How To: T1

[Becky Rose]

I felt like writing this guide, didnt find anything similar on search, so i've posted it.

Surviving Turn One
The first race craft skill a racing driver has to learn is how to survive the most dangerous part of the race, turn one - usually written as T1, where the combined velocity of a pack of race cars could very well be in excess of mach 2. There's a lot of cars in a very small part of the race track, and each one wants to come out of the first corner with the best position posible.


For new drivers the first thing to learn is not how to maximise your position on T1, but to survive it. Many race drivers claim they are often crashed out of T1 by other, over-agressive drivers. They are wrong. Good drivers rarely crash in T1, almost every drive who ever said that is in actual fact their own worst enemy and those in the know are laughing at them.


Keeping yourself alive is the first rule of any hostile situation, and there are few situations as hostile in racing as getting through T1! So the first thing we need to do is look at the glaring mistakes made by many less experienced drivers.


Braking Point
At the start of the race your tyres and brakes will be cold, these are not the reasons to brake early for T1 though. You brake early for T1 because there are other cars infront of you! You are'nt in a rhythm, and you need margin for error to avoid other cars.


Always allow yourself a little margin for error, always know how you are going to get out of a situation should it arise. Much like driving a road car, constantly ask yourself "What if?". Try and pre-empt what the cars around you are going to do, dont blindly have faith that they will avoid you, assume they have not seen you.


Braking Force
Now lets imagine you and the car infront of you are approaching the corner at 100mph exactly. Let's also assume you both decide to break at exactly 50m distance from the turn-in point. Now imagine that there is a 1m gap between you. What happens when the car infront of you brakes at the 50m board?


What happens is this, the car infront starts braking and you need to react very fast indeed, but now you're on full brakes too and they've been braking longer so you are carrying more momentum! 1+1=2 kids, you're going to hit that car. Don't panic though, the crash was actually his fault!


Braking at full strength on the approach to T1 should only be done whilst avoiding the car infront. You are not hotlapping here, you're mission is to survive T1 in the best position possible, you can't do that by pushing the envelope to a millisecond of perfection. Give the driver behind you a fighting chance of surviving by braking early, gently, and letting your car coast up to the car infront.


See a gap? EXECUTE! >>WRONG<<
Note that I said coast up to the car infront. Most rookie drivers will be dead keen on making a move if they see a gap, it is afterall a gap right? Well maybe it is. What you have to remember though is regardless of what car you drive you do have a blind spot and 39 cars around you.


Never overtake on impulse in T1, make your plan as you approach the corner and if your plan comes off take that place you saw as you approached the braking point - but dont change your mind mid-corner. There are other cars around you who wont expect it. The only impulsive decision you should make in T1 is avoiding the other driver who acted on impulse and are likely on their way to an accident.


Help Idiots Survive
One of the reasons drivers who claim to be taken out in T1 get their attitude problem is because they dont realise they are doing it wrong, because sometimes their lunacy puts them up against an experienced driver. Experienced drivers will try to help the idiots stay on track because it's in their interest to do so.


If you can help a car around you to not spin then 7 times in 10 it pays off for you even if you fail to gain a position, because now that car wont crash into you.


Be Prepared to Stop
Who would have thought it, but i'd rather not force my way past a spun car, i'd rather wait for the circuit to clear than get involved myself. I get less damage on my car this way... You might find the track infront of you is blocked, what will you do? Pile through or wait?


T2 is T1
Instead of trying to gain positions at T1, consider the merits of positioning your car to make up places at T2 instead. T1 is often bedlam, but if you place your car sensibly and dont force your way into an accident then you can line yourself up for a more ambitious move in T2 when there are less other cars around you.


Be Prepared to Leave the Circuit
On a track with grass around the track be prepared to use that grass to avoid an accident, it's far better to loose 5 positions than to crash - and repassing 5 cars slower than you often wont take that long. Just be cautious when you rejoin, do so gently and at a shallow angle so that the cars behind can see what you are doing and give you the room to rejoin.


Above All: Be Predictable
If I know what you are likely to do, if I can guess where you are going to put your car, I can avoid you. Maybe that's true with you and the guy next to you too...

[greg_slideways]

Great common rules to folllow! :thumb: Possible sticky?

[U4IK ST8]

Nice "How to" Becky and +1 for sticky. :thumb:

[mcintyrej]

Nice guide Becky, though I prefer my own method:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0ENeMDiiY

[JO53PHS]

I felt like writing this guide, didnt find anything similar on search, so i've posted it.



Hmm...

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=2145

Although yours is probably better :)

[greg_slideways]

Hmm...

