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The deliberate yaw movement of the car initiated at corner entry, typically through trail braking or steering input. Good rotation points the car toward the exit early, allowing earlier and harder throttle application.
Going Faster! (Lopez) illustrates the concept: "At corner entry the car not only changes direction, it rotates around its center, creating a yaw angle. At corner exit, the rotation is in the opposite direction as the car goes back to zero yaw entering the following straight." The text explains the control mechanism: "the initial steering input frequently has to be adjusted to maintain the proper angle" of rotation. The HPDE Curriculum Guide defines trail braking's role: "When well executed, trail braking takes full advantage of the car's grip in combined turning and deceleration. Highly skilled drivers use trail braking to induce a small amount of controlled oversteer, rotating the vehicle toward the apex." The key insight is that rotation is not an accident — it is a deliberate act where the driver uses weight transfer and steering to yaw the car into the corner, reducing the steering angle needed at the apex and enabling earlier acceleration.