Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for improving data transfer rate performance in a multi-drive array configured as a redundant array of inexpensive discs (RAID). The array comprises at least first and second disc drives each comprising a rotatable disc on which a plurality of tracks are defined. An array controller is operably coupled to the disc drives to stripe data across the first and second disc drives using a common bus architecture. Logical block addresses (LBAs) are assigned to each of a plurality of data blocks of the tracks of the drives and are grouped into a number of zones, each zone having nominally the same number of LBAs. Data are thereafter transferred to and from the drives on a zone-basis, so that a block of data of determined size is divided between the first and second disc drives at a selected ratio so that a greater percentage of the block of data is written to the first zone as compared to the second zone.