Senna's footwork in an NSX

[ttweed]

Found this video showing a test drive in Japan of an NSX by Aryton Senna. Some nice footbox splitscreen on the lower left while he drives the track:
http://www.jackals-forge.com/TMP/senna_nsx.avi

I found the way he pumped the gas pedal interesting.

TT

[Jad]

Very nice and amazing how smooth he is with the steering. Very little input compared to his foot movements.

[Tim Comeau]

Cool.........
I wish I could see it more clearly. Tom, is it really dark on your monitor also, or do I just need an excuse to get a brand new plasma-tronic super-duper monitor? Either way.....
Ayrton Senna does his heel and toe downshifting the same way I do. Hmmmph. I guess that makes me as good as a world champion? He sure was quick. But I liked Alain Prost better.
No, but seriously now....
That really is the way I heel and toe.
I was watching him working the gas pedal too. Was he looking for grip? Could he be so sensitive to the throttle state as to be making multiple, minute inputs like that? If so, I can only hope to work towards that level.
I was trying to see if he was making steering corrections while providing those little inputs.

[Bob McLaughlin]

Thanks for finding another gem, Tom! I found it interesting that his hands went so far past the twelve o'clock position, as well.
Bob McLaughlin

[MikeD]

Couldn't open file with either Windows Media Player for Mac version 9.0.0 (3307) or Apple's QuickTime version 6.5.2. Bummer . Sounds like it would have been interesting though.

[gulf911]

Ayrton Senna does his heel and toe downshifting the same way I do

Umm Tim, You do it the same way he does....

Sorry, couldn't resist...

[martinreinhardt]

Couldn't open file with either Windows Media Player for Mac version 9.0.0 (3307) or Apple's QuickTime version 6.5.2. Bummer . Sounds like it would have been interesting though.

Mike,

Try MPlayer OS X 2.0 or VLC media player 0.8.1 for OS X, they should should be available from www.versiontracker.com

[Chris Moon]

TT,

I remember reading back then that Senna feathered the throttle that way as a sort of improvised traction control. I think, too, that he said he did it to keep up the boost in his F1 car of the time. Of course that wouldn't apply to the NSX, though.

Very cool video,
CM

[MikeD]

Mike,

Try MPlayer OS X 2.0 or VLC media player 0.8.1 for OS X, they should should be available from www.versiontracker.com

Thanks Martin.

Nice video Tom! Hey I heel-toe like that too. Guess I'm as good as Aryton and Tim. OK, maybe not Tim.

[ttweed]

Cool.........
I wish I could see it more clearly. Tom, is it really dark on your monitor also

Yes, it is dark. I messed with my monitor controls to brighten it up. It's only the in-car section that is too dark, the rest is fine.

I was watching him working the gas pedal too. Was he looking for grip?

I believe so. Go to this link: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthre ... adid=87558 and scroll down to the article about him driving a rally car. The first paragraph on the second page suggests that he is doing these small throttle movements to help the front end bite.

Mike D.- It played for me in Windows Media Player 10. It's an .avi file, don't know why it wouldn't play for you. It's in a TMP directory, so it may not be there long, but I downloaded it to my hard drive.

TT

[Tim Comeau]

On cars without limited slip, you kind of have to do that same movement, but it's because you're trying to put down the power as much as possible, sensing wheel spin, then backing off to re-establish grip, and squeezing it on again.......but Ayrton was doing it so rapidly.
I guess working the throttle like that in a higher hp car would really make the car rock back and forth, front to back, thus changing front weight/grip......

[Bob Gagnon]

It seems to me like the throttle stuff is most in the tighter corners. I wonder if he is doing a pitch and catch routine to rotate the car?

I have never tried to drive shifting with my left hand, he does it with ease, I would probably find reverse more often than a forward gear.

I read that he did some of the development work on the NSX chassis and the struts across the engine were added at his request.

The car is a lightweight R version of the NSX we did not get in the USA.

[Tim Comeau]

It seems to me that getting on and off the throttle like that wouldn't be as effective as staying off the throttle to get the weight up front . That would cause the front end to bite better, giving you a chance to rotate the car. Was he rotating the car a little bit at a time while going through a big bend?
2 unknowns for me:
What kind of tires (sidewall, grip level, etc.) was he using?
Was he also blipping the gas, trying to keep the turbo spooled up through the slower stuff?
I've read that 935 drivers, especially the early, big single turbos had to learn the art of left foot braking on the way to learning to keep the turbo spooled up.
One other thought is that Ayrton's rapid foot movement (RFM) is just a by product of him trying to sense the car. Bite?
MAN, now I'm going to have to watch the video over and over!

[Bob Gagnon]

Tim- the NSX is a non-Turbo car, so I don't think it was to keep the boost up.

[bobbrand]

C'mon, the guy is driving a right-hand drive car wearing dress loafers.
*applause*

I also really enjoyed the few dozen overly polite photographers.

I'm with Bob G. and think that the throttle movements might be his way of counteracting understeer. I think we've all done that at some point, but maybe not quite so quickly.