Ultimate Speed Secrets

by Ross Bentley

  • The flag drops just after you begin to accelerate and you get a jump on the field.

  • The starter doesn’t drop the green flag and there will be a second pace lap (don’t try jumping the start the second time).

  Be careful going into the first turn on the first lap, as more crashes happen there than anywhere else. Having said that, it is important to get a good start. If you start too conservatively and lose contact with the lead pack of cars, you may never be able to make up for it.

  SPEED SECRET

  Races are not won in the first corner; however, they are often lost there.

  It’s usually best to run as quickly as you can for the first few laps, then settle in to a comfortable, consistent pace, all the while ready to take advantage of any opportunity to pass. Never turn down an opportunity to pass; you may never get it again.

  SPEED SECRET

  Most races are won in the last 10 percent of the race.

  Be sure you’re able to run strong at the end. Sometimes that means saving the car for the end of the race, and being a little easy on the brakes, tires, or whatever.

  Never give up, no matter how far behind you are, no matter how unlikely it seems you will catch your competitor in front of you. Keep pushing until the checkered flag falls. You never know if the competition is having problems that might be terminal if they have to drive hard to fend you off. How many times have you seen the leader of a race have a mechanical problem with only a few laps to go? You will never be able to take advantage of their problems if you are not close.

  SPEED SECRET

  You have to be close to take advantage of luck.

  The most successful racers of all time, like Jackie Stewart, Michael Schumacher, Rick Mears, Dario Franchitti, Richard Petty, and Jimmie Johnson all have one thing in common: They finish races. In fact, if you look closely they have an incredible finishing record. Never forget, “To finish first, first you have to finish.”

  Most of these drivers would also agree that you should attempt to win at the slowest speed possible. Some drivers are not content to just win the race. They feel they have to set lap records every lap or lap the entire field. Most of these drivers have a poor finishing record. They also have a poor winning record. All anyone remembers is who won. It doesn’t matter by how much you win, just that you win.

  PITTING

  Experience, practice, and a little thought, not to mention a well-prepared crew, are the keys to successful pit stops. Simply put, as a driver your job is to stop the car right on the exact marks set by your crew. Stay calm while you’re stopped, perform whatever functions your team requires (reset fuel counter, foot on or off brakes, and so on), and be ready to go the second the crew is finished. Be sure you know exactly what is expected of you by your team during a pit stop.

  Seeing your pit while speeding down pit lane and determining exactly where to stop can be a challenge at some tracks. Know what kind of signal your crew is going to give you, and have some other form of reference point for your pit (the number of pits past pit lane entrance or from the end, in relation to the start and finish line, and so on).

  One aspect of pit stops often overlooked is your “in” and “out” laps. Many drivers click into pit stop mode (mentally stopped) on the entire lap before entering the pit lane and then take forever to get back up to race speed after the stop. Instead, you want to drive flat out until the very last second before diving into pit lane, and then return to the track as quickly as possible (remembering you may be on cold tires). Watch an Indy-car race, and make note of how little time the winner spends on his in and out laps compared to other drivers and how much he gains on them during that time.

  ENDURANCE RACES

  Races at least three hours long and requiring a driver change are usually considered endurance races. Typically, they are 6, 12, or 24 hours long and can be either amateur or professional.

  It is a good idea for any driver to compete in as many endurance races as possible, no matter what type of car it’s in. In terms of seat time, you can’t beat it. Often, you will drive for at least one-and-a-half-hour stints and perhaps up to three hours. It’s great practice and really trains you to concentrate for a long period of time. This is going to help a lot when competing in sprint races.

  Plus a driver learns to “save” the car, to not abuse it mechanically. This practice will rub off on your sprint race driving technique.

  In most endurance races there will be many classes of cars competing all together. This means you will get a lot of practice passing and being passed in a relatively short period of time, perhaps as much in one race as you would in an entire season of a one-class or “spec” series.

  When driving endurance races, it’s important to get yourself into a rhythm early on and stick to the pace you and the team have decided on. Avoid getting caught up in a heavy battle with another car. Yes, you want to beat your competitors, but pace yourself. Sometimes, if you can’t pass and pull away from a competitor, you’re better off following them for a while. Often, this will result in them losing concentration and making a mistake.

  Obviously, in an endurance race, pit stops are going to play a vital role. Make sure your team practices them. And practice driver changes. Often, the amount of time spent in the pits fueling and changing drivers determines the outcome of the race.

  Driver changes can be difficult. The biggest problem is the varying sizes of drivers. Seating position and comfort is sometimes a compromise. But remember what I said earlier about how the seating position can affect your performance, so do everything possible to minimize the compromises.

  A general rule in endurance racing is the less time spent in the pits, the better your chances of winning. I know this sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many teams seem to ignore this, instead relying on their speed on the track. There is nothing more frustrating than beating a competitor on the track, only to have them beat you overall through better pit work and strategy. Besides, it’s much less expensive to improve a team’s pit work speed than it is the car’s speed.

