Month: September 2021

1. Naturally aspirated

NA engines are very responsive. It’s only a matter of time you accelerate. Normally, NA engines generate more power at high rpm. The sound that NA car makes is a mighty roar.

Forged pistons, cranks… etc. Is the only way to make more power while keeping the engine naturally aspirated. The only downside is that this cost a small fortune.

2. Forced induction

(1) Turbo/Single turbo

A turbocharger allows a smaller engine to perform like one much larger in size, by providing extra power, when required. Turbo is a cost effective way of increasing engine power and they allow for using smaller engines to produce the same power as larger NA engines, which can often remove weight. Unlike forged pistons, turbo is achievable for most. There are different styles of turbo setups like Single turbo, Twin turbo, Twin scroll turbo, Quad turbo, X number of turbo, Variable geometry turbo, Variable twin scroll turbo & Electric turbo. No need to discuss all things but only important & practical setups for road cars. You can’t just throw a turbo as you wish. You have to setup your car correctly with matching turbo for the engine & the car & weight & etc.

So how exactly a turbo works? It’s very simple. An engine releases its exhaust gases when running. Normally those gases are wasted; they escape out back of the car. But what a turbo does is, it makes cleaver use of those gases and turns them into power. The principles behind a turbo are very simple. There’s a pair of hollow chambers, that their inside houses a pair of fans. Both of those fans are connected together by a centre shaft. That means they can spin at the same time. The first shaft spins because it’s powered by the hot exhaust gases. So the first fan is now spinning the second fan. What that second fan doing is, drawing in cold fresh air from the outside. That fan is spinning so fast so it compresses that oxygen. It jams loads of O2 molecules together to get more into that tiny space. The bi product of that is, it gets hot. So it leaves the second fan, release them to go to an intercooler. That intercooler now cools that newly compressed air. The air, now cold and compressed pumped back into the engine. The great thing about cold compressed air is that it’s full of oxygen. The engine relies on fuel and oxygen to go bang. That’s it. Turbos are very simple; no wires & no computers.

Some disadvantages of single turbo are that, single turbos tend to have a fairly narrow effective rpm range. This makes sizing an issue, as you’ll have to choose between good low end torque or better high end power. And turbo response may not be as quick as alternative twin turbo setup.

Characteristics

Unlike NA’s predictable power, turbo gives sudden boost of power. But unlike natural aspiration, turbo sounds like an old woman crying. Because of the characteristics of turbo, a turbo car would run differently from a NA car.

Let’s assume that you have two same cars, one still has the stock NA engine and the other one got a recent turbo upgrade. At first glance they may look like twins, but since their engines should take different tuning methods, now they’ve become two completely different cars. The method without the turbo is called mechanical tuning. NA is that. Your foot on the accelerator controls the rpm directly. Its instant response is its strength. Even after entering a corner at nearly top speed, you can make further adjustments to your attack. Unlike with a turbo, you can attack corners aggressively. NA cars excel at entering corners.

In contrast, the other car is a turbo. It may be a step slower at corners, but its acceleration on straightaways covers that. Turbo cars excel at coming out of corners.

Usually, the corner exit is the key for a turbo car, while it’s the corner entrance for an NA. To put it simply, that’s the theory of downhill driving. 

Turbo is strong on the straights, but entering the corner, it hinders the car’s behaviour. It’s like a double-edged sword. From that aspect once the NA engine is set it can go faster and faster. On the technical courses where the straights are short, sometimes the car that is aggressive can be faster, even though it doesn’t has much power.

But turbo, which has increased power, has the opposite effect. On the downhill, the total amount of time the driver could use all of its hp is very little. Sometimes right after the moment the driver thinks he pulls away from the opponent, he should brake for the next corner. And the time it takes before he could accelerate is too long. That is what happens with the FRs that transmit power to the road using only the rear tires. 

Turbo + 4WD characteristics

The 4WD system can give stable traction even when giving it the gas, so driver can use the turbo power as much as he wants.

Back to turbo characteristics: And another thing about turbo cars is that, they tend to lose power over time because of heat soak, if it isn’t couple correctly with a good cooling system.

And you can’t use turbo power as you wish in rain like NA. So in rain the NA cars have the advantage.