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=2145

Although yours is probably better :)
I dont understand his post, It isnt sorted well enough! :shrug:

THis is deffinitly sticky potential! :thumb:

[Becky Rose]

Nice guide Becky, though I prefer my own method:
Please see Becky's T1 Rule Number #5 "Help Idiots Survive" and send the nice driver of that green car a PM of thanks :D

[NikLaw]

Did I get it right, when I start in 5th place in a 20 cars grid, it´s my fault when someone behind drives into me, when I take the corner just the right way?

Sorry, but a bit too simple. Even at Blackwood people rush into me in T1 and there is pretty much place to avoid crashing.

I decided to join a league to avoid T1 crashing all the time...

[Becky Rose]

Did I get it right, when I start in 5th place in a 20 cars grid, it´s my fault when someone behind drives into me
tbh honest, without wanting to sound harsh, it does sound like it yes. You shouldnt be trying to take T1 at full race speed on the first lap. Braking that hard doesnt give the driver behind the chance to avoid you - especially when you will usually brake before the normal marker because of the cars infront of you.
I decided to join a league to avoid T1 crashing all the time...
Where more experienced drivers know how to avoid drivers who "take the corner just the right way?"

[AstroBoy]

Nice guide Becky, though I prefer my own method:

Ive seen better, hell ive done better but still we've all been there...i think?!? lol

Anyway good guide Becky should hopefully i stress that help some newer drivers:D

[evilpimp]

Nice guide :D

I have to disagree on the part were you say good drivers rarely crash in T1. Many good drivers get rammed in T1 and theres nothing they have done wrong. They brake, not full force, and some random guy comes out of nowere smashing into them. I've seen it happen very often.

Anyways, I can survive T1 most of the times now :D. Had a session of BF1 @ AS3 and it's great practice for the T1 carnage.

[Becky Rose]

You've contradicted yourself :)
Many good drivers get rammed in T1 and theres nothing they have done wrong.
It can happen, but good drivers rarely get taken out as you say yourself later on in your own post, "I can survive T1 most of the times now". The difference between the rash and the wise in T1 is that whilst an accident might not be your fault, the wise manage not to have that accident anyway. Sure, we all get caught out sometimes no matter how good we are - but the key word here is "sometimes".

[hyntty]

I have to disagree on the part were you say good drivers rarely crash in T1. Many good drivers get rammed in T1 and theres nothing they have done wrong.

You crash = You crash
I crash = I crash
I crash you = we crash

You crash me =/= we crash ?

[evilpimp]

Lol :P Oops?

[legoflamb]

Nice guide Becky, though I prefer my own method:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=0z0ENeMDiiY

Off/T
Can i have that replay!??!?! i 'wana' get a good slow motion shot of that!

On/T
Great how-to, I hope everybody gets a chance to read this, new-comer or old-veteran, sometimes people just need to be reminded.

[Jouman]

Nice guide, good points there and some that i hadn't thought of also like braking force.

Would like to add that there could be mention about what lines to take in T1. The usual optimum line for hotlapping is out of question. So what lines to take? I think you have two choices depending on your starting position in the grid either the inside or the outside. If you get a good start you may be able to change your track position for T1 and you can choose freely wich one to take. I think most of the drivers are favoring the inside lane as they hope gaining positions in T1. So i've started to favor the outside lane whenever i have the change in T1. Usually the outside is less growded and you can brake later then others as there isn't so many cars infront of you. When taking the outside lane you should leave as much room as possible, even if it feels a bit too much, this way you are increasing your changes not be bunted by a driver who was going for the inside and missed the braking point slightly.

When you are taking the inside lane, i think the options are limited. You'll have to brake quite early as you are turning in tighter then you usually need to take the corner. Also the inside tends to be a lot more crowded and cause of this going in a really slow pace.

I've also noticed that it is good to leave a bit extra room for the car infront of you before the braking of the corner. When doing this there is a little more reaction time when the car ahead starts braking.

There might also be some differences when thinking about the starting position. In the front of the grid you just need to push full on and try to take the corner as fast as it is safely possible. In the middle of the pack it is all about avoiding others and trying to be in the same speed as the cars around you. Easiest place to be is in the back there you can safely observe from a distance and take a good line for T2.

These were some points i felt could be added to the list or i've noticed to work well.

[legoflamb]

When you are taking the inside lane, i think the options are limited. You'll have to brake quite early as you are turning in tighter then you usually need to take the corner. Also the inside tends to be a lot more crowded and cause of this going in a really slow pace.

I've also noticed that it is good to leave a bit extra room for the car in front of you before the braking of the corner. When doing this there is a little more reaction time when the car ahead starts braking.

actually from the inside a car can break harder and deeper because the entrance line is straighter. (see image) - Lines are exaggerated.

However, I agree that the outside is usually safer as long as you are racing with competent drivers.

[bbman]

Wrong. You and your opponent have to brake at the same time, as you on the inside have to slow down more than on the outside line... You'll be slower through the corner and quite likely the whole straight after it as well...

