Let's Talk About The Value Of Consistent Sets Laps Versus One Or Two Fliers

Now this may seem obvious but I've been thinking about the value of consistent laps for a while now and no one seems to talk about it much. 

I've noticed it's often possible for a particular driver / car to put in the odd flier during a session or race but then the other laps usually fall off.

So as an example I'll use the approach I took on my vintage MX bike (76 YZ125); the brakes were only good for two flier laps before fading and as a rider I wasn't able to do a full moto flat out (I could manage 10-12 minutes). So I'd run the first two laps flat out then 95% for two laps and then flat out again for two laps (6 lap races).  This turned out to be faster overall than attempting a pace (I tried both)

In the Datsun I can manage to run flat out for an 8 lap vintage race. The two places were I gain time are the opening lap and laps 6-7.

The opening lap is purely down to I'm still an active autocrosser and I'm used to pushing cold tires were others are not. 

I've talked to a couple of people I've run down in the last 1/4 of a race and it seems to come down to being tired / losing focus and making a mistake. We've discussed notching their pace down a few tenths versus going 1-2 seconds slower (or spinning) on lap 6 & 7 due to losing focus / being tired. If they were pro's they'd work on fitness and do lots of Sim work to help their focus but realistically that's not going to happen. 

One of the people I've discussed this with has indeed found that by working to that ever so slightly slower lap, they're able to maintain a faster set of laps and finish 5-6 seconds further up the road.

Just curious about other people's experiences.

We did an early version of Time Attack (hands up if you remember the Open Track Challenge!) with a couple of pro drivers. One was an endurance specialist, the other was a sprint driver.

The endurance driver would put down the same lap time every lap, regardless of traffic. He could manage the other cars and just keep pounding around, hitting his marks. 

The sprint driver would nail one or two fast ones after managing a gap, then take a few slow laps to cool the car and gather himself. Obviously, this worked very well for Time Attack/ qualifying style driving. The endurance driver would have been great for testing purposes but just wasn't suited to what we were trying to do.

I know that's not quite what you were looking to discuss but I always thought it was really interesting.

To take it ever further if you try and run at 98 percent for a whole lap. No drama being smooth etc. the odds are you will run your fastest lap and you can run consistent fast laps like that .  The down side to this is fast is generally boring. Drama when driving on track usually results in slower lap times.  Effectively you are slowing things down to the speed that you can absorb information and act on it resulting in speed. 

Only the best of the best can go 10/10ths consistently and smoothly and when needed pull out a flyer at 11/10ths. AKA qualifying. 

When you meet someone like this it is always amazing to watch them.  The few I have met they don't even realize that what they do naturally is something that others only dream of being able to do. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I remember the OTC. :)

It's interesting that most drivers (developing ones anyway) can't put down the flyer laps when they want to.  If they do a session of 12 laps, one or two will certainly be faster than the others... but they can't do it on demand.  Often the opposite occurs, the harder the push the slower the lap times are.  I think consistency is the hallmark of an experienced driver, and the ability to dial up a fast lap on command is a skill that few possess.  I'm at the point in my development that I can do longer sessions and my laps will mostly be within 0.5s of each other, I've worked pretty hard to get to that point.

My E30, even with 200 hp, is a momentum car, especially compared to modern stuff. I've found, using the typical lap timer phone apps, I run +- maybe a half second on a minute and a half lap after the first couple where I'm intentionally short shifting to get everything up to temp. Of course, this is not racing, this is A/B class track day kind of stuff. I suck at time trial sprint stuff, but for me, endurance is where it's at.

@Tom1200 interesting that you bring up dirt bike stuff - I race harescrambles, enduros, desert, etc at an A class level. At the Mint 400 on the 990, I was on the bike for 6 hours and 3 laps - lap 1 was a 2:05, lap 2 was like a 2:09, and lap 3 was a 2:07. Same thing happens locally; usually by buddies run away at the start, but maybe a half hour before the end of the race, I catch them and get by. Unless I go down really bad or hit a bottleneck, on our local ~18-25 minute per lap courses, my lap times are usually all within about a minute of each other.

