check out all the station wagons on track!
Mon, Mar 09, 2009
The Business Times
'Less steering is better'
SO you may have hit 150 kmh on the North-South Expressway without getting caught. But can you drive just as fast when not travelling in a straight line? One way to find out is to sign up for the Audi Sportscar Experience (ASE). This one-day programme provides hands-on driving experience in a high-performance Audi on a race track.
Towards the end of February, one such programme took place at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit with two American instructors. Both were from the ASE driver training school in Sonoma Valley just north of San Francisco.
One obvious difference between an American and German instructor is of course the standard of spoken English. But when you meet chief instructor Paul Gerrard, you immediately become aware of another difference - the amount of spoken English.
Germans, in general, are usually reserved and German driving instructors seem especially laconic. Not the Americans and certainly not Gerrard. He starts the day with an introduction to the basics of high-speed driving, such as load transfer under braking and acceleration, the racing line, steering and driving position. What could have been a yawn-inducing briefing was peppered with banter and interesting examples.
The good-natured Gerrard engaged the participants with questions and made everyone think about otherwise simple things like remembering to breathe when driving to avoid tensing up.
Some of his pointers included 'less steering is better', in order to maintain stability at high speed, and 'anticipate the corner', so as to be able to get through it smoothly.
Paul Gerrad, chief instructor for the Audi
Sportscar Experience (ASE)
'Driving fast is not just about quick reflexes,' explained the professional race driver. 'You have to think about the balance of the car and how to go into the corner.
Think farther, not faster. Driving fast does not mean having to think fast.' Thinking fast can lead to mistakes, said Gerrard.
Instead, 'look ahead to the corners in front and plan them well so you have the luxury of time'. On the track, that means taking your racing line through a corner and hitting the apex while using every available square inch of road to maximise speed.
Another tip: brake before entering the corner, then slowly release the brake pedal as you turn the steering wheel. The same goes for the accelerator - progressively pump it as you unwind the steering wheel exiting the corner. To illustrate this, Gerrard attaches an imaginary string from the steering wheel to the pedal (either gas or brake) so that the action of one is dependent on the other.
During the practical aspect of the programme, the Sepang track with its 15 corners is broken up into four sections. Gerrard leads three cars - two R8 coupes and one RS6 estate - into each so that participants get to familiarise themselves with the circuit, section by section. With the steering wheel in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other, he gave friendly and encouraging instruction through the curves, while progressively ratcheting up the speeds.
BASICS OF HIGH-SPEED DRIVINGBREATHING: Remember to breathe when driving to avoid tensing up.
LESS STEERING IS BETTER: To maintain stability at high speeds, steer less.
ANTICIPATE THE CORNER: So as to be able to get through it smoothly
THINK FARTHER: Not faster. Thinking fast can lead to mistakes.
BRAKE BEFORE ENTERING THE CORNER: Then slowly release the brake pedal as you unwind the steering wheel exiting the corner.
Never mind if you have never driven on a circuit and it shows - Gerrard is unbelievably patient. Anyone else would have succumbed to road rage given the lack of driving skills on display that day. After all the various parts of the track were learned, it was time to string them together with a series of lapping sessions. Still in the same follow-the-leader format, Gerrard expertly conducted flying laps on the 5.5 km circuit, each time correcting his students' mistakes and each time going just a bit faster.
The mid-engined R8 has a 4.2-litre V8 with 420 hp, while the RS6 Avant has a turbocharged five-litre V10 and 580 hp. Both models have quattro all-wheel-drive to rein in all that power and stay supremely stable.
Another safety net is ESP or Electronic Stability Program. The RS6 has stonking acceleration and is devastating on the straight but the low-slung R8 with its 45:55 front/rear weight distribution is lethal in corners.
But whichever car you were driving, the results were illuminating.
A slalom here and a moose test there can help to improve car control but nothing quite sharpens your driving skills like a few blistering laps on a great track. The Sepang International Circuit is fun, with its good mix of tight and wide corners, and fast and slow stretches. And when you're flying in an R8 around it, not many experiences can be as satisfying.
samuelee@sph.com.sghttp://motoring.asiaone.com/Motoring/Drivers/Story/A1Story20090309-127240.html
