6 driving fundamentals I wish I could explain to a younger me

• The car is always better than you. Let it do the hard work.

Fast laps aren’t so much about forcing things to happen as they are about operating as close to the ultimate potential of the machinery as possible. Trying to exceed the car’s innate ability is just going to slow it down and tire you out.

• Don’t work so hard.

As a follow-up to the previous tip, the lightest possible touch is always the best. You want to do the least amount of work possible to achieve your goal. This not only keeps you fresh as a driver, but, again, you end up not trying to do something the car doesn’t want to or can’t do. Relax your shoulders and especially your hands. Clenched hands and stiff forearms have no feel, and feel is important.

• Braking is more important than you think.

Regardless of what you’re driving, your brakes are the most effective speed-changing device on your car. They deserve respect. The brakes are also nearly as important as the steering wheel for managing weight transfer and load on the tires. Particularly important and underappreciated is brake release and how it affects corner entry and even mid-corner speed. So don’t skimp on learning and practicing high-level braking techniques. 

• Get comfortable.

You can’t properly operate a race car unless you’re properly fitted to that race car. Spend the extra time getting properly fitted so you can go about the business of driving without worrying about adapting yourself physically to the car. Make seat bolsters and pedal extensions; adjust seat mounts; install wheel spacers; just do whatever it takes. Every sport requires an athlete to be in their ideal position to address their task, and motorsport is no different.

• You can never look far enough ahead.

Starting out in autocross gave me pretty good car control skills and taught me that looking ahead was important. But looking ahead in an autocross means something different than looking ahead on a track, so you have to learn to recalibrate that look-ahead window for the situation. The farther you look ahead, the more everything slows down. There will be fewer surprises and seemingly more time to react to them when they do occur.

• Take every opportunity to be coached.

Your driving skills may grow to the point where they’re seemingly equivalent to those of the many excellent instructors and coaches in our sport. That doesn’t mean you won’t still have an exceptional amount to learn from them. Any time someone wants to provide an outside perspective or evaluation, let them. There’s always more to be learned–or at least validated.