I think it helps, but who's to say for sure? One hour during the day it helps. Then later on I can't come within a half second of my best time. This track frustrates me to no end. I just don't understand its nuances.
I mean, I ran behind one of the leader's ghost, and after the second turn (the hairpin), he just took off and I couldn't come close. Like I said, this track just messes with my mind.
Ok here's what you can do
First of all:
Watch the replay of a top player (->Sport mode, select the daily race, select the podium icon, show global leaderboards and choose a replay from a player who uses the same car as you). Once the replay starts, pause it, from the settings icon on the right turn on all HUD info and select the same view you usually use while racing. Also remember to press circle so that the play/rewind fast forward indicators disappear and you can see the normal driving HUD. That way you have in first person everything they do: how, how much and when they steer, change gear, accelerate, decelerate, brake and lift it.
You have to use their replay (not ghost) only to take notes (literally or figuratively, or both).
THEN run on your own, trying to replicate what you remember from their replay.
Start a qualifying session. Before you get in your car, go to settings, then ghost settings. You have 3 important options:
-load ghost --> not for now
-show the ghost of the best performance --> enable it
-show the loaded ghost --> not for now
Do 5-10 laps to get familiar with the track. After your first lap the ghost will appear. I turn it off most of the time with R3 and turn it on rarely only to see where I'm at compared to it. If you improve your previous lap time, the ghost will be replaced with the more recent and faster one. Use the ghost, plus the time +/- indicator above the rev limiter (and what you remember the the op player replay) to improve.
Once this session is done, save the replay of your own best lap. There's a specific option for it.
Run a second qualifying session, but this time:
-load ghost --> select your best at the top
-show the ghost of the best performance --> disable it
-show the loaded ghost --> enable it
If you don't disable the second option it could become very confusing...you'll have two ghost on track with you and you don't know which is which.
Again, turn on/off the ghost of your best QT whenever you want, but don't let it deconcentrate you. If you see that it took off in the first 2-3 corners, restart the session. It's useless to keep going for that lap.
This is what I do to improve. This way I know 99% of the time what I'm doing wrong and experiment with small changes (steering, gear changing, accelerating/decelerating, braking harder/softer/earlier/later)
Also try to make your own changes to the racing line (remember the Gran Turismo movie?)
Are you using full or weak ABS? I started using weak a few months ago and basically it was a night and day difference.
I'm not like Tidgney, I very rarely use visual clues to brake. I mostly use the classic braking area. Sometimes I brake earlier or later than it, depending on how I feel going in the corner and how I perform compared to my own ghost.
It's all relative.
Then of course you can experiment with the brake bias. You start at 0 for the first lap or two, then change it to -1, -2, or whatever, without changing your driving habits. You'll find which one will give you the best lap.
It's not a fast process, it takes patience. But in the end you'll improve... not just your racing for the week, but your way of racing in general. Like being smooth with the steering, occasionally applying throttle in corners or gently tapping the brakes or simply letting all pedals go for a second or two...
And most of all, in time you'll know by heart how cars act on a specific track....Until PD changes the physics or performance points again
