Many drivers get disoriented when they drive on a banking for the first time. There is nothing else like it in motorsports. If you are going to be driving on a banking for the first time ever, we are going to give you some guidance for what to expect so that you feel comfortable on them as soon as possible!
In this clip, Dion Von Moltke explains how to get comfortable driving up and onto the banking from the infield of a “roval” racetrack.
Where You Should Be Looking
One of the most surprising things for the very first time drivers enter the banking is how little they can see in front of the car. If drivers look out the windshield where they normally do you will be seeing the road directly in front of the nose. So, where do we need to look?
You can see in the main image that to see as far in front of the car as possible we need to be looking out the top left of the windscreen. This takes a while to get used, to but it is the most vital thing to know about while driving into a banking!
G-Forces
The next small area that catches a few drivers out on bankings is where they feel g-forces. Typically as drivers we only feel them laterally as we go through corners, but while in the banking the g-forces can actually push you down and back into the seat.
A small point for all drivers to think about here is to ensure they are close enough to the steering wheel before their session. The way the g-forces work, they can push you away from the steering wheel slightly, and because we need to be as smooth as possible being close enough to the steering wheel is critical.
Something important to think about when driving on rovals is usually the corner leading onto the banking is one of the most critical corners for a fast lap around the race track. We really want to ensure we get back to full throttle as early as possible to maximize our run onto the banking.
One of the biggest mistakes we see drivers making is actually picking up the throttle too early in these corners. You heard that right, picking up the throttle too early negatively affects their exits. At Racers360, we are taking aim at the phrase “the earlier you pick up the throttle the better the exit you will get.
