TECHNOLOGY – SLIP ANGLE

Accelerated learning
Throttle control is a vital part of the driver’s skill set, so it’s important
that engineers have the understanding and the tools to measure it

By CLAUDE ROUELLE

Even the very best can get a bit greedy on the throttle – this is Michael Schumacher winding on some opposite lock to deal with power oversteer at Silverstone back in 2005

I
f you’ve been following this series
of articles from OptimumG during
the last year, you will know that
we have shared some of the data
analysis techniques used by our
engineers in their day-to-day racing
activities. These have mainly been
on the race driver’s inputs: steering,
braking, and throttle. So far, we
have presented the steering and the
braking performance metrics. But
this month we’re going to focus on
the throttle channel.

Throttle control
The throttle has two main functions:
accelerating the racecar and, in some
situations, using the longitudinal
tyre grip to balance it.
The tricky part is to apply the
correct amount of throttle. A driver Figure 1: Throttle trace by sections through a long corner with a late apex; the latter is indicated by the steady state throttle period
can easily apply too much, or too
little, or apply it too fast, or too slow. Before we start looking at ways A throttle chart will have on the the middle represent part of the
And as a race driver moves to higher to analyse the throttle channel y-axis the throttle percentage, the throttle opening. As for the x-axis,
racing series, which typically means using key performance metrics, it is value going from zero per cent to that can either be in distance or time.
more engine power, then the more important to first understand what 100 per cent, where zero means the In Figure 1, up until the 3750m
difficult it will become to find the a throttle trace looks like. Figure 1 throttle is closed and at 100 per cent marker the driver is applying full
perfect throttle modulation. shows a trace for a long corner. the throttle is fully open. Values in throttle (straight line). At the 3750m

The throttle has two main functions: accelerating the car and, in
some situations, using the longitudinal tyre grip to balance it
JANUARY 2020 www.racecar-engineering.com 45
TECHNOLOGY – SLIP ANGLE

marker the driver releases the

throttle and is braking to enter the
corner. The driver then picks up the
throttle at 3825m, the corner exit.
Similar to the April 2019 edition
(V29N4) where we broke down the
different stages of braking, we will
be applying the same methodology
for the throttle by looking at the
different stages during the corner
exit: Start Corner Exit; Middle Corner
Exit; and End Corner Exit.

Smooth application
Start Corner Exit begins with the
initial application of the throttle.
Being smooth on the throttle is
crucial (see January 2019 ‘s edition,
V29N1, to further understand what
we mean by being smooth). If the
driver applies too much throttle, or
applies it too quickly, it can create Figure 2: Throttle comparison between two drivers. Note how the black trace shows an early application, while red is much smoother
an understeer behaviour in the
car due to the longitudinal weight
transfer from the front to the rear
axle. Additionally, the driver could
be creating unnecessary wheel
spin. On the other hand, if the driver
doesn’t apply enough throttle,
or at a slow rate, it could be an
indication of room for driver/lap time
improvement, or simply that there’s
not enough grip available.
The Middle Corner Exit is the
longest section. The driver gradually
increases the throttle while exiting
the corner. In Figure 1, the corner
that we are analysing has a late
apex. This is confirmed because,
from 3880m to 3920m, the driver
is maintaining a constant throttle
(steady state throttle). The driver is
providing the necessary amount of Figure 3: Throttle histogram for the two different drivers on their fastest lap. The red driver has a higher percentage of full throttle
throttle that keeps the racecar at a
relatively constant speed. The driver
reached a steady state (equilibrium)
The driver is no longer tyre limited, and this
point of the car, which tells the race
engineer that there probably isn’t
means they can apply 100 per cent throttle
any more additional grip available. trace looks like, let’s now analyse driver then tries to compensate by the black driver. The red driver has
The length of the corner, as well as the throttle trace of two drivers. applying the throttle earlier. With the a higher average throttle position
the type of trajectory used, will have Figure 2 shows the data of our pair traction ellipse definition in mind, compared to the black.
an effect on how long this throttle negotiating the same corner. The the problem is that the driver has a A typical first analysis of the
will be held in a steady state. upper chart is the throttle trace; the limited longitudinal grip available throttle trace is a throttle histogram.
After we exit the Middle Corner lower chart shows the car’s velocity. because the tyres are probably close A histogram represents a distribution
Exit we enter the final section: End to the maximum lateral grip. When of data. The values are separated
of Corner Exit. This is characterised Tracing drivers the driver tries to accelerate, if the into bins which represent a series
by a rapid increase to 100 per cent Right at the beginning we can see wheels spin, they need to lift off the of intervals. We can count how
of the track trace, which is possible that both drivers have different throttle, thus creating that up and many values are in each interval. For
because the driver is no longer tyre throttle traces. The driver with the down throttle trace. In the end, the our convenience MoTec i2 already
limited. It means they can apply 100 black trace applies the throttle driver gets back to full throttle 40m comes with a pre-built histogram.
per cent throttle without having to sooner than their counterpart. later compared to the red driver. The user just needs to click on
worry about wheel spin. This happened because they On the other hand, the red driver Add -> Histogram. A window will
With the throttle trace sections braked too hard and/or too early. had a smoother and quicker rise of pop up, and the user just selects
defined, and having gained an Therefore, they reached the corner the throttle, and exits the corner which channel they want to create
understanding of what a throttle much earlier than expected. The with a higher speed compared to a histogram for. In Figure 3 (the

