by Gabrielle DeSantis

Driving your Toyota Camry might not have much in common with driving a Formula 1 car. The former is meant to be driven casually and normally on your daily commute, while the latter is meant to be driven around a race track. However, you can still employ the same driving techniques as the pros do on their F1 cars in order to enhance your driving experience, even if you really do drive a Toyota Camry. Here are five racecar techniques you can learn.

1. Left-foot braking

Racecar drivers typically use two feet when they are driving. The right foot is on the accelerator while the left foot does the braking. Why do they do this? According to Dale Adams, racecar drivers drive with both of their feet because braking with the left foot “significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to slow down.”

Braking with your right foot can waste fractions of a second to slow the car down, which can translate into another 30 to 50 feet of traveling distance before the car completely stops. Whereas having your left foot ready on the brake pedal can significantly reduce that time. It might feel weird using your left foot at first, but it will be worth it if you can master it.

2. Only do one thing at a time

Many people like to multi-task behind the wheel. This could mean everything from steering or braking too much to putting on lipstick or looking at your phone. Either way, it’s a good idea to take a tip from the racecar drivers and do one thing at a time.

If you ever watch in-car footage of a NASCAR or F1 car, you’ll likely notice that the driver only pays attention to steering, braking, and the accelerator separately in order to not be distracted. By paying attention to one process at a time, you could arrive at your destination quicker and safer.

3. Pull the steering wheel

When driving your car equipped with power steering, you most likely just rest your hands on the steering wheel and gently turn it when needed. However, Dale Adams suggests that you grip the steering wheel and pull it in the direction you want to turn. With your hands in the “9 and 3” position, if you’re turning left then pull with your left hand, and vice versa.

This might seem like a trivial technique, however, it’s meant to give you more dexterity and more control when steering your car, just like the pros do. Of course, you’re probably not steering your Toyota Camry into turns while going over 100 mph, but having control at any speed is still a good thing.

4. Dealing with a tire blowout

Whenever a racecar driver has a tire blowout, they typically remain calm and drive the car straight and slow down. After doing so, they’re usually able to pull in for a pit stop. In real life, you won’t have a handy pit crew to change out your tire, but you can still pull your car over safely nonetheless.

Anyone’s first reaction to a tire blowout will most likely be of shock and surprise, followed by panicked steering and braking. But doing so can cause damage to the car, yourself, and other drivers on the road. Instead, take a page from the pros and slow the car down in a straight line before pulling off the road, if possible.

5. Rev-matching while downshifting

This last tip only applies to those that drive a car with a manual transmission. But rev-matching your downshifts can save your car’s drivetrain while allowing you to drive smoothly through a turn. The process is simple: When slowing the car down, push the clutch in, downshift the gear lever, and then blip the throttle before letting the clutch out in the lower gear.

The idea is to match the engine RPM with that the next lower gear to ensure a smoother engagement when you let out the clutch pedal. Admittedly, it can be tricky to master, but when you do, you’ll be driving like the pros.

Any sedan can be a race car

If you employ the following techniques on your daily commute, you’ll feel like a racecar driving in no time. Keep in mind that racing isn’t always about going fast and getting there first, it’s also about getting there safely. And while your Toyota Camry might be safe, using these techniques can also make it a little more fun to drive.

RELATED: Do Formula 1 Drivers Brake With Their Left Foot?

The post 5 Racecar Driving Techniques That You Can Use Every Day appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

The Honda Africa Twin has seen a very warm welcome back to the world as a modern production adventure bike. Knowing the history of these Dakar dominating vintage Hondas makes the resurgence make perfect sense. 

This 1989 Honda XRV650 Africa Twin was recently sold at auction for some serious money. Is this vintage Honda’s price due to the Dakar history, the recent love of 80s automobiles, or both? 

How much is a vintage Honda Africa Twin worth? 

Like any other commodity, vintage cars’ and motorcycles’ prices depend heavily on mileage and condition. That point has been proven repeatedly with crazy auction prices for otherwise mundane cars and trucks like a 90s Bronco but with 20 original miles. Granted, this vintage Honda Africa Twin is far from mundane. 

Bring a Trailer – often the vehicle by which the crazy prices are driven – recently saw this 1989 Honda Africa Twin pass through the digital auction block. The hammer fell at a whopping $37,000. 

The Dakar history of the Africa Twin helps

According to ADV Pulse, These original Africa Twins designated RD-03 models are the direct descendants of Honda’s Dakar-winning NXR750 that dominated the legendary desert race in the late ‘80s, and as such, are highly prized by collectors. 

However, that fact alone isn’t what made this bike so valuable. The current automotive collector’s trend is far more obsessed with low mileage and condition than nearly anything else. 

This vintage Honda Africa Twin is the poster child for “pristine original condition.” This particular example has only 3 km (1.9 miles). It can’t get much more perfect than that. What’s even crazier is that even showing 3 km on the odometer, it has reportedly never been started. It even comes with all the candy, like the original owner’s manual, paperwork, tool kit, Georgia title, and license tag holder. 

If the nearly 2 miles without ever starting the engine is a bit confusing, the seller says that the odometer only shows the overall distance it has been pushed around from storage to display and whatnot. In 2019 the owner had the cylinders lubricated, and the engine hand turned to ensure that it hadn’t locked. 

It is literally brand new

The electronics have also been gone through and are said to work like new. The truth is, $37,000 for this new-old-stock vintage Honda Africa Twin is probably a bit light. We have seen similarly perfect cars and trucks from similar time periods go for six figures on BaT over the last couple of years. 

It wouldn’t be all that surprising to see this Dakar descendant Africa Twin again in the headlines with a new astronomical price. This is the dominating factor for big money collectibles recently, and it may not be slowing down anytime soon. Hell, vehicles don’t even have to be vintage anymore to be collectible. Low mileage versions of cars and trucks from only 5-10 years ago also saw wild prices. 

For instance, a bone stock 2000 Honda Civic Si sold for $50,000 on BaT. If that doesn’t prove it, how about a 1985 Chevy C20 Scottsdale that sold for $84,500. These are just two examples. The list of otherwise normal and even boring cars and trucks going for crazy money just for being low-mileage is long and mind-boggling. 

It is hard to gauge what will become the next “it” thing, but for now, it’s literally anything that is super-low mileage – regardless of if anyone actually likes the model.

RELATED: 2020 Honda Africa Twin: is There Anywhere it CAN’T Go?

The post Why Was This Vintage Honda Africa Twin Price So High? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.