How do you guys practic your driving skill?
 

Seems all forums discussing about the setting of the cars, but you all know how a good handling skill can overcome most setting problem. The most compilcated and time consumming part of RCing is to improve the driving (improve the fingers). How did you guys do to improve your skills? Please make some input and let the rookies (like me) get some hints to do so.
e.g. I'll set the lap natvigator function to my radio (the sanwa M8 and KO EX1 have this function), let say each 15"00' bleep once, then I'll know roughly what's the lap time of that lap, and try to keep the lap time at an average.
e.g.2, I'll set the car's spring a bit soft, let the car roll more, in a tight track, wiith a lot of S-corner and hairpins, to practicing control over the cars rolling action...
etc.....

practise practise & practise....learn from the fast guys at your track....
that's what Atsushi Hara answered me when i ask him the same question :D

Have you seen Masami do a lot of tricks on the track? he can control his car with his stick radio on his own feet.... or stand in the middle of the track to run the car without turning arround his body... or use reverse to run half the track, forward to run another half, in a single lap...
I have seen that by my eyes... I still can't completely believe that... That's something I call "method"... but I can't copy it....
seems Atsusi Hara play some tricks as well... will tricks really improve driving skills? thats what I wanna know...

My first goal would be to drive a 5 minute qualifier without touching a board. Consistency is key. Do not try to be the fast until that time comes. Ask questions. Try to make it to your local race track once a week or more for months. It will come.





Be smooth first and then fast.

The thing about driving an R/C car is that you aren't in it when you drive it. Therefore, as you drive, you watch your car and make driving inputs as needed, as you see them. Some people overlook this simple fact, and that is one reason I feel that doing those weird tricks were explaining can possibly help with your ability to drive.

When I drive, I see more of the track than others do (or than I even let on to others :sneaky: :cool: ). Being able to see what your car can do, as well as what the car in front and behind you can do as well is something I feel I do while others don't. This is obviously important at the start of the race, in close traffic and when going through to lap slower guys, but being able to see guys 3 or 4 seconds ahead of you is definitely much much harder (though easier on my track because it is on average 20-22 seconds long, depending on the track that day). If you are in second, but a few seconds behind first, being able to see lap after lap what little mistakes on your part make you slower or what little tweaks to your driving line gains tenths of a second is an invaluable tool.

It is easy to see a certain driver's line, as it is suggested by many to do, when you are not racing, but you've got to be on the driver's stand and yet you might not actually be seeing how they will actually drive during the main. So I've kind of learned how to read driving lines while on the stand and racing my car. This tool is naturally built as you get faster, but it takes some will to focus less on your car and kind of think of what the other guy is doing. If you've ever wondered why the a-main can be so clean while being so quick, it is because of this. The general ability to not only watch and control your car, but to also watch other cars and understand general patterns corner by corner- then as the race progresses- lap by lap. This is one reason many of us A-main guys constantly race each other, even during practice. We pull over and wait even if they aren't quite as fast, because a good racer has to be able to control his car while also viligantly watching the other cars.

Definitely the perfect advice for the newbie, and the aggrevated track local!:lol: :nod: I've seen too many focus on keeping up with me or some other a-main mainstays, but then quickly crash within a couple seconds. If you can't keep pace without losing control, don't even try (unless you're in the main of course). The main difference between the guys in the B-main and the A-main is usually the crashing. The guys in the A might crash once or never in 5 minutes, while the guys in the B might scuff a board, or hop a dot every 3 or 4 laps. That inconsistency translates a lot to your confidence and so lap times are always slower to avoid being out of control, when that is something you should have already learned years ago when you were starting out.

Im with Rob on this :nod: he said it driving a qualifier without
touching the boards . :)

Well put... :nod:

or just out "BATTERY" them:p :nod: :sneaky:

-Dave:sneaky:

damn good advice..

when i started i can't even handle my 23T stocker.. kept crashing.. after i limited the speed i was able to drive better, and much faster lap times too!

hmmm...try the different setups and record down the difference tat u feel,tat will give u a gd gauge of wat changes u need to do.also,1 change at 1 time.

after tat,practise practise and more practise...try to get a regular group of friends to practise together,tat way it wun b so boring...

Staying smooth and consistant is the key as said already a few times. It does help to have faster guys on the track while your practicing. Not to try and keep up with them, but to learn from what they're doing. If you race witht the same group of guy also, you all end up being faster together because you learn the other guys driving style and know what to expect from him. I've seen groups of three or four guys who practice together move up from novice up to the higher classes together because they learn from each other.

I started off with a 540, 27, 19, 17 and then a 13, working up as at a lower speed you can practice your driving and a good setup doesnt matter quite so much. I just try to relax when racing and drive my own car, try not to catch anyone and that way it just happens.

moto gp on x-box i try play at least 1/2 hour before going to the track. helps with braking and throttle control as well as steering. i don't play to win. i start in back and practice passing oh yea and turn on rain function

I've driven with Masami in Japan during the times I've spent in Japan and I must say, there are basic things to remember.

1. always relax and stay focus,
2. practice makes perfect, but setting up the car to act the way you want is really important as well.
3. Try to be as consistant as you can and run the same line over and over and over and again, over again!
4. once you can achieve the over and over again thing, then try to feel the car, feel it both mentally and with your throttle fingers. Learn what timing is best for what turns and corner.
5. learn to pump your throttle consistently when powering into corners and know the limits of the car.
6. Confident is truly the most important part of being good. Knowing how the car will respond before the input and confidently pointing it toward your next line when coming out of a corner is always the hardest but very acheivable when you set up the car correctly.
7. try to limit your transmitter setting to the most basic settings available and let your skill and confidence take over when practicing.

"The only way to get to Carnegie Hall is with lots of practice.. ;)

Happy Racing!

Jimmy Fukuyama

PRACTICE!!! Track time is the key. I was practicing up to 3 times a week at one point. Make sure you make them good practices where you try and accomplish something such as not hitting the boards.