DriveRefine Toolbox Tip: 3 Steps to Making a Pass

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you run down a competitor from a ½ straightaway back in just a few laps but somehow you run the last 20 laps of the race stuck behind that same competitor? What happened? Maybe the handling of your car got worse in dirty air? Maybe your competitor got faster when he/she realized you were catching them? Did they block you or start running your line? Any, all, or some combination of these factors may have contributed to the end result. The point is you, as a competitor, aren’t happy about it. Here is a 3-step process that you can implement each time you start reeling in the car in front of you.

1. Analyze: The chase is on!

Your competitor is getting bigger in your windshield as you draw closer. Your spotter is encouraging you by giving you lap-times that are 3-tenths or more faster than the car in front of you. All are indications that you, the faster car, are going to pick up at least that spot before the end of the race. When these stars start to align, begin step 1. Analyze. Obviously, your overall lap-time is better. Be more analytical than that. Where are you actually faster? What parts of the track? Are you faster on entry, through the center, or on the exit? On a road course, is there a particular corner or track segment where you have a significant advantage? These questions are absolutely critical to answer before moving on to the next step, Adapt.

2. Adapt: Setting Up the Pass

You are 3 car lengths back from your competitor. 20 laps to go. Now that you are in striking distance, your lap-times that were so much faster, now mirror those of the car in front of you. How do you make a pass if you are now running the same lap-time as them? You Adapt. By this time, you should have completed the Analyze step and you know where your advantage is.

Let’s say your advantage is from the center of the corner through the exit when you both start to reaccelerate. Your speeds are matched on entry and through the center. If you are going to complete this pass, it has to be done on the exit. For the last 5 laps, when you both pick up the throttle, your competitor gets “in your way” on exit. You end up having to wait to pick the gas up as he/she struggles to get the power down. You are both running the same line on exit. Maybe that’s the fastest line. Maybe they know you are better in that part of the track and they are playing defense. Whatever the reason, you need to Adapt and set up the corner exit pass.

The first thing you have to do is adjust your corner “arc”, or “angle”, to change where you car is placed at the point that you are both picking the throttle up. In most cases, for a corner exit pass, you need to enter the corner a little higher and maintain a slightly higher line through the original corner “apex”. I say the original “apex” because the second part of this set up is moving your “apex” to a later part of the corner. Making this adjustment positions your car in a different “arc” at that point of re-acceleration. Now instead of exiting the corner in your competitors tire tracks, you are leaving the corner a ½ to a full car-width lower than you were before. It is time to Execute!

3. Execute: Completing the Pass

Your car position is where you want it now. You have “shown your nose” a few corners in a row. It’s now time to Execute and complete the pass. The execution comes down to timing. You may need to adjust your speed through the center slightly to make sure you can take full advantage of your cars greater ability to exit the corner. As you roll through the center in a slightly higher line than your competitor you might drag the brake just enough add a couple feet of space between his/her rear bumper and your front bumper. As you approach your re-acceleration point you are in your late apex arc and your competitor remains in the original apex arc. Your lower, later apex gives you an opening to the inside of your competitor as you hit the re-acceleration point and begin to pick up the throttle. You have Analyzed your strength and your competitor’s weakness. You have Adapted your line and arc to position your car where you can exploit those strengths and weaknesses. As you accelerate and pull alongside of your competitor, you are Executing the pass. As you approach the next set of corners this time alongside your competitor, make a final line adjustment to give yourself another advantage on the exit. This should allow you to complete the pass.

Analyze, Adapt, Execute. 3 steps to completing that pass that could bring you your first top 10, top 5, or even your first win. Repeat this process no matter the speed difference between yourself and your competitor. Analyze the reasons why and where you are faster than the car you are trying to pass. Adapt your line and diving techniques to position your car to exploit the weakness that you analyzed. Execute and complete the pass. Repeat.