  THE RACER

  The perfect race driver is fast. That should go without saying. What should also go without saying is that the perfect race driver is dynamite when racing wheel to wheel. Racecraft is that ability to position your car in such a way as to minimize what you lose to anyone when passing or being passed: the ability to outmaneuver other drivers. In other words, racecraft is the ability to come out on top when competing closely with other drivers, even when driving a car that is less competitive than the rest of the field. The perfect race driver has racecraft.

  Experience and observation tell us that there are more drivers who are fast than there are great racers. The late, great Carroll Smith used to refer to the fact that there were drivers, and then there were racers. Drivers are people who can drive fast; a racer can win races even when he or she is driving a slower car.

  Gilles Villeneuve, the Canadian Ferrari Formula One driver who died in a crash in 1982, was a racer to the greatest degree. He won races he should never have been able to win. In 1981, he won the Spanish Grand Prix in a Ferrari that should not have beaten the competition that day. It was a bullet down the straightaway, but was one of the worst handling Formula One cars ever built. When Gilles crossed the finish line that day, there was a nose-to-tail line of four other cars directly behind him (first to fifth place were separated by only 1.24 seconds), all trying to pass him—and all of them could have turned faster lap times if they had gotten by Gilles. But Gilles was a fighter, perhaps the greatest fighter in a race car ever. He would not give up, he drove that Ferrari so hard through the turns, making up for what the car was not capable of through sheer will. Gilles’ racecraft is legendary.

  Take the last two laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix as another example. His battle for second place with Rene Arnoux in the Renault is regarded by most as the most exciting, most brilliant couple of laps in auto-racing history. (Check it out for yourself. If you do an Internet sea
rch for Gilles Villeneuve/Rene Arnoux, you will be able to find a video of that famous battle).

  SPEED SECRET

  Have the mindset of a racer; be aware, attack, and work traffic to your advantage.

  Racing wheel to wheel and great racecraft are mostly about your mindset. Sure, there are some techniques that a great racer will use, but when it comes down to a real battle, it’s most often going to go to the driver who wants it the most. Great racers seem to just want it more than others, and therefore are able to find a way to make it work. They know when to squeeze another driver a little. They know that being right next to the other car, rather than moving closer to the inside of the turn, will intimidate the other driver, will mean that if the two cars touch, the impact will be much less and will give him a better line through the corner. They know that if they move far to the inside, they provide an opportunity for the other driver to repass them, and they really haven’t taken control of the corner.

  Great racers know that all you need to do is get beside the other car when trying to outbrake it. In fact, if you allow yourself to go farther, you open up the line and provide an opportunity to be passed again coming off the corner.

  Great racers know when to back off just the tiniest little bit to allow themselves to get a run out of a turn to set up a pass at the other end of the straightaway. They know that if they are tucked right up tight behind another car, they are unlikely to be able to begin accelerating any earlier than the car they are trying to pass and perhaps even later than it. The key is being able to judge how far back from the other car you should be. Too far and you won’t be able to make up that distance. Too close and you lose your momentum.

  Great racers have an awareness of where other cars are at all times. They learn to drive with “big eyes,” looking farther ahead and seeing more to the sides than other drivers. In addition to practicing seeing more when driving on the street—and that’s a critical part of becoming more aware when racing—you can develop this ability through mental imagery as well. You can preplay yourself racing, always being aware of what’s going on around you, seeing just the tiniest flash of movement in your mirrors and knowing how to react, making accurate predictions on when and where you’re going to pass another car, setting up passes and then making them in a decisive fashion. You can, and should, program being super-aware.

  Great racers seem to have luck on their side when in traffic. While racing with another driver, they will come up on another car, and it will seem as if the slower car will be working with them. The great racer will slip by just as the slower car turns in and blocks the other driver. They seem to be able to judge and time the other driver’s passes so the slower car doesn’t hold them up as it does other drivers. To the observer, it’s as though the great racer is just luckier with traffic. But great racers know that it’s due to their mindsets. They believe that other drivers will help them and not others. Yes, this is part of their belief system. They know things will go their way, and they usually do. And even when they don’t, it’s such a rarity that it doesn’t bother them. They just continue to attack and make the next pass work.

  Have you ever noticed that you can tell just by watching when a driver is in “attack mode”? A driver and car seem to have an attitude that you can see when they’re on the move. If you’ve never noticed this, look a little closer and you’ll see it. If you have noticed it, then you know why other drivers can also sense it. If you have that attitude, that mindset, that attack mode, other drivers will notice. You may be surprised at how they react. When a driver has that attitude, it’s as if they are saying to everyone else, “Get out of my way. I’m coming through.” And guess what happens? Without even knowing it, they tend to be a little easier to pass.

