the perfect driver

[michael lang]

In the book "The Perfect Driver" author Ross Bentley discusses the importance of mental imagery and how it can play a beneficial role in developing skills as a driver gets better at his craft. It also goes onto explain how a driver can practice the excercises by getting into an almost meditative state.

I understand how valueable a tool the mind can be and the things that can be accomplished when someone has learned to "manipulate" (I couldn't think of a better word to decribe my point) the mind into thinking fantasy is reality, I understand all that.

So here's my question, more directed towards instructors but anyone please chime in because I really want to do well out there, do you yourself go through mental preperation and if you do what do you do to get yourself mentally ready for being on the track? And what do you tell your students to do or think about between run sessions?

 I'm interested because the other day I was reviewing that chapter in the book and I had remembered my instructor at FATT & he had me do a complete run session in my mind as if I were behind the wheel, he then took me out in his car (996TT) during the instructors session. During the session he was constantly asking me were I was on the track in my car if I was driving (he was referring to my mental image), all the while we were driving at his speed. Fastest car I have ever been in, & he wasn't shy with the throttle either. Scared the crap out of me coming down the hill into Turn 4, every lap!! After that was lunch, during lunch he gave me instructions to think about ONLY the session that we had just completed. When lunch was over it was my run group. During the session in between instructing he was constantly asking where I was on the track, funny thing about it was I was in my car EXACTLY at the same spot he was in his car on any given point of the track, not going nearly as fast, but my point is his approach made a substantial impact on how productive his excercise was. Another thing that I noticed was I felt like I was driving much smoother. John Tekoya (I think that's how his last name is spelled) wanted to move me into Group 2 so I could get an extra run session but I didn't feel I was ready to be on track with those more experienced drivers.

Anyway, any & all input is much appreciated bcause at this point I'm like a sponge ready to absorb all the information I can, so, many THANKS for whatever input anyone can give.


 

[Racingswh]

This is an interesting topic Mike and one that I have thought about.   First I am not an instructor, just a participant in DE events.  I read quite a bit and have read 3 of Ross Bentley's books which I happen to think are quite good although a bit vague which I think may be his point.  You need to expand your mind and shape the ideas he gives you to fit your learning style.  I am not sure they are the best for the beginner. 

I believe "Going Faster"  by the people at Skip Barber is an important book to read.

This is DE.  My guess is there is little "mental preparation", the kind that Ross Bentley speaks of in his books, needed by most participants.  That doesn't mean that the driving doesn't require focus and attention but DE doesn't demand race starts, driving at the limit, managing traffic, racecraft etc. which is all part of racing.  Some drivers that drive their cars closer to their own personal limits and the limits of their cars may require more preparation before they head out to drive. 

For me DE is very relaxing.  I try to enjoy all the time that I have at the track and with friends.  It's a great get away from work.  I do not put any pressure on myself at a DE event to peform well.  I want to perform well and I want to be fast but that's just because I love to go fast.

I am not a big fan of instructors driving fast with beginner passengers.  I know of a specific case recently where a person was not comfortable going quickly and decided they didn't want to do DE events again.  I know that if they had been shown the way more gently they would probably still be involved and having a great time. 

As a beginner I think one of the things you should concentrate on before this season is making sure your car is safe and in good working order.  Make sure the brakes and brake lines are all sound.  The oil cooler lines and fittings are in perfect shape and not ready to fail.  The belts aren't frayed etc.  As the owner and driver make sure you go over the car and address all the issues that you can see.  Bring your car to one of our tech events so we can look at it and point out any issues you may have missed.  Once you have done this you can now go to an event and have a better chance of having a car failure free weekend and just concentrate on learning. 

