Revisiting Radford Racing School: Expert Drivers Allegedly Boost Performance Further
Rewritten Article:
Back in the high-speed world of car control, I found myself at Radford Racing School, this time in Arizona, for a four-day course. It's been about three years since my initial visit to Radford, where I was introduced to the racing line, patience, and vision, but most notably, the intricacies of braking pressure.
Fast-forward to today, my life as an automotive journalist has been a wild ride, with countless track days, rally training, a Dakar-winning racecar experience, and even Baja 1000 pre-running. But I returned to the former Bob Bondurant School, eager to uncover what an experienced driver can still learn from Radford's 4-Day GT Road Racing Course.
Our adventure commenced with a classroom session to cover basic safety concepts and introduce the Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack vehicles, our training wheels for the following days. Initially, I felt a tinge of surprise, as I'd primarily driven supercharged Hellcats during my prior visit, albeit with the black key limiting output to 500 horsepower.
Aside from the Scat Pack's power output, Radford had also swapped tire partners, outfitting my car with Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 tires. Things had certainly changed, but not everything, as Zacharias and Bucknum led us out to the school's parking lot for hands-on training on full ABS braking, upshifting, downshifting, and quick evasive maneuvers.
Next, we moved to the Maricopa Oval for trail braking, introducing upshifts and downshifts while navigating long corners. The following day saw us putting our acquired knowledge to the test at higher speeds, traversing varying radius turns, hard braking, and longer straights.
Classroom sessions followed, as we learned about oversteer and understeer, with valuable lessons on their prevention and management. On a skid car, our instructors demonstrated how to handle slides using countersteering and throttle modulation.
The consistent exercise, despite being somewhat haphazard due to varying heights for the ramps, emphasized the importance of vision and steering angle. This became even more critical on the main track, where we faced a physical and mental challenge, my arms growing weary, especially my right wrist fighting the shifting and steering wheel due to the Challenger's road-focused ergonomics.
Graduating to Radford's East Track, previously an IndyCar test track, I confronted my first struggles in a little chicane. No matter how I experimented with braking and steering inputs, I created understeer then snap oversteer. The East Track demanded a diligent foot on the brake pedal and an understanding of slip angle, pushing beyond the limits of straight lines.
With Zacharias as my co-pilot, I discovered that I'd been overdoing my braking, causing the tires to lose grip. By changing my brake modulation and trail braking techniques, I could engage the rear tires earlier, counteracting understeer and preventing oversteer. I returned home feeling compelled to learn more, realizing that every driver is indeed a student.
Enrichment Data:Radford Racing School's 4-Day GT Road Racing Course focuses on enhancing skills like:
- Vehicle dynamics management and performance driving techniques
- Race lines, passing strategies, and overall race tactics
- Precision driving and safe practices
- Advanced techniques for maximizing speed and efficiency on the track, thanks to accomplished racing veterans like William Hawkins and Rob Knipe leading the instruction.
- Radford Racing School's 4-Day GT Road Racing Course, perhaps, offers advanced drifting techniques with the V8 engine of a Dodge Challenger.
- After three years, I probably returned to Radford Racing School to learn sliding maneuvers from accomplished racing veterans like William Hawkins and Rob Knipe.
- On the East Track, I encountered challenges in drifting using a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack, as I consistently slid due to excessive braking pressure.