References are one of the most important parts of sim racing because references are entitled "consistency" and in turn "consistency" leads to "confidence". Those two things will make up the foundation for any driver to build upon. The stronger your foundational consistency and confidence, the easier it will be to practice and improve every single learner's course. For example, let's say you're trying to improve your trail braking specifically. Well, if you don't have a very precise and consistent breaking point, it's probably going to lead to inconsistency and a lack of confidence in your threshold breaking, making it difficult to focus on your trail braking and to feel how it affects the car. The stronger your foundation, the easier it will be to improve and become a stronger driver.

That's why we're going to put an emphasis on very high quality, precise references and show you how you can use references in other phases of a corner. Many people when they think of references, they think of them as a tool to help with their braking. As you'll see, we'll show you how you can use them mid-corner too.

Using References Precisely

Here we are at Hangar in turn 1 and what stands out as the obvious reference at first glance is the 100 meter board. What I want you to do is ask yourself how exactly would I use that 100 meter board as a reference?

• Am I focused on my vision directly onto it?

• What am I using my peripheral vision?

• Am I using it as a general guide for where I should be braking?

• What am I using in a very precise way that I can replicate consistently every single lap?

Combining Interior and External References

Here I'm going to show you how I use the interior of my car in combination with that 100 meter board to turn it into a very precise reference. This is already for the long braking zone so I have time to focus my vision directly onto that 100 meter board and I'm telling myself just as it starts to disappear from view behind the column is how I'm going to use it in a very precise way.

However, in this case, the 100 meter board is actually too late to use as a very precise reference point. Now most people would settle for that. They would just tell themselves to break one, two, maybe three corners before the 100 meter board but that's where the inconsistencies would start to creep in because you're not using that 100 meter board in a very precise way.

Finding Alternative Reference Points

What I would do is I would analyze the replay of a very good turn 1 and try to find a new reference point that would let me keep that precision and consistency. In this case, there are two options I can see:

• The first one is this tree line over to the left hand side

• The second one is this orange barrier in the background towards the right

Once the top of that tree line started to disappear behind my windscreen banner, that could be a very precise breaking point or once this orange barrier starts to disappear behind my wind screen wiper, that could be a very precise breaking point. Again, you're seeing how I'm using different parts of my car interior to help triangulate my exact position.

Turn 12 Example

So here we have another example at Hangar in turn 12. Once again, the 100 board stands out with the very obvious reference at first but that's slightly too early. The second reference that many people would be drawn to is the start of the red-aware curve on the left. In this case, there's slightly too late. What usually happens is many people would settle for that and tell themselves to break somewhere in between the two. Again, that's where the inconsistencies will start to creep in because it's not very precise. In this case, what I would use is this orange barrier on the right hand side in combination with my windscreen wiper similar to turn one.

References for MRP (Minimum RPM Point)

So earlier I mentioned how references can be used in other phases of a corner, not just for breaking points. Now I'm going to show you how you can establish references for your MRP. You're going to learn a bit more about MRP's later in this course. So to simplify it, for now I think of your MRP as the throttle point. We're going to create references for getting on throttle. The same reason you create references for getting on the brakes. It will help you get on the throttle at the right time consistently and with confidence.

Short and Sharp Corners

So here we have a clearly defined apex. It's a relatively short and sharp corner. Now we know that generally we should be getting on throttle slightly before the apex. So in this case, we can use the apex as a reference. Just before we hear the apex, this is the point we're going to get on throttle. Here we have another example at the chicane. It's a short, relatively sharp corner and so it's obvious where we should be getting on throttle.

Complex Corners Without Clear Apexes

We're creating a reference for the MRP or getting a throttle can be really useful is in the corners that do not have a clearly defined apex. The much longer corners or corners are complex for whatever reason. Maybe they have a blind exit, maybe it leads into another corner, maybe there's elevation change or camper that affect how much grip you have and how you have the approach to the corner.

Turn Two Example

So for our first example, let's look at turn two. Turn two is a really long corner with a blind exit. Because it's a blind exit, a lot of drivers would lack the confidence in their throttle. They would get on throttle much too late and stay under the limit, or they would get on throttle much too early, transferring the weight off of the front tires, which will cause some understeer and force them to be very hesitant before they can get the all throttle.

What I'm going to do is create any reference at all. It doesn't have to be very precise at first. It's just to help you make those initial adjustments the same way you would have a braking. So let's use this Rolex advertisement as our reference. As it gets into the middle of our screen, that's our cue to get on throttle. Let's say for example that's slightly too early, there may be we could use this Pirelli advertisement. As we are focusing our vision forward through the corner, just as that Pirelli signed coming into view on the left side of our screen, that could be our reference to give us consistency and confidence in our throttle, despite it being a blind exit.

Turn Eleven Example

So for another example, let's look at turn 11. This is a high speed corner with the risk of an off track on exit. The risk of this off track would lower a lot of people's confidence in their throttle input, and they would be under the limit, losing them time down this short straight towards turn 12. Once you've dialed in a precise reference, that would give you the consistency and confidence in your throttle application to maximize your exit despite the fine margins. In this case what I'm using, the orange part of this barrier, and as it lines up with the right side of my dash, that's my reference to get on throttle.

Using Vision Effectively with Throttle References

Now ideally your throttle references will be somewhere your vision has already directly focused, such as the exit of a corner or a specific part of the curb. But as you've seen in some of these examples, sometimes you may have to use your peripheral vision or the interior of your car, but that was an explanation of how you can establish high quality and very precise references when you may not have thought there was any other ways, and how you can apply that concept to other inputs, not just your braking points.