[FUNDAMENTALS] INITIAL THROTTLE IS A SKILL FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST BEGINNERS

Understanding and working on initial throttle will build quicker, more repeatable lap times

Everyone knows that the majority of a good lap time comes from acceleration. So, when people go looking for advice, especially the kind casually passed around in race paddocks and on internet forums, the message is always the same: Accelerate earlier, accelerate harder.

Simple. Problem solved. Competitive lap times will immediately come easily. Except, they don’t—and won’t. The “what” is obvious: improved acceleration. The “how” is where most drivers and riders struggle.

Acceleration is constrained by the type of corner and its radius, available grip, power delivery, electronics, trajectory, and, whether we like to admit it or not, fear. Advice is what to do. Technique is how to do it.

Initial throttle application isn’t just about adding power. It’s about applying throttle in a way that deliberately transfers weight, builds grip, refines trajectory, and boosts confidence, all with one clear goal: getting to wide-open throttle as soon as possible without compromising control.

Initial throttle matters. It doesn’t matter if it’s 8 horsepower or 800. When technique is correct, initial throttle becomes a confidence tool—not a guess, not a risk. And it’s something elite drivers and riders work on continuously.

What does “initial throttle” actually mean?