[FUNDAMENTALS] OVERSLOWING CORNER ENTRIES—FINDING A FIX

Overcoming fear by understanding and incorporating the correct techniques

Ken Hill working on corner entry using a cone as an end-of-braking reference.

Few skills challenge track-day and racing enthusiasts more than corner entry. Overslowing—decelerating to a speed less than what either you or your vehicle is capable of—eventually appears at every skill level. And yes, I’m guilty, too. There are countless tracks with specific corners where my heart rate spikes simply approaching the braking zone, no matter how many laps I’ve done.

That’s completely natural. Fear drives it.

Overslowing is by far the most common “How do I fix this?” question I receive and rightfully so. Accelerating into a situation in which a solution is not readily apparent, you default to current skill level—what is comfortable—and slow too much. But wait, you want a quicker lap time, so you push on, braking later and harder, which only accentuates the problem.

But it can be fixed. Let’s get into it.