As a beginner, I learned firsthand just how important it is to stay calm when driving on a race track.
Don’t get nervous. Relax, relax…
Just relax, like you’re sitting on a sofa, kicking back and taking it easy.
Re-laaax…♪
Hmm?
Wait a minute.
Does that mean the more I relax, loosen up, and take it easy, the faster I’ll go???
Well, I was an idiot, so that’s what I thought.
No, seriously. I really thought that.
I should probably see a doctor. (Too late.)
So I actually tried it.
I tried to recreate that feeling of sitting on a sofa and completely relaxing, then went for a fast lap.
All right, here we go!
And then… oh, what do you know!
I couldn’t hit the brakes at full force! (Idiot.)
I just couldn’t seem to get enough force into my leg when I tried to push the brake pedal.
Relaxing meant letting my body completely loosen up.
But when you’re braking, you need to push the brake pedal hard at exactly the right moment.
I realized that you need to be in a certain level of mental and physical focus to do that.
Whoa, this is a discovery! I should publish a paper about this! Genius.
But surprisingly, being completely relaxed actually works pretty well for cornering.
That said, when you’re right on the edge of whether the tires are going to slide or not, you still need a certain amount of anticipation and the ability to react.
So I guess having your brain completely switched off isn’t actually ideal either.
Anyway, I learned that braking and cornering seem to require different mental states.
Hmm… interesting.
Wait a minute. Quit messing around and focus on driving already!!!!
“Hmm… interesting”?! Seriously?! (Bonk!)
Lesson Learned
Don’t get nervous. Stay focused.