[Rhodes22-list] Driving School

[Brad Haslett]

This is all true stuff - especially the last one.  I learned to drive during
the same time as I was learning to fly. My first flight instructor was anal
about using brakes.  I still am.  Brad

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What I'm about to share I've learned racing formula cars and attending more
than a dozen professional driving/racing schools in the U.S. and Europe. As
I noted in my column in the November *Motor
Trend*<http://www.motortrend.com/features/editorial/112_0711_the_asphalt_jungle>,
I highly recommend that you find a way to enroll in one of these institutes
of higher velocity yourself. A few days on the skid pad and race track will
pay a lifetime of driving dividends. Admittedly, though, high-performance
driving and racing schools are expensive. Until your bank account shows you
the green light, therefore, I'm giving you a head start right here, right
now. Free.


*1. Be smooth. *Your car's transmission, its tires, its chassis -- they
don't like abrupt inputs. Slamming on the gas throws the car's weight to the
rear, unsettling the front tires (hey, you need those to steer). Diving on
the brakes hurls the car's weight forward (now your poor front tires are
overloaded trying to brake hard *and* steer, and the suddenly light rear
tires just might decide to swing the tail around on you). Driving well is
all about weight management, controlling the ever-shifting mass of the car
so the tires are never overloaded. That means rolling the steering wheel
gracefully into turns, squeezing on the gas and brakes, moving the
transmission lever (if you have a manual) as if the shift knob were an egg.
I was lucky enough to ride once with three-time world champion Sir Jackie
Stewart in an original Ford GT40. The guy made that clattering old race car
move as if it were swimming in Wesson Oil. Even though we were blazing
around Laguna Seca, I wasn't being tossed around inside the cockpit.
Instead, I was gently pushed from side to side, eased forward and back, as
the Maestro conducted a ballet at the wheel. The sensation had much more in
common with riding in an expertly driven limousine -- don't spill our
champagne, Jeeves -- than with the typical Hollywood portrayal of "expert"
driving. Trust me on this: Smoothness at the wheel is the single biggest
indicator of driving skill. (Conversely, driving like Rambo is a dead
giveaway that you're a wanker.)

*2. Turn later.* "All God's children turn in early," a racing instructor
once told me. And he was right. Watch the car ahead of you on a twisty road
sometime. See how he crosses the yellow line when turning left? That's
turning too soon. Even when driving briskly, you should always be able to
corner within your own lane. Same thing happens when racing students first
hit a track. "Why, that turn is coming up so fast and the road is running
out so I'd better steer now!" And what happens? They clip the inside of the
corner too soon and the resulting arc carries them right off the outside of
the turn. Turning later takes practice, but it's key to balancing your car
on the road and maximizing speed on a track. In effect, you're slowing down
a little earlier, letting the car roll a little father into the turn,
smoothly arcing the wheel so the tires can bite and provide you with maximum
grip. Most important: Turning later means you can get on the gas earlier. If
you turn early, you'll have to back off the throttle to keep the car from
arcing off the road. Turn later, and your balanced machine will be ready to
glide through the apex and charge toward the exit under power. Given that
accelerating is the hardest thing for a car to do, the more time your right
foot can be on the gas, the quicker you'll be around the track.

*3. Look ahead.* Nope, not at the car in front of you. No, not at the car in
front of him, either. I want you looking as far down the road as you can. On
a mountain road, you're not looking at the corner you're in, you're looking
for the next one. On the highway, your eyes are scanning the horizon, often
a half-mile or more down the road. On the track, you're always *looking
where you want to go.* Each of us is equipped with an Early Warning System,
but too often we don't use it. Get your eyes up, and suddenly you've got
advance info. You know what the next corner looks like before you fly into
it. You can see that crash ahead before the driver in front of you pounces
on his brakes. On the track, your hands and feet will instinctively follow
your eyes; look where you want to go, and your car will go there. (Why do so
many drivers crash into the only tree around for miles? Because they're
looking right at the thing they don't want to hit.) Looking ahead takes
practice, but you'll be amazed at how well it works –- and at how much
close-up information you're still picking up simply from peripheral vision.
Suddenly, you're not playing connect the dots with individual lane stripes;
you're flowing past them, aiming at that spot way in the distance. You have
more time to react; you can plan your next move, keeping your car in that
critical balance. You're smoother, in better control, a vastly improved
driver. Try it.

*4. Brake like you're taking a crap*. Apologies if I offend, but this lesson
from another racing instructor (yes, he was French) explains proper braking
more effectively than any other. Remember Tip #1, Be smooth? In braking it's
especially critical. Brakes are very powerful and can easily upset a car's
balance -- even if you have ABS. So, in the words of my teacher: "Braking
well is like taking a big poop. First you squeeze, then you push very very
hard, and then you gently taaaaper off at the end." There. Now you know
everything there is to know about how Lewis Hamilton dives so deep into
corners. The best part: You can even practice while reading the new *Motor
Trend*.