Auto Racing: increasing rpm when turning, wheel drive cars, front wheel drive cars

Question
In this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4pGlX12rjo at
25:06 and 25:16 , why do the drivers in crease the rpm at
turns?

Answer
Two reasons.  First to increase the speed, the point of racing and high performance driving. The more time you spend ON the gas, the faster you go.

Second, in many cases the car resists the driver's input to turn. Adding throttle (increasing RPM) both accelerates the car, and causes minute rear wheel spin which causes the rear of the car to slide  to the outside, easing the turning efforts. If you have the power to cause the rear wheel spin it's an extremely fast way to negotiate a corner. It does, however, require a much higher level of expertise than daily driving. DON'T try it on the street.

One important point. THIS DOESN'T WORK ON FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CARS.If you own a car with FWD, you can't do it, and if you try, it will cause you to lose your steering while in the corner.

Hope that clarify's it for you !

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida