Sounds like a lecture
I use the racing line to learn a track because I have never driven at Spa for example
Its not like you see their racing line if yours is turned off in an online race - sheesh
Neither, I haven't driven spa or any f1 track for that matter, only in games, and when i pick up a game I see what to do and drive it.
If you follow a line then your not really thinking for yourself, your just following what someone else has already put down. You don't see the corners or think, I can brake a bit later here, or I need to brake more, all you are doing is, RED LINE, brake hard, blue line or green line, go go go.
That's my point, no one learns a track ever (until I found out aparently in games now) by following lines.
Do you think the F1 drivers have racing lines on there simulators to learn the new Korean track? Highly doubt it. How do you learn a track in karting, you don't have simulators let alone ones with lines for your local karting track, you go around once seeing how it goes and seeing the layout, then you just drive.
The tihng that irritates me so much about people 'learning using the line' is that you aren't thinking for youself, and in racing that is exactly what you need to do.
If you don't know when the brake or accelerate or when to turn or where the apex/s is approx in the corner, then you aren't thinking for your self you just seeing.
When you race then you are just braking at a point you know, not where you want to go in comparison to other cars.
If there is something going aginst you parallel, you might brake early going into a chicane, loose more speed, and then go from the inside line through getting on the throttle sooner and hence being on the right side for the next corner say (i.e. you end up on the outside).
That works well in montreal, last chicane before the hairpin. A racing line wont say that because it just follows the line, you don't know when to brake without it and don't know where to go.
I've also found that people who follow racing lines and perfect them then don't leave space running parallel in areas and are pretty irate to race with. Not that all are.
. For one it gives you even more appreciation of the track and positional awareness and attention to subtle details that the real pros possess. Also, I think, you'll find yourself seeing more of the track as there will be less distraction from being made aware of "the line" as it always front and center in your visual field of view.
