Modeling aggressive maneuvers on loose surfaces: The cases of Trail-Braking and Pendulum-Turn

In this work we initiate a mathematical analysis of rally racing techniques. We provide an empirical description of Trail-Braking (TB) and Pendulum-Turn (PT) cornering, two of the most common rally racing maneuvers. We introduce a low order vehicle model that can be efficiently used within an optimization scheme. The model incorporates the appropriate level of detail to reproduce modes of operation typical of those encountered in rally, off-road racing. We use a numerical scheme to study different trajectory optimization scenarios during cornering. We show that our modeling approach is capable of reproducing TB and PT as special cases of the minimum-time solution with additional constraints.