(2) Twin turbo

Unlike single turbo, there are plenty of options when using twin turbos. You could have a one turbo for each cylinder bank. Alternatively, a one turbo could be used for low rpm and bypass to a larger turbo for high rpm. You could even have two similar size turbos where one is used at low rpm and both are used at higher rpm.

The advantage of twin turbo over single turbo is that, for sequential turbos or using one turbo at low rpm and both at high rpm, this allows for a much wider, flatter torque curve. Better low end torque, but the power won’t taper at high rpm like with a small single turbo.

Characteristics

There are differences between single vs. twin turbos in practical use. Single turbo engines can attain sudden explosive power when pushed passed a certain rpm threshold, but modern turbos are highly functional and will operate rapidly even when there is little back pressure.

There are roads; the road’s surface is in poor condition, resulting in limited traction. That means you can’t use the maximum acceleration.

Single turbo’s type of power generation is well suited for this type of course, and will make the car easier to drive. And make the car more stable at exiting corners.

By comparison twin turbo’s method of power output is not suited for that type of courses. No matter what power you have you can’t use it without losing balance. And if you step on the gas you slide out too much while the single turbo moves smoothly. That also means you are putting more load on tires than the single turbo. So you should have good tire management skills too.

So the twin turbo driver should have very good accelerator handling techniques to keep up with the single turbo and or win.

And single turbo’s advantage relies on this type of a course is, how smooth you run. Single turbo is definitely fast when running smoothly, but if driving gets thrown off even momentarily, it makes the single turbo vulnerable. At these moments twin turbo can overtake with power differential because of single turbo’s turbo lag.

Single turbo is powerful at straight vertical driving, but weak when it comes to horizontal driving. That’s the weakness of the single turbo over twin turbo.

(3) Antilag system

ALS is a system used to eliminate turbo lag. This keep the turbocharged engines pressurized with boost. It was originally devised for rally cars to keep the turbo spinning at full boost even at low engine rpm. So when you get onto the accelerator, all the horsepower and all the torque are, in essence, waiting, ready for use. It means the driver has instant power out of corners and between gear changes.

ALS works like this: To produce maximum boost, exhaust gases need to leave the engine with great force to keep a turbo spinning. But when the driver takes his foot off the accelerator the engine rpm drops. When he lifts off the throttle, the engine’s ECU signals the fuel injectors to stop throwing fuel into the cylinders, and the throttle closes shut. Exhaust gases are then temporarily halted, which isn’t great for turbo engines given that turbos are driven off exhaust gases. This means the gas leaving the engine drops and the turbo slows down.

When the driver puts his foot back on the accelerator, it then takes a few seconds for the turbo to spool back up again and climb into boost. The time it takes for the turbo to start producing boost is called turbo lag.

A specific set of conditions needs to be met for the ALS to work. Let’s say you’re roaring along a special stage and you’re approaching a corner. You start down shifting and braking which means you’re taking your foot off the accelerator. The engine management system senses that the throttle is closed and the engine is revving above 4,000 rpm so it runs the antilag part of the map.

What ALS does is fire the injectors and the spark plugs on the exhaust stroke of each cylinder. The very rich fuel mixture is ignited however instead of producing power it actually exits the engine into the exhaust manifold creating a pressure wave. The explosive nature of that somewhat external combustion keeps the turbocharger spinning at high rpm to maintain maximum boost.

Believe it or not there’s no bolt on ALS “kit” as such. The current form of the system was developed around the mid 90’s. It came about due to the advances in engine electronics and tuning. Generally speaking ALS is programmed into the car’s EMS and that tune is known as a map.

ALS can work in two different ways, depending on the system and car. First, an adjustment of the ignition timing can create spark within the exhaust as you lift the throttle. Second, enriching the fuel/air mixture can induce spark within the exhaust manifold so that when you lift, spark occurs and keeps the turbo spooled. 

ALS has some disadvantages. ALS is actually quite brutal. All of that backfiring can cause extra wear and damage to the engine and turbo. Turbos are manufactured to extremely fine tolerances and not designed for explosive pressure waves. ALS also produces intense heat. It’s not uncommon to have the turbo glowing bright red under the bonnet. Therefore car engine; cooling, lubrication and induction (intercooler) systems all have to deal with that extra heat. Up rated engine coolers are on the menu beside frequent oil and spark plug changes. ALS uses a lot more fuel as well. Obviously the engine is using fuel when you’ve got your foot on the accelerator however it’s also using fuel when you’ve got your foot off the accelerator too. Depending on the car and how it’s tuned, sometimes the fuel consumption can be doubled. (Antilag system info Credit: Rally Action)

Most modern cars don’t have turbo lag and most stock engines aren’t tuned for such high fuel and pressure loads. But many cars from 90s and 2000 that you especially made for downhill can fitted with antilag. But precautions should be made before such upgrades.

