Bridgestone Potenza Advance Driving Lesson

I was in the office reading others blog and click on ZTH web and i saw the track layout is so familiar, huhu... So happy to see there are people out there having event/training in Dato Sagor Track in Ipoh, Perak.

The reason why I am happy because previously there is a police case there and the track is temporarily closed, and now... does this show the chances for us to get into the track again?

Ok, after seeing all my photos and photos during CNY, this is some notes/lesson on driving.

They are training on Braking With ABS, Braking in Corners with Obstacle Avoidance, Steering Training and Racing Lines(APEX)

Below Pictures and information taken from ZTH, For More please click here ZTH

LESSON 1

First lesson of the day, braking with the ABS system and target braking. The objective of this was to familiarise ourselves with the ABS system and the pulsing sensation that comes from the brake pedal whenever ABS kicks in. If you have ever felt it, you should know that it comes as an unpleasant surprise when you’re concentrating on braking and avoiding something.

The only way to deal with it? Learn when to expect it, deal with it, and concentrate on what’s ahead of you. ABS allows you to steer under hard braking and so the training included accelerating straight to a person with a flag standing ahead, slam on the brakes at a pre-determined braking point and steer to where ever he points the flag, which happens at the last possible moment, just as accidents always creep up on you out of no where. With the ABS working overtime to ensure grip doesn’t stray, steering is easily manageable, even when slamming on the brakes. So don’t panic the next time you feel your ABS working, just look at where you need to be heading and steer.

LESSON 2

Second lesson of the day and probably the most useful in everyday driving - braking in corners with obstacle avoidance. Braking in a straight line is a no-brainer, all you got to do is look and brake. But things are a little more complicated when you’re committed to a corner and there’s suddenly an obstacle in your path. Chances are you’re going to mess up the balance of the car, either over or understeer and charmingly introduce yourself to the obstacle ahead.

In an ideal world, we would all just be able to drift around the obstacle but this world is far from ideal, so we were handed a car without ABS and told to speed into a corner and avoid the cones that were set in the middle of your path. What you see above is the result of too much speed and late braking, otherwise called an understeer.

LESSON 3

Third lesson of the day, the customary cone slalom which shows you how important it is to be driving with both your hands. Probably the easiest to learn but not the easiest to master, you often carry too much speed into a turn and end up messing up your entry and exit points for the rest of the slalom course. Most people underestimate the importance of using both your hands while driving, it’s very simple actually, drive with both your hands and you have more control over your car, simple.

The cone slalom is also important to understand the dynamics of a car’s balance and how to manipulate it to your benefit at speed. This of course varies from vehicle to vehicle so it’s also essential for a driver to understand how his or her car manages load shifts and balance when pushed. Only then will you be able to know how to react to an emergency situation without agitating the car too much - meaning it wont bite back.

Final lesson and my favourite part of the day; racing lines. While not really applicable to street driving, racing lines are a lot of fun and satisfying when done right. This part of the entire lesson also tests everything you learn except for obstacle avoidance of course. Most important here is to look where you want to be heading and for track driving, that is the braking points and entry and exit apex points. The images above depict the correct lines to be taken during track and race driving.