Why do certain race series have a track map stuck on the wheel?

[TheCracker]

I was watching some LMS racing at Silverstone on Motors TV over the weekend when i was reminded of something i've been meaning to find out about for a while.

Why do a lot of cars that run in professional race series often have a little map of the circuit stuck onto the centre of the steering wheel?

It can't be so they know what corner comes next - these are professional drivers who'll know the circuits like the back of their hands.

Can anyone shed any light on the matter?

 

[daan]

I think the corners are numbered on them so that if they have a problem at a certain corner, they can say "Turn 6" instead of trying to work out what number the corner is, or what it's name is. This would lessen any confusion as both the driver and the pit crew know exactly where they're talking about.

I wouldn't think it was a naviagational aid....

 

[wfooshee]

^^^^^

Exactly. They know the track as far as how to drive it, but they don't count turns in their head. Even talking about it with the crew thay have to think about which turn. Instead of "turn 5" they'll describe "the slow right after the long left sweep."

If they find themselves broken down or slammed into a barrier, the map gives them a reference to describe their plight on the radio.

 

[Boundary Layer]

^ There's telemetry and GPS for that. The crew/engineer needs only to look at a screen to notice where their car is wrecked.
I doubt many drivers rank the ability to precisely state where they left the pavement to their crew very highly - they're usually too busy saying that they're okay, or cursing out another driver, or explaining whether it was the car's fault or their own mistake that put them out.


Rather than a race ending problem, what I think daan means is that it's so the driver can effectively communicate with their race engineer to discuss handling characteristics (and etc) or strategy on specific portions of the track.

 

[Alex.]

do you have a picture?

 

[daan]

 

[Keef]

And that's an F1 wheel, even. Those guys only have the time to look down on straights, and that map can't possibly be big enough to read when their heads are jumping all over the place in a car like that. Same thing with that stop watch. I don't know how they read it.