The Ultimate Guide to Braking on Track

You can win or lose lots of lap time during the braking phase, as well as adjust the balance of your car on corner entry. Today’s article takes an in-depth look at how to improve your braking on track, including:
- Types of braking systems (traditional and ABS)
- A pro’s brake pressure data trace
- How to brake without ABS
- How to brake with ABS
- Braking for fast and slow corners
- Common mistakes when braking on track
- An intro to advanced braking techniques
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This video is part of a Driver61's "Driver's University" series. Got an aspect of racing you'd like me to explain? Ask in the comments!
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#DriversUni #Tutorial6 #UltimateGuideToBraking

[@zouhairgad]

The guy who uses shadow as a braking reference has made my day...

[@MrSilverfish12]

I nearly spat out my tea when I heard that hahaha

[@balintkurucz7245]

@zouhairgad that totally sounds like something I'd do lmao

[@JasonNosajasoNosaj]

Too bad its a moving reference point 😂

[@GrooveSchoolRecs]

​@@JasonNosajasoNosaj constantly moving

[@bongan]

Hey, where did you come from? You just made youtube a hell of alot better in no time! Thank you so much for taking your time with all these great tutorials, and sharing them with us. Keep on being awesome. Greetings from sweden

[@Driver61]

Hi Bongan, thank you very much for your positive feedback! The Driver 61 site have been live for about a year now, but I've been coaching professionally for 14 years. Please help me out by subscribing and sharing! Have a great day, Scott.

[@RacerCurtis]

best racing tutorial on the internet, hands down. keep it up man! real good stuff

[@JuanCLP]

dude this is an amazing channel, and the tutorials are really well done... keep it up bro. Regards from Colombia

[@zaneislandd4650]

Wow this was exactly what i was looking for. Not many "advanced" tips on youtube as all seem to be for beginners or just some non-informative tips which are impossible to use in racing. This was clear breakdown of this topic

[@santijmm]

Thank you a lot for this videos! They have certainly made me a better driver even if I only race on the simulator. Keep it up with the good work!

[@HackMyControlSystem]

Love the telemetry traces. Very helpful when comparing.

[@noname2226]

Been watching ur videos for months now and absolutely love how you go into detail about every aspect of driving

[@jonathankotterink1754]

This channel has helped me and is still helping me become a way better sim racer. Currently i am racing with the F1 2004 Ferrari on the Silverstone GP circuit on Assetto Corsa. I only have 40 hours in the game and i see my lap time getting faster and more consistant. Thank you so much for all your videos!!!

[@hsieh811]

Please do one about brake bias and proportional valve, how to set up a baseline, and adjustment know-how.

[@viniciusnotharangeli5328]

Yes, definetively I'm no the only one amazed with how detailed and awesome these tutorials are. One of my favourite channels for sure. Greetings from Brazil!

[@sHerrera117]

Great videos Scott, thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and taking the time to publish these videos. They’re really helpful and well explained.

[@PedroPanizzon]

Congratulations Mansell, for sharing these high-value tips to motorsport community.

[@remusracingro3884]

Love all this . ❤ I can't wait to put this in practice , only after i watched all your content . Already feel more confident .

[@elstumposimracing7216]

I love these videos, Scott. Thank you so much for providing them. I wonder if this has been asked before, but I thought it would be an added bonus to have some real world examples of corners I'm sure we're all familiar with, where different braking techniques would be used. Thanks again.

[@Driver61]

Hi, yes I'm planning to film these as soon as the season starts again!

[@milanap3547]

This series of driving lessons are more than usefull. Great job !!!

[@Tymonello]

I am so grateful for your lessons!

[@SnowWhiteMR2]

This is seriously good stuff. Thank you for all the great information on your channel.

[@teammax6303]

Who are those people that put 7 dislikes? At least i've found a realy full lessons about driving! Great thanks for your work!!!

