Cheap Practice

by Nick St. Laurent

If you're like me, you may be optimistic about your potential to race cars quickly. My pace can be just as quick as anyone's in equal equipment… hopefully that's your attitude, too. After all, we're talking about physical laws determining the car's limits, and those limits aren't so far out there, nor so terrifying that you can't explore them. However, you should have certain skills in place before fooling with the limit.

You ask, how am I going to develop those skills? There's no time, there's no money. Well, my friend, you drove the answer to wherever you're sitting reading this. Yeah, your good old daily-driver. The last time I felt an urgent need to kick it up a notch was after the February double national, when CT inspired me (okay, depressed me) with a beautiful, flowing drive that defined waltz, as in he waltzed to an easy win. I was going nowhere, driving in the classic zig zag style from point to point. Sometime later I determined that the big problem was in not looking far enough up the track. I'd told myself for a year or more that it's all in the eyes, but had done nothing to help myself get over it. But desperation bred an answer. As I sat on the deck having a smoke, I exhaled and the smoke formed the characters: "F250." My trusty daily-driver.

First and foremost, I always operate within the confines of the speed limit and other applicable laws. Actually, I allow myself four over if the speed limit is above 45mph, and less in town. I never go conspicuously faster than the traffic around me. Try not to be dangerous or illegal.

I constantly practice looking up the road, through the turns, past the cars ahead. If you've been focusing too near the hood ornament for all these years, it may seem a bit weird at first, but force yourself to do it and you'll soon smooth out your driving and develop more of a flow. It will take but a day or two for it to seem natural. I use all of the lane, swinging from edge to apex to edge. Practice holding out for a late apex. I'm sure the cars around you will let you know when you've reached the edge of your lane. That's what horns are for. Trust your body to respond automatically and follow the eyes. It will, unless you've done something to your synapses (as in too many beers). This is not brain surgery. We even have a realistic chance of correcting mistakes before any harm is done.

Keep in mind that the feet are just as important as the hands in getting the car through a bend. There are some beautiful corners in both direction leaving my house, nice medium speed gems… it's a stretch of road called FM2222 between Mopac and 360. I practice by getting into the corner too fast, say right at 45, and while still using some throttle to keep the back end down, I squeeze on the brakes slightly, slowing to just under the tire-squealing threshold and getting it pointed into the apex. Then I use both of the pedals and the steering wheel to get through nice and tidy, trying for the earliest possible acceleration exiting the corner. There are many occasions on the race track, when I'll keep my right foot planted, and pulse my left foot on the brake to get it pointed in the right direction. Each pulse will bring the front in a little, but the rear end will stay more planted than if you had lifted.

My wife, Linda, and some of my friends can testify to the fact that my eyes light up whenever it rains around here. When I had worn out Goodyears on the F250, I could get all the car control practice I wanted at under twenty-five miles an hour, it was great. Then I bought some Michelins, and it's disgusting that the truck has so much grip now. The required practice speed is much higher and since I can also visualize that nice soft rubber being left on the pavement, I've scaled back my slip-sliding some. It helps that we're in a drought. The rain practice improved my driving by teaching me to anticipate the corrections rather than playing catch up.

This street practice works out really well in my F250 4x4, because its cornering limit is amazingly close to the legal speed limit. That makes it my choice for Race Car Simulator of the Year, very convenient and safe. Usually, when I go through the twisties above the speed limit, pedestrians start running around and diving for cover because the Michelins are groaning and the rear of the truck is hung out in that classic Texas World Speedway turn two drift. Whatever your own daily driver might be, instead of just putting it on auto-pilot, try looking up the road, using all of your lane, and driving with precision. It should transfer to the race track.

Copyright Nick St. Laurent; all rights reserved.