Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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JimClarkFan
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Joined: 18 Mar 2012, 23:31

Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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I am not sure he is talking about a late Apex either.

I think I can see what RW means now based on Timbos drawing.

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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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SectorOne wrote:Rob Wilson summarizes the drivers,
http://www.autox.in/feature/report-card-formula-one/

Some interesting comments regarding driving styles, some known, some unknown, to me at least.
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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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An excerpt from the latest F1 Racing magazine, as written by Peter Windsor.
Peter D. Windsor wrote:At this point I defer to some notes I made when I was sitting in the back of a road car at Bruntingthorpe, not so long ago. Rob Wilson, the F3 winner and driver-coach, was in the passenger seat, and behind the wheel sat a current F1 driver. My notes went as follows:

"Gently apply the brakes for the briefest moment before applying real pressure. Brake to the slowest point of the corner, not the entry. This way you avoid surprising the car and it will stop in a shorter distance. Ease off the braking by a tenth in the last tenth of the braking zone. Tease the steering wheel slightly so that the car can begin its turn. Then apply additional lock. Little turn, big turn. Apply more lock mid-corner. Sharpen the end of the turn so you can set yourself up to flatten the car and drive diagonally to the exit. To take an edge off the turn, it may be better to reduce the braking or apply a little throttle rather than suddenly reduce the lock. Making the corner 'shorter' is better than going for the highest minimum speed. The more available power, the sharper your mid-corner turn."
A very specific explanation to shortening the corner. Thoughts?
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gold333
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Joined: 16 May 2011, 02:59

Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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This shortening the corner was something that commentators noticed back in the day with Senna on onboards. They called it the "apex flick".

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCuP_umhVA[/youtube]

Apologies if this has been posted before, but its around the 01:00 mark.


As for to the "flat spot", this means even if for the shortest amount of time you can accelerate with 4 wheels straight, do it. Even if it compromises your ideal cornering line somewhat.

A perfect example is the old Mexico track (circa 1991), a perfect sequence of 1st-3rd gear esses (T6-8, T9-11) where you accelerate throughout (Suzuka would be too fast).

Image

Wilson is saying, however unnatural it feels, even for the shortest amount of time, accelerate with all fours straight, even compromising the ideal, wide in wide out. Realistically your talking a length of time that is on the order of a tenth, when "flat". (I'd have called it a "straight" spot but it's irrelevant).

The trick is, and the differentiating factor in car control, is how long you can make the "flat" bit, without losing the line completely.
F1 car width now 2.0m (same as 1993-1997). Lets go crazy and bring the 2.2m cars back (<1992).

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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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The Senna apex flick is quite a different thing to Rob Wilson's short corners. In episode 1 of the flying lap Rob Wilson specifically calls Senna a "long corner" driver.

The flatspot bit, that is what he means, yes. But the question is whether or not there is real efficacy to that mode of driving.
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gold333
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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raymondu999 wrote:The Senna apex flick is quite a different thing to Rob Wilson's short corners. In episode 1 of the flying lap Rob Wilson specifically calls Senna a "long corner" driver.

The flatspot bit, that is what he means, yes. But the question is whether or not there is real efficacy to that mode of driving.
He's been known to contradict himself before, and also Senna did not do it at every corner. But the apex flick looks exactly as a "shortening the corner" move, applied to some corners by Senna but not all as the commentator says.

@autogyro: Yeah, I loved to watch the old drivers on manual onboards. Prost downshifting in 2's and double declutching, Schumacher just ramming in the gear he needed with a huge H&T, Senna always neatly going through the whole box with huge overrevs and double clutches.

As opposed to all the button presses now. Those were the days indeed. Thats why I love the race of champions every year, with Vettel, Schumacher, Prost, Loeb racing each other in manual cars.
F1 car width now 2.0m (same as 1993-1997). Lets go crazy and bring the 2.2m cars back (<1992).

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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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As the consensus we reached a few pages earlier - Rob Wilson tells you to shorten the corner "before what you would normally call the apex" - not ON the apex
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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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In the McLaren one, Rob explains his "corner shortening"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT4_IRGzDjY‎[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et2LX_i33nk‎[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXNqxgfA5jQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTm5LGzwHBA[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uFCGd37bHo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lV6eV5EGyE[/youtube]
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bonjon1979
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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He really can't cope with any suggestion that Kimi might not be the faster thing out there!

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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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It almost leads me to believe that Kimi is the only top f1 driver he has ever trained - so Kimi's the only one on his "home team" so to speak.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDRdMzLt9_0[/youtube]
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raymondu999
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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dougskullery
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Joined: 16 Oct 2009, 13:09

Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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bonjon1979 wrote:He really can't cope with any suggestion that Kimi might not be the faster thing out there!
Which is ironic. He often talks about the first test he gives new drivers: have them set a lap in a mediocre car, then to go out and beat their time in identical equipment to show that they aren't as fast as they think. Only two drivers ever matched him (or better): Kimi, who did exactly the same lap as Rob, and Lewis, who immediately went faster than him.

Rob still talks about Kimi as the fastest driver on the planet, but he's always more reserved when he talks about Lewis. Strange.

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Gridlock
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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I think Lewis has what you might term "raw speed" but the calculating, mathematical, tactical driving that eg Vettel excels at may elude him. It may not be polite to compare 'intelligence' but....

And nothing says "listen to me" to a racing driver like setting a faster time than him :D
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Dyanxx
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Joined: 04 Feb 2013, 00:31

Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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Gridlock wrote:I think Lewis has what you might term "raw speed" but the calculating, mathematical, tactical driving that eg Vettel excels at may elude him. It may not be polite to compare 'intelligence' but....

And nothing says "listen to me" to a racing driver like setting a faster time than him :D
Vettel? he's definitely not the driver I would think of when it comes to calculated, tactical driving..

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Gridlock
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Re: Rob Wilson - driver coach?

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Dyanxx wrote: Vettel? he's definitely not the driver I would think of when it comes to calculated, tactical driving..
Then I don't think you've been paying attention (no offence intended) - it's masked by the car but IMO he's more like the Professor than many would admit. Not saying he's the best tactician driving right now, but it's in him.

It's also hard to have an objective discussion about Vettel on an English-language forum - 7% of Sky's viewers think he's going to win the WDC this year, he's at 4:1 on oddschecker...
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