[RKDinOKC]

I smoothly let off the brake pedal as I start smoothly turning in and get back on the accelerator just enough to maintain that speed. So yes, braking with the brake pedal is done before the corner.

Cornering, let's see if I can describe this without pictures.

When you turn the steering wheel you are turning the front wheel/tires to roll at a angle compared to the vehicles direction of travel. This angle is called the slip angle.

The grip tires have depends on the weight on the tire, the speed the vehicle is going, and the rate of change braking or accelerating, and the slip angle of the tire all combined.

In a straight line the slip angle is zero so your speed does not effect the traction available for acceleration as much as weight transfer. It's all braking or accelerating and weight transfer front or rear respectively.

In corners the maximum corner speed is determined by the maximum slip angle and speed of ALL FOUR tires. The slip angle is typically from 7° to 12° depending on corner radius and tires. This means the tires are basically drifting from 7° to 12°. You set the front tires slip angle with the steering wheel, the rears with the angle of the vehicle itself.

To enter the corner you are traveling down the straight and are braking at the maximum. This means the weight it transferred to the front and you are using all the available traction to brake.
As you turn in, you smoothly lift off the brakes. Since the tires can't turn and do maximum braking at the same time you are letting off the brakes as you are asking the tires to turn. You do this slowly and smoothly so the weight will remain on the front of the car to get maximum traction for turn in.

This not only begins to turn the vehicle, because the weight is kept at the front the rear of the car begins to rotate or it starts creating a slip angle between the direction the vehicle is traveling and the direction the vehicle or rear tires are pointing.

As the vehicle is turning toward the apex and rotating you apply some throttle. This moves the weight from the front to being balanced. It stops the car from rotating, but since both front and rear tires are in their slip angle the car is turning towards the apex.

As the rear is rotating around you add accelerator to stop the rear from rotating as the vehicle starts heading towards the apex in a 4 wheel drift. If you slowed too much and the rear stops drifting add throttle slowly until the front starts pushing out, then remove some throttle and use the throttle to steer the vehicle. If you didn't slow enough the rear will start coming around an you will need to remain off the throttle and countersteer to aim the slide towards the apex until the vehicle slows enough you can turn back into the corner and add throttle to maintain the corner speed and throttle steer.

Through the apex you use the throttle to steer through the corner. A little more throttle and the vehicle will transfer weight to the rear letting the front slip more and the vehicles radius increase. A little less throttle and the weight will transfer to the front grip more and turn the vehicle tighter.

As you pass the apex add throttle to make the vehicle drift out towards the edge of the curve/straight. The vehicle will start to accelerate more as it naturally straightens. When finish the turn unwind the steering and get on the throttle in earnest.

Heel and toe is important during the braking phase of slowing for the turn-in. You want to smoothly downshift so the vehicle is in the correct gear for when you get back on the throttle after turn-in before you actually initiate turn-in.

The only time you do not want the downshift before the turn-in is if you are entering a tight chicane. Then you want to let the clutch out on turn-in with the revs just a little mis-matched. This will put the vehicle into a rear end skid for the chicane. Steer the skid into the first turn of the chicange and add throttle. Countersteer for recovery from the skid and let it go a little too far rotating the vehicle into the 2nd turn of the chicane. Staying on the throttle you countersteer into the last turn and exit from the chicane adding throttle to accelerate out onto the straight. Negotiating the chicane is basically initiating a skid and doing a tank slapper recovery thru the chicane.