- Joined
- Feb 27, 2012
- Location
- Kent UK
When defending your position in a race you are not to Zig Zag along straights to prevent being overtaken. This is classed as blocking.
A single maneuver is allowed to defend your position but moving side to side (blocking) is not allowed, when in the approach to a corner you are allowed to hold the racing line to prevent being over taken, but not to move off the racing line to force anyone off the track. If a driver negotiates a corner illegally and gains a place, he should wait at least one more corner after giving back the position before launching another overtaking move.
You can utilise an aerodynamic ‘tow’ from the car in front. This is achieved by moving into an opponent’s slipstream – a pocket of low pressure air behind a car through which the following driver can move more freely and gain a small speed advantage. Allowing a faster approach to the next corner.
If a driver cannot complete a pass on a straight, he may elect to overtake into a corner under braking. This requires an enormous amount of skill from the overtaking driver – not only is he likely to have had to move offline on to a more slippery part of the track, but he must also judge how late he can leave his braking. Get it wrong and he could overshoot the corner, spin off or – worse - make contact with the car he’s trying to overtake. As you might expect, tyre grip often plays an important role in these situations with a driver on newer tyres having an advantage. Similarly, a driver on fresh tyres will stand a better chance of overtaking the car in front in the traction zone out of a corner, particularly if he’s set up the move in advance by taking a different racing line into the corner.
A driver trying to fend off an overtaking move from an opponent must rely on his ability to pick the correct braking points and cornering lines. Typically this means reducing the angle available for the car behind to use going into corners where there is a substantial risk of being passed. Providing that the driver ahead only changes his line once going into a corner (not deliberately attempting to block the car behind) this is a perfectly justifiable form of racing, and with it a driver in an inferior car can successfully hold off a faster rival.
A single maneuver is allowed to defend your position but moving side to side (blocking) is not allowed, when in the approach to a corner you are allowed to hold the racing line to prevent being over taken, but not to move off the racing line to force anyone off the track. If a driver negotiates a corner illegally and gains a place, he should wait at least one more corner after giving back the position before launching another overtaking move.
You can utilise an aerodynamic ‘tow’ from the car in front. This is achieved by moving into an opponent’s slipstream – a pocket of low pressure air behind a car through which the following driver can move more freely and gain a small speed advantage. Allowing a faster approach to the next corner.
If a driver cannot complete a pass on a straight, he may elect to overtake into a corner under braking. This requires an enormous amount of skill from the overtaking driver – not only is he likely to have had to move offline on to a more slippery part of the track, but he must also judge how late he can leave his braking. Get it wrong and he could overshoot the corner, spin off or – worse - make contact with the car he’s trying to overtake. As you might expect, tyre grip often plays an important role in these situations with a driver on newer tyres having an advantage. Similarly, a driver on fresh tyres will stand a better chance of overtaking the car in front in the traction zone out of a corner, particularly if he’s set up the move in advance by taking a different racing line into the corner.
A driver trying to fend off an overtaking move from an opponent must rely on his ability to pick the correct braking points and cornering lines. Typically this means reducing the angle available for the car behind to use going into corners where there is a substantial risk of being passed. Providing that the driver ahead only changes his line once going into a corner (not deliberately attempting to block the car behind) this is a perfectly justifiable form of racing, and with it a driver in an inferior car can successfully hold off a faster rival.
