This should be an interesting thread. I will offer this;
I have been racing for 4 years. The first 3 years were exclusively in Washington State. Through those first 3 years and up until this year pretty much all of the outdoor tracks up here were loamy, soft surface tracks. The hardest of the bunch was like “The Dirt” in Hemet, CA (home of the Nitro Challenge). So, basically the NW tracks were pretty much as soft as you could get except for maybe a beach race or something crazy like that. The surfaces up here are changing over to more hardpack now, which teaches more control. Learning to race on all soft surfaces has hurt me going to national races. I’m generally…well, no; I’m just too aggressive. But, I know it and I’m working on it.
Point is you can be hella aggressive on soft surfaces. Throttle control is WAY less critical than it is on say a hardpack surface like this years ROAR Nationals in Harlingen, Texas (although there was lots of traction there as well….it was just a different type of traction).
Soft surfaces generally provide lots of traction all the way around (side and forward traction). In my opinion soft surfaces are prefect to learn to go fast on. The problem is you learn to be a hammer. You learn from experience on the softest surfaces that you can blast into a corner with your hair on fire, jam on the brakes like no-tomorrow, pitch the thing sideways, and pin the throttle like you stole it coming out of the corner and, again on the softest surfaces, you can get away with it. With that kind of driving style the spectators will fall in love with you!!! You’ll be a fan favorite in no time!!
(By the way, if you ever get the opportunity to see Jammin Jay Halsey drive do it……..at the Nitro Challenge he was the definition of “pinned” / “punched” it was amazing)
On the other end of the spectrum you have the concrete like hardpack surface that maybe has a layer of slit or dust on it. Maybe the wind isn’t blowing and it doesn’t have any rubber laid down. This type of surface generally has more forward traction than side bite, but overall has WAY less traction than the soft surfaces above. If you attempt the driving style I mentioned above, you will NOT have any fun and either pack up early or be a back marker in one of the lowest mains. This type of surface requires LOTS of self-control.
As is probably obvious from the above scenarios the fastest driving style is totally different between the two.
Generally, people who run exclusively on soft dirt are going to be slower, at being fast, on hardpack (they are too aggressive).
And vice-versa, those who exclusively run and hardpack are going to be slower, at being fast, on soft dirt (not aggressive enough).
What is the fastest style on what surface? Basically it boils down to this:
The best/fastest style is the style that can adapt the quickest to the traction available, can maintain a consistent pace (no crashing) and doesn’t wear out tires before the end of the race.
Long winded…. I know
but I hope this helps……….
Mike