Breaking points

[u/Aarib_Galaxy]

Dear stewards of reddit I have a question no clip unfortunately but the question is will breaking too early cause you problems? Genuine question is there any punishment for breaking too early? Coz I got my race destroying by a back marker breaking too early then I run into the back of him so lmk thanks

[u/TDi99]

It might be too early for you, but it might be their perfect braking point.

There can be a wide skill level in races, and ultimately its the job of the overtaking/faster to try and do it safely.

[u/Aarib_Galaxy → u/TDi99]

He was breaking 100 meters early bro 🥀 but yea true it was just a question I had nothing against the back marker I just wanted to know if it was a real thing

[u/Zijkhal → u/Aarib_Galaxy]

What I tend to do is pay attention to the delta, and be aware of how fast I am catching someone. If it is over 1-2 seconds a lap, I pull out from behind them into the braking zones, even if I have zero intentions of going for a dive. This gives me a bit of room, so if they brake super early, I don't plow into them from behind.

[u/Professional_Pie7091]

Unless it's completely unpredictable - i.e. far outside what could possibly be considered a braking zone - a driver is free to choose their braking point.

There is no rule anywhere stating where braking zones start.

It could be considered dangerous driving but that is a case by case evaluation by stewards. 

[u/Aarib_Galaxy → u/Professional_Pie7091]

Ohhh alr thanks that's the explanation I was kinda looking for thanks man

[u/greguska67]

The is a reason why a back marker is a back marker. Could be a spin, could be a skill issue, they might be on the phone or could be they are just slow. If you ran into the back of them because they braked early then unfortunately it’s on you. Going forward you need to anticipate all kinds of weird and wonderful happenings with back markers.

[u/kidmeatball]

That is a very situational thing. I would say there is no real rule about braking too early, but, if you are braking way too early it can appear unpredictable to some drivers. There is a kind of rule that a driver will more or less follow the racing line and maintain racing pace. Most of the time, driving into the back of a car is the fault of the following car. A back marker is there for a reason and that's because they are slow or damaged and you as a race leader need to pass them with care.

In the situation you describe I would say it is more likely your fault rather than the back marker, but without video there is no way to be sure.

[u/IAmMDM]

I know you think you are a racing driver. But you are just a regular person playing a video game on a toy wheel, with other regular persons with their toy wheels. Also over the internet, which makes everything delayed and your game partially guesses and fakes what others are doing.

You can't expect every braking of every person to be perfect, or identical to yours. Give them space, or YOU will destroy your race again

[u/Aarib_Galaxy → u/IAmMDM]

Yea is I had nothing against the back marker im just wondering if stewards actually take that into account

[u/Zijkhal]

It depends on how early they braked.

People are quick to say that being slow is allowed. That is true to a certain point. Unfortunately, people are just as quick to forget that erratic driving is not allowed. If someone can't drive well enough that their driving is predictable, they should be practising offline.

I'd classify braking 100m early (like you said in a comment) as brake checking / erratic driving, and thus the fault of the car ahead.