der Bayerische July/August 2021 - 25

P R E P A R I N G F O R Y O U R A D V A N C E D G R O U P T R A C K D A Y
session; collects data from your car's
OBD computer, such as engine RPM;
fits your budget; generates logs
that are shareable with colleagues
(and can be overlaid and
reviewed together) such that you can
compare your run to a better driver's
run.
Being able to compare the data
from your run with a better driver's
data is essential to figuring out what
to do differently. If you're fortunate
enough to have Brian or David or
Josh or Mark or Mike or Pat or
Tommy share their data with you, so
you can compare your runs side-byside,
you'll see where they're accelerating
longer and harder than you are,
braking differently than you are,
cornering harder, getting back onto
the gas sooner, staying closer to the
apex and running a tighter line.
Google " best data acquisition
system for track day " . For each
system, Google it by itself and change
the Google results display to
" images " . That way you can quickly
ascertain visually which systems
seem to have the characteristics
you're looking for. If I had to boil the
selection process down, I'd suggest
asking the best drivers in your group
what they use, whether it generates
shareable logs, and whether they'd be
willing to share their data with you
if you get a compatible system.
See the " Habits of Highly Effective
Autocrossers " article in the JulyAugust
2020 issue of der Bayerische.
Track etiquette and situational
awareness:
When entering the track from the pit
area, stay on the same side as you
entered the track until you pass the
first corner. In the middle of a session,
if you leave the pit area to re-enter the
track, faster traffic already on the track
will expect you to stay on the side
from which you left the pit area until
you pass the first turn.
Check your mirrors. If nobody
was behind you a few seconds ago,
(Above) Wait, am I headed the wrong way? Photo by Fraser Dachille.
but now someone is, then you've
already been caught. Let faster cars
go by (point them by). Do yourself
(and your colleagues) a favor - give
the point-by early enough that the
overtaking driver doesn't have to
throw away their momentum, slowing
down while waiting for your point-by.
You'll be better off without them
crawling up your tailpipe, and they'll
be happier, too.
Glance at the flaggers as you go
by each station. When they wave a
flag, they're trying to tell you something.
Flags:
For a refresher, see
" Preparing For Your Novice Group
Track Day " in the March-April 2021
issue of dB.
Don't let ego get in the way of
asking for coaching. There's always
more to learn. You'll progress more
quickly if you let an instructor help
you.
And remember: Have Fun!
ADVANCED GROUP - HPDE
TERMINOLOGY THAT YOU NEED
TO UNDERSTAND (AND WHAT
TO DO ABOUT IT)
Oversteer - in a turn, if the rear end
of the car starts swinging out, that's
oversteer. Your rear tires have lost
grip. To recover, countersteer, i.e.,
turn in the same direction that the tail
of the car is swinging. If you initiated
oversteer by lifting off the gas in the
turn, shifting the car's weight frontward
and off the rear tires, then gently
squeeze the accelerator to shift the
car's weight back to the rear. If you
initiated oversteer by being too
aggressive on the throttle, breaking
the rear tires loose, then ease off the
gas. Practice on the skidpad.
Maximize load - drive at the limit
of grip. If you don't need to trail brake
in order to reach the corner apex, then
you weren't entering the corner at the
limit. See " Trail braking " . " If everything
seems under control, you're just
not going fast enough. " - Mario
Andretti (or was it Stirling Moss?).
On a related note, you cannot drive
fast if you are scared. To drive fast,
you must be relaxed and confident.
This comes with experience.
Trail braking - that light, residual
braking that you use when cornering
to help rotate the car and reach the
corner's apex, without inducing
understeer. As Randy Pobst said,
your job as an (advanced) driver is to
manage weight transfer. As Mario
Andretti said, " it's amazing how many
drivers, even at the Formula One
level, think that the brakes are for
slowing the car down. "
Understeer - in a turn, if the car's
direction doesn't change commensurate
with your steering input, but continues
to slide more or less in the
same direction as before, that's
understeer. You're asking for more
turning than your front tires' grip can
deliver. To recover, slow down and
straighten the steering wheel.
Practice on the skidpad. As you slow
down and the front wheels regain
grip, be wary of the understeer transitioning
to oversteer (especially in a
rear wheel drive car). That's why you
need to straighten the steering wheel
as you slow down and recover from
the understeer. If the understeer transitions
into oversteer, then countersteer.
See " oversteer. "
P.S. Many thanks to our sponsors
who make NCC HPDE possible:
BMW of Fairfax (Mike Walker),
Beltway Brewing (Sten Sellier),
Bimmerworld (James Clay, Austin
Via, Phil Wurz), Craftsman Auto Care
(Matt & Judy Curry), Georgeco
Motorsports (George Hovis), Howard
and Hoffman Insurance (Scott
Hoffman). KelsyKate LLC (Kelsy Hill),
Radial Tire (Bill Elomari & Paul
Moorcones), RRT (Matt Olson &
James Muskopf), Scandinavian
Import Servicenter (Bogdan
Poplacean), Tier Car Care (Tommy
Ivic). Please thank them when you
see them!
NCC HPDE web page: https://www.nccbmwcca.org/driving-events/high-performance-driving-schools/
NCC's calendar on motorsportreg: https://ncc.motorsportreg.com/calendar/.
July I August
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der Bayerische July/August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of der Bayerische July/August 2021