One of the greatest thrills one can have on a race track is chasing an equally-matched opponent for laps, biding one’s time, and with style and precision, execute the perfect braking maneuver. When it’s done well, a peer through one’s mirrors will reveal the wide eyes of a bewildered rival who now has to accept the position of second-best. It’s a thrill that’s hard to find elsewhere, and it only comes with patience, a cool head, an understanding of the surface conditions, and total commitment.

Braking is perhaps the last thing a driver learns to do really well, for several reasons. A driver must first acquaint themselves with the nuances of leaving it until the last moment, which takes courage first, but requires more. Pedal pressure, brake release, car positioning, and an appreciation of grip available are foremost among these requirements.

As a general rule, the driver needs to work up gradually to their braking points. Whether they use a track marker or some nuance in the asphalt, they need to assess the amount of grip available by braking fractions later at the same corner, lap after lap, until they can no longer make the corner cleanly.

Generally speaking, a pass requires three components, as according to Simraceway Performance Driving Center’s Chief Instructor and driver of the AERO-Compass Racing Audi in the Continental Challenge series, Nico Rondet. The French-Brazilian racer notes, “A pass takes three elements: a better run from the preceding corner, a bit of drafting, and the braking maneuver. Without these, the pass can still be made but not as well.” Therefore, to make passes stick consistently and stand a chance of finishing the race, a driver must bide their time and learn when the right time to strike is.

Positioning and Playing Chicken

Not only must a driver position themselves properly, but they ought to take some note of the person they’re overtaking, since passing sometimes requires a bit of contrition from the party passed. An attacking driver should only stage a pass if their front wheels are in front of their competitor’s rear wheels before the time they turn in. If a defending driver has not seen the attacking driver through their peripheral vision by the time they turn in, a crash can occur, and the onus is on the attacking driver. Rondet remarks one of the biggest mistakes in braking is “not getting enough alongside of the other car and failing to claim the corner, thereby allowing the other driver to turn in at any point either consciously or simply because he never even saw you.”

Determining the right time to apply the binders is something that takes precision and composure. After popping out of line to try and move in, the two drivers charge and it becomes a game of chicken. The attacking driver must wait until they see their opponent brake through their peripheral vision, and then brake hard just a fraction of a second later, assuming that they haven’t already passed their own latest braking point.

When the turn-in point has arrived, the process gets somewhat more complex. Even if the driver has moved by, they haven’t yet secured a position. As Rondet remarks, “after passing, you can make a mistake when you start turning too early, which in turn lengthens your braking zone as you are shifting grip from braking to turning, which in turn makes you run wide at the apex.” A driver must resist the urge to bail mid-way and get the brunt of their braking done before changing direction.

Additionally, it takes a little respect from the overtaken to really make passes stick over the course of a season. To improve the chances of being seen, one should try to avoid “setting up too far inside, out of sight of the other driver. This is worse in modern cars, where we sit lower, and thick cage tubing, A-pillars, nets and seats with helmet bolsters obscure our vision. Staging a passing attempt closer is better and safer for both drivers,” states Rondet.

Making it Stick

The process isn’t necessarily over if the attacking driver makes it past and hasn’t collided with their rival. Though it depends on the shape of the corner, the attacking driver must be careful not to miss the entry and run wide, since their opponent driver can counterattack and dive down the inside if they’re able to see this coming. The way to ensure the pass sticks is with a quick brake release and an almost-unnoticeable delay on the throttle. This allows the attacking driver to hover at the apex, which typically forces the driver behind to lift and lose their momentum. Harder said than done, but it’s an almost unnoticeable tactic that can help secure that desired piece of real estate in a close fight.

One thing to keep in mind is the idea that merely braking late is not a great way to approach an overtake. Braking late is just as important as being in the right place in the right time and carrying speed through the corner. In other words, the king of the late brakers isn’t all that effective if they miss their marks once the brakes have been released and the cornering phase begins.

Finding the Limit

The way to ensure the pass sticks is with a quick brake release and an almost-unnoticeable delay on the throttle. This allows the attacking driver to hover at the apex, which typically forces the driver behind to lift and lose their momentum.

Ascertaining the amount of grip available is crucial. Assuming an outbraking maneuver is done on the inside on an opponent, the attacking driver needs to understand that there is generally less grip available off-line. Rubber buildup which is thrown from the tire usually occupies this portion of the track, and a lack of regular running upon this bit of road means it isn’t as clean.

Throw in some dirt or sand, and very quickly an attacking driver staging an attempt will find they don’t have enough grip to slow down well enough to make the corner, let alone put themselves in a commanding position. So when using the less-traveled portion of the track to charge, keep in mind that sometimes an opponent on-line will have more grip and can brake later and carry more entry speed. If a driver asks too much of their tires on the dirty part of the track, a lockup or a spin is likely.

When the brakes are locked, the car’s rear end starts to slither and the apt driver will use a combination of steering correction and brake modulation to keep the car from spinning. Also called cadence braking, this technique entails a pulsation of the brake pedal to unlock the tires, allow them to begin rolling again, and then re-applying brake pressure to slow down. It takes a good deal of feel and instinct to make this work while driving door-to-door, but with practice, it can be done.

All in all, braking takes an odd mixture of guts, precision, and patience. If there’s enough grip available, and the overtaking driver senses a chance to strike, they must do so confidently. However, confidence must be tempered with sensitivity and precision. Otherwise, the two cars can easily touch, and that can spell trouble for tires, suspension, and the drivers themselves. It’s never a matter of sheer guts – nothing in racing is – but rather a process that challenges the driver in so many ways, and the reason why an exceptional bit of outbraking gets fans to jump out of their seats, and the overtaken to take off their hat.