I have now had 4 sessions with Suellio and wanted to give some detailed feedback about the sessions and how they have improved me as a driver.
I was around 2.4k IR when I reached out to Suellio after moving from driving GT3 to LMP2 full time and preparing for the Daytona24. I wanted to get some coaching on the LMP2 before I developed any bad habits.
Session 1:
Suellio very quickly identified an issue with my corner entry steering and explained the technique very clearly with details and even a drawing, I was able to pick up the technique very quickly and immediately improved my laptime, but more importantly I no longer felt like I was "fighting" the car, everything felt so much more relaxed.
We also worked on braking techniques and into the details of "Micro-locking" which was something I wasnt even aware of. Suellio has a great understanding of the iRacing tyre model and how your technique can influence tyre performance.
I thoroughly enjoyed my lesson and my laptimes in practice have not only became quicker on the stopwatch, but so much more consistent with the practice tips Suellio gave me to work on in between lessons.
Session 2:
In our second session we continued working on LMP2 @ Daytona.
In this session we went into the fine details of the transition between braking, corner entry, steering and throttle on exit.
Suellio pointed out that i was consistently "double steering" into corners, so turning in, then straightening the steering, then turning in again. We went into detail of why I was doing this and how to ensure there is only one smooth steering input into the entry.
This was a huge adjustment for me, but this has been the greatest lesson for me and has improved my overall driving massively. This has not only made me quicker but I am now more gentle on tyres and have so much more consistency throughout the whole stint. This has also given me the tools to trust the car to brake later, turn in later etc.
We also then went through a corner by corner analysis identifying driving line, braking point etc issues to a fine degree.
Session 3:
The Daytona24 was fast approaching and I reached out to Suellio to work on Tyre Management (I was melting through tyres compared to teammates) Fuel Management (I was also burning alot more fuel than teammates 😄 ) and racecraft.
For this session Suellio jumped into the session with me, we did alot of laps together with Suellio chasing me, and me chasing him, with constant feedback on driving lines both aggressive and defensive
We worked in detail about fuelsaving techniques when following another LMP2 car and how this can also be used to save tyres.
Suellio then gave me another fantastic tip to train my throttle on exits (i was spinning the rears being too aggressive on throttle burning the rear tyres), using the TC settings in car to make the car spin if i was too aggressive, this improved my throttle application so much that I was able to extra-stint my tyres
Session 4:
After Daytona was done, I continued racing the LMP2 in IMSA @ Spa
This session was a race review, I had a race-long tactical battle for P1-P2 and wanted some feedback on what i could have done differently (I finished P2 😦 )
Suellio explained some end-game racecraft fundamentals, how and where to defend, when to stay behind and draft.
We also worked on traffic management, with this being Multiclass i was finding i was losing time battling through the GT3s
In summary, I thoroughly recommend Suellio's coaching. He explains things in a way that even the most complex technique is easily understood and gives you multiple ways of applying them and improving. He is such a friendly and likeable guy that your pre-lesson nerves are quickly gone and you can focus on learning how to improve.
Since my lessons with Suellio i have gone from 2.4k IR to 3.4k and am thoroughly enjoying iRacing again. He has given me the tools to improve even more so and I cant thank him enough for his help!
If you feel like you have reached a plateau and cant go any faster, reach out to Suellio for some coaching, you really wont regret it!