[@nevieortega7958]

Scott Mansell you are an incredible person, with brilliant knowledge and articulation. Simple but yet so powerful. Thank you for giving so much of your time so selflessly. Complete admiration and Total Respect. Thank you Scott. Dividends will come back your way a hundred fold. :-)

[@Dai1ylif3]

Real good stuff! Learn a lot from you

[@jonnycsuperplumb765]

Great tech ..really enjoying your channel 👍🏻

[@upsetuloss]

Amazing instructions and overall knowledge. Thanks for the lesson, just subscribed.👌🏾

[@julieredmon1521]

Besides just loving your accent I truly appreciate your series. I find I'm making some of those subtle mistakes that affect my laptimes. I'm going to try hard to focus on these technics and see if I can improve. Thank you for sharing these insights. 👍

[@23iam]

Thanks a lot, great content!

[@Herbao69]

Thanks brother, very much! Cheers from Brasil

[@bigczad9869]

Great tutorial man! I gonna give you a shoutout when I cut in the big leagues. Cheers from Poland man!

[@SuperSomphon]

great stuff. Thanks for this!

[@Driver61]

Glad you're enjoying them! Please check out our other Driver's Uni video and help us out by sharing ;-). Scott.

[@CookRacingUK]

Loving these, thanks!

[@Driver61]

No problem! Please subscribe and share if you enjoyed! Cheers, Scott.

[@TheBustyOnion]

This was awesome! Would love to see more stuff with maybe some examples of you driving paired with it

[@zukacs]

awsome channel and content . bro u got future

[@Driver61]

Thanks, really glad you're enjoying the channel! Cheers, Scott.

[@8skywalker8]

Superb!

[@Driver61]

Thanks for watching! Check out the rest of the Driver's Uni series including how to trail brake (bit.ly/2PypIMK). Find out your driver level by taking our scorecard test: bit.ly/2LmYNBA

[@Xavi-Tenis]

Excellent Coach i will testing these concepts

[@Xavi-Tenis]

Im improve my time, thanks

[@StanFinite]

This is huge. Please, go into more detail if it is still possible! I am thankfull to God that I found your channel. Thank you, mister Scott.

[@ClaytonYatescarenthusiast]

Do you have specific video on trail braking? Btw I love your channel. The fact this information and level of training is free is amazing 👌. I'm sitting lap records for my 6th gen Camaro using training from your videos.

[@Driver61]

Yes we do, search for trail braking.

[@AnthonyDibiaseIdeas]

Thank you.

[@aznntonyy]

Great channel wow

[@hardykornfeld1733]

One additional benefit of easing off the brake pressure after getting most of slowing done is making it easier to judge entry speed since rate of deceleration is less. My only track experience is with motorcycles, but much of what was presented here applies. Racers often fail to reach max brake pressure on entry out of fear of locking the front brake and crashing, but most motorcycles even without ABS are incapable of locking the front at high speed. Shifting balance of the bike forward under braking has the added benefit of changing rake and trail to favor faster steering, which is just what you want when approaching the turn-in point. With practice you can compress the forks with braking pressure, then maintain that compression by trading cornering force for the diminishing braking force. This avoids pogoing the forks in a turn, which is a common rookie mistake. I’m too old to race bikes now, but if I win the lottery I’ll buy a not too fast race car and hire Scott to teach me how to use it.

[@FairladyS130]

The 'braking in a spin' tip is great, slamming on the brakes when the car is heading in the right direction would apply to both when the car is going forwards or backwards I assume.

[@andrewyek]

hii Scott, very generous of you for sharing all these technical info to us.. appreciate it. btw, do you happen to have technical knowledge of how the air box in our car works ? (the heat core, the evaporator core... which come first which comes second... when air is pulled in)... i know it might not be your professional specialty, just asked because it is related to car as well.. :=) thanks. andrew germany.

[@rittawatonin7359]

i should see this before i start racing, thank god i found you.

[@Driver61]

Hi Rittawat, thank you so much for your comment. I hope the racing is going well. If you enjoyed this, please help me out and share it. Cheers, Scott.

[@ryansroad22]

Hi Scott, just wanted to ask if you do anything for Karting? really enjoying your channel, subscribed a while back 👍 But I’ve been watching your videos to implement what you say to teach my son in his kart you see

[@roxind]

Perfect...