Once at the event just try to stay relaxed.  Don't worry at all about going fast.  It's not what it's all about.  It's about learning and having fun.  As far as specifics are concerned I think that there are some key points.  First and you will hear this alot "Be smooth!!!!!!!"   What that means is don't stab the brakes, PRESS them.  Don't crank the wheel all at once, progressively turn the wheel and guide the car through the corners.  Learn how to shift.  If you can't heel and toe and double clutch downshift learn how.  It goes along way to being smoother and being easier on equipment.  You want your driving to be SEAMLESS and flowing in practice.  If you do this speed will come.  Why?  Because as you're doing this you will also be learning the "line" and where your car should be on the track.  (Truth is as you go faster PHYSICS will tell you where the line is, just ask my friend).  The "line" is the path around the track that supports the most speed.   Whenever you accelerate, brake or turn your car you're asking your tires to grip the road and do what you're telling them to.  The tires have a maximum grip of 100%.  They can do 100% of any one of the 3 tasks or in combination but of course they can't do more than 100% of what they are capable.  If you're not smooth with your driving you will get spikes in energy that can cause you to ask your tires to do more than 100% of what they are capable of and this causes skidding and sliding which leads to going slower. 

Ex. You're coming down the straight and approaching a right hand corner. You need to slow the car.  You press or squeeze the brakes to slow the car.  If you press the brakes you will have good muscular control over the pressure you're applying.  If you stab the brakes with less control over the pressure you're applying you may go over 100% of the tires traction available for braking, lock up the brakes and skid the tires.  As soon as you lock them you have now extended the time it will take to slow the car.  Now you have to slow the car even more in order to make the turn.  The longer you go straight and the deeper you go into a corner the sharper you have to turn the car and the slower you need to go to make it.  If you're relaxed and smooth you will be better at sensing the speed that you need to slow the car to, you will slow the car for the turn in plenty of time and all 100% of the tires traction is now available to turn the car because you have completed your braking smoothly and efficiently. 

So as a recap.  Make sure your car is in great shape for the upcoming event.  Once at the track be relaxed and enjoy your time there.  Listen and do as your instructor tells you.  Don't drive too fast.  The instructor, even though they are in the car, doesn't have a steering wheel or brake pedal to save you and your car.  I have seen unnecessary crashes happen too many times.  Last, get a handle on the basic driving skills required to be smooth in order to go fast in the future if that ends up being what you would like to do.                      


Steve W. Hoagland

[Wally]

Well said Steve, I would like to add something Al Holbert said to me 30 yrs. ago before I did my first track event. "In order to drive well on the track at the limit you have to put your ego in your back pocket and sit on it."

[michael lang]

Thank you very much for your input, it's exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. Steve, what you described is very much the reason why I spent the last two season running around with a bunch of cone heads on parking lots. I wanted to become comfortable with braking, turning, accelerating in my car for before I went out and got in way over my head. I haven't rushed my driver training & I'm completely comfortable with that. As I have stated before, I feel like I'm ready to move on to something a little more challenging and to me DE is that next step. I will do with DE as I have done with my autoX & that is let it come to me, do the very best that I can but not get into a situation I cannot handle. I too find being on track very relaxing which is why I decided to invest in myself first before I dumped a ton of money into my car trying to make it faster. All I want to do is make the most I can out of my time on track. I go to Summit Point religiously (it's easy since I'm under an hour away) and one thing that I have noticed is the front runners, the really smooth guys, always look like they are just out putzing along. When in actuality they are absolutely flying. That is what I want to work towards.

[Brian Minkin]

Steve,

Very well said and solid advice. 

Michael,

I do think there is a certain amount of mental preparation that goes into advancing in high speed driving.  To be fast and smooth and consistent you need to be calm and focused before you proceed out of pit lane onto the track. If you are nervous or have fear then the mind moves high speed from thought to thought and you are going to make mistakes on the track. To do this requires mental review of that track, where you want to be on the track, visual markers and driving techniques to put the mind into focus. Its putting your self in the zone so that the mental process of what you are doing comes from the unconscious rather then conscious part of your mind. When this happens the mind flows smoothly and you perform smoothly.  The conscious part of the mind is only called on to react to situations and this decreases reaction time. Perhaps for some people this comes naturally but I know for me it took a lot of mental preparation to overcome the nerves and begin to drive well at speed. I still remember how my mind was racing when the instructor entered my car and we began to proceed out onto the track. I can often tell my students mental speed from their breathing.  Heavy or rapid breathing is a sign of nervousness and mental overload.  For a novice driver I suggest spending the 5 minutes prior to driving to pit out preparing yourself mentally.  Sit in the car, breath slow and deep while doing mental review.  You will know when you are in the zone as your inputs become smooth and you find that you are looking ahead instead of driving point to point. Then it all flows and the speed comes with more and more seat time.

