SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Driving rFactor: A Fast Lap at Toban Raceway Park's Short Track

1. As Ross Bentley says in his book Speed Secrets (reviewed here) the most important corners are those that open into a long straightaway. If you're too slow out of those key corners, then your speed along the entire straight will be lower, and speed on the straights is the biggest contributor to low lap times.

But fast out of those corners does not equate to being fast into the corner. You need your speed to be just right at the apex, along with steady and balanced forces on the car in order to achieve maximum speed on the turn exit. Also, picking which corners are the real entry into a straightaway isn't as obvious as it might seem. For example, turn 12, the final turn on the Toban Short track, isn't the entry into the start/finish straight. Really, the last chicane is where your speed run for the final straight begins, because if it's negotiated properly you won't lift the throttle again after you negotiate it. The same goes for the back straight's "esses". There, the Turn 4 exit is where your straightaway run commences.

2. 4 Wheel Drift is a good thing: We know eventually the tires will reach their traction limit and start to slip, causing the car to drift. Get the car up to that point early on — it's easier to modulate drift than to deal with it when it comes on abruptly in mid-turn. This is especially true in the high speed turns — you should welcome the 4 wheel drift in those turns, since it enables you to flow through the turns more quickly and the car handles more predictably.

3. Although there might be other naming conventions, for the purposes of this article I have named the turns at Toban Short as follows:

The turns of Toban's Short

Note that in addition to turn numbering, each turn description in the article also references the direction of turn with the abbreviation "R" for right, and "L" for left. For example, because the first turn is a right turn, Turn 1 is noted as Turn 1R.

Getting On The Track: Don't disengage the Rev Limiter ('L" Key) until you're past Pit Limit Line, otherwise it results in a points penalty at end of testing session. Once you're on the track, remember that rFactor is a high-fidelity simulation. And like real race car tires and brakes, your tires and brakes will not function at peak performance until they are well and thoroughly warmed up. Always take the first lap of the track at a moderate clip, but don't push it — unless you like to ricochet off the track walls. Besides, the first lap isn't timed, so no sense in pushing the car too hard, and it's also good practice for races (that are NEVER won in the first lap).

Turn 1R: In terms of elevation, Turn 1 is the lowest point on the track, and marks the end of the start/finish straight. A wide, sweeping high speed turn, you'll actually spend most of Turn 1 bleeding speed to get set up for Turns 2 and 3, which come in short order. If you carry enough momentum and get the car pointed correctly, you'll be able to spend most of Turns 2 and 3 at full throttle, using 4 wheel drift to aim the car at Turn 4, your first real braking zone on the track.

As always, the wider the turn, the faster you can negotiate it. Turns come in all shapes and sizes, but it's up to the driver to make each turn as wide as possible. So, when you're approaching Turn 1, don't forget to put your left side tires right on the edge of the pavement to give yourself as much turning room as possible.

As braking zone starts, lift off the throttle and brush the brake pedal lightly, but initially stay in 5th gear as you start turning the car in. You'll want to start the turn a bit earlier than you think you should, because the speed you'll carry into this corner will immediately cause the car to drift out away from the apex. Your goal is to just brush the inside edge of the pavement at the apex and you'll know if you're successful if you hear just a brief splash of gravel noise as you hit the apex. With the car aimed at the apex and with the chassis loads balanced the car in a turning set, smoothly downshift to 4th gear, and use a little throttle so that engine compression drag doesn't upset the car's balance. Don't brake too hard here — the goal is to slow the car slightly with some 4 wheel drift, and then get back on the throttle to maintain a bit of oversteer through the next two turns.

The pack goes through Turn 1

As the car drifts out toward the outside kerbing use the throttle as much as possible to maintain a gentle drift and oversteer attitude on the car. Just staying at full-throttle through the next few turns usually won't work, so be ready to gently modulate the power in the 75% — 99% range as you work through Turn 1's exit.

As you hit the apex of Turn 1, you should be able to briefly stab at full throttle as you position the car for Turn 2. With the car just on the edge of the outside kerbing, you'll need to lift off to about half throttle (Ross Bentley refers to this as "breathing the throttle") as you point the car at the apex of Turn 2. Once the car is pointed correctly at the Turn 2 apex, smoothly bring the throttle up to near full and attack the next turn. A good rule of thumb is to hold off on going full throttle until you see the darkened pavement around the apex of Turn 2. If you've got the car pointed correctly here, you should be able to put the pedal to the metal and leave it there until Turn 4.

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