In a message dated 3/6/99 6:09:24 AM Pacific Standard Time, RacerRay52@aol.com
writes:
> But I'm also talking about visually confusing courses where every cone in
> the trailer is brought out and you have so many course details to memorize
> that it would take more time than you get to memorize it well enough to not
> only go the right way but to go fast also.
>
Course designers should take note to make courses that are not visually
confusing. I've seen a few designs where even the best drivers have
difficulty due to visual course design problems. When the designer's wife had
problems and then a course change was performed. Good designers will use a
minimum number of cones and make the maneuvers the challenge rather than
making it difficult to figure out which set of cones is the proper gate.
Pointers and good spacing can help a lot.
For the inexperienced racer even a well designed course can be intimidating
and difficult to negotiate. The "sea of cones" phenomena can be difficult to
decipher. The only thing I can recommend is walking the course several times
and picking out the key points where there may be difficulty in seeing the
next section and then look for ways that will put you in the proper position
to make the right decision. Course memorization is a good technique to get
through the course effectively.
Many times I've looked at a course and had to ask the designer which gate is
the right one and pointed out the confusing section. A little negotiating
usually gets the designer to put in a pointer or make a course change to make
it easier to find the next gate. After a few small changes you can look
ahead and actually see the proper path with no confusion.
Jim
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