How To Optimize The Mid Corner Phase

What are the four major zones in a corner?

All right, so we know that there are four major zones in a corner:

• Straight line braking phase
• Entry phase (holding brakes and turning)
• Mid corner phase
• Exit phase

Out of these four corner phases, we basically have a major goal in each of those zones. Now, you do not think about it, because, of course, we drive subconsciously. And now, you know, I’m doing everything subconsciously. And even me, when I drive, I don’t think about these things.

You know, I just try to push to the limits. And I’m not thinking, oh, there are four zones. No, this is something that is just for theory and just for giving you more awareness and more knowledge.

This is going to create an advantage, an unfair advantage, over your competitors. It’s going to give you an easier understanding of how the kart behaves.

When you’re looking at data analysis, you’re basically going to be understanding issues more, yeah, basically sooner and with ease. Okay, so there are four phases, as I said, and what is the goal of the mid corner?

What is the goal of the mid corner phase?

Now, I think there is a goal for every major area. We already talked about the straight line braking. We talked about the entry phase. Now we talked about the exit phase. Let’s now see the mid corner phase.

So we arrive, okay, straight line breaking. From here to here, we’re basically in a straight line breaking. So that’s our first phase. SB, I like to call it.

Now we go into the entry phase until here, let’s say where we’re holding the brakes. Normally, actually, I think the entry phase is not that long. It’s a bit less, just like holding the brakes a bit.

Now we got the mid corner, which is like until here, before the exit starts. I think it’s, you know, it’s not symmetric, as you would think. I believe that by the time you get on the gas, it’s already starting to be the exit phase.

And then we got the mid corner. So what is the whole goal of the mid corner?

The mid corner goal is to pivot as quickly and as efficiently and as fast as possible. So you want to pivot, which means to rotate, rotate the goddamn car.

Basically, the car is like that. So let’s say this is the angle of the car at any given time. So in this moment, the car angle is straight, then it started to turn a bit because we are final phase of the entry. Then on the exit, we are rotated already.

In the mid corner is where we need to rotate the car as much as possible. It’s where the rotation happens. In the mid corner is where the rotation happens and it’s where we make the highest amount of rotation through the corner.

In entry, you make a tiny bit. In exit, you make a tiny, tiny bit. In the mid corner you do the highest amount of rotation. That’s where you get the highest amount of rotation.

How do you rotate the kart in the mid corner?

And so your goal is to basically sense the speed, carry the speed to rotate the car, because there’s many ways to rotate the car.

You can rotate the car with the steering wheel. Remember that. You can rotate the car with your speed. And let’s talk about the easy part with the pedals.

So we know that if we hold the brake pedal more, okay, we’re going to rotate the kart more because the rear is going to come and we also create more pitch. And also with the throttle, throttle is the other way around. If you put the throttle, you make less rotation.

Then the other way to get the rotation is with the speed. So the more speed you carry, together with more brakes in trailing brakes into the corner, you just create more rotation. That’s just the way it goes. There’s more weight transfer. There’s more rotation, all right.

And yes, I mean, of course, with the setup. Because, of course, if the car has absolutely zero rotation from the kart, you know it’s going to be very hard. You still affect it with your steering, with the pedals, but of course, you will not be able to get anything if the setup is really bad.

These are the four major ways. Even though the best drivers given the same setup, so given the same setup which is locked, let’s say, if you were driving a fixed setup car, like in iRacing, the best way to rotate the kart in the mid corner, of course, is with car control.

Car control goes hand in hand with speed. So car control, that’s very good, but the best way to rotate the car is not really with the steering wheel. Okay, of course, you need to use a tiny bit of steering wheel, but the best way to rotate the car is with your pedals, so with your braking, and with the speed.

The more speed and the more brake you carry into the final phase of the mid corner, the more the car rotates. And of course, it’s not easier, because if you carry speed, and if you don’t use the brakes, that’s the difficult bit.

If you are carrying the speed but you’re not using the brakes, you’re gonna go straight and you’re gonna miss the corner, you’re gonna miss the apex. If you carry the brakes, but you don’t have the speed, you’re gonna be too tight, like, you’re gonna be going too early into the corner, too slow into the corner.

The difficult bit is to do it together. But of course, you do these kind of things automatically. You don’t have to really think about it consciously. This is all happening subconsciously.

You don’t have to think about it but remember the mid corner goal is the rotation. Called also as pivot rotation. The mid corner is the rotation. Clear. That is your goal. You want the rotation.

If you can rotate the car as quickly and as efficiently as possible, in general, in the slow corners, in the fast corners, in the mid corners, but mostly this is for the twisties, slow corners, hairpins, you’re going to be a really fast racing driver, and you’re gonna win a lot of races.

But of course, it’s a skill you have to develop. And you know what, speed is really closely related to car control. To have car control, you need to develop it. You need to keep trying. You need to keep pushing. You need to keep putting in the track time, and you develop the car control of the racing driver that’s going to stay with you forever.

The speed sensing, you know, carrying the speed is a speed sensing, but it’s related to car control. It’s all kind of skills that you need to develop early on in your career, and you will just keep pushing. This doesn’t have to be something you should really think about when you drive. It’s just gonna go back in the back of your mind subconsciously.

But remember that also you do data if you’re like, okay, in the mid corner, I’m too bad. What is the issue? Okay, I don’t have enough rotation.

Is it coming from me? Is it coming from me and the setup, or is it coming only from the setup? All right, maybe there’s always something you can improve by going a bit deeper, but trying to get the rotation with the speed. But if you still do that and the car is not rotating, then you gotta do something on the setup. Remember that?