The Art of Releasing the Brakes

Ever wondered how some drivers can dive into a corner with impossible speed and pull away from cars that, on paper, should be quicker?

Counterintuitively, these speedsters are not simply stomping on the brakes, releasing them abruptly, and then turning. True wizardry occurs in the critical moments after the initial brake application, as the driver seamlessly transitions from slowing down to turning in. Real speed is found by learning the fine-tuned art of how to optimally release the brake pedal.

Threshold and the Transition

Before diving into the release, let’s touch on the initial braking phase: threshold braking. Picture yourself blasting down a long straight about to enter a low-speed corner. The goal here is straightforward, yet demanding: slow the car down as quickly as possible without locking up the tires or engaging ABS. This means ramping up maximum brake pressure quickly. The car will be “on its nose,” decelerating vigorously, with most of the load transferred forward. Then, at some point, you sense that if you keep braking, you’ll slow the car to a crawl, so you decide to start releasing the brakes.

The Corkscrew Effect: Trail-braking Demystified

Now, for the challenging part: releasing the brake pedal while turning. Known as “trail-braking,” it simply means braking and turning at the same time. It’s a smooth blend of reducing the brakes while increasing the steering. Imagine your front tires as corkscrews, digging into the track surface, seeking maximum grip. By precisely managing the rate at which you reduce brake pressure while simultaneously turning the steering wheel, you can manipulate the load on those front tires, effectively adding or subtracting grip exactly when and where you need it.

Picture braking at threshold, your chest slammed into your harnesses, front tires hammered into the ground. This gives front tires immense grip for slowing down. As you begin to turn, you want to maintain some of that forward weight transfer to keep those front tires working hard, but without over-slowing the car. The fine balancing act of trail-braking involves keeping just enough brake pressure to maintain that crucial front-end load, preventing dreaded understeer — where the car pushes wide and won’t turn as you’d like — while still allowing the car to turn precisely.

There’s a bonus benefit to trail-braking: Slight brake pressure isn’t just about grip; it actively helps the car rotate faster. By shifting a bit of load from the rear to the front, the rear end gets lighter, enabling the car to pivot more freely and eagerly into the corner. This subtle yet powerful skill is what separates the best from the rest.

Coasting Before the Apex

As brake pressure is gradually reduced, load distribution between front-to-rear becomes more balanced until the brake pressure is at 0 percent. At this point, the car is coasting. Often, drivers are told not to coast, but don’t mistake coasting for doing nothing! Coasting is essentially a mild form of braking, continuing to keep a bit of extra load on the front tires as the car continues to decelerate under its own momentum. Adding steering to the mix, while coasting, bleeds off even more speed. In fact, I like to say, “The steering wheel is also a brake.” This means that while turning and coasting, the car slows even faster than if the steering wheel was straight.

For many cars, a brief stretch of coasting just before the apex is precisely what the doctor ordered. It’s the “Goldilocks” blend: keeping just enough weight on the front tires to complete that final rotation, keeping the car “flatter” and more balanced, without over-slowing the car. This subtle period, which requires patience, allows drivers to fine-tune their line, feel the car settle, and prepare for a smooth throttle application on exit.

Brake Release Based on Corner Type

Tight hairpins and slow corners: For these slower, tighter turns, you’ll usually maintain brake pressure deeper into the corner, gradually easing off as you approach the apex. The goal is to achieve maximum rotation and precision at lower speeds. The rate of release will be slower, allowing for a sustained period of front-end load and obedient rotation.

Medium-speed corners: Your release will be quicker than in a hairpin, but still progressive. The blend of braking and turning will feel smoother since you’ll have less braking and less steering input, since the corner isn’t as sharp. Aim for a seamless transition to throttle, with no coasting, to make sure the rear end stays planted.

High-speed sweepers: In fast, scary corners, initial brake pressure might be softer and longer, since the goal is to keep the car stable and “flat.” Too much brake pressure tends to upset most cars in the highest-speed corners. Try for a smooth, gradual reduction in brake pressure as you release, and then immediately get back to at least a tad of maintenance throttle to ensure a settled rear end.

Dabbing the brake: Sometimes, if you enter a series of back-to-back slow corners, you won’t need to decelerate very much between them. You might be able to lift and coast rather than brake. However, if you want your car to turn better, try a quick dab of the brake while turning, and pop off the brake just as quickly – just a dab’ll do ya. It can help your car rotate quickly without sacrificing speed.

The next time you hit the track, remember that the true difference-maker for faster corner entries lies not in how hard, or how late, you hit the brakes, but how exquisitely you release them. It’s in that nuanced, subtle timing of “when” you start releasing the brakes, and the rate of “how” you gradually release them that creates the speediest corner entries.

VIDEO

Here’s a look at NASA Great Lakes driver Robert Gewirtz’s footwork in his Lexus-powered Riley prototype. We are not all lucky enough to have a sequential transmission, but the point of this video is to watch how gently he releases the brake pedal.