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how to shake the rust off


aaronsti

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ok, so how do you go about safely getting back into the swing of things. for the winter I have been driving a slush box suv. I just started to take the track car out here and there, and it feels so alien. how do you get back to where you were at the end of the season quickly and safely?

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I did 2 days at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway and then the 25 @ Thunderhill the following weekend. The next time I drove on track was mid-Feb at Firebird Raceway East Course which is a very short and familiar track.

 

For me, the first session I just followed my normal line around track for 2 laps (about 7/10ths pace), then added speed to corners I knew I had wiggle room in (about 9/10ths pace), then brought my speed up around the entire track the last laps of the session. 2nd session 1st hot lap I picked up where I left off. 3rd lap in I went for a 9.5/10ths 'flyer' (did TT that weekend). Track record and new PB.

 

What DE group are you in? You may want to use an entire session going about 7/10ths then in the 2nd session build up to 8/10ths or 9/10ths your normal speed around track.

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I normally run 1st session 6-7/10's, getting familiar with the track and car again and making sure any changes/upgrades done during the off months havent upset the car. 2nd session I'll run at 7-8/10's. For the remainder of the weekend I'll run at 8-9/10's. For me the biggest preperation I try to do before each season is stay in shape by dieting (eating healthier-shed the winter fat), do some light weight training and good cardio (mostly jogging/treadmill). This keeps the mind alert and in shape and thats usually whats goes first after a long weekend.

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Visualize laps every night before going to sleep. Watch videos until you have every turn, every curb, every elevation change, every braking zone memorized. Hen run PERFECT laps in your mind every night. If you do it with enough detail, your brain will not know you are not in the car.

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Visualize laps every night before going to sleep. Watch videos until you have every turn, every curb, every elevation change, every braking zone memorized. Hen run PERFECT laps in your mind every night. If you do it with enough detail, your brain will not know you are not in the car.

 

Absolutely second this, as it worked for me during a 3-day at Watkins Glen. First day, I couldn't seem to put the car anywhere the instructor wanted. I went back to the hotel that night, and for a good 2 hours I sat in the dark in a recliner, mentally driving the course and reviewing what the instructor had been pointing out. The difference on the second day was astonishing, both to myself and the instructor. I solo'ed by that afternoon.

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