Where should I focus?

[Inzyman]

Ok, so I am now at the point where I am starting to plateau, have a D/S rating of GT Sport and have the basic tools, Thrustmaster T300RS with stock pedals, PS4 and reasonable connection. Watching youtube, Live motorsport and learning from guys WAY quicker than me and you peeps on the forum who have been around. I am still a good 3 seconds off an A or B driver rating pace so still yet am maxed out! I understand that I have too,

1. Use ALL the track.
2. Have good vison and look through corners.
3. Slow in Fast out.
4. Be smooth as possible.
5. Break hard and ease off, use trail braking where applicable.
6. Open up corners with good lines.
7. Know your car.
8. Know the track.
9. Move the wheel as little as possible.
10. Stay calm, breath

AND Practice Practice Practice!! But where in the hell am I going to find 3 seconds on every track???? Am I just comparing myself with guys who have been doing this for years and years and should focus on 2020?? What should be the absolute number 1 priority to get from 3 down to 2 and 1 seconds in the shortest time or am I looking at tenths here and tenths there over the next couple of years?????? I am am not interested in bashing my way to the front, I would rather pass clean or not at all, I have around 1 - 2 hours per day to commit, HELP ME PLEASE....................

 

[p-coletray]

Sometimes online racers have tunes, one easy thing that can help is change your top speed in the tranny for quicker acceleration. The rest is as you put it practice and experience. I just grinded the GR.3 Interlagos race all day today to get from D/C to B/B. Got third in a FIA race too! Good qualifying times will get you better ratings. Don't join a race unless you can grind a top qualifier so you aren't in the meat market that is behind those top players.

 

[MikeTheHockeyFan]

Not all corners on a track yield the same marginal laptime gain from navigating them marginally better.

Start by optimizing your approach and racing line through the corner before the longest straightaway on the circuit. By getting the best traction and exit speed from the corner before the longest straight, you will shave off quite a bit of laptime with the most minimal effort (only really learning 1 corner much better than before).

Then you can do the same thing with the corner before the 2nd longest straight.

Another thing to do is just watch better drivers than you drive. Search for YouTube hotlaps of the track you are practicing in the same car class. You really need to break a lap on a track down into baby steps. So every lap is 3 sectors.

Ask yourself "Which sector am I most off the pace on?" and just practice that sector. Pay special attention to every braking point every lap, and try to push them back as far as you can in that one sector. The rest of the lap you should be not paying super close attention. You want to focus your practice on the sectors or even corners where you are losing the most time.

So yes it comes down to breaking down one lap into 3 sectors in your mind, and then choosing your weakest sector and your weakest corner sequence in that sector to improve. Don't pay much attention to the rest of the lap, your presence of mind and your focus should snap into laser focus on the sector you are trying to improve. Look at braking markers, the optimal apex point, really practice mindfulness.

 

[Inzyman]

Sometimes online racers have tunes, one easy thing that can help is change your top speed in the tranny for quicker acceleration. The rest is as you put it practice and experience. I just grinded the GR.3 Interlagos race all day today to get from D/C to B/B. Got third in a FIA race too! Good qualifying times will get you better ratings. Don't join a race unless you can grind a top qualifier so you aren't in the meat market that is behind those top players.

I like that, I have 1 race win 1 2nd and 2 3rd's. Was on Poll for the first and second. It is a crash fest in the pack. I like what you are saying, crack that qualifying time out and go from there!

Not all corners on a track yield the same marginal laptime gain from navigating them marginally better.

Start by optimizing your approach and racing line through the corner before the longest straightaway on the circuit. By getting the best traction and exit speed from the corner before the longest straight, you will shave off quite a bit of laptime with the most minimal effort (only really learning 1 corner much better than before).

Then you can do the same thing with the corner before the 2nd longest straight.

Another thing to do is just watch better drivers than you drive. Search for YouTube hotlaps of the track you are practicing in the same car class. You really need to break a lap on a track down into baby steps. So every lap is 3 sectors.

Ask yourself "Which sector am I most off the pace on?" and just practice that sector. Pay special attention to every braking point every lap, and try to push them back as far as you can in that one sector. The rest of the lap you should be not paying super close attention. You want to focus your practice on the sectors or even corners where you are losing the most time.

So yes it comes down to breaking down one lap into 3 sectors in your mind, and then choosing your weakest sector and your weakest corner sequence in that sector to improve. Don't pay much attention to the rest of the lap, your presence of mind and your focus should snap into laser focus on the sector you are trying to improve. Look at braking markers, the optimal apex point, really practice mindfulness.

I picked up a few key points there I HAVE NOT considered. Break each lap down to sectors and focus on the MOST RELEVANT corners on the track that will save the greatest time! Cheers, that's really valuable advice, appreciate it.

 

[Marcel Boix]

Hello, a slow D/A driver here. Thanks a lot for the nice advices, but I think that there is one think left that will take me lot of time. Muscle memory! Through good practice and repetition more and more neurons will be dedicated to a specific tasks improving the brain/muscle connection and reducing the reponse time. Unfortunately, it takes lots of time to generate this!

