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Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions

Shi Yan, CEng MIMechE

About the "Race Track Setup / Race Car Vehicle Dynamics" series of courses:

Part 1) Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - Fundamental Theory

Part 2) Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - Advanced Theory and Application

Part 3) Race Track Setup - High Downforce Race Car

All 3 parts added together as a bundle deal: Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions (This course)

Read more

About the "Race Track Setup / Race Car Vehicle Dynamics" series of courses:

Part 1) Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - Fundamental Theory

Part 2) Race Car Vehicle Dynamics - Advanced Theory and Application

Part 3) Race Track Setup - High Downforce Race Car

All 3 parts added together as a bundle deal: Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions (This course)

Race car setup to achieve the best lap times without resorting to tedious trial and error involves understanding both vehicle dynamics as well as aerodynamics, and being able to put it all together to make quick but accurate setup changes.

Tires, springs, anti roll bars, aero, dampers, tire pressure, wheel alignment, gearing, limited slip differential settings... all have an influence on your ability to achieve a faster lap time. Typical online setup guides or software offer multiple solutions for each individual handling problem, leaving racers having to resort to trial and error, and traditional text books are too long and theory dense to be of help to the typical racer or even race engineer, who just wants to solve a handling problem and go faster.

This series of courses is the filtered and condensed summary of how to get to the fastest setup, the result of having spent 19 years on vehicle dynamics being a sim racer, setting up my own cars for track days at Spa, Zandvoort, Nurburgring, and working for the past 9 years in automotive chassis development (currently active suspension controls).

The course offers a filtered/condensed view on vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, before focusing on a holistic view on achieving the best race car setup up to and including a high downforce race car:

- the correct and logical order to tackle all the setup variables

- how each of these setup variables influence handling and how each one is optimized

- how to tackle handling problems in an existing car setup

- only as much theory as needed for each component to help you achieve the perfect setup

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Holistic, filtered and condensed summary of the science of extracting speed around a race track.
  • Logical steps to setting up a road biased sports car, or a high downforce race car, in the least number of steps.
  • Solutions to specific race car handling issues which do so without affecting handling balance elsewhere.
  • How to solve the trade-off between "aerodynamic" grip and "mechanical" grip of high down force race cars.
  • How to tune using the 3 different components to lateral/longitudinal/cross-jacking load transfer - kinematic, dynamic, elastic.
  • How setup needs to be adjusted to suit driver preferences and specific types of corners.
  • Why yaw acceleration capability is just as important as lateral acceleration capability.
  • The trade offs in race car suspension setup in response, tire load variation, pitch, roll, heave and warp.
  • An intuitive view of tire slip angles and other tire behavior which are at the root of all vehicle handling behavior.
  • Contributors to oversteer / understeer other than tire slip angle.

Syllabus

Understand what will be taught in this course, why Race Track Setup requires understanding of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, and is track and driver specific.
Read more
Introduction to Race Track Setup
Alternative video for those who prefer a more formal format
What is race track setup about?
Know what the friction circle is, understand its relationship with race track performance, how it's maximized, understand the trade offs, and how its usage relates to car setup.
Friction circle size
Friction circle usage
Early and late apex
Changing setup on the fly
High level setup goal summary
How down force and drag are created
High level goals of race car setup
Understand what oversteer and understeer are, understand how they are measured in the automotive industry, and how a vehicle might switch from understeer to oversteer at higher lateral acceleration.
How is oversteer and understeer measured, and reason for sudden handling changes
Oversteer and understeer part - what the driver feels
Understand why yaw acceleration capability matters, how to increase it, and why increased yaw acceleration capability is not always helpful.
Why yaw rotation capability is important
Why yaw acceleration capability is important
Understand crucial tire behavior as it relates to race car setup - relationship between slip angles, slip ratios, instantaneous turn centres, and tire saturation.
Tire behavior
Ground effect and stall
Understand how longitudinal load transfer can be useful, how longitudinal load transfer relates to brake balance and is used by elite racing drivers to affect handling, effects of negative roll centre
Load transfer and its 3 components
Issues when adding down force
Understand how to put together all the main concepts from the fundamental theory portion of the course.
Summary of fundamental theory
Introduction to advanced theory
Introduction to suspension tuning trade offs
How the elite racing driver uses longitudinal load transfer to modify handling
How lowering can result in negative kinematic load transfer and why that's bad
Understand the logic behind all the steps in how a sports car is set up
Relating car setup to steady state and transient oversteer and understeer
Logical steps to setting up a road biased sports car
Understand how static tire loads, alignment and tire temperatures affect handling balance.
Static tire loads and dynamic jacking
Corner balancing
Changing handling balance using alignment and tire temperature
How brake balance and differential locking can be used to change handling balance for different corner types.
Changing handling balance using brakes and differential
How suspension setup is used to change handling balance for different phases of a corner.
Suspension tuning - trade offs, rates and ride frequencies
Suspension tuning for 6 different types of corner phases
Understand how down force and drag are generated, influence of ground effect and stall, considerations to be made when adding down force, the trade off with mechanical grip, heave springs and dampers
Aero grip versus mechanical grip trade off
Optimizing aerodynamic performance over different speeds
How heave springs help create a better "aero" vs "mechanical" grip compromise
Understand the relationship between vehicle parameters with performance: in acceleration, top speed, braking, corner entry, mid corner, corner exit, direction changes, steering feedback and comfort.
The vehicle parameters - performance criteria matrix
Know how to get to the best set up of a race car with a lot of down force in the least number of steps.
Logical setup steps of a high downforce RWD race car
Know how to solve some specific handling issues without resorting to trial and error
Solving braking instability
Solving high speed corner entry balance issue withou affecting balance elsewhere
Solving high speed mid corner balance issue without affecting balance elsewhere
Solving high speed corner exit balance issue without affecting balance elsewhere
Solving low speed corner entry balance issue without affecting balance elsewhere
Solving low speed mid corner balance issue without affecting balance elsewhere
Solving low speed corner exit balance issue without affecting balance elsewhere
How to solve brake lockups, sudden loss of grip, bottoming out and sudden loss of grip
Solving sluggish direction changes
Solving unstable direction changes
Solving brake lockups
Solving sudden loss of grip from front or rear
Solving bottoming out
Solving issues with mid corner bumps
Bonus section
Bonus videos