It is funny because while I see great value in it, I've actually realized it is a problem to start consistently. There is real value in sending it on that first lap and putting in a heater right off the bat. If you are out in front, you have less bottlenecks, less dust, less fighting for lines, and at least for the first few laps, if you are leading your row you get to set the pace for your whole class. I've got a buddy who races AA who pulls the holeshot and then rides a good but not crazy pace, and rides the world's widest bike. The guys behind him are all seeing red and wear themselves out, pick stupid lines trying to get by, crash, etc, and he just settles in and clicks off laps, and has a bunch of energy to push at the end if he has to. Another guy in the class figured it out last year and now they usually try to go 1-2 out the gate and both of them put up a roadblock. It's pretty darn hilarious to see.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Actually it's ties into what I wanted to discuss very well; there is that balance between an absolute flyer and a sustainable pace for X number of laps. 

In reply to Tom1200 :

Are you talking about laps where things line up just right?   I mean Get a pull down the straight and yet they are out of your way in the corners?   
  With my MG that made a world of difference in my lap times.  Sometimes many seconds. 
  With the Black Jack it was much more rare because the small narrow aero body. The body went 174mph down the Mulsane straight at LeMans in 1954 with only 250 hp). I  needed a really snarfy Big block something  just to stay with me  once over 100 mph.     
        
Or Are you talking about the driver making the difference?   I actually think when I really tried.   I slowed down.  The fastest laps were ones that felt bog  slow to me.  When I really got up on the wheel and pushed the edge of traction, Braking, & line were just slower. 
     

In reply to dean1484 :

Having raced & tracked the Datsun for 30 years I'm able to drive it 11/10ths for every inch of every lap I choose to.

In the Formula 500 at a vintage race  last year of  all of my laps were pretty consistent but there was one lap in practice that was 1.5 seconds faster than all the rest.  I think I managed to get a tow from a couple of cars down the two longest straightaways but I am not sure.  Nine months later it's still bugging the hell out of me. The fact that it bugs me might explain why I consistently manage my best laps............I try to keep my head down the whole time.

What got me thinking about this topic is several years ago a friend mentioned to my son that he could keep up with me for a couple of laps but after that he'd started getting choppy & less smooth and start putting to much heat in the tires at which point I'd start pulling further and further ahead.

What really got me thinking about this was watching an Indy broadcast 20-25 years ago; a comment was made by one of the announcers about a driver just consistently chipping away at the lap and because of that, steadily moving up. That really got me in the mindset of steadily digging every lap.

In reply to gearheadE30 :

My hats off to you; I'm in no shape to ride a 6 hour Desert race.

As for the banzai opener that's more of a strategy thing then necessarily consistent laps. I do this with the Datsun at vintage races, I usually pass 4-5 faster cars on the opening lap, this gives me a gap to the cars I'm actually going to be racing with and fits in with what your friend is doing.

With the F500 I'm the only one in the class (there are only 3 of us vintage racing these in the entire country) and I'm the slowest class of car in the group. So the F500 is a case chipping away at it gets me a finish a couple of spots higher than I qualified.

I think it's somewhat about pacing yourself. If you push too hard you slow yourself down by not being smooth. In 2016 at the Runoffs I had consistent laps close in time with my last 4 @.4 off fast lap, .2 off, fast lap and last lap .002 off. I was closing on the car ahead and really concentrating on fast and smooth.

