So it’s your first time on a race track…

Yes, it’s my first time on the track and I would like to be prepared; not just my car and safety equipment, but mentally also.  How do I prep my mind?

Going onto a race track for the first time can be intimidating but there are a couple of steps you can take to ensure the anxiety is lessened and the experience more enjoyable.  So, what’s the first step?

Go onto the NASA NorCal Website (www.nasaproracing.com/norcal) and you will find a list of tracks we drive.  Bring up the track you will be driving and superimposed on that track map is the “line”.  The line is the route to follow that will make your laps around the track the quickest, safest and the one the car will really like.  It can be argued there are racing lines, rain lines and other lines but let’s make this distinction, an HPDE Group 1 driver needs to keep it simple, easy to understand and create a building experience.  So, follow the NASA line until you can demonstrate it’s faster using another line.  Believe you me; it will be some time before you can show you are faster driving another line on the track (if ever).  So, now that we have found the track and have the NASA line displayed, print it out.   A standard 8 1/2 x 11 size sheet of paper will suffice, and hit the print button.  Now you have the track map with the line in your hand. Study that map and the line and notice how you enter, hit the “apex” and roll out on the far side of the track as you exit the corner. 

Next, go on Youtube.com and search for your racetrack’s name.  It could be Mazda Laguna Seca, Thunderhill, or Infineon.  What you will be looking for are in-car camera scenes of the track you’ve chosen.  Now, you can see the track from the driver’s view with elevation changes, not a top down, bird’s eye view without terrain variations.  The in-car camera views depict what you’ll be seeing of the track looking through the windshield.  Skip the motorcycles; they don’t follow the same line as cars and they tend to crash.  We don’t and we don’t need to practice that.

What’s the purpose of the printout and the Youtube views?  It enables you to see each corner, the braking points and distance from the edge of the track and the apex and exit points.  Hold the map so that the each upcoming corner on your printed map corresponds to the video.  You’ll be keeping the track map in front of you, oriented as it is on the screen and comparing where the driver is going in relation to the NASA line.  See a difference?  No?  Then great; that driver is driving the line.  If it’s wet, the driver will be going slower (did you discover you can time them too?) than on the dry track.  Traction is your friend; a wet track just means you have to be smoother on the controls, that is, the gears, clutch, steering wheel, throttle and brakes.  Pretend there’s an egg between your foot and the pedals and you’ll do fine when it’s wet.  Never pass up a rain day at the track; you get to practice being smooth and then when the sun dries out the track, you will be faster yet.

So, with the above techniques, you get a chance to see the track from the view you’ll have when you are behind the wheel.  What an advantage.  You can develop a track picture for each entry, apex, exit, and develop a feel for the track.

 Notice too, if you can, what gear the driver is in for each corner.  For most of the tracks, and most cars, staying in third gear removes a lot of your shifting decisions.  Just keep it in third and simplify your run.  As your comfort zone expands, and with your instructor’s recommendations; you can downshift for the hairpins and back to third for the rest of the track.  Talk about it with your instructor during your pre-briefing before getting into the car and follow your instructors lead.  Using the KISS principle, the fun factor increases.  (The KISS principle?  Keep It Simple Silly or Stupid, your choice)

When do I check my gauges to see if the temps are ok and the oil pressure light isn’t on?

Do that when the wheel is straight, on the straight stretches.  Again, walk through that exercise repeatedly with Youtube with your track map in hand.  Soon you’ll be able to ditch the map and critique the driver’s ability to follow the line. It’s always fun to switch to another driver and different type car to get variations.  You’ll see the line remains the same; normally.  Wouldn’t you like to drive on a strange road and yet know every curve?  And, which way the next turn is, and is it sharp, a hairpin?  This is one of the ways.

That’s what helped make Michael Schumacher quick.  He knew each corner, each track intimately; before he ever drove it.  So, couldn’t I buy a game or buy some simulator time and skip Youtube?  Yes, but Youtube in-car camera videos will be actual camera footage, not animation., and by checking the Youtube posting date, and track configuration, you can assure yourself it’s the right layout; direction, etc.  And most importantly, it’s cheaper too; in fact, it’s free.

So, why not come to the track mentally prepared for your high speed driving experience? You will have more fun and be glad you prepared yourself.  See you at the track.

Eric Wheaton

NASA NorCal