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Offers a condensed view of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics, which is essential for optimizing race car performance and achieving faster lap times
Provides a logical order for tackling setup variables, which helps learners systematically approach race car tuning and problem-solving
Explores the trade-offs between aerodynamic and mechanical grip, which is crucial for understanding the behavior of high-downforce race cars
Requires understanding of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics, which may necessitate prior coursework or experience in related fields
Focuses on solving specific handling issues, which may not cover broader topics in vehicle dynamics or race car engineering
Teaches how setup needs to be adjusted to suit driver preferences, which may require learners to have access to a racing simulator or real-world race car

Save this course

Save Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions to your list so you can find it easily later:
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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions with these activities:
Review Vehicle Dynamics Fundamentals
Refresh your understanding of fundamental vehicle dynamics concepts to better grasp the advanced topics covered in the course.
Browse courses on Vehicle Dynamics
Show steps
  • Review basic concepts of vehicle dynamics.
  • Practice problems related to load transfer.
Read 'Race Car Vehicle Dynamics'
Deepen your understanding of vehicle dynamics principles with this comprehensive resource.
View Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Workbook on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read chapters related to suspension and handling.
  • Take notes on key concepts and equations.
Simulate Setup Changes in a Racing Game
Experiment with different setup parameters in a racing simulator to observe their effects on car handling.
Show steps
  • Choose a racing simulator with setup options.
  • Adjust parameters like springs and dampers.
  • Test the car on a virtual track.
  • Record lap times and handling characteristics.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Read 'Competition Car Suspension'
Gain practical insights into competition car suspension systems with this guide.
View Competition Car Suspension: Design,... on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read chapters on suspension geometry and tuning.
  • Apply the concepts to your own car or simulator.
Document Your Setup Experiments
Create a detailed log of your setup experiments, including the changes you made, the reasoning behind them, and the results you observed.
Show steps
  • Create a spreadsheet or document.
  • Record setup parameters and track conditions.
  • Note handling characteristics and lap times.
  • Analyze the data to identify trends.
Analyze Telemetry Data from a Race
Obtain telemetry data from a real or simulated race and analyze it to identify areas for improvement in car setup or driving technique.
Show steps
  • Acquire telemetry data from a race.
  • Use software to visualize the data.
  • Analyze parameters like speed and acceleration.
  • Identify areas for setup optimization.
Create a Setup Guide for a Specific Track
Develop a comprehensive setup guide for a specific race track, including recommended settings for various parameters and explanations of their effects.
Show steps
  • Choose a race track to focus on.
  • Research the track's characteristics.
  • Experiment with different setup parameters.
  • Document your findings in a guide.