Characteristics

The ALS makes both the turbo’s torque and the NA’s response possible. That will help attack corners more aggressively for a turbo car. And improve the car’s turning ability. With the driver’s abilities, this combination can make a monstrous cornering car. It can superbly enter and exit a corner.

There could be sections with mid speed, S shaped corners on downhill. In these sections, you can only accelerate for a fraction of a second from one corner to the next. The rest of the time is spent struggling with the constant side G force. A car with an ALS has unbeatable acceleration coming out of these corners. So the opponent has to compensate by entering corners at a higher speed. Only a lightweight car can do it at these conditions. Utilising the lightweight body, which is the only advantage, the opponent should brake at the last possible moment before each corner and use the grip of all four tires to achieve maximum cornering speed. That’s how hard it is to challenge the ALS. Even if the opponent shortens the gap at a corner, you can easily widen it on the straightaway. That’s the power differential. So now you understand that, against an equally skilled opponent, the car which is better equipped to win will have the most chances to win.

And there are short, full blast sections on some courses. At these sections ALS will help you outrun your opponent.

The machine gun backfiring sound from the ALS will tend to distract & annoy some drivers. So it helps as a pressure tool also. 

This is the best system out there for a turbo car on downhill.

ALS has a weakness. It is that ALS doesn’t produce any engine braking or vacuum. In other words when you lift your foot off the accelerator the car doesn’t slow down. When the ALS is firing it keeps on pushing you forward. You have to work the brakes much harder therefore generating more heat, wear and strain on the drive train. There’s also no vacuum assist so generally brake boosters are deleted creating a hard brake pedal.

All these will result in tire heat. So in order to drive a car with ALS you should have exceptional tire management skills. Otherwise tires will lose their grip before you could even use them. The very thing that you intend to use for your advantage will put you at disadvantage and make you lose.

(4) Supercharger

Supercharger is an air compressor used to increase the pressure or density of intake air, providing more oxygen. This is mechanically driven by the engine, often through a belt connected to the crank. Superchargers do not suffer turbo lag, because compressor being directly powered by the engine. This result in better acceleration at low to mid rpm. Disadvantages are, “jam at high rpm” & “dimensions and weight of the device”.

(5) Twincharger

Twincharger means an engine with both a supercharger and a turbocharger. This carnival combo will give you more usable power to you.

Above things were only discussed in general. Remember, everything would be different with FF, FR, MR, 4WD, engine, drive system, weight, etc. How turbo works on a FF would be different from a FR. How turbo works on two FRs would be different. How turbo works on a same model two FRs would be different, due to their setup, balance & tuning. How a single turbo works on a FR would be different from twin turbo on the same FR. At last, they would be different again with the driver. Then everything would be different again with strategy & tactics and techniques & skills. None of that would matter if you can’t grip, the tire management skills. Likewise everything is connected. Remember,

“With great power come with great skills”.

Thank you.

You can put a jet engine on a car. It can do 250 mph. But what’s the point of doing 250 mph if you can’t really go around corners? It’s not a complete car.

Sometimes a state of the art new car with higher hp won’t be able to beat an old car with less power on downhill. Because sometimes a car has too much power to do the job. On the downhill, the difference in power is smaller.

To the naked eye, it is almost impossible to outrun and beat a more powerful car with a less powerful car. But on downhill, strategy combines with skills and other facts can beat it.

You can’t handle too much power on downhill. The hairpins, tight corners & slopes will limit you use that extra power. And too much power will impede the control and turn the car into loose cannon.

Let’s say you’ve increased the hp to 300. But from that 300hp, you’ll only need 180 or you’ll only be able to use 200 tops. The rest is useless. And put you at disadvantage. In fact you need the precise amount of power. It can’t be more or less. So don’t increase the power blindly. Don’t upgrade the power not more than a fraction which it need. Because in the end, you will have to lose all that power in order to win. The money used to improve power will be useless. Instead you can use it to improve brakes, suspension & aerodynamics as suits.

