Here we go again! It’s time for another installment of the series where I put my past mistakes on the internet for the whole world to see!
Last time, I told you about one of my braking mistakes. And this time… it’s another braking mistake! HaHa.
So, I’d finally overcome my beginner’s habit of lifting off the accelerator too early because I was getting too nervous when braking.
My corner entry speeds were starting to become more consistent, and I was feeling pretty confident. “Next, I’m going to work on cornering at higher speeds!”
But as I started cornering faster than before, the car became more difficult to control.
And then I started noticing that my corner entry speeds still weren’t quite as consistent as I thought they were.
Huh? I’ve been making sure to minimize the time between switching pedals, so why are my speeds still inconsistent?
Could it be that my braking points weren’t consistent?
But I had a braking marker and was hitting the brakes at the same point every time, so they should have been consistent, right?
…Well, that was where I was wrong!!!
Braking markers are usually things like signs or objects along the side of the track, right?
So I’d watch for one and think, “There it is!” and hit the brakes.
But as a beginner, if I focused too much on that, I’d sometimes end up turning the steering wheel too late for the corner that was coming up next.
So without even realizing it, I’d started braking while thinking things like, “Cornering, cornering…”
And as a result, I’d gone too far in the opposite direction. My braking point had become vague, which completely defeated the purpose.
But if I focused too much on the braking marker, then when I shifted my eyes to the corner, my brain couldn’t process what I was seeing in time, and I’d end up turning the steering wheel too late.
So I tried something else.
Instead of watching the braking marker itself, I kept my eyes looking ahead and learned to recognize the braking point from the scenery around me.
And that solved the problem.
“Ohhh, so that’s what was happening. Man, I’m an idiot!”
Lesson Learned
Make sure you know your braking point.