Career center

Learners who complete Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Race Engineer
A Race Engineer plays a crucial role in optimizing a race car's performance, and this course directly aligns with that objective. They analyze data, adjust vehicle settings, and work closely with drivers to improve lap times. This course provides a detailed understanding of how to achieve the fastest setup without unnecessary trial and error by focusing on vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics. The course's curriculum teaches the logical order to tackle setup variables, how each variable influences handling, and how to address handling issues, which are daily tasks for a Race Engineer. This course helps build a foundation in how to tune using kinematic, dynamic, and elastic components, and how to adjust setup to suit driver preferences and corners, which are all vital for success in this role.
See salaries and explore the career path for Race Engineer
Performance Engineer
Performance Engineers focus on enhancing the overall performance of vehicles, often in motorsports or automotive development. This course is particularly useful for a Performance Engineer as it teaches how to extract speed around a race track with a holistic view of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, and setup optimization. It provides a deep dive into tire behavior, load transfer, and the trade-offs between aerodynamic and mechanical grip, all of which are critical for optimizing car performance. The structured approach in this course, focusing on logical setup steps and problem solving, will help a Performance Engineer to approach vehicle tuning in a practical, efficient, and effective way. This will serve to refine their approach to vehicle setup and modifications.
See salaries and explore the career path for Performance Engineer
Vehicle Dynamics Specialist
A Vehicle Dynamics Specialist is responsible for designing and optimizing a vehicle's handling and ride characteristics. This course's detailed exploration of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics is highly relevant to this role. The course teaches to set up road biased sports cars, as well as high downforce race cars. It also provides understanding of tire slip angles, load transfer, and the trade-offs in suspension setup. By teaching how to solve handling issues based on theory, this course builds a strong base in the field. This deep dive into vehicle dynamics ensures a Vehicle Dynamics Specialist will have a refined grasp of the factors influencing handling performance.
See salaries and explore the career path for Vehicle Dynamics Specialist
Motorsports Analyst
A Motorsports Analyst uses data to evaluate and improve race car performance, and this course complements those skills. They often work with vehicle data, interpreting the results of different setups. This course provides a solid background in race car dynamics. It offers a condensed view of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics, and teaches how to tackle handling problems with solutions that won't disrupt vehicle balance. Concepts, such as understanding the friction circle, oversteer and understeer, and tire behavior, are also applicable to the role of Motorsports Analyst. This course can help provide a deeper understanding of the theory and the practical application of race car setup.
See salaries and explore the career path for Motorsports Analyst
Automotive Chassis Engineer
An Automotive Chassis Engineer develops and refines the chassis systems of vehicles. This course will help one in this field by providing a view of vehicle dynamics and how setup variables can be optimized and adjusted. The course's coverage of suspension tuning, load transfer, and tire behavior are key aspects of chassis engineering. The course also teaches a systematic approach to setting up a car for optimal performance, which is invaluable for any Automotive Chassis Engineer to gain a practical understanding of how chassis components affect overall vehicle handling. The knowledge gained can be transferred to non-racing vehicles.
See salaries and explore the career path for Automotive Chassis Engineer
Suspension Design Engineer
A Suspension Design Engineer focuses on the intricacies of vehicle suspension systems, and therefore this course is beneficial as it focuses on vehicle dynamics and setup. This course explores critical concepts that are foundational for this role, such as understanding the trade-offs in suspension setup, tire behavior, and the effects of various adjustments on handling. It teaches how to tune using kinematic, dynamic, and elastic components and how to optimize suspension for different corner phases. This builds a strong base in how the various aspects of suspension affect a vehicle's overall performance. A Suspension Design Engineer must use this knowledge to create effective solutions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Suspension Design Engineer
Aerodynamicist
An Aerodynamicist specializes in how air flows around a vehicle and contributes to its performance. This course will help a student in this role by showing how aerodynamics plays a role in race car setup. The course's coverage of downforce and drag creation, as well as the influence of ground effect and stall, are relevant to the work of an Aerodynamicist. Understanding the trade-offs between aerodynamic grip and mechanical grip, as taught in this course, can improve the approaches they take to optimizing a vehicle's performance. The course helps a student understand the full cycle of designing, implementing, and testing the aerodynamics of a vehicle.
See salaries and explore the career path for Aerodynamicist
Motorsports Data Analyst
A Motorsports Data Analyst interprets complex data to improve race car performance, and this course may be useful by providing a background on how changes in setup affect a car's performance. The course covers the impact of tires, springs, anti roll bars, aerodynamics, dampers, and other setup variables on lap times. It teaches how to identify and solve handling problems efficiently. By understanding the theory behind vehicle dynamics and how different components interact, a Motorsports Data Analyst can better interpret data and assist in making informed adjustments. This course can help with building a foundation in race car dynamics.
See salaries and explore the career path for Motorsports Data Analyst
Automotive Test Driver
An Automotive Test Driver evaluates vehicle performance and handling. This course may help a Test Driver by providing a structured knowledge of vehicle dynamics, handling, and car setup. Understanding the effect of different setup variables, as taught in the course, will allow an Automotive Test Driver to better identify and describe handling characteristics of a vehicle. The course delves into tire behavior, load transfer, and suspension tuning, which are crucial in evaluating vehicle performance. The ability to diagnose car handling issues, as taught in this course, may also prove beneficial in the role.
See salaries and explore the career path for Automotive Test Driver
Automotive Engineer
An Automotive Engineer is responsible for the design, development, and testing of vehicles and their systems. This course may be useful for an Automotive Engineer because it provides insight into vehicle dynamics, setup, and performance optimization. The course covers a wide range of topics, such as tire behavior, suspension tuning, and the effects of aerodynamic setups. This course helps in understanding vehicle handling and performance by teaching how different design choices translate to real world performance. With a base understanding of vehicle dynamics, an Automotive Engineer may be better equipped to make informed design decisions.
See salaries and explore the career path for Automotive Engineer
Simulation Engineer
A Simulation Engineer develops models that simulate vehicle performance and characteristics. This course may be useful for a Simulation Engineer as it offers a practical view of vehicle dynamics and setup optimization, which can be used to create more accurate simulation models. The course covers the effects of various setup parameters, including tires, suspension, and aerodynamics. The course's focus on understanding tire behavior and load transfer can be valuable for creating realistic simulation environments. While a simulation engineer typically will not work with a physical car, an understanding of the real-world interactions can help them make more realistic simulations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Simulation Engineer
Product Development Engineer
A Product Development Engineer is involved in the design and creation of new products. This course may be useful for a Product Development Engineer working in the automotive industry as it offers insight into vehicle dynamics and race car setups. The course teaches how various parameters, such as suspension tuning, alignment, and tire pressures, affect a vehicle's handling and performance. The course helps build a foundation on how all the systems work in tandem, which is important for anyone designing a new vehicle. This can help with the iterative loop of design, building, and testing that is crucial to Product Development.
See salaries and explore the career path for Product Development Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
A Mechanical Engineer works on the design, analysis, and manufacturing of mechanical systems. This course may be useful for a Mechanical Engineer as it provides a view of vehicle dynamics and how different components interact to affect performance. The course discusses many aspects of mechanical systems in vehicles, including tire behavior, load transfer, and suspension tuning. It also highlights the importance of balancing various parameters to achieve optimal performance. By understanding how these components interact, a Mechanical Engineer will have the context needed to design and improve different automotive systems.
See salaries and explore the career path for Mechanical Engineer
Software Engineer
A Software Engineer develops software that can be used to improve a vehicle's capabilities. This course may be useful for a Software Engineer working in automotive or motorsports as it improves their technical understanding of the dynamics of a car. Software Engineers may work on a variety of applications, including data processing, modeling, or simulation. The course teaches how several parameters affect performance, which may be valuable for developing or refining software to enhance the vehicle's performance. This course can provide a real-world context for vehicle behavior that could be beneficial.
See salaries and explore the career path for Software Engineer
Data Scientist
A Data Scientist uses data analysis and modeling to solve problems and extract insights. This course may be useful to a Data Scientist in the automotive or motorsports field because it provides a practical look at the real world variables of vehicle performance. The course emphasizes vehicle dynamics and how different setup parameters affect performance. This understanding of vehicle systems can help a Data Scientist to better interpret and model the data they are working with. This can lead to more effective data analysis and modeling strategies.
See salaries and explore the career path for Data Scientist

