Brain Power is the new

Advanced horsepower
Circuit This guide is made up of articles written by
pro racing drivers and instructors who use
video and data to illustrate various circuit
Driving driving techniques, with tips on how to get
the most out of yourself as well as your car.
Techniques Some may surprise you...

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Contents 6. Vision and Cornering page 42
ARDS grade A Racing Instructor, Ben Elliot, discusses
12. Spa Masterclass page 73
In this article we follow Nigel Greensall as he sets a
the importance of where a driver is looking on the record-breaking lap in qualifying at the Spa Six Hours.
track, and why aligning head and eye movement while If you have followed our series of driver training articles
driving is so important. you will recognise a combination of some of the
techniques we have previously described, and with this
7. Pro vs. Pro: Finding lap time gains in the most
1. Compound Corners page 3 edition you can also download the video and data for
unlikely places page 46
Compound Corners are common to almost every race your own reference.
Nigel Greensall on why a corner sometimes isn’t a
circuit. Pro racing driver and instructor Nigel Greensall
corner – showing how he gained 0.3s over a Porsche 13. Making mistakes gives you speed page 82
looks at examples from Silverstone, Misano, and Dubai
Supercup Champion in just one chicane at Daytona. Finding time when the only data you have to compare
circuits to give tips on how to negotiate them.
against is your own sounds counter-intuitive. Julian
8. Predictive Lap Timing page 52
2. Slow Corners and Hairpins page 9 Thomas presents several instances where mistakes
Learn how predictive lap timing is used in racing for
More time is spent in slow corners than in fast made in qualifying allowed him to discover several
instant driver feedback, as used in VIDEO VBOX with
corners, so you can often gain the most lap time by areas of improvement that he could put into practice
the ‘LineSnap’ Predictive Lap Timing.
concentrating on these areas. Nigel Greensall uses when racing.
video screen-shots, circuit maps and videos to discuss 9. Finding time in the wet page 56
14. Mastering corner entry page 88
his approach. Nigel Greensall and Julian Thomas explain how driving
In a series of videos, Julian Thomas examines the
quickly on a wet track sometimes requires a very
3. How I found 4s a lap in 24 hours page 16 various elements of approaching and entering a corner.
different technique compared with driving in the dry
RACELOGIC MD Julian Thomas puts the VIDEO VBOX
and how a predictive lap timer can help you go faster 15. The science of rapid race car optimisation using
to the test and goes from novice to front runner in 24
in difficult conditions. tyre temperature page 90
hours.
Understand how to maximise the contact patch of a
10. Landmark Decisions page 63
4. How to cut a second on Eau Rouge, Spa page 21 tyre by quickly removing the guess work surrounding
The importance of recognising and using reference
Comparison video + data shows several techniques vehicle set up.
points of a race circuit, which can help with relaxation
you can use to cut time on this famous section, and
and understanding of where time can be gained. 16. The art of slipstreaming page 94
indeed any other fast corner.
Nigel Greensall explains with examples from his own In this chapter Ben takes us through the art of
5. Long Corners page 34 coaching and racing. slipstreaming and how to maximise the potential gains.
One racing driver reveals his secrets on how he tackles
11. Getting on the gas page 68
long corners, showing how he gained half a second on
In this article, Ben Clucas – Grade A ARDS Instructor,
‘Sunset Bend’ at Sebring over other drivers using the
former Australian Formula 3 champion, and racing
traditional racing line.
driver with over a decade of experience in a wide
variety of cars – takes us through the importance of
correctly timing your throttle application.

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Advanced
Circuit Article 16:
Driving The Art of Slipstreaming
Techniques

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Advanced Circuit Driving Techniques The data shown bottom left is from the same session just 2 laps apart. The
Article 16: The Art of Slipstreaming video on the right gains 0.25 seconds down one straight alone at Silverstone,
despite being around 7-10 car lengths behind the car in front. This makes 3
Ben Clucas is a professional racing driver and coach, former works Toyota,
miles an hour difference by the end of straight as you can see from the data
Jaguar, and KIA factory driver with 3 decades of racing experience in a variety
clip below. If you can get this down every straight at Silverstone on one lap
of different cars across 4 continents. In this chapter Ben takes us through the
this can be worth between 1.5-2 seconds per lap.
art of slipstreaming and how to maximise the potential gains.

