SimHQ.com - Motorsports Zone - Driving rFactor: A Fast Lap at Essington Park

Turn 5R: T5R is the slowest turn of the track. The road drops away from you making the judgment of your braking difficult. You'll have to brake a bit early here because of this. There's even a very nasty bump in the road in this turn which seeks out the careless and the callous.

Conventional wisdom would dictate an entry into Turn 5 from the left hand side of the track. I find it better to enter this turn on the right hand side, keeping the car in a tight line and very close to the curbing all the way through, as this is where most grip is found. You will also need to enter Turn 6 from as far to the right on the track as you possibly can.

Turn 5R

Turn 6L: From 3rd gear you accelerate out of T4 and through T5 while being very attentive for potential spinning rear tires. You can "short-shift" to 4th gear, i.e. select 4th a bit early to counter any skidding rear wheels.

Before entering the esses which start with T7, you'll be in 5th gear.

Turn 6L

Turn 7L: I take T7 in 5th gear with no throttle input at all. Just before negotiating this turn I lift off and let the car glide to the apex.

In this section, it is crucial to hit your apexes. Miss one, and the rest of the combination of turns is messed up beyond repair. If you find that you have made an error — missed the apex or that the car is starting to deviate from the trajectory you had envisioned — reign it in immediately even if it means slowing down a bit. Chances are that the smallest error will turn into a huge crash very quickly if you don't take immediate corrective action.

Turn 7L

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