Walter Röhrl's happy feet
I doubt that there is any single piece of the streaming video from in
the footwell that directly connects with the footage out the
windscreen, but to watch all of this going on is flat AMAZING.
Streaming video: Walter Rohrl / Audi Quattro.
Watch his right foot. You're seeing downshifts (matching revs),
upshifts, and throttle steering (managing oversteer/understeer to
rotate the car and power through those corners).
Left foot braking is employed to slow the car, or to balance the car
in corners (transfering weight forward to rotate, etc).
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The techniques:
Left foot braking
Heel and toe
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Walter is one of the greatest & was voted Driver of the Millenium by
his peers who span the top league of FIA motorsport - Formula One &
WRC. That footage is taken from the 1986 San Remo Rally in the quattro
E2 - the last victory for what I feel is the most charismatic rally
car built. Some of the outside shots show a quattro A2 (LWB) and
others show an E1 and an E2 - so there is a mismatch between the
interior shots and some of the exterior shots.
Walter came to left foot braking relatively late in his career. In his
book "The Walter Rohrl Diary" (thoroughly recommended) he says that he
only learnt about left-foot braking when he went to Audi & he couldn't
qwell the quattro's understeer. Stig Blomquist (the left-foot master!)
took him out in a recce quattro & demonstrated the technique. Walt
claims that it took him quite a while to refine it because he kept
changing the pressure on the brake pedal while he pumped the gas. He
learnt that the secret is to retain a constant pressure on the brake
pedal while varying the throttle. Ever the modest Finn, Blomquist
denies that he taught Walter the technique & says he picked it up
himself. I know I may sound like an anorak (geek), but much as I love
the Mini I lalso have two Ur-quattros (early & late) because like many
petrol-heads in their 30's & 40's I was heavily influenced by the
Group B era of rallying which I humbly submit was a short but golden
era in motorsport.
Via MINI2.
Comments
mister rhorl is the most refine driver of all time he taught me everything i know including the left foot braking a technic not performe by the driver anymore the car does the job for them i wish we still have driver like him now!!!
Posted by: paolo giudicelli | October 25, 2005 4:24 PM
One question:- Walter Rhorl or Ari Vatanen? Toughie!
Posted by: Matthew Glendenning | February 9, 2008 4:19 PM