[Becky Rose]

Normal rules of who has to break first on the inside or outside do not apply, it's all about the traffic jam ahead of you and whichever side of the track you are on it's all a bit random.

I usually go for the inside if I can, that's my plan as i'm sitting on the grid. As I approach the braking zone I may have switched that plan, but once i've decided that's it, i'll stick to it, and that's the most important point of what line to chose. You might see an opening, but I bet somebody else has seen it too... It's far better to stick to your game plan, keep yourself alive, and set yourself up for T2.

[Dac]

Normal rules of who has to break first on the inside or outside do not apply, it's all about the traffic jam ahead of you and whichever side of the track you are on it's all a bit random.

I usually go for the inside if I can, that's my plan as i'm sitting on the grid. As I approach the braking zone I may have switched that plan, but once i've decided that's it, i'll stick to it, and that's the most important point of what line to chose. You might see an opening, but I bet somebody else has seen it too... It's far better to stick to your game plan, keep yourself alive, and set yourself up for T2.

8 times out of 10 though when i do that i always get rear-ended. in fact i actually think theres something subconcious about my driving that makes people run into the back of me.

[Becky Rose]

It sounds like your braking too hard, I brake early and gently and coast up to the car infront - it's much more controlled and tame than I could do it and I rarely get rear ended.

[BastianB]

It sounds like your braking too hard, I brake early and gently and coast up to the car infront - it's much more controlled and tame than I could do it and I rarely get rear ended.

i do it the same way then you, sometimes it is not as fast as the other way but it´s really much safer..

omg my english sucks, but i hope you could understand .. :shrug:

[Jouman]

Normal rules of who has to break first on the inside or outside do not apply, it's all about the traffic jam ahead of you and whichever side of the track you are on it's all a bit random.



I agree, the T1 is nearly like real life traffic. You never know when the driver infront of you is going to start braking :). So like in actual traffic keep your safe distance :D.

[Shotglass]

from my experiecne seriously aiming for the inside works best
so many have no idea how to approach t1 from a standing start so youll often see them missing the apex which opens up a proper inside line that you can just fit a car into

[yesiamtom]

Thanks for this great little guide, i've been learning tracks and doing some little races (nothing organised) to get used to the game. So far im doing okay and am usually quite careful on turn one but reading up on it from more experienced players really helps.

Also i'll have to resist the urge to overtake if i see a gap and attempt any manouvers on the second turn. Seems like sensible logic. Thanks. :)

[ATC Quicksilver]

Very good post Becky, I agree with all of that, although I had to really think about it, because it comes so naturally to me now that I do those things without even realising I am doing them. I also agree with the braking part, when a car is close behind me I never jump on the brakes heavily, and I have been taken out by people that do that.

[Calvinaquino]

Im actually learning alot from these "How To"s Becky, there should be a compilation soon!

EDIT: yeah i was ignorant, now i could understand the third part better. (thats because im a mouse driver at the moment, so (for me) either the brake is ON, or OFF... lol)

[george_tsiros]

where the combined velocity of a pack of race cars could very well be in excess of mach 2.

i quite distinctly remember being accused of 'pseudoscience'.

you're making this too easy, becky.

[Olumuyiwa]

I'll like to thank you Becky rose, for helping me with the turn one. I find now that the game has gotten much easier from now on.

Here is something that helps me, I approach the first turn with a completely different racing line than normal, so I'm away fro the rest of the racing pack and I can manoeuvre The first turn much easier.

Again, thanks for the guide. I deeply appreciate it.

[danthebangerboy]

I get scared when there are lots of cars near me, because on some servers, other cars seem to behave in a jerky fashion online and jump around a bit sometimes. If i am fairly near the back of the grid anyway i will pull onto the grass and wait for 2 or 3 seconds to let T1 sort itself out!

[evilpimp]

The guide is actually pretty usefull. I never thought about the brake force before but after reading it last month I do brake a bit earlier but just a bit so the brake lights go on and then a bit later brake full force. Nice guide once again. :)

[Chrisuu01]

My tip to survive t1

Try to drive carefullly and try to predict what the others if i think tey wil be very careless and nooby.
Just brake early let them ovetatake u and let them screw up and u are safe

[Huru-aito]

How to survive T1 depends on where you start on the grid. If you're starting from the first rows then you can aim for the inside of a slow T1 (like Blackwood). There's a chance you can get away from T1 before the rest of the pack arrives.

If you think you can't get through T1 before the mayhem arrives, I'd go to the outside keeping my eye on any cars starting from the back closing in too fast. This way you can estimate the cars affected by the soon-to-happen crash and have time to react, usually brake and let the crashed cars fly past your car's nose. Or you can try to accelerate and maybe avoid the crash that way. If you manage to avoid T1 accidents, then you should prepare for merging into the pack for T2 (if there's a corner right after T1..). This can be quite tricky on Blackwood.