46 www.racecar-engineering.com JANUARY 2020

TECHNOLOGY – SLIP ANGLE

To obtain an overview of the lap section, a simple and useful

performance indicator is to calculate the throttle average
histogram obtained from MoTec i2),
we separated in bins of 10 per cent.
From 0-10 to 11-20, etc.
Here we are comparing two
different drivers on their fastest lap.
The red driver had a faster lap time
compared to the driver in black. By
looking at the histogram, we can
see that the red driver has a higher
percentage at full throttle (90 to
100 per cent), and lower percentage
at no throttle (0 to 10 per cent). If
we look at partial throttle (11 to 89
per cent), we can see that the black
driver spent more time in that area
compared with the red driver, and
was modulating the throttle, which
we noted in Figure 2.

Throttle average
A histogram provides an alternative
to a time/distance chart. It provides
an overview of the complete lap. Figure 4: Driver A and B comparison between the lap time and throttle average. Note that driver B has a wider lap time variation
Unfortunately, in the fast-paced
environment of a race day a data Table 1: Average throttle math channel
engineer doesn’t always have the the raw channel. Consult the steering
Math channel name Math channel equation
time to look at each lap’s throttle smoothness article in January 2019
histogram. But to obtain an overview Throttle average stat_mean(‘Throttle’[%]) edition, V29N1, and you will get an
of the lap section, a simple and idea of how you can apply what you
useful performance indicator is to throttle average. In this case, we can will then get on the throttle later, learn for the steering smoothness
calculate the throttle average. see, by looking at the slopes, that which will lower the throttle average. metric to the throttle.
For our convenience, MoTeC i2 driver B has a higher sensitivity to It is up to the engineers to look at
allows users to create math channels the throttle average on their lap time multiple laps and find a baseline to
Slip Angle is a summary
to calculate the throttle average compared to driver A. Also, notice compare their drivers.
of Claude Rouelle’s
(described in Table 1). Stat_mean that driver B has a wider variation of A histogram is a useful tool to OptimumG seminars.
is the function that calculates the lap time, which might indicate that quickly assess the driver’s throttle OptimumG seminars are held
average. The average is calculated the driver could be modulating the profile, as long as that driver is worldwide throughout the year.
by summing all the select channel throttle. If the values are lower than being smooth or modulating the The Data Driven Performance
values and dividing them by the driver’s throttle average, it’s an throttle. Also, throttle position is one Engineering (DDPE) seminar
the total number of data points. indication that a safety car has been of the simplest channels that can presents several data acquisitions
Alternatively, in MoTeC i2, by going deployed, or the driver is trying to be used, and it shows us one of the and analysis techniques which
to Add-> Channel report, the user can save fuel or decrease tyre wear. vehicle’s main controls. can be used by engineers when
create a channel report and select Although we simplified our making decisions on how to
the average. This option will show a Key points observations by only looking at the improve racecar and race
table with the average per lap, which To summarise the key points made throttle channel, it is necessary to driver performance.
is easier to further analyse. above, most data analysis software plot at least one more channel to get The next DDPE seminars
Figure 4 shows the results of packages have an option to calculate a full picture of what is happening in will be taught in Indianapolis,
using the throttle average math the average for each lap. This the corner. Some other channels you Indiana, USA (09-11 December)
channel and plotting it against lap number will be different depending might look at are: RPM, GG diagram and in Birmingham, UK (11-13
time. At first, the obvious conclusion on the circuit, car, and driver. In and speed, for example. January 2020). Register by
sending an email to:
is that the more time on average the general, the more time spent on As a final tip for the reader,
seminars@optimumg.com
driver spends on throttle, the lower full or nearly full throttle, the lower you might want to create a key
his lap time is. We can also see that, the lap time. But this might not performance indicator called throttle CONTACT
depending on the driver, there could always be the case, as a driver who smoothness to smooth out the Claude Rouelle
be a stronger correlation with the carries more speed in the corner throttle channel and compare it with Phone: + 1 303 752 1562
Enquiries: engineering@
optimumg.com
The more time spent on full throttle the lower the Website: www.optimumg.com

lap time, but this might not always be the case

48 www.racecar-engineering.com JANUARY 2020