TARMAGO

Technique • Motorcycles on track

Trail braking into a corner

Understand the principle without treating it as a recipe to try alone.

Understanding the technique

In a broad sense, decreasing braking means reducing pressure. Here we mean trail braking: carrying part of the braking into corner entry while reducing pressure as lean angle increases. It is neither grabbing the brake suddenly while leaned over nor holding a fixed percentage of lever pressure.[6]

Why it matters on track

The tyre shares its available grip between braking and turning. Progressively reducing pressure allows continued speed adjustment during entry without treating braking and lean as independent actions. In this guide, the aim is not to brake later or move closer to the limit.[6]

Mistakes to avoid

Adding abrupt braking while adding lean; believing you must hold identical pressure to the apex; deciding that a number of trackdays makes you ready. The opposite is misleading too: “you can never brake while leaned over” does not describe this technique. None of these slogans replaces supervised learning.[6]

Building it progressively

Do not start this exercise alone during an open track session. Ask for a course where the instructor first assesses your braking, line and attention. They will choose the place, conditions, margin and progression. The focus is release, not a later marker. Stay in the agreed group and return for a debrief if you do not understand the action. This page prescribes no pressure, angle or release point: those cannot be validated remotely.

What you can check with Tarmago

At the corner you practised, record the instruction you received and your questions. Splits and GPS speed from our telemetry tools do not measure brake pressure. They therefore cannot certify correct trail braking. Keep that distinction even if your time improves.

In our telemetry tools, lap analysis shows lap-by-lap times, gaps, splits with the best highlighted in red and a GPS-speed-coloured trace. Add your observations to the circuit notes, corner by corner. Review this information in the paddock, never as a distraction on track. GPS measurements do not show your gaze, brake-lever pressure or throttle opening.

Detailed analysis in our telemetry tools (speed curve, ideal lap and lap comparison) is part of the paid Tarmago+ plan.

Frequently asked questions

How much pressure should I keep at corner entry?

There is no percentage to copy here. The principle is to reduce pressure as lean increases, but its application depends on the situation. Supervised work is needed to adapt and correct your input.

Does trail braking mean braking later?

Not necessarily. It describes continuing then reducing braking during corner entry. When learning, do not aim to move the marker later: the focus is progressive release without reducing your margin.

Technical references

These references support principles, not universal instructions for your motorcycle. The practice suggestions and textbook position are Tarmago editorial guidance, separate from the sourced passages. Adapt them to your situation, progressing at a pace that preserves your margin. Your organiser’s rules take precedence over those of the schools cited.