Hey Racers welcome to the Blayze racing newsletter where every week you will get an answer to a racing question you ponder about after every session, a video will make your jaw drop, and one article that will change your racing life in one simple email.
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I know I need to brake deeper, but how do I actually do it?
Do you know that one corner where you know you can brake deeper but your brain just forces you to hit the brakes at the same place every time? Well, maybe it's not just one corner but many.
Today I'll be answering how to trick your brain into letting you brake deeper!
I actually found the best path to breaking past that mental barrier during a race where I was having to save a lot of fuel. This weeks answer is a bit of a 2 for 1 because I want to first cover one of the best ways to save fuel as that is what led me to finding the best way to get comfortable braking deeper.
One of the most efficient ways to save fuel is to lift off the throttle early into a brake zone, coast for a bit, and then brake. One of the things you have to get good at in endurance racing is how to save fuel without losing much lap time.
You often hear, "Dion save fuel but go fast!" from your engineer. Thanks Dave...
When you are saving fuel and lifting into brake zones you actually naturally start braking a little bit deeper because you are arriving in with a little less entry speed.
One weekend as I was struggling getting the courage to brake a bit deeper at the kink at Road America I gave this a try. My brain just kept forcing my foot to hit the brake pedal at the 2 board but I knew I could work it a little bit later.
So, the next lap I drove it down to the 3 board, lifted off the throttle, coasted past the 2 board and broke at the 1.5 board. Turned in, got down to the apex, and hammered the throttle down the next straight. You know what happened? Nothing, it was totally fine. My brain was like, "Oh that wasn't too bad".
The next lap I did the same thing but lifted at the 2.5 board, then I worked it down to the 2 board. Before I knew it I was flat down to the 1.5 board and immediately coming off the throttle right onto the brakes.
It worked! So, next time you are struggling with trying to brake deeper give this a try :).
Have a question you want answered? Shoot us an email at [email protected].
Video of the week: Video of the week: Exceptionally bad ass is right
exceptionally bad ass pic.twitter.com/wZcmdADSwH
— tim (@someoldbulIshit) May 15, 2022
I need to buy a beer for whoever came up with the idea not just to ride 2 bikes like a chariot but to actually race them. What a legend.
Click here to check out the must see video of the week!
Article of the week: 4 tips for leading a race
Picture this scenario:
You feel the sweat pouring down your face under the helmet. You know your faster than the car in-front but they have just a bit too much power down the straight so we haven't been able to make a pass.
You try a late braking maneuver into turn 1 but the front tire just locks up and you run wide. They slide right back in-front at corner exit. "Damnit!" you think to yourself.
Then with just 3 laps to go you see the car in-front put the power down, but they do it too aggressively and those lose traction. They have to back out of it and we have a run! You move to the inside, get alongside them in the brake zone, and boom you are leading!!
You get through the corner, see no one in front and think, "oh shit... now what do I do??" You got so used to following a car and trying to overtake a car that you don't know how to lead a race.
It's something we ALL face in this sport and lead karting coach, Ryan Norberg gives you 4 must know lessons to learning how to lead races.
Click here to become a better leader so you can win more races.