Racing line

The racing line uses the full width of the track to make every corner as wide and gentle an arc as possible. A wider arc means less steering, which lets the tires corner at a higher speed for the same grip. In a typical corner that means turning in from the outside, clipping the inside at the apex, and letting the car drift back to the outside at track-out.

There is no single perfect line. It shifts with the car's power, the shape of the corners before and after, the weather and the tires. A corner leading onto a long straight usually favors a later apex for a stronger exit; a corner that follows a slow one may favor a different compromise.

Beginners tend to stay in the middle of the road, as on the street, which tightens every corner. Others copy the dark rubber line blindly. Learn the line one corner at a time with an instructor, using fixed reference points for turn-in, apex and track-out.