If you start from the last rows, you could try going wide on the corner entry, and then hit the apex very late. This is a way to pick up a few places if the mid pack people have gone into T1 a bit too fast, there's some room on the inside lane. You can achieve a decent exit speed this way.

This is how I plan my T1 driving on public servers, where you really need to be cautious and assume people are there trying to hit you instead of trying to survive the corner. On some tracks there's a long enough straight for the pack to merge into a single file. On those tracks you'd better aim for the most inside line, although you need to check your mirrors every now and then..

[Chrisuu01]

How to survive T1 depends on where you start on the grid. If you're starting from the first rows then you can aim for the inside of a slow T1 (like Blackwood). There's a chance you can get away from T1 before the rest of the pack arrives.

If you think you can't get through T1 before the mayhem arrives, I'd go to the outside keeping my eye on any cars starting from the back closing in too fast. This way you can estimate the cars affected by the soon-to-happen crash and have time to react, usually brake and let the crashed cars fly past your car's nose. Or you can try to accelerate and maybe avoid the crash that way. If you manage to avoid T1 accidents, then you should prepare for merging into the pack for T2 (if there's a corner right after T1..). This can be quite tricky on Blackwood.

If you start from the last rows, you could try going wide on the corner entry, and then hit the apex very late. This is a way to pick up a few places if the mid pack people have gone into T1 a bit too fast, there's some room on the inside lane. You can achieve a decent exit speed this way.

This is how I plan my T1 driving on public servers, where you really need to be cautious and assume people are there trying to hit you instead of trying to survive the corner. On some tracks there's a long enough straight for the pack to merge into a single file. On those tracks you'd better aim for the most inside line, although you need to check your mirrors every now and then..


I think you method is usefull and very good but blackwood is moderatly safe compared to t1 at FE gold, Fe gold R, and almost al the fernbays:x
When alot of driver on the server who dont realy pay any attention
ferbay is just certain t1 death.

So at T1 at any fernbay combo i alsways brake early let the other pas and most og the time tey acttualy crash
I think this becaus aalmost evry turn at Fe is a potential killer

[BlueMile]

very good advice!

Trouble is that there are many "bad drivers" out there, maybe an excesive emphasis on "fast laps" and winning at all cost. Of course I race on DEMO servers (let's hope I can get S2 soon).

Where I usualy race it depends a bit on who is in the race, "good drivers" and there is no problem. "Bad drivers" and crashes begin even before T1. When in doubt I find that the best way is to stay at the back of the pack.

Somehow I find that the current stadistics system (LFS WORLD), who by the way do a great job, encourages accidents (not on purpose, I'm sure). I'll try to explain myself:

I've noticed that if you retire before the race ends it's actualy as if you hadn't been in that race at all. also if you "wisely" go taking out slower drivers in front, instead of cleanly overtaking them there is no record.

Not sure what can be done about "taking out" instead of overtaking. As it would need someone to supervise.

But it may help if all participants in the race figured in the stadistics, because many times there is a full grid at the start, you finish 4th and you end up being "4th out of 4". DNF should be listed in LFS World. And if a race restarts those that pressed restart should get a DNF too. The same as those that "shift+P" or "shift+S" before the race ends.

Then we could have a "nice" list of those with a higher DNF percentage. Just an idea, but you can bet that a fast PB with a high DNF percentage won't look that good anymore.

By the way, yesterday We had some very nice races where no one crashed at T1, or later on. Maybe sometimes you got stuck behind a good but slower driver/car and it was difficult or imposible to overtake, but it was a very nice series of races. :)

[The Very End]

How to? I know - Close your eyes and scream "Ahooooi! Stallion" , with some luck you crash everyone and with even more luck you end up in right direction and has survived T1.

That's what I do, most time's it actually work quite well, and then I gain some positions too. I advice everyone to do the same.

[dadge]

the CTRA severs count your yellow flags the you caused and then give you a percentage. they give you alot more stats too which help you guage what kind of driver your competitors are. this is the summary for me:
David Hegarty, from Ireland, has competed in 127 races and driven 1,002 laps since the launch of the CTRA X-System. In this time, he has caused 116 yellow flags, which is a ratio of 11%. This is a good yellow flag ratio.

David has won 25 races and reached the podium, in second or third place, a further 31 times in 127 races, while retiring from an additional 32 races. This means David has completed just 74% of the races in which he's participated. During those races, David has achieved a healthy 18 fastest laps. David, who races for A Touring Car Team, is currently ranked 1,633rd internationally and 15th in Ireland. He does not currently hold any lap records. more info (http://www.raceauthority.com)