I agree with you about the opening lap.   It's amazing how few drivers really have put a strategy together about how to start a lap.  Most of the time it has little to do with the flag.  If you see or even sense someone in your row going. You are already too late. Especially on the front row.  If I'm # 2 I will be a few feet ahead. Not a full fender, usually you can't get away with that but you can accelerating as he's about to drop the flag. Usually the starters eye is down track with the corner of one eye on the lead.   
   If in the lead. Slow the pack down just before the last corner and slowly accelerate just enough to cross the start/Finish line at your peak torque. I like to start in a lower gear like 2nd. Because those with more powerful engines tend to smoke the tires instead of leap forward.   
   Now if you want them to back off, just focus on putting smooth laps together. That just encourages them to overdrive and then you walk away. 

In reply to frenchyd :

The opening lap is easy to cure. I do track and practice days with the Datsun; by the second session of the day there is enough heat in the car that you don't need to spend 3/4 of a lap warming it up. I'm on it the instant I leave the pit lane.

Don49 (Forum Supporter) said:

I think it's somewhat about pacing yourself. If you push too hard you slow yourself down by not being smooth. In 2016 at the Runoffs I had consistent laps close in time with my last 4 @.4 off fast lap, .2 off, fast lap and last lap .002 off. I was closing on the car ahead and really concentrating on fast and smooth.

Most definitely.

My Datsun is a bit of an anomaly in that to get that most out of it you have to drive it in a manner that most people would consider over driving. You still have to be smooth but there is a lot of sawing at the wheel, nevertheless your statement still applies.

The F500 is exactly what you describe.

In my very first SCCA driving school, I did my best just to run clean, consistent laps. I was in a Spec Racer and running behind a formula car--pretty sure it was a Vee.

Anyway, I knew I couldn't pass on speed or skill, so I figured I'd just run those consistent laps--at least always be there in their mirrors.

Well, eventually, partway through our session, they spun. 

I was in a kart race a few years back (rental karts, so it was just "jump in and go!"). I was in second and was sporting about a 50 lb weight penalty on the guy who was leading. He had about 40' of lead on me and I could keep up but not close. So every time we got to the hairpin and would pass each other going opposite ways, I'd look at him and point. After about three laps, his head exploded from this and he spun :) It helped that he was a coworker who I knew was subject to mind games.

I used to be very consistent with my lower power cars and I still am in karts. Less so with the V8 Miata on a kart track but that's usually because I'm poking at it to see how it reacts to things. When we're doing testing, I have to be able to hit certain marks consistently which is good practice - maintaining transmission temperatures is a fun challenge.

In Lemons racing I run for 1.5-2 hours at a time.   One time there was radio silence for about an hour, who knows what the team was up to.  

Radio- HEY TONAAAAY, how are you doing?  It sort of felt like waking up from a nap, I had been running for about 45 minutes super consistent with better than average lap times while managing traffic.  Went into a deep Zone without trying, I do remember yoga breathing.  

When I try for a flier it usually ands up faster than average but not a best lap.  My best laps are usually middle to the end of a session, Lemons or HPDE.

I don't have any W2W experience outside of karts, but in autocross, karts, and sim racing I tend to run extremely consistent laps.

Which is awesome except when you're consistently posting mid-pack times.  I have difficulty finding those flyer laps, and during most attempts I usually end up overdriving and costing myself time.

Track days in the E36 M3 - they're all attempted fliers to hang with modern HPDE traffic.  In a 20 minute session, the M3 can pretty much go flag-flag without cooking tires, brakes, or the driver. Kinda sucks that it can't do 3 sessions without a top off or backing off for fuel starvation, though.

Endurance racing - take 10 or so laps to figure out what pace the tires can maintain if I'm in the middle of the rotation, then throw in a flier or two just for the after-party discussions.  Starting or finishing a race when there is a lot of red mist or fatigue, I try to stay out of other people's accidents and push to find a gap where I can put in consistent times.

In a 2 hour stint, I'm "on" for the first 45 minutes and last 15.  The middle hour is just clicking off laps and staying out of trouble.  

A true flier is a thing of beauty.  If there is such thing as a perfect lap, I've yet to find it.

I always ran withing 1 second of my fastest qualifying lap (in races that made you run qualifying for starting position).

