Mazda MX-5 Cup at Circuito de Navarra
6 corners on the Speed Circuit layout, ranked for this car. Pick one, and say what the car's doing.
• marks the corners that decide the lap.
The answer above is complete, but all four controls need JavaScript. Instead: the lap guide has every corner here, and Mazda MX-5 Cup lists this car everywhere else.
- 01Carry a little brake to the apex10 bartechnique
Releasing the brake before you turn lets the nose rise and the front tyre go light exactly when you need it to bite.
Too much and the entry goes loose instead. Add it a little at a time.
- 02Brake two lengths earlier2 lengthstechnique
Most entry push is simply too much speed. The front tyre is already saturated when you ask it to turn, and no amount of steering adds grip it does not have.
You will feel slow for a lap. Compare the exit speed, not the entry.
- 03Aim at a later apex1–2 car widthstechnique
Turning in early makes the corner tighter than it needs to be, which is understeer you created before the corner started.
Costs a little entry speed and returns it on exit. Worth it anywhere a straight follows.
- 04Unwind, then re-apply¼ turntechnique
A saturated front tyre recovers grip the moment you take steering out of it. Holding more lock keeps it saturated and the car keeps pushing.
Counter-intuitive under pressure. Practise it somewhere you have room.
- 05Brake bias rearward0.5%brake
Puts load into the rear as you trail off, letting the car rotate under braking instead of pushing wide.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 06Less coast (deceleration) diff lock5–10%diff
Off-throttle a locked diff drags both rear wheels at one speed and fights the yaw you're asking for.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 07Less diff preload1–2 stepsdiff
Preload keeps the diff partly locked even at low torque — exactly the state you're in on entry.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 08More engine braking1 stepdiff · adv
Does much the same job as coast ramp and often feels cleaner, because it doesn't change the diff on power.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 09Softer front anti-roll bar1 clickbar
Lets the front axle roll and build slip angle, adding front grip as the car takes its set.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 10More front toe-out0.05–0.1°geo
Cheap turn-in bite when geometry is the limit rather than balance.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
- 11Softer front slow bump damping1–2 clicksdamper
Front loads earlier in the dive, so the tyre has grip at the moment you turn in.
Fixed-setup car — nothing in the garage is adjustable.
Where the corners fall
Sequence and speed, left to right. Not a scale map. The lap guide takes each corner in turn.