Circuit racing is fun and exciting but as any kind of hi-speed sport involves a certain level of danger, it is important that you have the proper training, the right equipment and the correct safety gear - these are a must for the potential race driver/rider. The following is the ABC guide for beginners - i.e. how to properly prepare for circuit racing.

A. Racewear
In order to compete in circuit racing a potential race driver/rider must be equipped with the correct safety wear. The comprises, as a minimum, Crash Helmet, Fireproof Overalls, Gloves and shoes for drivers, and Leather one piece racing suit, leather Gloves and protective racing boots for riders - with the obligatory crash helmet of course!

All helmets, overalls and other protective clothing must be FIA/FIM homologated items and carry the validation label issued by the respective sanctioning body.

B. Driving Position
Before driving on the track, drivers must familiarise themselves with the racecar's controls and instruments, especially those designed for safety (battery master cut-off switch, fire fighting system and safety harness). It is essential to find the correct seating position for comfort and control, the basic guideline for the correct seating position is with the driver sitting firmly against the back of the seat, he/she can still place his/her wrist on top of the steering wheel, and his/her left foot still be fully able to depress the clutch pedal without having to stretch.

To maintain maximum control of the car on the track the driver should have his/her hands positioned on the steering wheel at the "ten to two" or "quarter to three" grip. Arms should have a degree of bend and grip should be firm but relaxed. This "one grip" position should be maintained throughout and will help the driver to stay "in touch" with the level of grip at the front wheels thus allowing more precise steering control.

With the safety harness it is vitally important to have it correctly tensioned despite the fact that it may be a bit less comfortable to wear compared with the normal seatbelts used on road cars. The rule of thumb for correct tensioning is that it is difficult to place a finger between the belt and your chest when the harness is fully tightened.

C. Mental Approach
Mental attitude is perhaps the most important part of a driver's preparation for competition. A driver should develop the ability to focus their concentration fully on the task in hand before undertaking circuit driving and also to learn to maintain this high level of concentration throughout the track session.

ON THE CIRCUIT

A. Leaving the Pit Lane
The Pit Lane is usually split into two lanes, an outer (fast) lane and an inner (slow) lane. As a driver increases speed they should transfer to the fast lane and on joining the circuit the driver must build speed whilst keeping the car to the Pit Lane side of the track.
Drivers should check their mirrors before joining the circuit to ensure they are not drawing across the path of another car that is already on the track and not cross the white line painted on the circuit. A car traveling at racing speed may have as high as 100km/h speed difference over the car joining the track so any misjudgment can lead to serious accidents.

B. The Racing Line
Accelerating on a straight requires little technique and most drivers should have no problem in doing so, therefore we will concentrate our attention on how to slow the car at the end of the straight and the correct use of the racing line - an imaginary line that drivers take that makes cars turn in and corner faster on the track.

Corner approach
The racing line starts with the approach to the corner and establishing correct car positioning. The majority of corners require the driver to position the car close to the outside edge of the track on the approach to a corner. The 'outside edge' of a track is relative to the apex of the corner ahead, so for a left turn corner the right hand side of the track is the "outside" and vice versa for a right handed corner.

Braking
When arriving at the braking point the driver should smoothly but quickly come off the throttle and start braking. During braking the driver should not 'slam' on the brakes but instead he/she should progressively apply pressure to the brake pedal and increase the pressure to the point of just before the wheels lock up to achieve maximum braking effort. If a wheel actually locks brake pressure should be eased slightly to allow rotation to recommence. Braking should be done in a straight line and continued to the turning in point. Throughout the braking area the driver should be making the necessary downshifts to select the correct gear for the corner and the "Heel and Toe" technique has to be used to avoid unbalancing the car at the critical point. (more on this later)

Turn in
The driver should arrive at the turn in point in the correct gear travelling at the optimum corner entry speed. At the turn in point the driver should roll the foot smoothly off the brake pedal and back on to the throttle. A part throttle opening should be selected to keep the car on a balanced throttle with the car neither accelerating nor decelerating.

Clipping point
At or just before the turning in point the driver will look into the bend to find the clipping point. Steering lock will be applied using the "one grip" method and the car should be on a balanced throttle to this clipping point.

Exit
Once the clipping point is reached and provided the car is on the correct line, the driver can start to feed the power back on whilst at the same time winding off the steering lock. The important thing is that the more the steering lock is unwound the more power should be applied and by the exit kerb the steering wheel should be back to the straight ahead position with full throttle applied.

"Heel and Toe" technique
This technique requires that the engine be momentarily revved up whilst the clutch is depressed during downshifting. The purpose of this action is to match the car's engine speed with the speed of the road wheels when a lower gear is engaged so as to prevent drive-line snatch which could result in the wheels locking (especially in the wet) and damage to the gearbox.
1. Lift the right foot from the gas pedal and press the brake pedal.
2. Lift the left foot from the foot rest and depress the clutch pedal.
3. Move the gear lever from a higher gear to a lower gear.
4. While the ball of the right foot is applying maximum brake pressure, rotate the foot so the heel is above the corner of the gas pedal.
5. The right heel gives a quick push of the gas pedal to rev up the engine. (the ball of the foot is still on the brake)
6. The left foot releases the clutch and goes back on the foot rest.
7. The right foot rotates off the gas pedal and completes the braking.