The risk of 'falling off' the track was probably  doubled within the range of that second.  You ran as fast as you could without losing it. During the race, you ran as slow as you could and still maintain your class position - no points and  lot of potential dollar signs in trying to beat a car two classes up from you when that wouldn't get you any more points.

Back in 1989 or so I was at a test and tune day on a Thursday there was an event on the upcoming Saturday.  I was running laps and there was a guy there that obviously had never been on track.  My friend had been talking to him in the pits and when I came in he asked me if I could run some slow laps so he could follow and get the lines for the track.  I obviously was thrilled to do it.  We went out and I was just running slow and steady without any drama laps. Not pushing it into or out of corners at all.  I was not really paying attention but after a couple of laps, I realized that the guy was no longer behind me.  I came in and my friend comes up to the window and asked me what I was doing and I could tell he was a bit annoyed with me.  I was a bit puzzled and asked what he was talking about.  He then told me that he has a stopwatch on me and I had just run y fastest laps of the day and completely left the guy following me.  This was a big learning moment for me early on in my on-track adventures.  It really hammered home smooth and no drama is fast.    I explained and apologized to the guy.

I went out again with the guy following and this time I was careful to keep him in my mirrors.

In reply to dean1484 :

I learned this when Grattan got damp, almost enough for wipers.  Driving smooth and steady focusing on available traction netted my about a .5 second slower time than my previous dry time.

My first drivers school with the BMWCCA in my E30 M3, my coach had an identical car.  My ride along with him driving was on a wet track, he was so fast and smooth.  At the end of the weekend I could pull the same rpm out of some corners but never got close to his lap times.

An observation, my flier laps are about 1 second faster than average.  Flier laps are never the ones where I hit a new top speed on the back straight, hit the double apex just right or nailed that braking zone.  It is always the lap that felt uneventful.

Tom1200 said:

In reply to frenchyd :

The opening lap is easy to cure. I do track and practice days with the Datsun; by the second session of the day there is enough heat in the car that you don't need to spend 3/4 of a lap warming it up. I'm on it the instant I leave the pit lane.

Oops I didn't make myself clear. I was talking about before the green flag.  The actual "Start" of the race. 
   I should have also talked about starting mid pack or further back.  It really depends on the time I have on the pre-grid.   If I can I'll talk to whoever is in front of me. Ask him which side he'd like me to pass him on.  Yes it's a bit a psych but it's also a way of telling me what kind of driver he's going to be.  If he says inside  and then consistently crowds the other driver, well, at least I know I can't trust him.   Same if he's wide and he's said outside.

I'll watch his eyes  in the mirror. If he's focused on the starter which ever side he's giving me I'll be half way past him accelerating hard before the green flag moves.  If he's watching the leaders I'll make my move when they do.   
     I'll temper that with knowledge of the cars around him.  Hard accelerating cars ahead of him will give me plenty of room but if it's a Lotus ahead of a Corvette I know  the Lotus's speed comes in the corners not on the straight and I'll be ready in case there is suddenly more cars than race track. 
      I don't try to be a chess player at the start. Try to figure out the whole fields moves.  A lot more of a checker player at least until the moment everybody is settle down and looking around. That's when the chess moves begin.  The Elva's an early apexer the Healey's on his brakes early. The Corvette is a wanna be drag racer. The Mustang has poor judgement and isn't consistent. He's easy. I use him to tow me down the straight past the Healey and then move to the Mustang's  inside effectively blocking  the Corvette. 

In reply to frenchyd :

My point was,  one can practice race starts and so it's an easy fix.  

I generally run pretty close to my edge, so when i try to pick up the pace, it all goes to hell, and I'm dropping wheels and cooking tires.  The trick is to stay aware of how close to my edge I'm running.  It's part of why I'm so impressed with real race car guys that run 200 laps, or two hours, and don't lose pace and focus.  150 laps in a short track stock car, it's awfully easy to have your mind wander...