Would you tighten the diff with a tail-happy driver?

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Would you tighten the diff with a tail-happy driver?

How your racing mindset relates to your differential on the setup sheet
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Hi there

If you’re racing cars at a decent level, then differential settings may well be an item on your setup sheet. Maybe you’re still in karting, where the rear axle is fixed or you’re in the junior formulae where adjusting the differential is not an option?

If you’re not sure what the diff is and how it can tune your car’s balance then feel free to call me on +44 (0) 7737 655 912 and I’ll take the time to explain it to you. No cost, no problem.

So whether you can adjust the diff on your car or not and whether you fully understand what it can do for you, you now know for sure the diff is potentially an important setup device you can use to your advantage.

One area you can get the diff to help you is on corner entry. If your diff is set ‘loose’ on the over-run side, ie the side that affects corner entry rather than corner exit, then your driving style better be smooth and controlled else you may find yourself pointing the wrong way down the track.

Equally, if you’re last of the late-brakers, ‘tail-happy’ and carry a lot of brake pressure and car speed in towards the mid-corner, perhaps with more violent steering applications, then you may well need your diff set up the other way, ie ‘tight’. (Of course, the real solution depends on aero balance, brake balance, balance of tyre grip, etc, but the basic principle remains.)

So sometimes with the diff, the natural style of the driver both causes you and allows you to set the diff up in a compensating and opposing way.

So what the hell has this got to do with your racing mindset?

As a racing driver, you will have a natural style of thinking, feeling and acting, ie you will have a certain mindset ‘template’ that is natural for you when competing. (Did you know you can measure this? Contact me and I’ll send you some examples.)

Depending on what this natural racing mindset is, determines what you should do to maximise your chances of being on the limit more often and increasing your overall performance. ie As for the diff, you need to take account of your natural competitive style before you set things up for best performance.

* The Mindset for Racing Finish Line *

To maximise performance (which is why you’re signed up for Mindset for Racing, isn’t it?) you need to know what your competitive mindset is and THEN you need to BE PREPARED TO SOMETHING VASTLY DIFFERENT to get the gain you’re after. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.

eg If you’re structured, well planned and methodical, you need to act before you are ready on occasion, going outside your comfort zone and accepting a higher chance of failure. Conversely, if you’re far more gun-ho and impulsive, you need to lay down some structure and specific monitoring methods that keep your actions more focussed.

Remember, if you want to be sent some examples of the measurements of competitive mindset, then email me and I’ll email them back by return.

You know what the top guys do and what you should be doing, don’t you?


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Next Edition – Four ways to choose how you react to a situation

When something happens in your race team, how much choice do you really have?
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Enjoy your racing and never give up.

Regards

Mike

Mike Garth
Helping karters and racing drivers perform better
+44 (0) 7737 655 912
www.sun1400.com
Sun1400: Sunday 2pm - Ready to race?

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