Getting Beyond Fast and Into the Realm of Sublime

Most of what I give in these articles is distinct instruction describing how to do driving techniques in steps.

My favourite one is braking for a hairpin and driving through it.

The steps are straightforward:

1. Brake hard — your feet should be fast off the power and fast onto the brake.

2. Get to max braking pressure so the rear tyres get to almost lock, and produce some kind of sound that means they are in an argument with the asphalt.

3. Hold that condition, adjusting the brake pressure to keep maximum deceleration. Lock too much and you lose grip, not enough and you just aren't braking hard.

4. As you get to your turn-in point, begin releasing brake pressure and turn the kart into the corner.

5. Use as little steering angle as you can manage to make the apex.

6. As you get to the apex you should be getting off the brake and onto the gas.

7. Guide the kart from apex to exit with as little steering as possible.

This is a pretty good recipe for making a decent job and producing a good split.

The Critical Edge Lies in the Transitions

Pretty good isn't enough — we're after something sublime.

So what separates decent from exceptional? It's the part you can't easily see: the transitions.

It's not just braking hard, or turning well — it's how you come off a near-locking brake without upsetting the kart. It's how quickly, and smoothly, you blend each phase into the next.

What separates the best is their ability to blur the lines between steps. They glide from one action to the next so naturally that it barely looks like they're trying, but every movement is deliberate.

Some drivers do this instinctively, but don't notice — so they can't repeat it. Others know they're doing it and keep refining it. They're the ones who gain consistently.

Tiny perfections, accumulated, turn solid laps into qualifying pole laps. It's not magic. It's precision in the transitions.

Beware Comfortable Flow - It Sacrifices Hundredths

Flow feels good — BUT — it's not always like tai chi. Intensity and focus still rule, because when we are flowing it's all too easy to chill and relax about finding hundredths.

So, this is about the overlap of control inputs — how they should flow — and how not to let flowing niceness take emphasis away from intense pushing for improvements.

Brake Release Precision: Unlocking Without Losing Deceleration