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| Advanced
Driving Course |
Broadcast
dates : 30th October 2005
5th November 2005 |
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Ever wondered what Clint gets up
when he’s not racing, or flashing his molars on Car Torque?
Well, he runs a driving school called Mercedes-Benz Dynamic
Driving.
Special guest on the show this week was Lesego Motsepe, better
known as Lettie in Isidingo.
The Mercedes-Benz Dynamic Driving course is certainly about
fun, but mostly about safety.
The skidpan at Zwartkops Raceway simulates extreme conditions
on the road, whether the road is dry or wet. Lock up the
brakes and the car simply won’t steer.
The school’s Merc C55s have been modified so that safety
programmes like ABS braking can be switched off for this
exercise.
When the ABS is switched off – which you can’t do in a
standard C55 – turning left, right and left again has no
effect when the wheels are locked.
The only way to regain control is to come off the brakes once
they lock up to stop the wheels skidding. Lock, release, turn,
and then re-apply the brakes.
Once the pupils have learnt about brake lock-up, it’s time
to teach skid control techniques, normally induced by feeding
too much power.
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This
is the art of counter-steering, or opposite lock as it used
to be called.
When the tail steps out, you turn into the skid. And if you
are really good, you can do that almost before the skid
develops.
It took Lesego a few 180 degree spins before she got the
hang of it. But by the end of the morning she was ready to
tackle the Zwartkops race track, where the tarmac offers
about 10 times more grip.
On the race track, Clint and his crew teach the art of
smooth driving. The idea is to get smooth first, after which
speed comes naturally.
When she plays Lettie on Isidingo, Lesego is known as
"The One Who Never Smiles". After the Merc Dynamic
Driving course, we believe her agent was thinking of
auditioning her for a Colgate ad.
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