rather, he preaches a very smooth transition off the brake, and then on to the gas. If all is done correctly, you will be close enough to the limit that you will not be able to go directly from the brakes to the gas, which is reflected by the flat part of the curve, which constrast to the "v" shape part of the curve of my line that reflects me going from full braking to full gas. Specifically, you can see that from 2.1 seconds until 4.55 seconds, Chris is not on full throttle. It looks like he tried to get back on the gas a little earlier (maybe 4.4 seconds) but had to wait another second, although I am not sure about this. By contrast, I go straight from full braking to full gas at the 2.6 second point.

[forklift]

Originally Posted by Eric S

Too bad that orange GT3 RS race cars don't come with driver's side windows...or was Nando's arm just too short to be seen? We all ganged up on him and took turns at pressuring him, but he still wouldn’t give any of us a passing signal!

GF: "what do you want to watch tonight?"
Me: "choices are either video of me looking for a point-by from an orange GT3 RS from last weekend or The Lord of the Rings trilogy."
GF: "which is shorter?"
Me: "The Lord of the Rings!"

Sorry Nando, couldn't pass that one up (no pun intended).

[forklift]

Originally Posted by Mark in Baltimore

For those of you wanting to get faster (and I know that comprises only a handful of people here, right? ), Chris is available for coaching. I cannot overemphasize what a great teacher he is, the words patient, present, incisive and challenging being just a few that would describe his style. I knew him as a well-respected driver who is renowned for his set-up abilities, but I half expected his teaching skills to be lacking. Fortunately, I was dead-wrong. My time with him definitely helped me become a better instructor by giving me another skill set to help my students.

A huge thanks to Potomac and Tom Trew for letting us learn even more. Jim Evans and I really wanted him for his set-up skills, but we walked away with a better understanding of how to take our driving to the next level, something that I have worked on all of last year through suspension tuning and, just as importantly, mental and gonad tuning. We hope to be able to impart some of Chris' knowledge to our Potomac colleagues.

Well said and yes, a huge thanks to Tom & Co. for allowing this to happen.

Chris is the real deal--very fast, extremely knowledgeable, especially with Porsches, and a great teacher. Awesome weekend, my best so far.

[turbo23dog]

TD,

Thanks for the insights. Intensely interesting...