Ever heard of the term “sweaty players” in gaming? It’s those who spend hours and hours online, leaving casual players frustrated in just about any open lobby. During my on-and-off online exploits in Call of Duty, I came across them often.
Sim racing can feel the same way. One moment you are getting dropped in lobbies with some seriously fast guys, and next thing you know, you’re trawling the internet for tips, tricks, onboard laps – just anything to close the gap. (apart from just practicing!) Its here that you start learning about all the other software, tips, tricks and exploits that are available to make you “faster”. Its not just a about the gaming or racing for fun anymore. To enjoy it you need to run different apps, change setups and look for loopholes/glitches to use to your advantage.
Now, in a sim like iRacing, potential loopholes (like the qualifying glitch) are pretty well marshalled and driving tips are fairly similar. But every now and then, something different pops up – like this one.
Turn Right to Avoid Going Right?
This past week, a video from Noakesy Coaching dropped, explaining a unique technique to avoid spinning out in iRacing.
In short: Inducing understeer to counter oversteer. Sounds weird, but I tried it – and it does work. My first thought was if it is physically (read: in the real world) possible, or is it some kind of sim exploit?
I’ve linked his video at the bottom of the post and spoiler alert, there’s even a real-world example at the end of the video. But is this something new? Do drivers somehow do something similar naturally or is technique been done before but not spoken about?
Before we dive into traditional vs this “new” method, have a look at this famous save from Max Verstappen during the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix. We’ll come back to that…
Steer Left to Go Right
Traditionally, you counter oversteer by steering into the slide and managing throttle inputs. The goal is to control the car’s yaw. Basically, how much the car is rotating around its vertical axis.
If you manage yaw properly, you can bring the car back in line without needing to overcorrect or panic (like me swan lake-ing around Kilarney’s turn 3 in one of my first track days). Obviously, this varies depending on the car, setup, driving style, and track conditions. But it’s a solid, general approach to correcting a slide both the sim and real world.
So, is there truth in this alternative idea?
Inducing Understeer
Looking at that Verstappen video again, what helped him regain control wasn’t just a sudden steering input, it was brake pressure. Locking the front brakes essentially overloaded the front tires, inducing understeer, and letting the car rotate again. Once the car pointed in the right direction, he let off the brake and regained grip. Same outcome, different solution but in very extreme and unique circumstances.
So, is steering into the slide worth trying in the sim?
When I tried this in iRacing, this did work when I was already on the verge of spinning out. It didn’t make me faster, but it helped me lose less time. Damage control, basically. I reckon condition-specific variables will determine how beneficial it may be. This technique seems to be most advantageous in wet races.
The video shows the same logic working in a prototype in iRacing as well, but that’s where I get a bit skeptical. Not because it’s possible in the sim – but I wonder if this is not something that would not be replicated with a slick shod, high downforce, light race car in real life. To me, in the dry at least, this becomes more of a gaming “quirk”.
I would also like to think that some of the skill you learn needs to be transferable into the real world. Yes, it’s just a sim and I have no problem seeing sim race specific techniques being developed. But we’ve seen multiple sim racers make it to real racing. The VLN grid at the Nürburgring had three sim guys on the top steps recently – so it does set a strong foundation. Ok fine, the one was a 4 time Formula 1 world champion but you get my point.
So… Can You Use It In Sim Racing?
In sim racing whether you steer in or counter steer will depend on a bunch of factors: the car, track conditions and the specific scenario you’re in. So rather than applying this everywhere, I would treat this as a tool in your back sim racing pocket. Not something to rely on but just maybe something that could save your race in one of those odd moments where nothing else will.
Like that one tool buried in your garage that you never use – but when you need it, you’re very glad it’s there.
Noakesy Coaching Video:
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