Handbrake Turn
A handbrake turn is essential for decent times in motorkhanas. It basically
involves turning the car into the corner and locking the rear wheels so
that the car pivots around its inside front tyre. This enables the driver
to negotiate sharp turns around flags more quickly. This tip is for front
wheel drive cars only. Four wheel drives in particular should not attempt
to use the handbrake as it may damage the center differential.
Executing a successful handbrake turn is a little harder than one might
expect. It requires a little bit more finesse than just applying the handbrake
and turning. This quick article will hopefully give you a better idea
as to the basics behind the handbrake turn, and after that, it's up to
you to practice!
The first thing to do is make sure your handbrake is properly adjusted
and working effectively. If your handbrake doesn't hold your car on a
hill, it's unlikely it will lock the rear wheels and enable you to perform
a handbrake turn. Handbrakes can not work for a number of reasons. The
cables may have stretch or the shoes or pads on the rear tyres may have
worn. If you can't adjust the handbrake yourself, your mechanic will easily
be able to help you.
A tip which can help you to perform your handbrake more easily is to
lock the button in. This allows you to pull and then release your handbrake
without having to hold the button in as you put it down. There are a couple
of ways you can do this. The first is to drill a hole in the side of the
handbrake lever and in the side of the button and screw the button in
the depressed position. If you don't want to do this, you can take a 5
or 10 cent piece and using some strong tape, tape the button in.
The speed you approach the turn will determine how far you can rotate
the car around during the turn. In motorkhanas, you almost never get out
of first gear, so you shouldn't have too many issues with going too fast.
With some practice you will be able to judge the speed you need to approach
each turn at.
At this point it might be a good idea to point out that during
a handbrake turn in a front wheel drive car you do not use
the clutch at all. Take your foot off the clutch and put it
on the floor under or alongside the clutch. This will help
you in two ways. First it will stop you from using the clutch
and secondly it provides you with a way to brace yourself
as you are thrown around the car during the turn.
Half the battle with executing a good handbrake turn is not pulling the
handbrake too early. You want to swing the rear of the car around and
for this, the car already needs to be rotating in the right direction.
Do not pull the hand brake, and then turn. This will simply result in
you stopping without turning much. Turn the car into the corner, and pull
the handbrake after the car begins to turn. The timing for when to pull
the handbrake will come with practice.
While your car is rotating through the corner during the turn, keep your
foot on the accelerator. This helps you around the turn and provides you
with the power you need to exit the turn and move to the next turn.
That's about it for the basics of the handbrake turn, the rest is just
practice!
The author executes a handbrake turn during a Crazy Square
run, Round 1, 2005
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