Mariusz Steck gives advice on how to avoid obstacles on a slippery slope. MOVIE

Mariusz Steck, one of the leading rally and racing drivers in Poland, explains how to save ourselves when our car skids.

Driving test preparation courses do not include mandatory training to deal with extreme driving situations. Starting a car from a skid, braking with and without ABS - each driver must master these skills on their own.

How to behave in difficult conditions, especially on slippery surfaces? What is the difference between understeer and oversteer? We will try to answer these and other questions together with Mariusz Stek, racer and rally racer, the current champion of Poland in the Polish Mountain Racing Championship.

See photos from training sessions to improve driving technique led by Mariusz Steck.

Understeer

A phenomenon known as understeer occurs when our car first loses traction and tries to exit a forward corner.

– Understeer occurs mainly in front-wheel drive vehicles. These cars are easier to get out of a skid, which is important for novice drivers, explains Mariusz Steck.

So how do we react when our front-wheel drive car starts to lose traction? - You have to press the gas, let go, but not completely, without removing your foot from the accelerator. If we do that, he could get out of control and go astray.

Oversteer

If we have a rear wheel drive car, the rear of the car will go off the road when cornering too fast. This is oversteer - it happens with front-wheel drive cars too.

“To get a rear-wheel drive car out of a skid, you need to turn the steering wheel a little and at the same time keep the accelerator pedal depressed,” explains the Polish champion. - If we start to inflate the gas, we will go off the track. Then it will be extremely difficult to master the car,” adds Mariusz Stek.

Mariusz Steck advises how to avoid obstacles on slippery surfaces

ABS braking

As of May 1, 2004, all new vehicles in the European Union are equipped with an anti-lock braking system (ABS). In Poland, the EU directive did not come into force until 1 July 2006.

Vehicles with ABS allow you to change direction when braking, which allows you to avoid obstacles. When the system is activated, the brake pedal is thrown back. Therefore, inexperienced drivers often reduce the pressure of their foot on the brake at this point, which is unacceptable behavior.

“This is the worst moment when the pedal “shoots”, but you still need to keep your foot on the brake and turn the steering wheel, trying to go around the obstacle,” Mariusz Stek instructs.

Braking without ABS

In vehicles not equipped with an anti-skid system, and there are still many such vehicles on Polish roads, the driver must monitor the entire braking process.

– Without ABS, you should get as close to the grip limit as possible. We can't block the wheels. explains the current champion of Poland in mountain racing. - If the wheels are locked, although it is not easy to develop such a reflex, release the brakes so that they begin to rotate again.

Training is the most important

To train the appropriate reactions in emergency traffic situations, it is best to use a closed area and preferably under the supervision of an experienced driver.

See Mariusz Steck in action while training on the Ulenge track:

Mariusz Steck on the track in Ulenzh

“First of all, training is needed, especially in a place like Moto Park Ułęż, where we organize events to improve driving technique,” ​​explains Mariusz Steck. “Only training will show what we and our car are capable of. There are cars that are really easy to drive, and there are those that need to be driven a lot to feel it, says Automobilklub member Lubelski.

King Biel

Phot. Karol Biela

We thank Stec Motorsport for help in the implementation of the material