Planning Practice Sessions: Important Aspect To Win

Behind every victory is a story of hard work and dedication. A championship from NASCAR Grand Nationals does not only rely on talent but they are also a fruit of labour from long and tiring practice session that many car racers spent in order to perfect a turn. Practice sessions are not simply planned. There are certain things that many coaches have considered and thought up to tailor fit a program for a certain racer. Every racer has a different style of driving, that is why making a practice programme for them does not only enhance their skill the same time allows them to see which parts should be done and should be avoided.

Practice Sessions plays a vital role in car racing. Practice sessions are often planned by race engineers. Racing engineers are often times the one who tailor fits programs. They also set up the cars to be able to prepare for qualifying races and big races. They also help in making strategies as well as they stand as racer’s coaches. They help point out which part they should work on when they are going to race and which part has been perfected.

To understand further to what happens in a practice session, what are the things that you need to understand in a practice session. These are the activities that often happen in a practice session.

Shakedown

Before a car can partake in a race, a car needs to take a shakedown test. The shakedown test helps determine whether or not a car is in a good working condition. This test is often done before the racing start and during the mid-season testing. This test helps determine if there are problematic parts or components in the car that needs to be fix. This is very important to make sure that driver will be safe during the race.

During the shakedown, racing engineers will set a time in order to determine if these components will be able to make the car operational. Components that would not break during this grace period will determine the car’s capabilities. The shakedown is conducted to identify the possible problems that the racer will encounter when he is already on the track

The shakedown test are often tested on the electrical and brake system of the car, how it behaves, the oil pressure, the cooling, oil and water temperatures, fuel consumption and its flow, just to name of the few things that the racing engineers checks

Installation Lap

Installation lap refers to the first time that the car will operate on the track or the first day that car is being driven by the racer. The process of the installation lap is very easy. The first thing that driver would do is to move out from the pit lane or the lane that is located beside the cockpits where cars often stop during the official race. The driver is often instructed by the race engineers what to check and what he thinks about the move. This is to check if the driver is comfortable with the car, if there are things that he feels out of place. Then the driver returns to the cockpit so that the race engineers can make adjustments. They also check for leakages and broken components of the car. This process analysed if the car can go forward to the race. Aside from checking the mechanical components of the car, it also checks the outer aspects like the tires. The installation lap checks if the tyre can withhold a great amount of pressure during the race.

Once the car passed through the shakedown test and the installation lap, then it is now considered operational and ready to race.

Practice sessions

Practice session is an allocated time for teams to run the car in the track. Often times, team members will take turns on driving the car just to check if it is in a good condition. Practice sessions are often done to improve strategies and techniques that a driver can used when he is already in the track. For new racers, this plays an important aspect for them. Practice sessions allow new drivers to experience different kinds of changes that a car undergoes and it also allows them to practice what to do when they are faced different situations. Practice sessions allows driver to improve their track time.

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Often times, racers would often practice on a Friday morning and Saturday morning before the qualifying race. Usually race engineers often set up the car on a Friday morning session practice. Before the qualifying race, tracks will be a little slippery because of the lack of rubber; race engineers would often alter their set-ups when they practice in this kind of condition. This is a little tricky considering they need to start again in setting up, and the driver has to be comfortable in the new set up to make sure that he will be safe  during practice sessions

Car preparations

Setting the car is one of the important aspects during this period; setting up the car allows the race engineers to tailor fit the car according to the capability of the racers. The car set up also helps the car to be more equipped on different situations.  Race engineers and the racer will work hand in hand to determine whether the car needs more changes. They will use the date that they have gathered from the installation lap and the shakedown test to help them assess whether or not the car is ready for the race and if the racer can handle the car without any problems

Adjustments

Adjustment can be done in terms of balancing the speed of the car and mechanical components. Adjustments can be done anytime. This is very important not just for the safety of the driver but also the success or failure of the car and driver to win the race.

Practice sessions are indeed important. It does not only help the driver to win but also keeps in good hands.