I just want to elaborate a little bit for those who think that I'm
saying just go out there and drive without thinking, letting it all
happen while breathing deeply and chanting your mantra, as if this will
magically make you a better driver. Okay, that might help, but here is
some reality, taught by all the worlds coaches, regardless of sport.
This is especially for new drivers, or those feeling stuck.
All of your current skills right now, whatever level you're at, are a
"habit." The only way you can lose a bad habit is to replace it with a
new one.
The reason why one driver is faster than another ISN'T because of
talent. Okay, maybe, but maybe you have it, too. Just tell yourself that
you do, and then face this fact: probably, he or she has better HABITS.
The good news is, you can get new habits, too.
It's really much more simple than you thought. Because are we not all
creatures of habit? So, if you're feeling stuck, don't attribute it all
to a lack of talent. Find out what it is that you're doing now, and
rather than talking yourself out of success, talk yourself into it, but
do it honestly. Find what you can do differently, and train yourself to
acquire that NEW habit. Keep practicing, until you don't have to think
about it anymore.
This you know: we do habits do without thinking. So, even if you've
consciously planned out this whole run you're going to do, you know
exactly where the apexes are, braking points, accelaration points, the
GRAVEL, all these details, they won't do you much good if you're
fighting with all these other habits you may have developed over the
years.
I can think of a couple of people still struggling, people with years
and years of experience, and gobs of talent, and they worry about lines
a LOT, and really, what's holding them back are their habits. Some
people analyze courses because it's their HABIT. They feel comfortable
doing that. Then they say it's because they're not as talented. Charlie
has been autocrossing for 27 years, and here is saying he's not
talented. HORSE DOOKIE.
To get a new habit, you have to do things that are slightly, or maybe
really, uncomfortable. They HAVE to feel weird for a prolonged period of
time. That's when you know the changes are coming. The hard part is, how
do you know when you've replaced the habit, or just bounced back? You
just keep practicing.
There are things you should be doing right NOW, every day, when you get
into your car and drive anywhere, particularly if you're a novice.
1) Get your seat up into a more suitable position, i.e. arms at a ninety
degree angle, so that you're not in that really lame reclined position
all the kids are doing nowadays. The reason why is because if you're too
far away from the wheel, you WILL get behind in your steering. You just
will. You want to steer using the muscles in your torso, versus your
arms, believe it or not. You'll have more control.
2) Learn how to shuffle steer, or SOME method they talk about in those
racing books. Get out of that habit, right now, of steering with your
hand inside of the spoke. Forget the aforementioned hand-over-hand.
3) Work on heel-and-toe downshifting. You might not even ever have to do
it in an autocross, but it certainly builds confidence.
4) Brake in a straight line. In an autocross, maybe later on, you'll
learn this thing they call trail braking, but right now, chances are if
you learned how to drive in this country, and you're a novice
autocrosser, you probably brake in the turns. That's probably what slows
down most new autocrossers. They get in too hot, step on the brakes, and
spin out. Or they spend too much time deccelerating in the turns,
wearing out their tires.
Walking the course a million times won't help this situation.
So, work on this on the road, keeping your speeds under control. On
ramps are good practice. Every time you need to brake, keep it in a
straight line, and then gently accelerate out of the turn, gently enough
so that you don't have to lift, ever, through the turn. That's such a
basic thing, yet so HARD to learn on an autocross course, yet I can
promise you, you'll make TONS of time if you get that one down.
You're NOT going to learn it walking the course a million times, and no
matter how many times you're instructor tells you. You have to practice
it, over and over again.
5) Work on driving SMOOTHLY. This is the most important skill. Challenge
yourself every day. When you stop at traffic lights, stop so that your
passengers' heads never bob forward. Drive like a chaffeur. You never
want to feel the car lurch when you change gears, either.
These are the basic skills you need, and you have to practice them,
EVERY time that you drive.
The next level would be lines, and these are a habit as well. Here's the
thing: chances are, if you're working on the above, lines will follow
naturally. If you are absolutely insistent that you must analyse a
course, set a limit. Say at the next five events (assuming you've
mastered these finer basics), you will focus on lines, but that's it.
Why? Because by now, lines are a habit. You just don't know that they
are. You're not giving yourself enough credit. The FASTEST drivers
already know this stuff without thinking, so they can focus on this one
thing: looking ahead. I bet some do it without even knowing it. Check
out your latest NAP and look at the pictures of the National Champions.
Look how far they're twisting their necks. The Evolution Autocross
School is sold out every year teaching this basic thing, churning out
some one national trophy winner after another. WHY do you think this is?
Looking ahead, finding that exit of the turn, is really hard when you're
fighting your other habits. But if you've got the basics down,
consciously looking ahead gives your brain something to do, without ever
giving it a chance to start that nasty analysis, which is so contrary to
learning.
Autocross is a lot like learning a language. Some people learn languages
analytically, and they can't speak. I discovered in a German class that
I could spend hours and hours studying vocabulary, or about five
minutes. Both gave the same results. It's the PRACTICE that gets you
places, and yes, making mistakes. Now that I'm learning Russian, I don't
even bother with the vocabulary lists, which is probably synonomous with
a course walk. A course walk is merely a preview of the lesson. You're
not really going to learn anything until you're actually driving, and
again, the more homework you do, the more hands on stuff you do outside
of the autocross, the bigger your headstart.
Now as far as decreasing apex turns go, and gravel, come on. Really,
give yourself some credit. Are you really saying that you'll encounter
this, and your brain just isn't going to know what to do? Yet, I bet you
know how to step over rocks on a side walk, don't you, even if maybe
that rock wasn't there yesterday. Why, I bet driving to work today, you
encountered some dirt on the road, some slight variation, maybe the
wind, maybe someone cut you off, and you had to brake quickly and steer
out of the way, and somehow, presto, you overcame it.
Even if you have to consciously think about such details, seriously, how
long does it take to make yourself aware? Five minutes of intense study,
or maybe a split second?
This is my biggest pet peeve in course walks: someone points out level
changes, bumps, and GRAVEL, some really obvious stuff that the brain can
figure out without much advice, things that if you really take the time
to study they'll only detract from what's really important, like the
FEEL of the car. It breaks my heart to see all these new students are
actually paying attention and absorbing this stuff, stuff that has
NOTHING to do with driving fast.
Yet, my autocross students are always disappointed, because I DON'T tell
them that much. Yet, they always end up kicking ass, usually my own. So,
there you go.
Katie K.
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