Downhill consist of severe slopes. So there are a lot of slow sections. Controlling the braking and steering rather than abusing the power is the key for these. If you develop techniques you can be exceptional at these slow corners. If you have good techniques, then the slope is what makes you faster. That’s why you don’t need power beyond its need.

The key to downhill is not power, its balance.

A power upgrade or an engine upgrade won’t automatically make the car better. You need to adjust many things and fine tune the footwork. And the car should be rightly balanced. You have to test it to the fullest and come up with the best configuration.  

Simultaneously, if you upgrade power you should upgrade & tune the suspension to handle that extra power. Bucket seats should be able to withstand the G force. The tires & the brakes should be well balanced. So should the body. Everything should be well tuned. Even the smallest things should be perfect.

Simultaneously, if you upgrade power you should upgrade your skills too. Otherwise you can’t understand the car. You can’t drive the car. You can’t control the car.

Remember, the most important thing is deciding the correct time to upgrade. This is very tricky & very hard. You should have a true appreciation for the upgrade. You need to push the car’s capabilities to the very limit and find out that it’s still not good enough to win. If you can decide the correct time to upgrade or not then you are capable of achieving anything.

Thank you.

There are amateur drivers, and then there are professional drivers. A pro driver doesn’t drive at their limit; they drive at the car’s limit. They will always be on the cusp of what the car can do; the razor edge between grip and being tossed off the track. The tires will be squealing, the brakes red hot, engine’s valves will be ready to shoot through the hood, the car screams down the tarmac, it’s rev needle bouncing off the redline and its front tire lifting off the ground as the rear ones hug the road. The late and great Ayrton Senna has a quote describing this limit in a way no one else can:

“On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, ‘Okay, this is the limit.’ As soon as you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.”

Pros are about at that limit.

They are in a league of their own. No matter how hard amateurs try they can never get on par with that level.

Pros know about everything about speed at the limit. Each driver has his own unique technique they’ve learned from experience. They know how to raise the bar even higher when the situation calls for it. They have that spirit that amateurs don’t. That’s the territory of pros.

Until armatures take part in circuit competition and develop skills they can’t use the full potential of their cars.

And there are technical reasons you can’t get into that limit even if you want. You don’t have works cars and access to knowledge & parts whenever you want. You drive a production road car. No matter how hard you try to purpose built your car for time attacks or downhill there is a limit. And you can’t use the redline as you wish without risking of blowing the motor.  

So if you want to dive to YOUR limit, while your car is never a very powerful car, you should be ready to wring every last bit of capability out of it. And only an experienced downhiller can do it, with the help of other facts.

So, orthodox style is the traditional type, who adapts circuit trained techniques to the street. On the other hand, downhill style is a peculiar type, who specializes only in mountain downhill.

When you compete in teams, if you ever have to face a highly skilled orthodox driver, be sure to not to choose a same style driver against him. Because you will not have a chance against an orthodox driver in a clash of traditional skills. 

They have top level traditional skills. With competition trained skills they won’t show any weakness. The sense of shaving time off, mental ease at the limit, real tire management skills and stamina… those things can’t be attained by amateurs.

So it’d be the right strategy for you to throw a change-up, instead of fast ball. Because that time a traditional strategy will put you at disadvantage.

But amateur street drivers naturally have one or two advantages on downhill. All other things are in favour of orthodox style.

1. Right turn

Normally street drivers have one certain advantage here over competition drivers; their weakness is right turn (Some countries drive on left side of the road and others on the right side. Let’s say you drive on the left and continue this conversation). Not all right turns, but at certain right turns, that weakness highlights. To the right of the centre line is dead zone, occupied by opposing traffic. Most can’t attack a right hand corner without worrying about a head on collusion. No one can give it 100%. But with experience you can come close to that.

In motorsports, you don’t have to worry about opposing traffic. So track day drivers are not used to this kind of driving.

So on downhill, in counterattacks; many drivers always stay outside at right hand side corners. If you can combine that with your strategy then you can overtake at a specific point.

2. Experience on downhill

Your strength lies more or high on the downhill itself.

