Mistakes Not To Make #1
[ August 19th, 2008 ] By: Charles Smith Posted in » Tips and Tricks
There are some mistakes that anyone is bound to make at some point in a racing career. Those mistakes can either cost you time or, at the worst, a crash. Today’s is Forget to Look Ahead.
Looking ahead is not some cheesy term about how bright the future is, but a more practical EYEBALL oriented piece of advice. It means looking further along the track/road than you first would think you should. It means looking past corners as you enter them and onto whatever landmarks you can. There are a few bad things that occur when forgetting to looking ahead:
- Makes Everything Seem Faster - objects that are closer to you seem to be faster when compared to objects that are further away (Mountains vs Trees vs Telephone poles on a highway/train). Feeling fast will more likely scare you than speed you up. Scared people also like coming off the throttle and pressing on the brake even if they should not.
- Fatigues Your Eyes - Looking close to the car requires more eye movement, when compared to looking far ahead at equal speeds, in order to fixate. Keep in mind, you shouldn’t be fixating, I was just using that as a point.
- You Drive Where Your Eyes Are Looking - It is hard to fight that you will drive where your eyes are looking (hence why you keep your eyes on the road). So look where you want to go, forgetting this could make you end up in a place you don’t want to be.
So dont forget to look ahead, even on the road. Look where you want to go, not where you’re going or where you have been. I bet that could even work for a life metaphor. (Soon TwoGuysRally will be a lifecoaching website and not a rally site </sarcasm>)
August 20th, 2008 at 12:29 am
It may sound dumb but at times it feels like the car knows where you are looking. This is especially noticeable during opposite lock. If you’re sideways, simply looking where you want to end up seems to point the car the right way.
August 20th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Exactly! Hence why looking where you want to go is so important.
Also, dont stare at something you think you’re going to hit it, because then you definitely will.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Excellent point - most people drive “between the ‘a’ pillars” or use the fenders as guides… use the mirrors, look where you want to go, and you’ll be in good shape!