 

[KungFury]

1. Use ALL the track.
2. Have good vison and look through corners.
3. Slow in Fast out.
4. Be smooth as possible.
5. Break hard and ease off, use trail braking where applicable.
6. Open up corners with good lines.
7. Know your car.
8. Know the track.
9. Move the wheel as little as possible.
10. Stay calm, breath

1. This will come with time, as you find the best apex for your driving style so don't fret it.
2. Always look as far ahead as you comfortably can, doesn't take much practice so just do it.
3. Not exactly for me, I try for smooth around a corner but always try to find an apex where you can slowly start gas right on the apex and accel as soon as you can, that is the key to exit speed, get on the gas as soon as you possibly can.
4. well yes, find a picture of the shoe string tech to learn this. The pedal you use the less steer you can muster.
5. I'd not think about that particularly, just line up each curve depending on what type it is.
6. Yes, but don't focus on it, it comes naturally.
7. Start out using a car you are comfortable with and don't switch around too much, I would practice hotlaps with a sport car on slippery tires.
8. Again that just comes with time.
9. See 4.
10. This is very important actually, be confidant in what you can do, every time you take a curve know in your mind you will make the best of it depending on how well you prepared to enter it. Do not panic ever.

Hope those things help you are someone. I try to keep it simple and teach the muscles what to do so it's second nature and not thought about all the time. Watch the spedo on entry speed and curve speed and exit speed, and most important, top speed you gain before next turn.

Keep searching for the perfect apex for your driving style. 👍

Don't be afraid to coast, has always worked well in gt games, find a speed where you can coast in a turn.

 

[Inzyman]

Hello, a slow D/A driver here. Thanks a lot for the nice advices, but I think that there is one think left that will take me lot of time. Muscle memory! Through good practice and repetition more and more neurons will be dedicated to a specific tasks improving the brain/muscle connection and reducing the reponse time. Unfortunately, it takes lots of time to generate this!

But fun at least!

1. This will come with time, as you find the best apex for your driving style so don't fret it.
2. Always look as far ahead as you comfortably can, doesn't take much practice so just do it.
3. Not exactly for me, I try for smooth around a corner but always try to find an apex where you can slowly start gas right on the apex and accel as soon as you can, that is the key to exit speed, get on the gas as soon as you possibly can.
4. well yes, find a picture of the shoe string tech to learn this. The pedal you use the less steer you can muster.
5. I'd not think about that particularly, just line up each curve depending on what type it is.
6. Yes, but don't focus on it, it comes naturally.
7. Start out using a car you are comfortable with and don't switch around too much, I would practice hotlaps with a sport car on slippery tires.
8. Again that just comes with time.
9. See 4.
10. This is very important actually, be confidant in what you can do, every time you take a curve know in your mind you will make the best of it depending on how well you prepared to enter it. Do not panic ever.

Hope those things help you are someone. I try to keep it simple and teach the muscles what to do so it's second nature and not thought about all the time. Watch the spedo on entry speed and curve speed and exit speed, and most important, top speed you gain before next turn.

Keep searching for the perfect apex for your driving style. 👍

Don't be afraid to coast, has always worked well in gt games, find a speed where you can coast in a turn.

Glad I posted, picking up some bits from everybody! Watch speed on entry and exit to monitor improvement....Gold! Muscle memory and no one has really mentioned the fact that coasting at the right time is ok! Also stay with a car I am comfortable with and not to jump around too much. Thanks all that will help! Cheers mate.

 

[djhedges]

Work on finding where you can go full throttle earlier in a turn, ideally at the apex. If you find yourself lifting then you either got on the throttle too soon or you carried too much speed into the turn.

A piece of advice I was given is to go out for a session and try to spend an extra 1% of time at full throttle. For example between turns 1 & 2 at Lago you can go full throttle for just a second. It might only be worth a tenth of a second but it helps rotate the car for turn 2.


I've been taught that coasting isn't the fastest way around a track. That's not to say there aren't turns that I'm not at part throttle but I try to make it a point to minimize it.

I try to carry my braking all the way to the apex to keep the weight on the front the tires.

 

[Inzyman]

Work on finding where you can go full throttle earlier in a turn, ideally at the apex. If you find yourself lifting then you either got on the throttle too soon or you carried too much speed into the turn.

A piece of advice I was given is to go out for a session and try to spend an extra 1% of time at full throttle. For example between turns 1 & 2 at Lago you can go full throttle for just a second. It might only be worth a tenth of a second but it helps rotate the car for turn 2.


I've been taught that coasting isn't the fastest way around a track. That's not to say there aren't turns that I'm not at part throttle but I try to make it a point to minimize it.

I try to carry my braking all the way to the apex to keep the weight on the front the tires.

Yes I can see where the front is loaded into a lot of those turns, some nice passes AND saves I might add! Cheers and thanks.