[@arcticape445]

Hi Scott, thanks for the video. I remember you mentioned somewhere entering corners at a constant speed and then braking. Could you elaborate on the "constant speed" part? My current understanding is to accelerate all the way up to the corner and then transition to the brakes immediately. Am I missing something?

[@1xRacer]

12:12 solved my problems at parabolica losing the rear

[@timmytf]

Hi, Scott! Great series of tutorials! Could you please explain one thing: how you can "feel" wheels lockup? I got it that steering won't have any effect in that case. But what else? How do I actually find this "lockup threshold". Or, simply put, how can I learn "threshold breaking"? Maybe that's a good topic for another video? =) Thanks in advance!

[@anidiotinaracingcar4874]

Breaking before a fast corner: on a really fast one, can you go back on the throttle just before the turn-in to squat slightly the car and avoid oversteer?

[@jakeshebuski382]

Not an expert here, but I'm thinking that might be too overwhelming ,it may work but the timing would need to be just right and you have lot of other important things to worry about at turn in. I have read that in turns sometimes indy cars drivers lift off the throttle going in then roll it back on at the exit

[@lihaiyang1120]

很棒的系列视频，非常喜欢！ 会继续支持你的！ 来自中国的问候。

[@KToMmi]

With reference to left-foot braking, brake bias and car balance, would you make a tutorial on using brake and accelerator simultaneously? Many drivers say a dab on the accelerator during braking helps them mantaining feel with the rear axle. Whenever I try I gain nothing in feeling nor in braking distance. I'd like to investigate this technique further.

[@dmcs2003]

I'm a sim racer and on my current game of choice is racing GT3 cars. They have variable ABS systems in the cars that can be adjusted from in cockpit. from say levels 0 -7, with 0 being off, and incremental to 7 which would be the most aggressive ABS..... At the 5 min mark, you mentioned about threshhold brakers in non-ABS cars having the shortest stopping distance and then ABS cars being a longer braking distance. Is that measurement with the same driver using the brake pedal in the same manner? Meaning turning on ABS will lengthen the stopping distance? BTW, really love the videos, and finally understand what the term trail braking means!

[@JoeBlo2]

I think what he meant was that, in a threshold system, your goal is to apply brake pressure that will get you as close as possible to lockup without actually locking up. But if you apply this same pressure to a car with ABS, the ABS will have already kicked in due to its built-in safety design, which means you would need to apply slightly less brake pressure than in a threshold system to avoid the ABS.

[@Alanwmrt]

I believe in Sims the threshold is a “driver aid” more than a safety system so it’s just adapting how much help the ABS gives you. In a real car the ABS is fixed and will pulse the brakes when it detects a wheel has stopped spinning so that you can still steer?

[@brunomanco7529]

I was allways told to make hard and short brakes allways. I will try smoother braking and/or trail braking in the smooth and long turns in the next track day. But since i use racing slicks its hard to evaluate the tire limit grip, because they stick alot more than road tires

[@owenb4509]

10:25 i call it "crunchy petal time"

[@endresinkovics4308]

Thank you for this great content! It is an absolutely great resource for someone who is getting into SIM racing

[@briskandpepsi]

Hi Driver61, I have a question on where do I find the braking point on a track I have never been on? Because I feel like I would always need to find out where to start braking, how much grip I actually have left. Is it really hard to get on a track you've never been on and on a car/kart that you've never driven? It's impossible to drive it at the limit unless you get use to the track and the kart/car right? And another question, if I do brake beyond the brakes threshold and I"m slipping, what is the course of action to correct my slippage? Would I just try to ease off the brakes. little bit and the car will re-grip? This question for correcting braking is for ABS and no ABS.

[@santinomartinez5250]

i know i came kinda late to this, but in the "how to brake with non-ABS", in the first point at the end, it says (not with aero). Does this mean anything special? Thanks :) Very good series btw

[@stephenrobinson3784]

With regards to vision, i tend to stare at my braking/turning point, should i leave this to my peripheral vision??