Now that I have written my ZEN thing back to mentally preparing myself for VIR in 2 weeks. 

[michael lang]

 Brian, when you do have a student that you can tell is nervous or on mental overload, what do you tell them or what do you do to help settle them down?

[Racingswh]

michael lang wrote:

Thank you very much for your input, it's exactly the kind of thing I am looking for. Steve, what you described is very much the reason why I spent the last two season running around with a bunch of cone heads on parking lots. I wanted to become comfortable with braking, turning, accelerating in my car for before I went out and got in way over my head. I haven't rushed my driver training & I'm completely comfortable with that. As I have stated before, I feel like I'm ready to move on to something a little more challenging and to me DE is that next step. I will do with DE as I have done with my autoX & that is let it come to me, do the very best that I can but not get into a situation I cannot handle. I too find being on track very relaxing which is why I decided to invest in myself first before I dumped a ton of money into my car trying to make it faster. All I want to do is make the most I can out of my time on track. I go to Summit Point religiously (it's easy since I'm under an hour away) and one thing that I have noticed is the front runners, the really smooth guys, always look like they are just out putzing along. When in actuality they are absolutely flying. That is what I want to work towards.

It sounds like, based on what you've written, that you have a pretty good understanding of the handling dynamics of your car already and that you take learning to drive well pretty seriously. With the type of learning ethic you have you are going to be fine at DE events. Look forward to meeting you at some point.

[jakp993]

michael lang wrote:

when you do have a student that you can tell is nervous or on mental overload, what do you tell them or what do you do to help settle them down?

There are lot's of things you can do. However, the first thing to do is to find out what's causing the majority of the nervousness and anxiety.

For some folks it's just an overload situation. So many new things happening at once. Where do I park? Will the car pass Grid Tech? My instructor is in a Black 911 - there have to be a hundred Black 991's here - how will I find him/her? Where is staging? Others may have a fear of damaging their car, and still others may be afriad of not doing well.

Each of these root causes require a different response from the instructor. Being able to sort this out quickly is one of the more challenging (and rewarding) parts of being an instructor. Responding in the wrong way can, in the best of situations, be ineffective. However, in some cases, it can make the situation worse, adding anxiety to the student.

The good news is that we have a training program for our instructors that assists them in diagnosing this type of stuff and helps them respond appropriately.

I'll let others chime in with techniques that have worked for them.

Take care,
Jack

[betegh9]

Interesting thread.
Even though I am not (YET) a certified instructor, I have had my share of instructing AX as well as some tracks where i felt confident when asked to help with new drivers.
Students often have the fear factor of the INSTRUCTOR, even though they will not admit to it.
I will not add redundancy to the previous, good comments and sudgestions, but I have found students more open to ask questions and more relaxed when they get to KNOW their instructor before getting to the event. Other clubs have the instructors call and talk to their students days before the event to talk about what the student wants to achieve, go over some terminology, and clear up any questions on a one to one basis. By the time they meet at the track, they are buddies. (no holding hands, please!)

[michael lang]

Thank you for the compliment Steve, I try very hard. The fact of the matter is that I find the mechanics of performance driving to be quite fascinating and I want to learn as much as I can about it. Not only that, but I want to be able to do it as well as understand it. That being said, I felt as though the best place to start was with myself and work on my basic skills first then as I get better introduce new things to my driving. So in the beginning, I have to start with my head first. Thanks for the input, all the advice given will be a huge help to me during my seat time.

betegh9, I liked your suggestion as well, would probably take alot of mystery out of who the newbies are supposed to be looking for when we get to the track.