If someone drives on the circuit, over time they get used to safety, and grow fearful of the mountain, especially downhill. It’s natural because there are no escape zones, and you don’t know what’s beyond a blind corner. A less experienced downhiller can’t maintain a high pace in a course without any escape zones. So whoever driving on downhill must have a sense of downhill driving and great experience on downhill. That’s the advantage you have and they don’t.

To get the full use of it you must combine it with your strategy. Then, the combined performance of you and your car can clear a corner at a speed that a less experienced downhiller would think impossible.

Orthodox drivers are trained to control their car a half step before such a situation occurs. But an experienced downhiller can keep controlling the car until the very end, while a less experienced downhiller chickens out. That backing away will cause the car spin at the most critical moment. At that moment if less experienced downhiller continues keep going, he won’t know whether he will clear the corner or crash. His fighting spirit will be defeated by the fear of going off the course.

When it comes to the downhill, the driver who has more experience on downhill is a notch above the other driver.

So if you are on circuit, your chances would be very slim, but the downhill is your stage, so there is no need to flinch at opponent’s title. Do not worry about things which you have no control over. Do your best and leave the rest. If you have a good strategy and as long as you don’t make mistakes you have the possibility to win.

Thank you.

Once upon a time in the mountains there were three drivers. Their names were X, Y & Z. They were lone wolves. They drove in solitude. But one day they realized that they can improve far beyond if they combined forces. No need to tell where the inspiration came from; you all know that. So together they form a team.

Now the three drivers were gone and a team was born. There were drivers, organizer, strategist, mechanic, team manager and support crew. As a team they went to the depth that they never can go as individuals.

And as for the team all gave their 100%, because unless they focus all their energy, and push themselves to the very limit, they won’t be worthy to be in the team.

“The government has set some rules for a human being to live in this world. Others were set by nature.”

No one is above the nature and no one must break them. It is very important in street. Courses must be isolated. Free from neighborhoods. There must not be stray dogs, cats & livestock. The only thing unavoidable could be occasional opposing traffic. If you can find a course without opposing traffic that’d be great. But if you can’t then you must obey the laws of nature at first hand & find a course free from all source of life. If you can’t find a place like that then you must not drive in the first place.

…So they tried to understand the secrets of the cars and the mountain. The secrets of the creation and the creator.

Slowly they start to understand the things around them. They learnt that everything has a higher purpose. Everything looks so simple has a much deeper meaning. And everything looks deep has a much simpler meaning.

They understood the turning ability is simply a matter of tire capacity & load balance. And the acceleration is a balance between power & weight.

The cars that looked mysterious earlier were no longer mysterious to them.

They drove with themselves and with other teams. When they drove, though their driving should be perfected, they always saw something new. Sometimes they won. Sometimes they lost. They learnt that there’s a lesson to be learned in that defeat.

Finally they understood that there are no opponents. It’s only you against you. Driving is not just about winning or losing, as long as you put your all into driving, that’s what counts.  

Drive after drive they evolved. They have accomplished “driving” in that learning and experiencing.

As time passed whole team grew up. They began to seek answer for the most important question ever.

“What is driving to you?”

Little by little they found their answers.  

And one day they were gone forever. No one knows what became of them. They came as ghost cats; and went as ghost cats. Some say that they disbanded the team. Others, that they stopped their quest. But I like to think one day they will return to the mountains. Until that mountain sleeps tight.

Thank you.

This technique can be used on a ditch, uncovered gutter or trench, on either gravel or tarmac, where the gutter depth is bigger than the tires. This would require load shifting techniques. Cornering at maximum speed places the majority of load on the two outside tires. Accelerating at that point causes increased load shift to the rear tires. Then both outer side loads are borne only by the rear. That means the driver intentionally creates a strong load shift and reduces as much load as possible from the inner side front tire. It allows the car to float the inner side tire above the ditch while taking the corner at maximum speed. If you can do that, then at full throttle, you can go directly above the ditch.

Load transfer is done with cornering & balance. Simply put most load transfer is kick gas and load to rear. Brake/Shifting sends load to front. Side transfer is connected to steering work. If side balance transfer doesn’t work out well, understeer or oversteer happens.

Actually a ditch run is not as dangerous as it looks. Provided the ditch is free of obstacles, it is not only faster but also safer than just using the width of the road. Just need to care about exit point. The best that can happen is spin 180 degrees, cut the clutch to regain tire grip and ending without hitting anything or crash.

