Veloce Raptor

IMO the real goal is braking less: spending fewer feet on the brakes & reducing the number of MPH you are scrubbing off (thus raising vMin in corners). The best way to gain confidence to do this, and thus also to get to more throttle sooner, is to keep the chassis as stable as possible, thus braking so that we are not pitching the car as heavily on its nose. Braking later is not necessarily needed, optimal, nor sometimes even possible...

KaiB

VR is good enough to maintain this thread, and kind enough to answer virtually every question, so I often hesitate to open my big mouth here. Because I'm not VR, I can be a bit, well...less cautious with my comments.

But...(given the fact that there are a thousand things all going on at the same time), the statement you made above says volumes.

Virtually NO GOOD can begin to occur for a semi-advanced driver until he gets his eyes up and out. Problems with braking, at turn-in, with throttle application and most certainly at track-out can ALL be associated with dropped eyes. Even something as subtle as "feel" moves from the butt to the chest when we're not looking where we should be.

The faster we go, the more important this is. We CANNOT be confident and move forward until our vision is down track - up and away from the apex.

Why not spend an entire day working on vision? We'll let others here suggest tricks and pointers on how to do this.

Cheers, and go fast.

sierralima

I get the distinction, thanks! Thinking back, getting on the throttle in the GT3 is fun. Getting on the throttle in the M3 causes concern and there is a lack of confidence. Whether this is a perceived threat or an actual one I'm not sure...I've marked my COTA map with the areas I was slower going to throttle this last event. We will return weekend after next - I'll analyze what I'm thinking/feeling at these points.

Sometimes I think I get going faster than I'm comfortable and subconsciously decide to slow down and regroup. Almost like I'm trying to do well approaching the turn, then once I successfully make it through I'm breathing a sigh of relief on the exit and don't focus as much on "gearing up" for the next one.

At TWS my theoretical times were much faster than my actual times for a bit. It was like I knew how to go fast through all the turns, but it was too much to do it all in a single lap. My theoretical is much closer to my actual now.

At COTA (less driving experience here) my theoretical at this last event was 5 sec faster than my actual. I think someone told me once to take a couple of turns per lap and work on them.... ;-)

sierralima

KaiB - Don't hesitate to comment, lol. I wouldn't post if I didn't want feedback and to improve. I don't think I'm as bad w/ vision at my "home" track, but at COTA they had giant yellow turtle things at the apex and I found myself fixating on them and having to make an effort to look past them.

But regardless, vision is something I want to improve - absolutely I'm up for working on it. Any tips, tricks or other pointers appreciated!

KaiB

Here are a few which may differ from other advice one can get online. They might sound a bit mundane, but they're not. Like anything else in sport, all of this takes work, but all of it pays off.

Preface this by saying I don't know a single good driver who doesn't think about his driving always.

1) On the street, work HARD on vision. You might think you are, but you're not. On the highway, get your eyes out to the horizon and keep them there...you'll soon find that they want to drop, but work on keeping them up for a ten count. When you get to the sweepers on the turnpike, work hard on NEVER dropping your eyes.

2) Same thing with off/on ramps, pulling into parking lots and virtually everywhere you daily drive. Eyes up...this takes time.

3) At stop signs, eyes all the way out in the direction you want to turn, keep them there as you execute the turn (after safety checks, of course).

4) On track, try to find reference points down track which will help force you to avoid peeking at the apex (which is typically preceded by a stare at the turn-in point...thus the head is already down). This reference could be the next turn in, a tree 300' down track, a space in the air, whatever works. Keep your eyes up and out and begin to develop confidence in the great capabilities peripheral vision really does give us.

5) During a track day, spend the ENTIRE first session working on Nbr 4. Go a bit slower and try to work through air, rather than the front of the car.

6) On straights preceding those fast scary turns, one thing I do when I'm having vision problems is to wrinkle my brow by opening my upper eyelids further than normal...sounds funny, but it is my reminder to look over and through the corner, rather than concentrate on whatever brake point, turn-in or apex I want to stare at.

Our senses and confidence are the first thing to leave us when we get apprehensive at speed...learning to trust these, as well as our acute peripheral vision is something we should ALL work on, always.

Eyes up, all day, every day.

Gary R.

An old trick was to draw a thick horizontal line across the windshield, about mid-way up.. keep your eyes above the line. May be frowned upon nowadays though.

sierralima

Awesome, homework, thanks! I will write this down and practice on the street (which I try to do to some, but not this, extent).

I've had extensive conversations about vision and am aware of the importance...which is why I think I was so aware I wanted to focus on the yellow turtles at turn in and was struggling to look past them. The second and third day of the event the track was wet, so I was able to slow down and work on several things, including vision.

I had one instructor (and friend) ask me one time, "How many times do I need to tell you...." My response was yes, I've heard you and understand, but I'm just not able to do everything you ask when you ask...sometimes I just need repetition and eventually I'll get there...hopefully. ;-)

PS I love the meme VR posted a while back, less brake, more gas....

ProCoach

Bingo!

I put a piece of clear tape at the level I want the driver to look above...

sierralima

Awrighty. Tape going on the windshield for the commute home.

KaiB

Wouldn't work with me as I'm constantly looking down into the cooler for another beer....

Gary R.

I was thinking put a black windshield banner on there, good LUCK looking down the hood!

Veloce Raptor

This pic?

sierralima

Yep!

TXE36

Absolutely!

My last student spent all day Saturday with his arm out the window. Technically he knew very well what he was supposed to do and it took me a bit to realize his vision just wasn't far enough ahead.

Spent the day Sunday working *only* on vision. Dispensed with any talk of car placement and minimized brake and gas commands. All I did for the two first morning sessions was tell him where exactly to look. Turn in!, Apex!, Track Out!, Next flag!, Turn In!, Apex!, Track Out!, etc... at maximum distance and well ahead of the part of the turn he was currently executing. For the last two sessions I had him narrate to me where he was looking and it really clicked after a few of my corrections, "No!, Farther out!". Stopped having to give brake commands and added lots of "Stand on it!"s to give him confidence because the car was positioned just right.

Best part? He got fast - so fast that it actually started to overwhelm him and he took a couple of breather laps. I recall back when I was learning to look ahead and it was so odd and uncomfortable.

Very satisfying weekend. He had fun. I had fun. And he went from testing his point by form to running at the pointy end of the field. All from working on just vision.

-Mike

TXE36

That pic is one of my favorites.

-Mike