Slipstreaming can be very important, especially in one make racing, or in cars

that are not very aerodynamic. It can make a significant difference both to
qualifying, or trying to get that final lap overtake done, but it is not just a case
of sitting behind the other car and hoping for the best. You also get a benefit
from the car in front from quite a long way behind as you can see from the
below data:

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Naturally the closer you are the more of a slipstream you get (within reason), The circuit is one and how easy it is to overtake without losing time. Naturally
you will also go even faster down the straight if the car in front of you also has a wider circuit such as Silverstone is much easier to get passed people than
a slipstream, as shown by the clips below. Again, both clips are from the same Cadwell for example, so you can stay closer to people at Silverstone, get more
session, and in both I have a slipstream, but because I am closer to the car in of a slipstream and then hope to overtake them losing minimal time.
front in the video on the right I go 3 miles an hour faster and gain just over 0.2
seconds by the end of the straight. Some cars will get more of a slipstream than others. The less of a slipstream
the car gets, the closer you will need to be to the car in front.

Both you and your competitors’ experience level has a huge impact on
how close you can stay to the cars in front without losing time. If you are
inexperienced, you will naturally feel less comfortable attacking corners
while close to the car in front. You can quite often negate all the time you’ve
gained in the slipstream down the straight by being too cautious in the next
corner when you are closer to the car in front. If your competitors are less
experienced, they are more likely to make a mistake when you are close to
them, again undoing any straight-line speed advantage and time gained
you’ve had by being in their slipstream.
= Slow moving air: = High moving air:
High Pressure Low Pressure

This may sound strange but going faster down the straight is not the only
consideration when trying to judge slipstream, especially in a qualifying
Low pressure between the cars pulls the trailing car forward
session. I gain 0.2 seconds in the video on the right down the straight, but as I
am so close going into the next corner I can’t then take the corner as fast as I
normally would and end up losing 0.15 seconds because of this.
There is not really a right answer to how much of a gap you should leave when
trying to get a slipstream in qualifying. It depends on several factors that all
have an influence on your decision.
Both cars go faster

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A slipstream done correctly in certain cars can gain you up to 2 seconds a lap,
and can be the difference between being on pole or outside the top 10 at the
end of that vital qualifying session.

Knowing exactly how much of a gap to leave is almost impossible to judge,

and has some degree of luck involved, but you can give yourself more chance
of getting it right and increase your chances of getting that one lap where
everything falls into place.

If you’re inexperienced and on a narrow circuit that is harder to overtake on,

then leave a bigger gap. In certain cars you will still gain a surprising amount
of time from 10-15 car lengths back compared to a normal lap without a tow.
This will give you the confidence to still take the corners as fast as you can
while gaining a bit from the cars ahead.

If you’re confident at overtaking, and comfortable driving close to other

cars while still attacking the corner entries, then leave a smaller gap and be
prepared to overtake cars during the lap. This will gain you the most time, but
also gives you the biggest chance of having your lap spoiled through no fault
of your own.

Whichever method you choose always remember qualifying is normally only

about one lap, so if the previous lap has been ruined (which you can always
tell from your VBOX predictive lap timing display) back off and prepare for the
next lap by getting the gap to the cars in front correct well in advance.

The last thing you want to be doing is backing off over the start/finish line
ruining 2 laps, especially as on some long circuits you may only get 6 or 7 laps
during the session.

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 VBOX VIDEO HD2
two cameras and High
Definition video capture

VIDEO VBOX PRO

with two cameras and
predictive lap timing display

Advanced
Circuit VIDEO VBOX LITE
with two cameras and
predictive lap timing display

Driving All the video and data in these articles were recorded using a VBOX MOTORSPORT VIDEO DATA
LOGGER as pictured above. The screenshots have been taken from CIRCUIT TOOLS, intuitive analysis
software that comes included with every VBOX MOTORSPORT product.

Techniques
VBOX VIDEO HD2 and the VIDEO VBOX range incorporate a GPS engine and synchronised video
recorder with customisable graphic overlay, designed and manufactured in the UK by RACELOGIC.

Anyone can work through the examples in these chapters using CIRCUIT TOOLS and the files available
that accompany them. Download the software from the VBOX MOTORSPORT website: https://www.
vboxmotorsport.co.uk

A lot more information about RACELOGIC’S motorsport products and where to buy them is available
from https://www.vboxmotorsport.co.uk

Check out the latest videos and product news on the RACELOGIC Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/racelogic

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