Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve.T
If you watch an "A" final at any meeting you'll find the best drivers say nothing because they are concentrating so much.
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I think that's a given at any meeting, even club level. Very rarely do I hear people talking, and if so it's (rightly) punished.
There are a few key things I've learned and started to put into practice over the last year. JQ has spoken about the difference between skill and talent, and I think it's true for most of us - in order to become a "good" driver you have to put in the effort and keep practicing. It sounds like a cliche but it's completely true - the more you practice, the faster you'll get, or the more consistent you'll get with your pace. It's not something you can really work past unless you have astonishing natural talent. Most of the fast drivers coming up the ranks on the European scene (and the American/Asian scenes too) are practicing virtually every day, indoors and outdoors, rain or shine. It's not easy to do that unless you essentially commit your whole life to the sport, but putting in the work pays off.
I spoke to Spencer a couple of hours after he won the Worlds last year, and the one thing he stressed was how important it is to travel to different tracks, and go to some big events. I suppose it goes hand in hand with practice, but just being around different drivers on different types of track all adds up in terms of experience. If you ask a factory/pro driver how to get fast, I'm fairly sure most would pick this out straight away.
Several people have mentioned understanding setup - I think this is a huge thing that's often overlooked. When people copy setup sheets, some don't really understand why they're making such changes or what effect they'll have. Understanding every element of your equipment, be it what the car does, how certain tyres react to different conditions, how your electrics function, or what every part of your radio gear does, can have a huge impact on your approach to racing. It makes it far easier to understand when something is awry with your car - you can have much more control over a race day instead of having several little issues and trying to just drive around them. On a similar note, a well prepared car is important - it doesn't have to be the fastest or the one with the best setup, but as long as everything is in one piece, screwed together properly, and everything functions as intended, it'll be consistent. A consistent car is one you can get to grips with quickly and one that will let you focus on your driving.