AZhitman wrote:That would surprise me. I'd have to hear his rationale on that. I'm no expert, but I've never heard that from a seasoned racer. Not doubting you - I've just always been taught that the fastest way around any course is either accelerating or decelerating at all times.
He related a story where he had some drivers around Lime Rock for their first time. He told them that on a very short straight (I think it was the one right after turns 3 and 4) that they should coast. He said they gave him such a look, and he relayed the emotion: "Blasphemy!" (I'm paraphrasing; I can't remember the exact word he used, but that sums it up)
He said they ignored his advice and were always on either the accelerator or the brake, and then he made them do it his way. They came out I think it was almost a full second faster. Now, granted, it may have been something particular to the elevation shifts and the turn angles at Lime Rock (it's one of the fastest tracks in the country, despite the fact that it has almost no straights and is relatively tiny), but, in my experience with racing games and my perfectionist zeal to be a clean, fast driver in those games (and the fact that I absolutely abhor "power sliding"), the easier you go, the faster you go. Hard on the gas, of course, but only when appropriate.
Racing games aren't usually difficult for me, and I coast quite a bit. It's too easy to over-apply the brakes (especially when you don't ahve the physical feedback of being in the car).
"You feel like you're going really fast," and these are his exact words, "but you're actually going slower."