  Once again, you can develop that attitude or mindset through mental imagery. Preplay races in your mind, with you having the attack-mode mindset. See, feel, and hear yourself as the “Master of Traffic.”

  Great racers are just that. They are racers. Again, the best are much more than just a fast driver. A great race driver can win races while driving a car that is not as fast as the competition but by being a better racer.

  SPEED SECRET

  How bad do you want it? Desire wins race battles.

  It’s long been an accepted fact in motorsports that a driver needs far more than just the ability to drive fast to make it to the top. Some say that it has always been this way to some extent, but most would agree that this is truer today than ever before. To be a champion race driver in today’s world of motorsport, it takes much more than just the ability to drive quickly. Today’s complete race driver is a package, one made up of the ingredients shown in Illustration 43-1.

  This illustration shows a virtual job description for the complete race driver, a driver that is or will be a champion, a superstar.

  While this book is meant to help you develop your skills in all of these areas, not all readers will be interested in making a career as a race driver. Many drivers just want to have fun racing as a hobby. If this describes your approach to the sport, you may not think you can gain from some of the skills discussed in this chapter. My bet is, though, that with a better understanding of what it takes, you will be more successful no matter what your level of racing participation.

  ILLUSTRATION 43-1 A champion race driver today is made of the attributes shown here. Rarely, if ever, will they be equal parts. Some ingredients are more important than others, depending on the type and level of racing, and the specific situation or team you are involved in.

  The complete driver is made up of the following:

  • Racing skills

  • Testing skills

  • Physical skills

  • Mental skills

  • Marketing skills

  • Career skills

  Take any driver currently racing in Formula One, NASCAR, or Indy cars, but one that is typically running midpack or back. Is that driver running in that position because he or she lacks the driving skills?

  Look at our list of the six skills that make up the Complete Driver. Which of them is your example driver weak in? Which is the driver strong in? Now consider another driver, choosing his or her weak and strong skills. Is the driver strong in racing skills but not so in the testing and marketing skills? Or is this driver strong in marketing and career skills but not the fastest driver out there?

  Consider Michael Schumacher. What were his weak and strong skills? Think about it. It’s hard to find a weak skill, isn’t it? He’s a great racer, fast and brilliant when it comes to racing wheel to wheel. He’s one of the best when it comes to testing and tuning his car. He may be the strongest ever when it comes to physical skills, and his mental skills as well. Love him or hate him, he’s a marketing person’s dream come true. And he certainly has proven that he knows how to be in the right place at the right time: He has career skills.

  Or consider Jimmie Johnson. What are his weaknesses? Does he have one?

  The point of this exercise is to demonstrate that the more complete a package you are, the more likely it is that you will be successful. Michael Schumacher and Jimmie Johnson are successful because they are so complete.

  Note that when you rated the midpack drivers, you were still rating drivers that were at least in the pack. If you could rate some drivers that never even made it, it would be even easier to identify their weak points. In fact, the reason they didn’t make it is just that: They had weak skill sets that let them down.

  SPEED SECRET

  The more complete a driver you are, the more likely you will have a successful career.

  DRIVER TYPES

  More than one bench-racing session has been spent arguing over who is the best race car driver of all time. You may have participated in this discussion yourself. Names like Schumacher, Senna, Andretti, Johnson, Earnhardt, Petty, Foyt, Stewart, Clark, and Fangio are most often bandied about in these sessions.

  Over the past few years our Speed Secrets driver coaches have also had th
is discussion, but mostly for a different reason. While it’s a fun topic to debate, we’ve looked at it from the perspective of what can we learn from these greats. Fortunately, we have a pretty interesting perspective. Many of us have raced at a high level, even competing against some of these greats. We’ve also coached some young drivers who have gone on to great things, such as winning the Indy 500.

  Along the way, I developed the concept of the Complete Driver. But in defining what a race driver needs to focus on to become one of the great champions of all time, we also identified six types of champion race drivers. They are listed below:

  • The Workhorse

  • The Natural

  • The Charger

  • The Personality

  • The Professor

  • The Complete Driver

  Let me define these driver types and provide you with some examples.

  THE WORKHORSE

  The Workhorse is a driver who has made it to the top and become a champion through a lot of hard work. These drivers have developed skills through practice and their careers through hard work and determination.

  When you think of drivers such as Bobby Rahal and Jimmy Vasser, Nigel Mansell and David Coulthard, or Terry Labonte and Ricky Rudd, you think of drivers who made it through hard work. Some will say these drivers were not born with the same natural talent that others were (although that is certainly an arguable point), but that they made it through their commitment, determination, and practice.

  THE NATURAL

  Pure natural skill. Born with talent. That flair and skill that makes their speed seem to come so easily. That’s what the Natural has.

  Ayrton Senna may be the poster boy for the Natural, but others like Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Dixon, and Kasey Kahne have shown the same innate talent.