Brake by Instinct or Use Markers?
Free edition! Don’t forget the audio version is me freestyling so there will be more insights into braking that didn’t make the text version…
One thing I really don’t understand in the racing world, is how experts believe there are superior ways to drive, whilst knowing that drivers who they hold aloft as genius don’t do it.
That’s why I like to highlight the Senna throttle technique - almost everyone who worships Senna, which is almost everyone in racing, would ridicule the same throttle technique if they saw you do it.
You get the very same thing with the use, or determined non-use, of braking points.
One driver says you simply MUST have braking points, another says using braking points are a failure to driver naturally.
Thing is, they are both right. And there are probably methods I haven’t encountered that are right too.
My advice is choose the braking method you like best, and refine it and develop it to the point where it’s magnificent.
So, here’s why each method is the ‘best’ if you choose it, how to maximise it and how to steal some of the benefits of the other method so that you get the best of both worlds.
Braking Points - Certainty, Repeatability, and Nice for Engineers
A braking point that you know works and is close to the limit, is a luxury.
You can fly down a straight, spot your braking marker and have total confidence that all you have to do is hit the brake at your chosen mark. You will make the corner and be quick.
Confidence and certainty are the ultimate factors for unlocking a driver’s potential and make winning possible.
Driving becomes a simple matter then of hitting your marks.
And marks are a great way to communicate with your mechanic. You can both be on the same page about points on the track and what the data says. When you have marks you can discuss them, change them and say ‘try braking 5 metres earlier than that’. That has a very simple and executable meaning.
How to Choose Brake Markers
First of all, you can’t listen to someone who observes from outside where a fast driver brakes.
‘They brake level with the big spotlight! - you brake way earlier’
That’s completely useless to you because from your perspective on the floor, at a completely different and rapidly changing angle, the spotlight means a completely different point in space from your perspective.
And that’s IF the observer can accurately discern a kart actually braking and when the driver’s left foot actually moved, which is bloody hard to do. At what point that driver is actually thinking NOW, who knows!
Use marks on the track. If you are lucky there will be a seam on the surface of the track that you can use, or a surface change. A definite permanent mark on the track.
The chances of an exact mark are slim. You might have to say something relative like, ‘just before the crack in the surface’ or ‘just after the surface change’.
Often there are no marks on the track that you can see from a distance. The point of braking markers is certainty, and if you can’t see your mark from a good distance, then it defeats the object a bit. In this case, something close to the edge of the track is better. More often than not a bloody great marshal post serves the purpose.
Make your marks relative and adjustable. Just after the marshal post is a good braking point, but what if the grip just isn’t there? You need the option of just before the marshal post until the grip gets better.
Pick out overtaking markers. When overtaking, your braking markers might be at the wrong angle compared to when on the regular line, so you will need extra markers for when you are overtaking.
Start wrong and make adjustments. Choose a strong visual mark that you can confidently spot, and be ready to adjust it. You will have to deploy your skills and judgement to make adjustments according to how late or early it feels. BUT, the chances of it being right straight away are small.
When you have reliable braking points that you are happy with, you’ll be pretty quick.
BUT, sticking to braking points does cause problems
Problems Created by Relying on Braking points
Inability to adapt to conditions
Conditions change, and changing your braking points for small changes can be quite slow and uncomfortable. We come to rely on braking points, and therefore we don’t like messing with them. So, comfort can stand in the way of ultimate braking performance.
Bad driving habits emerge from nowhere
When braking points are sacred, you’ll adjust other things on the fly to compensate for track changes. Weird driving habits emerge because of the lack of flexibility of the braking point.
You might stick with the braking point that becomes early because grip increased, so you have to brake more soft to carry good apex speed. Then non-optimal braking pressure gets locked in order to preserve the braking point.
If the braking point is too late for conditions you can develop a flicking turn in style with the steering to ensure you make the apex. Flicky flicky steering could then creep into your style.
Everything about the kart and your way of driving starts to feel wrong. When you stick to a braking point, the way you compensate with braking differently, steering differently and line changes becomes random and unexpected. This causes a lot of confusion.
The final bullet there shows how being too rigid with braking can cause the exact opposite of what is intended. Confidence and certainty can become weirdness and confusion, and you can start to feel lost.
Free Braking - Infinite and Immediate Adjustability, Instinctive and Always at the Limit.
What is Free Braking?
Some drivers just have the natural ability to brake at the right point without having to think, pick out marks or even know where they brake.
They are easy to identify with a question. Where do you brake for the hairpin?
Dunno mate, when I feel like it (shrugs).
Now, it does sound like raw talent is in operation here, and therefore there is no choice about the matter. You can either do it or you can’t.
However, have you ever noticed, even on a simulator, that sometimes without using any markers at all you absolutely ace a corner in a way that you can’t replicate when you brake that corner down into braking point, turn in point etc?
Just flowing with a corner and relaxing, letting instincts work freely and be very very fast.
Trouble is - it’s not very reliable. But if you like the idea of dropping braking markers here are some tips that can make it reliable, and repeatable….ish!
Use Look Ahead Driving Techniques to Eliminate the Need for Braking Markers
When I got into ‘look ahead’ driving I had to let go of spotting braking points. One of the rules is to use your eyes like a missile tracking system, and the target from a distance is the apex point you want to hit. You aren’t allowed to look around for anything else, even your braking marker.
So, you fixate on the apex and your instincts feel when the right time to brake is. This isn’t completely wild because you do have a fix on the apex, you don’t just drive around care free and be magically quick, there’s a lot of discipline involved.
Why Does Free Braking Work
I don’t know, I can only take a guess that with free braking and looking ahead, we are driving by instinct. And instinct takes into account every sensation it can, and comes up with an answer.
It feels grip, speed and what the tyre is delivering - all right now. When we let that operate all on it’s own and just go with it, it does an incredible job.
On-the-Fly Adaptability of Free Braking Optimises Every Braking Zone
This is the power of free braking. When conditions change, you don’t need to think about anything, your senses notice and make the necessary changes purely by instinct, without delay and accurately.
Whilst a braking marker driver is sticking to their points, you can naturally take metres out of them on the brakes without even trying.
The Problem of Free Braking - Drivers are Moody
One of the inputs that a human adds to the equation when deciding to brake by instinct is ‘feeling of confidence’.
So, if you are in a bit of a mood or ‘just not feeling it today’ you can be absolutely useless, especially in the brakes.
And if you don’t have a braking marker system as a back-up, which is most likely because you never needed it, then you can be totally screwed.
This is why a lot of drivers who operate on instinct need to do a lot of relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, self-talking and all that kind of stuff.
If their mind isn’t in a happy place, they are shit!
So, free braking does sound wonderful - but it is very vulnerable to human frailties and mood changes. You can go from being a driving god, to absolutely lost in a heartbeat!
How to Get the Best of Both Worlds
Choose which way you like best and make it your own, but here’s what you can steal from the other side to optimise which way you like best
If you are a free braker: Notice where you brake with your peripheral vision. That just means you make a mental note of where you happen to brake at the big stop corners. Do it so you can chat with your mechanic about it and be able to tell them where you brake.
You will also be building a back up plan for when you have ‘one of those days’. When your confidence decides to go on holiday you can revert to braking points and make the best of it.
If you are a braking points driver: When you feel that you are getting done on the brakes, have a go at look ahead driving for a couple of the big stops. This can help release you from the trap of braking markers and help you rediscover the limit.
Then you can set a new braking point in stone and start using that. You will need to practice the looking ahead driving system so you can use it on demand, and just keep that system in your back pocket for when you need it.
Thanks for reading
Terence