Can Horsepower beat The Line?
You may be thinking, “I have a high horsepower Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 or Dodge Stealth that has gobs of horsepower. I don’t need to drive on the Line, I just need to mash the throttle when the course straightens out and I will blow everyone else away.”

This line of thinking is flawed for several, all of which should be apparent after reading this article. As an introduction, let me give you some of my own track experience. I drive a ‘99 Mazda Miata. I have numerous suspension upgrades, but have done nothing of any note with my drivetrain. I replaced my spark plug wires because the stock wires were disintegrating, and I replaced the muffler with a Racing Beat Muffler. Bone stock, my car made 140 hp at the crank. In its current configuration, I would give it maybe 142 hp, if I’m having a good day.

Over the course of my track driving experiences, I have passed numerous cars that, going strictly by the numbers, I should not have passed. Some of the more impressive cars I have blown by include numerous Lotus Elises, a track-prepped Corvette C5, Honda S2000s, and a Ferrari 512TR. I have also paced a brand new, Porsche 911 Turbo through the turns after the “bowl” at NHIS, and caught up with a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti in the corners over and over again.

How did I do it?
The short answer: I drove the best Line for my car, while the drivers I passed did not.

The longer answer: I maintained a higher speed through the corners. This allowed me to get to the straightaways quicker. Plus, when I did reach the straights, my speed was significantly higher, lowering the horsepower advantage of the other car.

How much did it lower the horsepower advantage? Enough that I passed them.

“Making Up” for a Poor Line with Horsepower
“I don’t need to drive on The Line, I can just mash the throttle on the straight and blow everyone else away.”

As my examples above demonstrates, this state is flawed. If this is how you drive, sooner or later someone in a “slow” car will drive the correct Line and pass you.

This line of thinking also assumes that the track or course has a significant amount of straights. What happens when you drive on a more technical track, with more corners? New Hampshire International Speedway is a very technical, fairly slow track. There are two moderately sized straights, but most of your time is spent in the corners. If you are slow in the corners, you will not make up for it on the straights, regardless of how much power you have.

The same is true at Lime Rock Park. This is a classic “momentum” track, so called because it is your ability to maintain your momentum through the corners that will help you win, not having more horsepower. There is a moderately sized front straight, and a very small back straight, but everywhere else is corner.

A High Horsepower Car will be Even Faster When Driven on The Line
The Line is the fastest route around a racetrack or corner. This does not change for a car with 50 hp or 500 hp. Driving a 500hp car on the best Line will yield lower lap times then driving the same car on a slower Line.

And what happens when you are racing a car with the same hp/weight ratio as you? You no longer have a horsepower advantage, and it all boils down to your Line. Drivers in Nascar, Formula 1, Spec Miata, and any other class are all racing opponents with a virtually identical setup. The driver that can maintain the best Line, and do it repeatedly for the length of the race, will be the winner.

Remember, you are only limiting your car’s potential by not driving on the Line. Your high horsepower car will be even faster when driven on The Line.