Braking Consistently

Proper braking technique braking is probably the easiest thing for most people to improve upon and make a large difference in their driving and lap times. The first area most people work on is proper application speed and amplitude followed by learning to trail off the brakes and carry more speed into corners.

One spot to pay attention to is the consistency of how the brake pressure is bled off and how smooth this release of brake pressure is. This first graph shows a good release and a release that could use some work. It's important to work on the skill of keeping consistent and smooth brake pressure throughout the release, especially when blipping the throttle in heal and toe downshifts.

Many times when a driver is working their feet in heal and toe downshifting, their will unknowingly release some brake pressure. This brake pressure variation can cause chassis stability problems, reduced braking efficiency, and an unsettled feeling to the driver. This footwork is a learned skill, so it's something to watch and be aware of in the data. If a driver is having trouble with this, it's a good area to make them aware of and work on improving. Practice while sitting still, at slower speeds, and a strong focus during on track sessions can really make a difference in improving this skill.

One thing that is often overlooked, is that at the higher and higher levels of driving, the differences become smaller and smaller, yet each driver has their own style. Across all of these styles, every driver executes all of the fundamental skills perfectly every time. Even the small things like smooth and consistent brake release are practiced and monitored to make sure that the driver is getting everything from the car that they can.