Yahoo Autos The Art of Passing
The most exciting highlights from any road race aren't the crashes or the pit stops, they're the passes. The most intense part of a driver's stint, passing requires skill, experience, and patience. SafeIsFast interviewed a bunch of today's most elite drivers to explain what it takes to execute the perfect overtaking move.
The first thing anyone should understand about passing is that it takes patience. As Daytona 24-Hour winner Graham Rahal explains, younger drivers tend to be more aggressive and quick to make a move that might not turn out well. Catching up to traffic too quickly can also be a detriment, because while you may eventually get past, you've lost time overall by waiting for an opportunity. Predicting when to overtake ahead of time is key.
BMW Works driver António Félix da Costa is quick to point out the best places to pass on track-the exit of the corner, where you don't have to give up speed or much racing line, or on a straight, where you don't lose any real time and also get a draft. ADAC GT masters winner Kelvin van der Linde says out-braking someone on corner entry is one of the riskiest ways to pass since you don't know how the other driver is going to react, which means things have a higher possibility of going wrong.
But those are just a few tips some of today's top drivers give. Check out the entire SafeIsFast video here.
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