The Flexable Driver

We all know that the car is a mechanical thing, thus subject to the laws of Physics, but the Driver is subject to both also. Visual acuity and situational awareness is paramount to performance both on and off the track. The effect of speed on the body also puts stress on it.

Most successful athletes train both while they are doing their sport and outside of the sports arena. For some reason many race drivers do not feel the need to train outside of the car. A good example of a driver who did train outside and inside of his car is Ayrton Senna…unfortunately we can only wonder where his career would have taken him since he died so young. This is not about Senna, but about the need to approach racing in more than one way.

Like the mechanics of a car the driver has many joints…some similar to those of the car. They all need lubrication, they need tuning and care (who hasn’t had an aching back, neck, and shoulders?). Balance of strength and flexibility is crucial for the spine and other joints. The mind is also part of the driver…keeping a one point focus, being able to calm the mind yet have the awareness of all that is going on in front of you, beside you, behind you is critical for safety. Right and Left integration of the mind and working parts of the body all come into play. The senses—smell, hearing, sight, touch, all of these must be activated and tuned in order to smell the possible fumes being emitted, the sound of the engine, the sense of speed, the touch on the brakes and the steering to get a feel for suspension, the road surface, traction, forward and peripheral vision. A good series of books to get an idea on how to improve all around is Speed Secrets 3: Inner Speed Secrets mental strategies to maximize your racing performance (Ross Bentley and Ron Langford).

The tools I use—not for racing myself, I don’t have the nerve for that—for everyday living is Viniyoga. I am both a teacher and student of the Viniyoga tradition. It has taken me over 500 hours of training in the traditions and tools of yoga to realize how practical it is. Note…it is NOT about stretching the hamstrings, standing on your head, or getting into silly contorted positions (sad to say this is the western image of yoga now, so, buyer beware). It is the tool I use to working one on one with people, including a race car driver, helping them begin to learn how to focus all of the tools mentioned above.
So remember, the next time you get behind the wheel, breath, plan, focus, and consider the possibilities.

“And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.” Ayrton Senna

"His brain could simulate his all operations on the track such as RPM of engine, gear position, braking point, steering or so with the error by less than a hundredth second. He could adjust himself perfectly in line with his analysis so that he actually ran in 0.6 second faster if he said that he was able to run faster by 0.6 second. Besides, he could memorize all data for the process and condition of his machine. His memory was perfectly same as the telemetry data!" - Yoshitoshi Sakurai

Joan