Track forum

[Mux213]

While drifting may be the hot hype of the day, and with the hachi roku being a lead player in the drift world for many years drifting has gotten alot of focus on this board.

However, track days are just as much fun, and to many even a way more interesting way to spend time with their hachi. This forum has been long overdue so it was time we got into this subject.

Track driving and drifting have as many things in common as they have things that differ. In the end, drifting is a sport of style, its the look that counts, the cooler your car, the more sideways you go, the more smoke you produce, the more noice you produce, the techniques you master to keep your car sideway. They are what drifting is all about, and it all is very subjective to what you like and what looks best.

Track driving on the other hand is about laptimes and steering perfection. About ideal lines, about driving on the balance of what your car can handle. About pure figures and facts and a clear difference between who has mastered the art, and who hasn't. Subjectivity is far to be found.

And yes, when we look at autox or "slalom" (sorry dont know the english word), sliding the car through a corner, slightly oversteered, maybe even drifting can help you encrease your laptime, but its only a small part of the game and the more sideways you go, the longer it takes to get round the track... Its a whole different ball game

Which is more fun? I really can't answer that question nor will I. I like them both equally well, and I'm sure as many people agree on me about that, as disagree. And thus we endorse them both on our forum. But we do ask that you keep the subjects separate.

Anyways, to make a long story short, its time we introduce track driving into the world of aeu86.org. So people, start discussing laptimes and ways to improve them. Share your experience during trackdays. Tell us what you think is the best way to make hachies the fastest in their class.

[Mux213]

Oops, I totally forget to turn moderation on for NoHachi

[ZaX]

Mobikrog - best lap time 1:15:12

My opinion about track times - once you make your best lap you need to upgrade the car to make small improvement.
Then you need to doo a lot of laps and it's geting harder and harder to beat you time and this is frustrating me.

While drifting every lap is awsome.

Just my .02$

[NoHachi]

In my opinion people turn to improving their car to soon. You go out to a track, turn a couple of laps, then a couple more and keep improving your time.
Somewhere along the way, the improvements in laptime keep getting smaller and smaller until in the end, you suspect that you're getting the most out of the car. Maybe not for an entire lap, but you can imagine some sort of ultimate laptime you could run when you add up all your best sectortimes.

The funny thing is what happens when you let someone who can really drive take the car out for a spin. Usually they not only obliterate your best laptime, but realise a significant improvement on your theoretical best time as well.

If you are lucky you pick up a couple of points where you can improve your own driving style. Sometimes even a complete new channel of communication between you and the car. You have to totally change the way you have been driving before and start from the beginning (usually posting slower laptimes then before).

That for me is the brilliant thing about track driving. The stopwatch is king.
Striving for fast laptimes, changing techniques, sometimes it even feels as if you are driving on a completely different track then before.
Some corners I drift, some I desperately strive to keep the car in line, because I know that an unsettling bump is coming up soon. It adresses all of your driving skills and demands total concentration. An all round sport.

[oldeskewltoy]

drifting..... is a soden old piece of wood left at sea..... ((Flamesuit on ))

You liked mine enough to quote it.... need I say more????

Quote:...driving on the other hand is about laptimes and steering perfection. About ideal lines, about driving on the balance of what your car can handle. About pure figures and facts and a clear difference between who has mastered the art, and who hasn't. Subjectivity is far to be found.