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Skip Barber, Caterhams etc - a little note on racecraft
#1
Hi guys,

here's a quick thought on something I noticed lately, especially with the Caterhams and Skips:

These slower and less aero dependent cars develop a lot of slipstream. You can fairly comfortablty keep up with a guy who on his own in .5secs/lap faster than you. However this opportunity is rarely every made the most of because people engage in pointless constant overtaking. 

That may be fun if you just race 1 vs 1, but if you're trying to get the best result in a race with more than 2 drivers the smart thing to do is: tuck into the slipstream, create separation, and then when you're 2 or 3 secs ahead of the next guy start attacking your travel companion.

Otherwise all you do is bunch up the field and have 8 slower guys on your tail at every braking point ... it rarley ends well.

It also means you can chase the guy(s) ahead. I have won races, and given away victories stupidly because of this: the guy in front pulls away at ease because the guys in 2nd and 3rd, even though faster than him, engage in constant overtaking and let him just drive away. Or the other way round: I've cruised to victory because the guys behind me couldn't sort it out. It really is silly.

Be smart, tuck in, do 2 or 3 laps in the slipstream, let the guy behind you lead a lap or 2 to see if he's faster and if you can tail him to pull away fromt he rest. Create separation or catch up, then start battling it out.

Apart from allowing you to finish higher up in the field we also avoid the constant crashfest first 4 laps we've been having over the last couple of weeks. It only takes a few corners of patience to get that safe .5 sec difference to the guy behind. But if you constantly attack, you'll never get that gap.

It really is basic racecraft not to engage in battles that are pointless and just cost you time. You can do that when you're in nomansland or far ahead of the pack. It's not smart when there still is a possibility or need to catch up or pull away.

Brains and brakes kids Smile

Cheers

Chris
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Skip Barber, Caterhams etc - a little note on racecraft - by Chris Herrmann - 05-22-2019, 08:35 AM

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