Defensive driving exercises.

I'd just like to list down and archive what we'd learnt this weekend at the Dato' Sagor Track with Sean Khoo (Ah Sien).

Med-speed Slalom -> There were 6 cones placed in line and spaced about two and a half car lengths apart. We all started at speed of 60km/h with a 5km/h increment in every following round. Eventually, after around 3 runs, my rear was throwing and I got scared. But Sean mentioned that we'd to be dedicated and not fluctuate. So I went at it again at 70km/h and felt the wonderful adjustability of a slightly sliding rear :P

Staggered gate -> This is almost the same with the slalom except that the cones are offset around two car lengths. As you enter you'll turn-straight-turn-straight-turn. More or less like zig-zagging maneouver. By the time I reached the third cone at a speed of 60km/h I'd oversteered due to the build up of momentum and me upsetting the car's balance.

Threshold braking -> This is where you'd use the full potential of your brakes and grip of your tires. Very fun except for the time that Johan and Yoong fooled me into going at it around 120km/h and they placed a cone smack in the middle of the braking zone. Luckily I stopped just in time, but my bumper did touch the cone although it didn't fall over!

Obstacle evasion -> This was indeed the most fun part of the day when you'd use your natural reaction and all that you'd learnt in the day to evade two imaginary obstacles which are only around a car's length from the braking point. Trouble is that we were instructed to come at it at 60km/h and it's hard to maintain speed when you know you've got to brake. So a lot of the participants cheated by lifting off or braking way before where we were marked out to. We all got a rightful telling from Sean. Due to being chosen as the guinea pig for this exercise, I had to do it at 80km/h. All Sean told me was that, "Imagine you were in the Touge (Jap word for hill run) and a tree fell in front, how will you avoid?" Good example! But I screwed up big time and killed off 4 cones.