Picking Your Breaking Point- The most common (and poorer) way is to have a picture in your mind that you look for. A much better and more consistant way is to pick an outstanding feature by the side of the road and use that.
Which point? I can only tell you the way that I do it. There may be a better way.
I start by estimating the likely best apex for the corner (early, mid or late) and work backwards. To hit that apex, I will have to turn in at a certain point. I'll approach the corner slowly to locate that point and pick a marker for it. Now that I have my turn in point marked, I can start working find the braking point. When I've found the latest point that I can begin braking and still slow down enough to turn in (at my turn in point) and hit my apex point, I find a marker for it. That's my braking point.
One more point to consider: the "turn-out" point.
When you've finished your sharpest turning (before the apex), you begin accelerating past that apex towards the outside of the road. Look ahead (again, before the apex) to the point at which you will be nearest to the outside of the road. That's your turn-out point. Pick a marker.
This last marker can be invaluable. If you can see that you're not going to make your marker, you'll know that you're off line and have to lift and see it earlier before you have to lose too much speed making a correction. If you see that you will make it, you know that you can continue accelerating.
After you have had enough practice on any corner, you'll be able to make small adjustments of these markers and improve your speed.
The most common error I've seen in both SCGT and PU is braking too late. If you brake too late, you turn in too late and you cannot hit either your apex or your turn-out point. And you will be a lot slower. I am not a late braker. I'd rather brake a bit early and be sure of my line. And I post respectable lap times. It's when I try to brake just that little bit later that I get into trouble. |
