On the Limits

28 Feb

I think I will really got some aches if I can race on 7 March.
Because I had not been on the kart for more than 3 weeks
since the engine had problems.

But still, I will stay with the positives.

Just more than a week ago, I include in a post here on the
issues of over-driving from appm.co.uk
and now this article about the driving to the limit along
with the one about 'under-driving'

It does seems like a straight forward read, but getting our
driving spot on requires a lot of work.
And I am still learning and feeling my way through.
These read helps me, and I'm sure hope it will help you too.


Under-driving

As stated in our previous email (Overdriving), underdriving is a common issue that a driver will face during his or her career.  However it is generally less common, especially with more experienced drivers. 

Underdriving is where a driver does not push his or her kart hard enough and drives under the limit.  Examples could be:

·        Braking too early and/or too hard

·        Entering a corner too slowly

·        Getting on the power too late, or all of these three

When you are underdriving, the kart will not feel alive under you and driving will feel relatively easy.  By its very nature underdriving will cost you time and it will become a habit if it goes unrecognised. 

Underdriving and your 'Desire Level'

Underdriving, as with overdriving, is directly related to a driver's 'Desire Level', although in this case we could substitute the word 'Commitment'.  Here the individuals 'Commitment' is below that required by the particular circuit or corner that they are driving.  As a very broad rule drivers will tend to overdrive slow/medium speed corners and underdrive faster corners.

Underdriving and the 'Zone'

As stated in our earlier email 'The Peak Performance Zone', the Zone is a state of hyper concentration created by a high level of Desire/Commitment, which is totally focussed by a driver on his or her personal performance.  Underdriving therefore, with its lower level's of commitment, will take you away from the Zone and into conscious (thinking) driving.

 The Cure

Recognise it - as with overdriving, you first of all need to be able to recognise underdriving before you can do anything about it.  Generally the cause of underdriving will be found in a driver's state of mind and in an honest assessment of their level of commitment.  A driver always needs to be aware of which corners they might be overdriving and those that they might be under driving.  This should be assessed before looking at any technique or handling issues as they will create or mask them

Understand why your commitment is low - It could be due to any of the following:

1.      Weak Goals - There is a connection between the strength of your goals and the level of your commitment, ask yourself.... how much do I really want it?

2.      Lack of Focus - If your focus on your performance is not 100% (you are too laid back) you will simply not try hard enough. An example of this could be a driver who likes driving racing cars but who is not a 'racing driver'

3.      The Fear / Commitment / Confidence Connection - We need to remember that driving any racing car quickly requires a certain level of bravery; the quicker the kart and the quicker the corner the braver you need to be.  If you are nervous your commitment level will naturally reduce in line with how nervous you are feeling and this will in turn sap your confidence.  Try to:

·        Keep your focus on your driving plan - (see email No.6 Driving Plan), the more you focus on what you should be doing rather than what might happen the more confidence you will create and the nearer to the Zone you will be

·        Ensure that your technique is correct - poor technique can create a nervous kart (and a false limit) which can seriously affect your confidence

·        Build up slowly - if there is a corner which you are nervous about and are currently underdriving remember to build up to it slowly.  Pushing too hard too early will only cause you to tense up and make errors which will further reduce your confidence

·        Be positive - this goes without saying 

An under driving driver will only go quicker if he both wants to and knows how to.  Trying harder without knowing how to drive better will only create overdriving.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Driving On The Limit

In the past couple of emails we have discussed over and under driving in some detail, so we now need to discuss how we are actually going to drive on the limit.  In this discussion, for the sake of simplicity, we will need to assume that the driver's technique is perfect, we are only going to be looking at the effect on performance of over and under driving.

If overdriving is over the limit and underdriving is under the limit, then the true limit must reside between the two.  'Push' too hard and we overdrive and lose time; 'push' too little and we underdrive and lose time.  So to be the quickest that we can be will mean that we are constantly aware of when we need to control ourselves (hold ourselves back) and re-focus or desire to combat overdriving.  Conversly sometimes we will need to increase our desire/commitment (and push ourselves harder) to overcome underdriving.

Managing the balance between over and under driving:

1.      Recognise it early - as we stated in the previous two emails, before you can address over or under driving you need to be aware of its onset.  Ideally this should be done whilst you are actually lapping; unfortunately many drivers only recognise it once they have come into the pits

2.      Correct it quickly - the longer you over or under drive the more you will get into a rut.  If you are overdriving turn down the commitment tap and if you are underdriving turn it up

3.      Be in control of yourself - overdriving especially, shows a lack of self control as it is very easy to allow yourself to overdrive.  Controlling  overdriving can require tremendous self control because essentially you telling yourself that you have to drive slower to go faster.... not easy when you are under pressure (and when aren't you?)

4.      Understand how you are feeling - we all have good and bad days which affect our energy levels and mental alertness, which in turn will affect how we 'feel' (wide awake/ tired or happy/sad).  We need to be constantly aware of our energy levels and modify the level of 'push' required, on good days we will need to hold ourselves back and on bad days we will need to push ourselves harder.

5.      Focus on being in the Zone - your desire level needs to be high enough to get you into the Zone but not so high that you try and overachieve.  This will take you into conscious (thinking) driving which will take you out of the Zone

Exceptions to the rule:

As with everything there are exceptions to every rule and there will be some occasions when slight over or under driving can help you.  A few examples are listed below:

·        Some karts may perform better when they are slightly underdriven and others when they are slightly overdriven

·        Some circuits with low grip may need to be under driven to get the most out of them and the reverse could be true for higher grip circuits

·        Some corners on a given circuit may need to be underdriven whilst other may need to be overdriven

Driving on the limit is simple... push yourself to the limit but not over it!