The single biggest time-loss on dirt and gravel is braking like you would on tarmac. On a grippy surface you can brake late and hard, trailing off as you turn in. On a loose surface the tyres do not have the grip to stop that fast, so a late hard stab just locks the wheels, kills your steering, and pushes you straight off the outside of the corner.
Brake earlier and lighter
The loose-surface technique is to start braking sooner and never fully commit the pedal. You are managing a slide, not stopping a car. Squeeze the brake progressively so the tyres stay just short of locking, and get most of the slowing done before you turn. A locked wheel on dirt is a wheel that has stopped steering — and on a gamepad it is easy to over-apply, so give yourself the earlier braking point as a margin.
Use the surface, not just the brakes
On dirt you can scrub speed by letting the car rotate. A small lift or a light brush of the brake mid-corner will bring the rear around, which points the nose and slows you at the same time. That rotation is doing some of the braking for you — lean on it rather than trying to haul the car down in a straight line every time.
Ruts, bumps, and cambers
Wreckfest’s loose tracks are rough. Braking over a bump unloads the tyres and they will lock the instant they go light, so try to do your hard braking on the flattest, most compacted part of the approach. A rutted inside line often has more bite than the polished racing line everyone else has scrubbed smooth — worth a lap of experimenting.
Practising it
Pick one corner and deliberately brake ten metres too early for a few laps. It will feel slow. Then creep the braking point later until you start locking or running wide, and settle just inside that. You will almost always find the fast braking point is earlier than your tarmac instinct wants.
Sources
The techniques here draw on: