Giniel de Villiers’ Gravel Road Driving Tips (January 2009) by Steve Smith
Giniel de Villiers’ Gravel Road Driving Tips
The Dakar champion shows us how to drive smart on gravel especially if things go pear-shaped.
No sudden inputs
The main thing about driving on a gravel road – or a similar loose surface – is that you don’t have as much grip. So don’t make any sudden inputs into the car’s controls: the brakes and steering.
Brake early
Gently apply the brakes well before you approach a corner. Get down to the right speed and go through the corner nice and smoothly. Braking very hard into the corner will unbalance it, transferring too much weight forward, and you’ll lose the back end.
Be smooth
Don’t throw the car into a corner. You don’t have much grip, so take corners smoothly. Your steering inputs have to be smooth and gentle.
Don’t over-correct
This is a tough one to master, but if you lose the back and the car starts to slide, a normal driver will turn into the slide as you’re supposed to, but stay there a fraction too long. By the time the car comes back, it fishtails in the opposite direction. The secret is to feed in the opposite lock a fraction after the car starts to come back. It requires experience.
And don’t panic
If you do lose it, stay off the brakes. This is true on tar too. If you’re sliding already and you brake, you’ll go into a complete spin. So, if you have enough space, stay off the road and let the car scrub off some speed on its own.
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