Definition of Load transfer in cars is, “Load transfer is the measurable change of load borne by different wheels during acceleration (both longitudinal and lateral). This includes braking and deceleration (which is acceleration at a negative rate). No motion of the centre of mass relative to the wheels is necessary, and so load transfer may be experienced by vehicles with no suspension at all.”   

Further reading:

1.

Tyre and Vehicle Dynamics (2nd ed.) by Hans B. Pacejka – Book PDF download link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBq7xRb8NajEJ3osPAEVT3t6x-dtGJX3/view?usp=drive_link

• I do not own any of these photos. Please note that all photos belong to their original owners. If a photo posted here is yours, please let me know and I will remove them.

Thank you.

In the photo, the rider missed the line and his calculations were off. But when things go wrong he climbed up the slope as if it was a bank. If he forced the bike to stay on the tarmac it would be uncontrollable and crash. So he aimed straight for the slope, instead of trying to recover. This was a split second decision. It would have been too late if he tried to think about it. That movement came from his experience and instinct.

How riders save speed wobbles? When a speed wobble happens and the bike becomes uncontrollable, rider’s next movement of what’s best to save will come naturally. He can’t calculate or think his decision at that moment. If he tries to think he would crash. All his experience and instinct will guide him through in these situations. To recover this single moment he must spend his whole life in theory, knowledge, training and experience.

Any driver/rider could face these conditions. Even in street. There could be a time you must decide whether to brake or accelerate. Only the driver can understand this.

Especially, downhill will make you to take split second decisions. These decisions must be taken without a hiatus. Not without a slight hesitation. There is a saying,

“A driver can be wrong, but cannot be unsteady or shaky”.

In the end when you analyse you will understand that these things are pure logic. They are only logical decisions. But they come naturally without thinking with your training and experience level. Theory, knowledge, data behind these decisions will come to your brain instantly and analyse every possible scenarios. You don’t think the logic. But they come super fast. And you don’t even know that. They all work together inside your head and let you take the split second decision.

What’ll you do when the car is going to spin?  What should you do to stop it, or should you let it fully spin, or should you make it half spin 180 degrees?

What’ll you do when the chasing driver pushed from behind in a corner in order to overtake? Not pushing hard enough to spin, but to throw you off balance for a moment so he can overtake. It’s a dirty trick. But it happens. Even so often in professional circuit. RWD cars are defenceless against that kind of push right after the turn-in when the car is unstable. At times how do you recover?

What’ll you do when the other driver pushed from side wile accelerating in corner in order to force you off the road? Especially taking advantage of a 4WD car or a heavy body. In a likelihood situation if there is a curbstone and you force the car to stay on the tarmac it would have hit the curbstone and bounced back uncontrollably and crash.  

What’ll you do in a side press like above with nearby guardrail? Would you run? Or use cornering speed to dodge it by releasing the side G force to absorb the impact? If you follow the basics of slow-in fast-out, you will crash at that situation. Instead you must sacrifice the exit speed for a higher entry speed. Then only you can use the guardrail for your advantage which your opponent intent to crash you. To do that you must see the opponent’s moves before he plays.

Do you think it’s easy? Not with all the theory and practice in the world you can do it; without achieving a calm mind. Instead of resisting you must remain open to fear and anger, and let them go by.

Split second decisions don’t come every day. But when they do you must be prepared so you don’t flinch at such dire circumstances. 

Thank you.

You must understand that one driver’s driving is different from another driver.

Mainly there are two driving styles. They are,

1. Orthodox style

This is applying circuit trained skills, towards the downhill. Most drivers are this type. This is conventional, normal way of doing things.

2. Unorthodox style

This type of driver is peculiar type. This style is an irregular style. A product of the street. The result of high speed driving on only one stage; the downhill. 

These two styles are very different from each other. It’s like Fast bowler vs Spinner. It’s about the nature of driving.

You must be aware of this fact when making your strategy against the opponent. Using same style against the same style means failure from the beginning. The best way to beat from the very beginning is to use different styles.

This is very important when you face against a highly skilled driver with exceptional orthodox style skills. They have motorsports techniques cultivated on the circuit. If your opponent doesn’t use the same style as you, therein lays the only chance of beating him on the downhill.

Not only that this serves as a diversion technique. When your opponent is confused, his calculations he get from observation won’t be accurate. That will lead him to make mistakes.