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Race Track Setup Masterclass - From Theory to Solutions.
Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Workbook
Save
Is considered the bible of vehicle dynamics. It provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of vehicle behavior. It valuable reference for understanding the underlying principles behind race car setup and is commonly used as a textbook in automotive engineering programs. This book adds significant depth to the course material.
Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Workbook
Paperback
Check
Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Workbook
Kindle Edition
Check
Cover image
Competition Car Suspension
Save
Provides a practical guide to understanding and optimizing competition car suspension systems. It covers a wide range of topics, including suspension geometry, spring rates, and damper tuning. It valuable resource for racers and engineers looking to improve their car's handling performance. This book adds more breadth to the course material.
Competition Car Suspension: Design, Construction,...
Unknown Binding
$$$$

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Effort
8.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Shi Yan, CEng MIMechE
Language
English
Good to know
Offers a condensed view of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics, which is essential for optimizing race car performance and achieving faster lap times
Provides a logical order for tackling setup variables, which helps learners systematically approach race car tuning and problem-solving
Explores the trade-offs between aerodynamic and mechanical grip, which is crucial for understanding the behavior of high-downforce race cars
Requires understanding of vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics, which may necessitate prior coursework or experience in related fields
Focuses on solving specific handling issues, which may not cover broader topics in vehicle dynamics or race car engineering
Teaches how setup needs to be adjusted to suit driver preferences, which may require learners to have access to a racing simulator or real-world race car
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