hi guys/gals,
im putting together a few topics for the school, and here is a draft for
discussion. I am basing it on what to UNlearn. people get a ton of things to
"learn", but not enough effort is taken on how to unlearn.
You all have noticed that there is a sea of autocrossers of various levels.
But there are a few drivers that transcend that level and are freakishly
faster. Is it magic? Hardly. But to study advanced autocrossing is to try
to figure out how to transform yourself into one of those people. I like to
think that those people haven't learned things we can't learn, but rather that
they are better at UNlearning the things that hold them back.
james
OSP #74
Advanced Autocross Topics
1. Break the Ruts of Your Driving. Recognize that learning to drive fast is
as much about unlearning old habits as it is learning new ones, and the more
experience you have, the more ruts there are to break. I often ride with
people that have good car control skills, drive a good line, but arent all
that speedy. Why? Because they are handicapped by habits they can't see or
can't break. I cover some of the Common Habits below.
2. Habit #1: Slowing Down for the Corner. The most common one I see is people
braking roughly the same amount for every corner. The habit is "I see a
corner, must slow down". They keep hearing people parrot: "slow-in/fast-out"
so they slow down when they see a corner, or what they think is a corner. All
these little turns we make are all a little different, and you need to unlearn
what you think you see as a corner, which will let you see what is actually
there, and perhaps you will see it isn't a corner after all but a straight :)
Telling them simply to "look ahead" doesnt always work, because that habit
kicks in to slow down for the corner anyway.
3. Habit #2: I'm Out of Control, So This Must Be the Limit of the Car. Then
people use that gauge to decide how hard they can push the car. This is one
of the most damaging habits, because they *think* they are being smart and not
overdriving, but instead they might be at the limit of the car in one or two
places and way off the limit everywhere else. To unlearn this habit, consider
you were out of control not because you were too fast, but because you used a
bad habit (jerking the wheel, locking the brakes, slamming on the brakes,
etc). Then look for all the places you SHOULD feel a little of control and
weren't (like EVERYWHERE- see Habit #3).
4. Habit #3: The Car Feels Unstable, Better Slow Down. The magic happens when
the car is just barely in control and feels light and scary. The car will
react differently when it gets that light feeling. To unlearn this fear,
decide you will not slow down, but instead feel how the car reacts in this
state. Note to corner workers: be careful around this guy!
5. Habit #4: This is as Fast as the Car Will Go. This is simply NEVER true
(If you need proof see Ben Martinez). Put this out of your mind forever, and
instead concentrate on what habits you are having that are holding the car
back from going faster.
6. Habit #5: This happened because my car is
(FWD/RWD/heavy/light/powerful/red/old/ugly/etc). Gotta stop thinking about
your car when you drive. It's all the same thing. I had this experience
after driving my RWD ultra twitchy car for a few years, I tried out my dull
FWD daily driver at the last school. I hadn't autocrossed a FWD car in years,
but I did stuff in that car that I had never done before AND would be sudden
death in my usual car. Why? Because I was feeling how the car reacted and
not stuck in habits and preconceptions on what it was going to do. E-brake,
left foot braking, it all just worked because I just needed a way to make the
car turn in better. Drive the course, not the car.
7. Habit #6: My Competition Is Light, So I Can Slack Off. Did you know you
can go buy trophies at the trophy store and put anything on there you want?
Make your competition with yourself to find your habits, and you will get
faster and faster no matter how slow Kirk is. (sorry Kirk, hee hee :)).
8. Finale: Never relax your guard. You are learning habits everytime you do
anything, and it is just as easy to learn bad habits as good ones. Be very
suspicious if you ever think you know how to drive anything optimally. I
assure you there is always is a faster way, and if you aren't seeking it, your
competition might be busy finding it.
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