Boys and Girls......THIS is how it is done....

I thought that I would make my own addition to this thread:

Exerpt from 1991 Article by Andrew Frankl about several laps around a wet Silverstone as a passenger next to Ayrton Senna driving a Honda NSX



Only on the last sublime lap were the car’s speed and the angle of the oncoming corner so utterly impossible to reconcile that I forgot who was at the wheel.
As bridge hove into view – a terrifying right-hand flick at the end of Farm Straight – Senna had the Honda howling past 100mph. I was awestruck but not concerned. He had done as much on the last lap and I could still remember where he would brake, shed 30mph and guide the nose of the NSX to the apex and beyond. But it seemed Senna had forgotten. As we sailed past the point of no return at unabated speed, my voice, which had tried to record every detail of this ultimate experience for posterity, fell silent on the tape recorder. The time for talking, it appeared, was over. I started to curse that devil within me that had sneakily switched out the Honda’s traction control before Senna climbed aboard.
Then I remembered that man sitting just an armrest away. The man with more pole positions than anyone else in history and more grand prix victories than all but the considerably older Alain Prost; the man treated with more respect and trepidation than any other in motor racing. I was about to find out why. In that instant my faith returned, and although I knew that not even Ayrton Senna could get the NSX through that corner at that speed, I knew also that, somehow, it would all be all right.
He twisted the wheel into the corner and then he braked. As he did so, the rear of the Honda flew into its inevitable, almighty slide that said unequivocally: “I am taking you and Mr. Senna off this track and I’m not coming back.” Mr. Senna, however, had other ideas and simply pressed the pause button. This facility, denied to you and me, allows the finest drivers in the world to slow down the action to a more manageable speed and, in the case of a fast-moving NSX tail, stop it altogether. With a twist of opposite lock and just the right amount of throttle, it slid no further. It didn’t come back; there was no need. It just hung there in a state of suspended animation, a few degrees off line, waiting until the nose kissed the rumble strip on the apex before snapping straight as we swept back towards the pits. I don’t know how fast the NSX took that evil, drenched corner, but by the time I had got a grip on myself and my eyes back on the speedo needle, it was hovering above 90. Senna remained expressionless, and if he reads this I doubt he will even remember.
It’s something I will never forget. But my laps with Senna weren’t all like that. On the contrary: on ht first lap the world champion trundled through the corners at speeds I could match, chatting away, eyes shining….

…. It wasn’t until we were passing the pits that Senna turned up the flame. You only need to look at him to see when Senna gets serious. The talk stopped, his face fixed and where his eyes once twinkled now they blazed, dead ahead as the NSX charged back towards Copse. As I watched, I thought I might see something that at least hints at what makes him so extraordinary. But, save for his steel expression, I found no help. He sits in the car like your driving instructor told you to, with his arms slightly bent. He leaves the backrest where I set it and moves the squab closer to the pedals so his legs are at a similar stretch to his arms. All textbook stuff – he even holds the wheel at ten to two.
Where he differs from us and, for all I know, everyone else in the world, is in the way he controls the car through corners. Even if you shut off the sight of the circuit flashing by and just concentrate on the way he moves his hands and feet you would still know, without a doubt, that you were in the presence of a master. To Senna the steering and the throttle could just as well be one control. He never moves one without the appropriate adjustment to the other. Even as we slithered ludicrously sideways out of Copse, his hands were so calm and graceful they almost looked slow…

…As he speaks he flicks the gear lever back into third (the car was automatic), leaves his hand there and aims the NSX at Stowe. We exit broadside at 80mph, a wall of spray pluming behind the Honda as Senna plies an inch-perfect line, just one hand on the wheel.
That’s the one moment of my afternoon with Ayrton Senna I’d bottle if I could. Of course he continued to astonish on every corner of the remaining laps, but nothing, not even that final, awesome moment at Bridge put the difference between Senna and all other decent drivers in sharper perspective. It’s not that he can do things with a car that, had I not witnessed them first-hand, I would not have believed possible. He’s better than that. He does them without trying.

 

Not all F1 drivers are as competent behind the wheel of a road car. Pizzonia was giving UK journalists a demonstration ride in a Jaguar S Type R a few years back, and ended up putting the Jag on its roof.

 

Point well taken. Normally I wouldn't dream of trying that, but a few weeks ago in a Formula Renault I had to deliberately lift to get the car turned in at a new track we raced at. It was clearly the faster way to go in that instance. So I thought the same trick might work at Zhuhai's T10; admittedly with great risk of crashing.

I already left foot brake on the 360C. It's only recently that I started toying with the idea of using the throttle in combination with the brake to get the car through the corners faster. Will think about all this carefully before trying though.

 

do you remember how we're all taught that 'smooth is fast' ?

I guess at the level of these guys , 'smooth' is slow.

thanks for sharing that link. Its a keeper!

 

My Media Player (Windows Media Player 10) can't read it!!!!
What codecs could I possibly need? Where could I find which is the one to look for?

 

Great vid!

 

It seems to be somewhat of a trend amongst f1 drivers who drive in road cars. I remember reading an article where Coulthard was driving a journalist around in an SLR, and he kept missing braking points. It seems Today's formula 1 drivers aren't as versatile as drivers of years past, with drivers competing in various types of cars.

 

Senna was a genius, of this there can be no doubt. I miss him.

 

Maybe that's because in the F1 car your going twice as fast and the braking distance is half as long. The difference between road cars and F1 cars has never been greater.
I don't think drivers are any better or worse generation to generation.

 

Oh they are absolutely still the cream of the crop, it's just they are not exposed to other race cars that often, or just do take the time to adapt to the car they are driving. I do not think Schumacher or even Montoya would be outbraking themselves in different road cars on a circuit. Pizza boy was taking a formula 1 car's line and braking point. How he confused the Jaguar he was driving for his f1 car is beyond me.

 

Actually it was the very thing he used to himself so fast. He used to jab at the throttle to yaw the car through corners. He developed it in karting and used it all through his career. I would guess that this would it it easier to adapt to a car that was say understeering or a way to know early how much grip there was as to apply the throttle fully sooner(that i don't know for sure but it's what i would think) He apparently explained the technique to Berger who tried it for a few laps and said hell no, too hard for me. So see some people do know wny he did this.............

 

Awesome, just awesome.

 

mid engined car

lift-off to induce oversteer and get better turn-in

throttle-on to regain rear.

combined with steering input ... well ... magic

 

The BBC did a tribute to Senna which showed the telemetry on a McLaren test. Jonathan Palmer had been testing for several days before Senna turned up on the final day of the test.
Senna times were better than JP's. Palmer showed the differences around one of the corners, JP was 'classic' driving style - very smooth on the power but Senna was repeatedly 'stabbing' at the throttle. Palmers description was that Senna was probing and feeling for the available grip, allowing him to get on full throttle much earlier (which he did...)

 

I thought you were talking about Lamour for a second there.....

 

From what i understand whenever they did a computer simulation of a track the other drivers would be slower than what the comp said was possible while Senna was usually a little quicker because the comp couldn't simulate what he was doing.