Tsukuba Driving Workshop in "Course 1000"

Tsukaba Circuit , Ibaraki in October 23rd, 2001

Weather: Fear

Condition: Dry

Lap Time

Air Pressure of the Tires(kg/cm2)

- REPORT -

Two RVRs

It is fine today after the rain yesterday, although the roads are wet. After having exchanged the tires of 70 to 60 and put a 4x4 seat belt, it is my RVR 's first running on the circuit today, so I expect the effects. Stopping by the convenience store near Tsukuba Circuit, I found yellow RVR Super Open Gear (SOG), which was Ikkun's who would join "Tsukuba Driving Workshop" together today. YRS's instructor Tom Yoshida was also interested in this rare car very much, saying "Well! What's this?"

Lecture in Room

We started with the lesson for an hour in the room. First, Tom told us that he worried about the environment of cars in Japan which was put the gravity on the hardware, and that had opened this YRS aiming to improve drivers' ability to let a car run as we wanted. We were taught easily about what we should learn by driving along the small ovals after the lecture. The key word is "Trail braking", which is a way to reduce under-steering by turning into a corner with trailing the brake.

Driving Oval

Moving to the field for gymkhana, we will try to practice by our own car. There are two ovals with different curving rates made by cones. Two of four groups drive along each oval one by one with 5 laps a session. After 2 sessions along the same oval, we move to the other one and drive 2 sessions as well. The other two groups watch them. What can we get only from the simply driving along the cones? It is so useful! The actions are so simple that we can definitely feel the car's actions (outputs) against our handlings (inputs). Just for me, I was pointed out after the first sessions that stepping on the brake and releasing from it were especially too rough, and I could feel them on driving.

During Watching

During sitting out the other groups, we could listen to Tom's explanations for their drivings. Then, I asked him my question thought up on my driving. I tried to ask how to take the steering wheel basically because it was hard for me to turn the wheel especially along the tight ovals, but..., I got an answer about how to deal with when we were about to go out of a course by sheer under-steering, maybe for my bad question.
"Release from the accelerator rather than turning the steering wheel much more", he replied.
It was useful as well. I will ask him the other question one day.

SOG

I wondered if it was from the tall height or the bright yellow color, but anyway, Ikkun's SOG was often subjected to Tom's explanations, and I think Ikkun has got the details. Ikkun, it was a good thing for your practice to stand out, wasn't it?

Group for People with Experience

In the late morning, we moved from the field to Course 1000, and there, put our cars by each group. But in my C group..., do I really have to drive with them? 2 Skylines, Silvia, Roadster, 3 Peugeot 106s. When I asked Tom if it was wrong that I belonged to the group, he said C and D group of A - D were for the participants with experience. He also said he would remove me to the other group if I seemed to have a problem, so for the moment, I decided to drive with the group.

Into Course

We walked around the course before driving, with instructor Oishi's explanation. And after that, we began driving. My object today is keeping the almost new tires as they are as possible. I had the condition of them checked by Tom before driving. At TDW, we have 5 times of about 7 minutes sessions, and 2nd and 5th sessions are timed. At 1st session, without timed, it was also for getting used to the course, so I drove slowly with checking the condition. After the driving, I could see some damage on the outside of the front left tire but it was not so serious, and could feel again that driving smoothly was very important. It may be an effect of the ovals in the morning. The differences of the speed with other cars were not so scary, so I decided to drive in the same group also at the other sessions. But, ...

Timing

Maybe I am not good at controlling myself. As soon as 2nd session first timed today began, my roughly handling appeared as strongly as even I could feel. Especially at the 2 laps in succession, too late braking into 1st corner caused too rapidly braking and steering. The tires damaged at once, and especially the front left tire damaged to around the letters of "DUNLOP" on the side. It was found by Tom after the session... And it was very difficult for me to brake by left foot though I tried. Then I was pointed with the rolled black flag, which meant my car would lose balance.

What Caused Best Time?

In spite of my strongly caring about driving smoothly, I was pointed out by Tom and another staff between the sessions, "More smoothly." Tom also told me,
"Too much stepping on the gas. I could see the deformation of the tires."
With those advises, I tried 5th session, the last session today, and timed. At the first half, I could not drive so fast for letting faster cars take over, but at the latter half, I was satisfied with my own driving, especially how much I could step on the gas along 1st trough 2nd corner, which line I could take at the infield section, and how I could handle the accelerator on the last corner. I could work for those as I had expected, and could get my own best time at the last lap! The tire was not damaged more than the condition before the last session. But did I actually owe the best time to my own skill-up? Or the new tires caused it, or the seat belt with 4 points?

Ikkun's fiercely driving!

Bottom Line:Relax!And the result will follow you.