Drivers and oval track versus road racing

[Ghoste]

Not being familiar enough with what is required of a driver between the two types of racing, what is it that makes it difficult for a driver of one type to adapt easily to the other?

[Dans 68]

I would just think it is a matter of experience and desire. Making those right turns for the oval track drivers necessitates better throttle, shifting and braking control. Of course if there were a "oval" track that had big sweeping right hand turns included (think about an underpass/overpass to do this) then they would do fine. Same as for road racing. Experience (read "lots of practice") and desire is all it takes.

Dan

[Ghoste]

Those parts I get, but your example seems to follow the same train of thought that I was already having.  I tended to think more about road racers with all that experience with throttle, braking, and shifting as opposed to oval track guys just holding it to the floor and turning left.  At the very great risk of sounding demeaning to oval track racers this makes it sound like they are the ones who would have the difficulty adapting.  And when the odd road course gets thrown at regular NASCAR folks that seems to be borne out.  But the opposite seems to hold just as true, Donohue and Montoya and some of those guys didn't just drive up to the superspeedways and dominate like some people thought they would.

[JeffYoung]

I'm primarily an SCCA road racer (Spec Miata, ITS and a Lola T70 ITE replica).  I've done some oval track as well.

I have  lot of respect for the oval guys.  They can fine tune a car to turn left and get in and off a corner way better than me. Yes, when they come to a road course, I have an advantage in being able to heel and toe and threshold brake and understand how certain corners on a road course are more important than others.  But at the same time, when I do oval stuff, I'm just as far behind on how to get the car to turn better and get on the throttle earlier as weather and track conditions change.

Two different disciplines.

[elacruze]

I'm primarily an SCCA road racer (Spec Miata, ITS and a Lola T70 ITE replica).  I've done some oval track as well.

I have  lot of respect for the oval guys.  They can fine tune a car to turn left and get in and off a corner way better than me. Yes, when they come to a road course, I have an advantage in being able to heel and toe and threshold brake and understand how certain corners on a road course are more important than others.  But at the same time, when I do oval stuff, I'm just as far behind on how to get the car to turn better and get on the throttle earlier as weather and track conditions change.

Two different disciplines.

I've done both, with cars and motorcycles, although no superspeedway/high horsepower cars.

Simply as I can put it, Circle Track racing is all finesse-spending as much time as possible on the razor edge of control and traction. Speed is high but transition is slow.
Roadracing is much more Violent, all about acceleration and transition. Being smooth is less important than having lightning reactions and fast transitions. Those who have violence and finesse together are the dual-discipline superstars.

[Ghoste]

Okay, that's an analogy I can understand.  Thanks guys.

[JeffYoung]

I'd disagree some on road racing being violent.....some tracks require that type of driving (say Carolina Motorsports Parks), others reward smoothness (Roebling Road), still others a combination of the two (Road Atlanta or VIR).

[elacruze]

I'd disagree some on road racing being violent.....some tracks require that type of driving (say Carolina Motorsports Parks), others reward smoothness (Roebling Road), still others a combination of the two (Road Atlanta or VIR).

Certainly that's true, as with everything it's shades of gray. I was using the separation for simplicity. Certainly, the saturday night short track isn't all finesse. 

[Ghoste]

Well that brings up another good question for me though.  What is it about a big oval versus a small oval that makes some guys competetive on one and not the other?  (I'm talking equal track surfaces of course)