MODULE 2 – Academy Club – Every Monday (London)

The Drive Lounge Academy after school club caters to the passion and enthusiasm of students intrigued by the exhilarating world of virtual motorsport. Held in a dynamic and supportive environment, students delve into the intricacies of simulation racing, honing their driving skills, and mastering the art of strategy. Led by experienced instructors, the club offers a blend of practical sessions and theoretical discussions, covering topics ranging from optimal racing lines to vehicle setup customisation. Participants engage in friendly competitions, fostering social engagement and sportsmanship while fuelling their competitive spirit. Beyond the thrill of racing, the club instils invaluable lessons in teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. As students immerse themselves in this high-octane realm, they not only satisfy their passion for speed but also cultivate skills that extend far beyond the virtual track.

Week 1 – The racing line

What are the best routes around a track. How can you use the different elements of the track and push the edge of track limits. We look at iconic circuits and students practice key lines around the track, learning where they can push and where to be more controlled.

Week 2 – Race Starts

Getting a great start is critical in a race, this starts with having your own plan and strategy, developing an approach to the start of a race and executing it whilst being aware of the other racers

Week 3 – Car Control

We go back to work on our pedal and wheel input controls, this time working through optimising up-shifts, downshifts, how to manage oversteer, understeer, car balance and rotation and compare front wheel drive cars to rear-wheel drive.

Week 4 – Braking & Mastering Cornering

The braking and corner entry phase is arguably the most challenging skill to master. It’s not just about slowing down; it’s about balancing your car’s grip while entering a corner at speed.

Week 5 – Track Management – Maps to Laps

Working through some famous circuits we use the techniques pro-racers use to understand a track, find their racing line, planning corner entry and exit points to map out mentally where to brake and when to begin acceleration. This circuit walkthrough on paper mentally lets you prepare for making a faster route around the circuit.

Week 6 – Qualifying: How to get the best times

We explore the different approaches, do you get on track early or wait, how to get your tires up to warmth, how to maximise speed, avoiding other cars on track, maximizing your grip levels and hitting your markers.

Week 7 – Finding lap time on track

Use your track planning to identify the most important corners, compare your segment times on the track, review braking variations and on track speed differences

Week 8 – The art of slipstreaming

Using the benefits of slipstreaming, how to maintain your optimum distance to the car in front, when to drop out. Ensuring you maintain downforce on your own car and avoiding dirty air.

Week 9 – Passing and overtaking

We start by understanding the rules, the specifics of different race series, the rights to the line, when to attack, when to defend. We test your skills on track in some racing with our instructors

Week 10 – Tyre & fuel management

We create the conditions for a race with different levels of tyre wear and fuel consumption so you learn to monitor and make key decisions about when to pit or when to push on track.

Week 11 – Applying your race telemetry

All of your practical experience through the previous lessons will have generated race telemetry. We use that data with you to create a model of your driving style and understand where you can deliver the maximum performance improvement.

Week 12 – Bringing it all together

In our final week we review what we have learned and pull everything together. This culminates in some hot-lap reviews and wheel-to-wheel racing as we try to harness all the elements.