[@keiththompson9712]

I got away with watching this unhassled because my wife thought I was watching "The ultimate guide to BAKEING" .......just need to distract her somehow like this when I'm driving too

[@onethirdmayo8556]

will easing off the throttle cause snap oversteer? or it`s actually not a very common thing?

[@michaelwu9135]

Hi, is it possible to brake at the maximum braking threshold in a car with abs? Or will the ABS kick in too early as you reach the braking limit? Thanks

[@Alanwmrt]

I was wondering about this as well. Scott notes in the video that the most powerful braking is achieved when the wheels are under rotating. That’s still entirely possible with ABS.. The ABS only kicks in when a wheel *stops* rotating.

[@momodz8876]

Thanks dude !! Awesome work !! Could you please tell if there is a difference between breaking in a front wheel drive and a rear wheel when entering a corner ? Quick answer or another video, your choice !! Godspeed !!

[@Driver61]

Hi! Quick answer: there's very little difference. Long answer: driving FWD v RWD video coming soon! Cheers, Scott.

[@jutjub22]

Nice break down, but you did not mention downshifting part with more detail. Which is pretty important for the balance.

[@joopiedelange8463]

What the do when you have oversteer under breaking?

[@brianwambugu8722]

Could the under rotation cause minimal tire smoke or even the sound of a lock up? I saw such on Fernando Alonso's onboard lap.

[@SocietyUnplugged]

Yes, but Alonso is also an exceptional driver when it comes to braking. Brembo revealed some information about the different preferences between drivers. They described Alonso the human ABS. The feel in the brake pedal is different in each F1 car, even between teammates.

[@Scott-lf6wl]

Scott, I don't understand why you didn't try and market your name! You have a wiki page! Kinda like how Nico Rosberg's channel is just NicoRosberg. Anyways, thank you for the incredible explanations. You're helping real drivers and simmers alike! Cheers

[@plxiznogoud3328]

What's his full name?

[@simantakdabhade4770]

Scott mansell

[@auslacroix]

@Driver61 How would you amend ABS vs Threshold given that ABS will stop a shorter distance? I imagine there are still advantages to Threshold braking for weight transfer?

[@suggesttwo]

I have kept a car on an ice road by locking up the tires when the car's momentum was in the direction of the road although the front of the car was pointed at the ditch when I stabbed the brakes.

[@arturkochan4649]

when pushing brake pedal, most of pushing power should be coming from thigh or a calf muscles?

[@suggesttwo]

Use the apex as the braking reference.

[@rsantini64]

This assume prefect brakes. What about brake fad or other issues. How do you manage that without going home.

[@KadlagNikhil]

7:38 What is the significance of ( not with aero) you have written

[@jjbscool]

I believe that with aero (aerodynamic parts like wings etc) you have to be conscious of the reduction of downforce as you slow down. In this case you would need to break harder at the beginning of the braking phase and reduce your braking input as you slow down and the downforce pushing the tyres into the road decreases. This is different to a car without aero as you have essentially the same grip from the tyres throughout the braking phase.

[@KadlagNikhil]

I have a doubt at 7:20 ... Here you are saying we need to manage the weight transfer by gradually easing off the break pedal at later stage... So what Exactly are you saying is when we accelerate out of the corner we need to keep some pressure at the brakes also to manage weight transfer and have optimum grip??? But will not that affect our speed accelerating out of corner or lap time?????? @Driver61

[@Alanwmrt]

Not a racing driver, but I believe he means braking TO the apex, not past it.

[@hedgehogplayersdavis3853]

what if your driving a go kart with a brake pedal that will move 1 inch before locking up?

[@OmegaF77]

15:29 Oh ho you''ll see that a lot on online racing lobbies. I was 3rd on the final lap, and this goober rolled into my line, totalling my car.

[@thebloodyvlad]

Cannot get how harder braking alone can give you 0.2sec a corner. If one driver brakes earlier but at the same time brakes lighter, he would end up at the same (correct) speed, place and angle, and the very same moment as another driver who brakes much harder. 0.2s difference must have other reason, like he started braking significantly earlier than his lighter braking required that. Or is this related to using more of your tires for higher efficiency? Is there significant wear and temperature fading difference?

