Racing question i have never heard of before, It actually exists and is banned from F1! Options

[tazz9924]

So. I own a baja bug and a popular off road upgrade for it is a cutting/ turning brake. My question is why arnt these used in road racing as an alternative for left foot braking? this would direct braking force torwards the inside wheel(s) and may allow for faster and tighter cornering.

(Edit): I found that mclaren used a system similar to this in 97-98 in F1 and is a system currently employed in modern mclaren road cars. Instead of a grab handle it was a switchable 3rd pedal to the left of the brake pedal (they dont have clutches) Conservative estimates say it was good for .3 seconds a lap! It was banned from F1 on the grounds that it was a 4 wheel steering system. More info can be found here: http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/...e-steer-mclaren

[stugray]

There is some confusion and incorrect explanation going on about "What is Trail Braking".

What Trail Braking IS, Simply: to blend braking and turning at the same time.
It has nothing to do with the accelerator, except that most drivers are heel toe down-shifting WHILE Trail Braking.

The point of trail braking is to let off the brake gradually as you turn in to a corner.

Anyone who has driven Forza (or many other racing simulators) is familiar with the "friction circle" usually observed when watching playbacks of your simulated race.
Some dataloggers (like traqmate) offer this when you review your race data.
The friction circle shows how much cornering force and how much braking force you are using at any given moment.

If you are using 100% of your tire grip for braking, you have none left for turning.
If you are using 100% of your tire grip for turning, you have none left for braking.

SO 'Trail Braking' is to reduce braking forces by slowly letting off the brakes at the same rate that you are increasing the turning forces.

Novices are typically taught that you need to be DONE braking BEFORE you turn in to the corner.
As you get better, you learn that is not necessarily the case, and you can let off the brake slowly as you turn in.