Driving the wheels off your race car usually isn't the fastest way forward.
We’ve all been there. You think you’re getting everything out of a car while on track, but the times aren’t showing it. So you push harder, go deeper, accelerate quicker. Yet the times aren’t improving, and the car feels like it’s about to jump out from under you. These are tell-tale signs you’re overdriving your car.
Even pro drivers tend to overdrive their cars from time to time, which is why the SafeIsFast YouTube channel put together this instructional video to help prevent it from happening to you. The channel spoke with a handful of legends, including Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, IMSA champion Jordan Taylor, Le Mans winner Earl Bamber, and more to get some valuable insight on how to stop yourself from overdriving your car in certain situations.
Driving fast is all about finesse, says Le Mans winner Filipe Albuquerque. Braking at the right moment, delivering the car’s rotation right when you need it to. “You need to use your head to go fast,” he says. “Not just by will and being aggressive. You need to think before you do.”
A lot of the drivers brought data into the mix as well, suggesting drivers analyze lines to find places where they can be smoother by comparing with teammates with similar lap times.
“You can see very easily when you’re overdriving just based on the wheel inputs,” says IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood. “Lockups based on wheel speed, RPM spikes from wheelspin, etc.”
Brian Silvestro Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing.
Keyword: Let a Bunch of Pro Drivers Tell You How to Avoid Overdriving Your Car