I seem to be in a rhythm of how to's today:
Defending
One of the most important skills we have to learn as a racing driver is how to not loose a position. A driver who is good at holding their opposition back can keep a much faster driver behind them for a whole race.
When to Fight?
One of the first things to consider when a faster driver comes up behind you is whether it is worth fighting. If there isn't much of the race left then obviously this is a no-brainer, but when there is a lot of race time left it is worth considering a few important points.
Will fighting to keep hold of this position amount to nothing? If you do not believe you can hold the driver back for the rest of the race then there is no point loosing time to them, let them go when they make a good move and worry about racing drivers closer to your own speed.
Will the time lost ultimately loose you more positions? In a race with pit strategy it might be worth letting a faster driver past so that you can race somebody on a different pit strategy or who's pit stop is out of sync with your own.
Once you've decided to fight there are quite a few things you can do to keep hold of your position.
Understand What is Allowed
Before you head off blocking every car on the track it is important to understand what is permissable on the track.
In most racing formula you are allowed to move off-line once down a straight to 'block'. You can then return to your normal line, and often you can use this as a second blocking maneuvre. Check the rules of your series and make sure you know what is allowed and what isn't.
Some slower tin top formulas permit some degree of contact. Generally speaking contact should be avoided, but make sure you know what degree of contact you are permitted so that you can use it to your advantage when necessary.
Take Control
You might not have released it, but your desicion to attempt an overtake at a given point of the circuit, or on a given side, might have been decided several corners before by the guy you where trying to pass!
One of the greatest skills of a racing driver is knowing when not to drive fast! Let's return to this concept in a moment.
Understand Your Weekness
No matter how fast you are there is always someone who is faster, if not over a lap, then on a certain point on the circuit. Try to analyse where the driver you are battling with is likely to overtake, knowing where you are prone to being overtaken can be used to your advantage if you identify it early enough.
Some tracks have natural overtaking places, you should identify these parts of the circuit so that you can use this knowledge to your advantage.
Always be thinking at least several corners ahead, moves are not executed neatly between two corners, they often build up over half a lap or more.
Control - Giving Bait Method 1
Once you have identified where the driver you are battling with is likely to pass you can completely ruin it for them by being slow enough before you get to it that their plan is foiled.
One way to do this is to be slow off the corner before you think you will be overtaken, you should use this technique when the driver is right behind you and likely to be in your slipstream on corner exit. By holding off on the throttle at the apex you can cause the driver behind to lift off and loose their attacking mommentum.
Note: You should >>NEVER<< apply braking unecessarily in the middle of a corner, this is called brake testing and is against racing rules, but nothing forbids you from braking just ever so slightly longer than you would normally - maybe just enough to keep the brake lights on.
Control - Giving Bait Method 2
If you have identified a danger area early enough you can encourage the driver behind to make a much weaker passing attempt elsewhere on the circuit. What you're planning to do is present an opportunity that is not going to work, giving them half a chance - or atleast the belief of half a chance - and in so doing causing them to be out of an attacking position in your danger area.
The driver who has 'control' of the tussle for position will use their psychological advantage to position the other car exactly where they want. Racing isn't just about you and the black stuff, it's about canniving manipulation of other race cars.
The Switchback
At the very least you should use your "block" move to decide whether you are going to have the inside or the outside line for a corner, but surely the inside is always better right?
Well no, sometimes you have to concede that despite all your dirty tricks they've got you and you've lost the position. That's no reason to be downhearted though, this is where the switchback comes in!
They've got mommentum on you, they're in your slipstream, the only control you have over the situation is what side of the track they are going to pass you on. Choose the outside.
Your mission here is not to out-brake them, let them do the late breaking. You want to break a little earlier, your mission is to sneak your car around behind them to take their side of the circuit on corner exit.
Do give your rival enough room, but enough room is exactly 1.01 car widths and no more than that.
This is particularly effective when the following corner is in the same direction and can be used as a baiting method aswell, but ideally you'll have breaked early enough to get on the power sooner and out-accelerate them out of the bend.
Caution: A skilled driver may spot the switchback coming and 'hold' their car on the apex and block your turn in. If they suceed in this you've lost the position, if this occurs your best bet is to try and race them around the outside.
The Squeeze
Invariably we refer to two cars overtaking as 'on the inside' and 'on the outside'. There's no reason to assume either of these are the normal racing line though!
If on the outside position your car to increase your competitors angle of attack for the corner, the sharper they have to turn the slower they must be travelling in order to get around the bend, meaning they'll either have to brake early and back out of the attack, or they'll overshoot and you can easily switchback them.
If on the inside go past the normal turn in point, in real racing I sometimes turn and wave doing this as it really winds them up. Meenwhile take the corner in your own good time safe in the knowledge they wont be passing you on the next corner either. Do make sure you give them enough road still, you actually only need to run a little past the apex to achieve all you need to do.
The Block
Yep, all the way down here. It's probably the move I use the least yet novices use this as their primary means of defence - mostly in total futility. One of the big problems with blocking is that it usually doesnt change the speed differential between the cars, so the faster car will invariably just move over and carry on overtaking.
Blocking is not a very effective method of defence, unless it is timed just right. It's mostly only useful on short straights where there isnt time to counter the blocking move. The goal is to cause your attacker to back out of the attack.
It's very hard to time a block correctly and ideally it should not be attempted without some experience under your belt, your aim is - with one move - to make your attacker reconsider the overtake. Your looking to cut in close infront of them and cause them to ease off the throttle.
If the overtaking car does not get off the throttle then the block is wasted, they'll move over and you can return to your line and if you are lucky get a second block out of that, after which you are defenceless.
Contact when blocking is never the attacking cars fault, do consider this. You actually have a little more margin to play with here than you might think, your not giving them an 'oh smeg' moment, you are aiming to cause them to lift off and loose their momentum before you run out of blocks.
Be Inventive & Unpredictable
A predictable driver is easy to pass. You dont want to be erratic, that's just outright dangerous, but do sidestep out of the hotlap rhythm. Use alternative lines on some corners and generally mix things up a bit.
Above all remember that you are not a sitting duck, a clever defender can take total control of a faster but less astute racer and decide exactly what line the other car takes - you can literally drive two cars at once!
In closing just remember to have respect for your fellow competitor, give them enough room and enjoy the fight whether you win or loose.
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