[@johnbrewer8954]

If you brake earlier and lighter you spend less time at full speed.

[@KadlagNikhil]

In heel and toe we avoid under rotation of tires... But how to brake in NON ABS car you told that slippage is imp... Then how to come up with a conclusion then?

[@Alanwmrt]

I understood it as being about balance. Scott mentions balance regularly, implying you don’t want one axle on the limit of grip and the other locked up because of a sharp drivetrain input…?

[@joupoes6092]

Yo yo yo, what is up scot and today I’m I am making a comment to aks you how to manage tyre wear, temps, blistering and graining

[@connorsmith1295]

If this was a high school class and he was the teacher I would be passing with flying colors

[@kryptokoning3536]

Is it true that 75% of the braking is done in the first 25% of the braking distance?

[@SocietyUnplugged]

Not really. Depends on start and cornering speed difference, type of car(class) and other aspects that helps braking (aerodynamic drag). For example a stock car is designed to slice though air and when they release the throttle at 300+kph it's fine, in an F1 car you'll slow down with 2G or more without touching the brake pedal.

[@georgschenkfilm]

Very interesting, but some actual examples clips would help to understand

[@Chitown388]

wondering why there is no ABS system that's tuned for 3% to 10% slippage to achieve maximum deceleration possible

[@Alanwmrt]

No expert, but I imagined ABS only triggers when you lock? Otherwise it’d be called under-rotation prevention? Have I missed something?

[@stingingbee]

0:10 what about crashing

[@saqibsiddiqi1355]

He says left foot breaking is an advance braking technique. Me: has only two pedals

[@regenmeister9646]

How are the brakes ? .... don't know; never touched them !

[@Tj930]

ABS originally designed for aircraft, wasn't it?

[@SocietyUnplugged]

True, and rail road.

[@fasthracing]

Clever stuff a bit too clever for me I have to say.

[@DarkHorseParatrooper]

How come I can lock the brakes on my hellcat even though it has abs?

[@Draax1]

You forgot to mention that you use the brakes to rotate

[@DaylightDigital]

3:24 Love these videos, but this bit of history is actually incorrect. ABS systems as we know them were actually first developed for aircraft, and reached an appreciable degree of maturity in the 1950's

[@suggesttwo]

So ABS does cause longer stops. It wasn't my imagination.

[@Nachtwind7]

absolutely not, and not for decades. abs can break individual wheels at their optimum rate and has been better than any human for a long time. never has anyone in a racing series with abs deactivated it. which should tell you everything you should know. this is just some guy with a whiteboard and good marketing, don't take this too serious.

[@magicpants6838]

@@Nachtwind7 you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about. In the case of the general public then yes ABS is suited for someone who doesn’t know their limits as a driver. It’s all dependant on skill level. In regards your comment on no one deactivating it, how would you know if they have or not? You don’t. You also further my point about your lack of knowledge by calling Scott Mansell “some guy with a whiteboard that’s good at marketing” let me know when you beat a lap record for any circuit.

[@Alanwmrt]

I think Nachtwind is half right. A human can only brake till the first wheel locks then control the locking of that wheel. A modern ABS system treats each wheel individually so can get full braking out of all four wheels in a way that’s physically impossible for a human, no matter how skilled. ABS is banned in F1. It’s not because they want to make the sport less safe, it’s because it improves performance but takes the driver’s skill out of the equation. The other half of what Nachtwind said is of course nonsense. Scott is incredible and these videos are great!

[@suggesttwo]

@@Alanwmrt as in the previous comment being able to lock the tires locks out the steering. If you get sideways and you lock the tires at the moment the car is heading on the direction you want it to you get to keep it on the road.

[@Alanwmrt]

Yes I understand that Peter, but thought the discussion was about stopping distances rather than how the car behaves when you’re spinning out of control?

[@tydztan]

Anyone else here to get better at sim racing? lol