Slalom Logic

[Loren]

(sort of like Pretzel Logic, only different)

Since we're going to be focusing on slaloms with a practice slalom and a course that is very "slalomy" at the March 29 Classic event, I thought maybe we should talk about slaloms a little bit.

I was thinking yesterday while discussing the particularly troublesome slalom at the beginning of the March 15 course... the way us autocross veterans talk about slaloms could be really confusing to the less-experienced. I'm going to start by trying to explain.

First off, the key to driving any slalom fast (and coincidentally, almost any turn, and almost any entire COURSE) is simply to late apex each cone. Imagine that if your rear tire was going to brush the base of each cone in passing (which is what you should ultimately strive for), the part of the cone that it would brush would be the back corner, not the front corner. You might hear this referred to as "attacking the back". To accomplish this, you need to turn a lot earlier than your instincts might tell you. Just remember, your goal isn't to turn just in time to "barely miss" that cone with the front of the car. Your goal is to turn early enough that you're passing that cone AFTER you've turned. Your steering input should be nearly straight, and on the way to turning for the NEXT cone as you pass a slalom cone.

Now, let's talk about those confusing terms that I mentioned...

EARLY - This refers to your steering inputs. If you're making them "early", your inputs are probably going to get you that late apex that you want, and you'll find the rythm of the slalom, and all will be well.

TOO EARLY - This is possible, but doesn't often happen in a slalom. It's usually something that can happen in a broader sequence of turns. It means that you flat out turned too early and/or too much, and either puts you at risk for hitting the slalom cone (or apex cone) ahead of you OR throws you off-line for the next slalom cone (or course element).

LATE - The opposite of EARLY! Your steering inputs are too late or too sluggish. The result of this is that you end up fighting just to avoid hitting the slalom cones. (or other course elements) You'll often hear me tell people that "You need to drive the course, don't let the course drive you." This is what I'm talking about. If you're "late", you're just struggling to keep up with the entire course. You're not driving it, it's driving you!

TOO LATE - Terminal lateness. You're either gonna hit some cones, or get so wrapped up in trying not to that you end up lifting/braking while making a hard steering input and spinning the car. (we've all been there)

AHEAD - Essentially the same thing as being "early". If your inputs are made early enough, you stay ahead of the slalom/course. To accomplish this, you have to project your MIND even further ahead than your inputs. You need to be LOOKING way ahead, and THINKING ahead. Doing so, you'll be able to make your steering inputs early enough to be "ahead".

BEHIND - Obviously, the opposite of AHEAD, and equivalent to being LATE. This is by far the easiest thing to do on any slalom or autocross course. It's easy to be behind. It's easy to let yourself get distracted for a tenth of a second and GET behind! And once you are behind, it can be very hard to "catch up". In most slaloms, getting "behind" is a situation that just gets progressively worse throughout the slalom. (and, again, this can apply to large sections of a course, and sometimes an entire course... not JUST a slalom) So, if you're behind at the beginning of a slalom, your run is pretty much screwed. About the only thing you can do to fix it is to SLOW DOWN and try to get "ahead" and then carry on. Ever wonder why so many people hit the 2nd or 3rd cone in a slalom? Now you know. Behind... more behind... whack!

So, the next time you hear people talking and saying that "you need to be earlier, you're too far behind", maybe you'll understand what they're saying!

[Loren]

So, the next time you hear people talking and saying that "you need to be earlier, you're too far behind", maybe you'll understand what they're saying!

I just remembered the biggest potentially confusing thing that we tend to say. We'll tell you that you need to "late apex" the slalom cones. Then we'll tell you that "you're too late". Hopefully, the info in the first post of this thread will clear that up.

When we say "you're too late", we're talking about timing. We mean YOU, your inputs, the point at which you started turning... it's too late.

When we say "late apex", we're not talking about time, we're talking about position. The angle that your car is at when it passes the apex of the turn.

The two ideas are intertwined. If "you're too late" with your inputs, it will inevitably put you in the position of "early apexing" your slalom cones. But, you need to understand what people are saying when they say "too late". Are they saying your inputs are too late, or are they saying that your apex is too late? If you're not sure, ask for clarification!

[Native]

A picture is worth a 1000 words... (well, maybe about 250 words...I'm not a good artist)

slalom line.jpg (67.14 KiB) Viewed 622 times

[Loren]

I was gonna do a visual aid, but just hadn't made time to do it yet. (perhaps I should have? )

[Inspecta]

This is great information, thank you for sharing knowledge.


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[Solar]

I was gonna do a visual aid, but just hadn't made time to do it yet. (perhaps I should have? )