My fellow rally drivers have the same opinion as I do, that only when a vehicle is in an unstable condition can driving become something similar to an art form. For active motorsport racers, driving like this is basically part of their everyday, whereas ordinary drivers should regularly practice in these types of conditions so that they can learn about safety measures and how to control a vehicle.
Driving can become something similar to an artIdeally, drivers should attend special winter driving courses for this purpose, such as those also offered by #porsche Driving Experience. These unstable driving conditions occur far more frequently on icy and snowy surfaces than on asphalt or concrete due to the significantly lower friction value. The rear tyres lose their directional control much faster, and the vehicle will skid. But don't panic. Such conditions can be simulated much better on ice and snow than on asphalt – as the speeds are much slower, everything seems to happen in slow motion. You can practice driving in these sorts of conditions extensively at an appropriate training ground. We held a course like this in the Austrian state of Salzburg.
The golden rules for driving on ice and snowAs you would expect, some golden rules always apply: Adjust your speed (which means slow down), and fit winter tyres with a coarser profile and a softer rubber compound to give your vehicle significantly more grip. You can experience the sliding spectrum (albeit the lower end) through a few practice exercises, including a slalom on ice, a circuit, brake test and a handling track. Generally, a car in an unstable condition is controlled not only using the steering wheel, but also the accelerator pedal. Just one tap on the accelerator while on ice is all it can take for the rear tyres to lose directional control and the rear to skid outwards. The slalom offers a very good chance to practice as you navigate around the cones.
1144818 walter roehrl participants porsche driving experience salzburg 2018 porsche ag
934508 walter roehrl 911 carrera 4 gts porsche driving experience salzburg 2018 porsche ag
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