RE-Xtreme RC Drift Bible - Race or Drift

In this little chapter lets think a little more about line. My local track is not big, so I want to maximize the slide time.

Lets see how to change how your track behaves.
 

By the end of every session at GCRC I find myself in the same old pattern just to get some sort of tandem going. It's basically RACING.

With a few exceptions, most seem only interested in "LINKING" the corners

WOW, you can link corners... big deal. You reduce the margin for error and make the track the FASTEST possible time on this RED line. hitting apexes at max speed doesn't give yourself time to setup and enjoy.

Tracks can be linked or raced or changed however you like.

Next time you go to your track think about what a D1 Judge or FormulaD judge would want to see. They use a few corners and I guarantee its not the racing line.


Long entries, aggressive change of direction, and pushing the car into deep corners and running rear around the fences, barriers and track edges.

Sometimes, the only way to gain extra speed is to start deeper in a corner and effectively lengthening the straights. this is especially important on a small track.

In the above config, ie. RACE line, there are only 4 short opportunities to HIT the fence but it's not the place where you will be at full 90 degrees or doing a backward entry.. Because the mid corner speed is up, the angle is reduced and the margin for 'COOL' is down and also the side x side time is down. 

So where is the drift line?  If I were a Judge, I know what I want to see. And quite frankly I haven't seen anyone even try anything like what I have below.

Are you prepared for a comp? Are you prepared to put on a display?

So, If I actually chalked the drift line on the track, people might start to follow it. If you were to measure the length of the green line, you will find it's much much longer.

If I add some targets, people do try to hit them for a while, but eventually, you get the race thing happening.

Only the dedicated will run the deep, long, slow line.

Above is one possibility. There are many options.

If your track is wide, ie Yokomo's HUGE Yatabe arena? Where will you run? If it's narrow, where will you run.

The answer for me is, the most exciting. It's ultimately your choice. But consider that the OUT clip is the one that replicates D1 and Formula D.

Get out there and stick that wing over the fence.

Sure there are the times when you need to hit the IN clip, (like a super tight hairpin or the the Ebisu Jump) but those should be few.

Learn a few different lines, try some different lines with your friends. Expand your horizons. Keep things different.