And when he is confused you can put more pressure on him. If he can’t endure the pressure he will lose. Or you can easily sell a dummy to him and make him fall in your trap.

However you can’t change your driving style. This works only if you compete in teams. Otherwise you have to come up with strategy considering characteristics associate with each driving style regarding your opponent.

Thank you.

Downhill is like Chess. You must plan before and strike at the right moment. This is the infallible way of winning.

All the forces have to work in harmony to achieve victory.

Thank you.

In simple terms, downhill is where any driver can freely express himself.

It is pure driving… No money. No politics. No electronics.

If you put that into a formula it’ll be like:

Downhill = Mysterious + Deep + Calm + Logical

It is quite mysteries. Because anything can happen in downhill, like in Amazon rain forest. You’ll never know until it happens.

Downhill will put all your theory & knowledge into test and crumble & shatter everything you know into pieces and make you evolve & grow.

You can’t be good at downhill unless you achieve a calm mind. That’s how you go fast. And enjoy it.

First of all downhill is not circuit or track. It’s not rally or gravel. It’s not drags. Even in the mountain, uphill or straightaways are different. Downhill is polar opposite.

Your stage is tarmac. But there is a limit on how far you can use the circuit trained skills or rally derived techniques as it is. In fact they have to be adopted in favour of downhill. Downhill conditions are very different from any other form of driving. Downhill is not easy. It’s a niche.

Mountains have narrow winding roads. So theoretically, there are limited overtaking points. That means it’s difficult to overtake in the first place. And this makes it is extremely difficult to pass your opponent, once he passed you. So it is important not to make a single mistake on downhill.

First of all downhill is a type of Endurance competition. It is a game of pressure endurance. The one who can’t endure will lose.

Downhill is different. Unlike circuit, downhill combine all conditions. Upper part, middle part and lower part of the course is different. There are high speed sections, slow sections with tighter corners and middle speed sections where you can step on gas even though the road is narrow. You have to adjust to these conditions quickly as soon as you shift gears. To do that you must plan and make your move.

Because of these conditions downhill has a unique rhythm. But there are points where there are this rhythm changes. To get the full use of these, the level of training in your car is very important. 

Circuit drivers would consider downhill courses are slow. The range of speed is low on mountain. If you put all other facts aside, if average speed is faster, that driver can gain a clear advantage. In the end faster or not, that’s all that matters. But remember, in downhill, speed necessarily doesn’t boil down to normal facts such as power.

At times you need less power to go faster. That’s how D E E P downhill is.

Thank you.

As Stirling Moss once said,

“There are two things no man will admit he cannot do well:

Drive and Make Love”.

Year 2021 was not a happy year for us Sri Lankans.

The year was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Financial meltdown, Prices went up, Spare parts imports banned, Business collapsed, Salary dropped, Unemployment exploded.

…and to add insult to injury, we experienced a fuel crisis.

In these desperate times we yearned for joy, something to lighten the future.

It came in quite an unexpected form.

From the very beginning it was an ‘Against all odds’ story.

With the three drivers behind the wheels of the Group A inspired cars and the team of six at the helm, Kandy Ghost Cats and later the Phase 2, captured the admires’ imagination.

While experienced drivers and 4wd cars who considered them amateurs, they challenged the big boys.

They worked as hard as they drove. They spend countless hours of analysing and making strategies.

New Ideas were born and put into action in workshops. Cars were constantly upgraded and they were stronger, faster and hungry for victory.

And they trained hard honing their skills and testing their theories.

This went on…

But unfortunately with the fuel crisis coming to its peak, they disbanded the team. Their beloved cars were mothballed.

The team that offered hope and cheer is gone.

And for the members of the team they went separate ways. One started to write his blog. Others went into became top of their lives.

This is their story!

...They are called mountain drivers. Men who drive cars on ordinary mountain roads. Roads that service cars, motorcycles, buses, tractors and lorries. Roads that are align with trees, stone walls, boulders and guard rails; unforgiving obstacles when struck by the human body. Driving on mountain passes is one of the purist forms of driving. For over years men have been flying flat out on these courses, inches away from cliffs and ditches; all waiting to catch out those who make mistakes. Drivers compete with each other and against the course itself.

Let’s enjoy this amazing video.

Thank you.