Just completed my fourth race on dirt ovals. My rate of speed improvement continued, reaching times within 0.4 seconds of the leaders, but I was unable to perform at my best for every lap and I lost a lot of ground at the start. (I also made contact with another car late in the race--I'll cover that in another post.) Managed to finish 12 out of 16.
The car handled very well, neutral through mid corner and I was able to apply full throttle long before the apex. (Even after being launched airborne several feet as a result of the other car hitting me.) The car felt "fast" but I am still driving it much too slow. No doubt, now almost all of my "lost time" is in corner entry. I find myself mistrusting the track during corner entry. After some reflection and prayer, and checking some of the racing "literature" I ran across this advice:
Quote from Ultimate Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley.
"I found that I if I purposely made the car slide slightly from the second I entered the turn, I was automatically smoother and faster......I had no fear of the car suddenly taking me by surprise....the moment I learned this, I started winning races."
A reminder that God provides for those that seek his assistance thru prayer: James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."
Dirt track racing differs from asphalt in that the track is always changing. On asphalt, you learn where the limit is, develop a "speed sense" and duplicate the process each lap. On dirt, the traction limit is changing and if you are shy about testing the limit of your car, by the time you realize where the limit is, your competitors have gained many car lengths on you. You must slightly exceed the limit of your traction with confidence that you can take corrective action immediately. Ross's advice is exactly that. I highly recommend his book!
As most driver coaches know--many times it's not the car or the driver's skill that holding him back--it's what's in his head--fear of being surprised and losing control causing him to intentionally hold back and not drive to the best of his ability.
Sliding is an important part of going fast on asphalt--generally the car will be sliding all the way across the track from mid-corner apex all the way to the corner exit. Those that understand that "controlled" sliding during corner entry as well, will usually be the guys who win races---it is particularly important on ovals. It had taken me awhile to learn this in NASCAR and ARCA and again I needed a reminder.
Let's see how well I apply the knowledge on the next outing. I will be reminding myself of an important scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
As followers of Jesus Christ, the mission and purpose of our racing activities is to serve and encourage others by setting an "example" and providing Pastoral Care as a Chaplain for Racers For Christ, as well as Wayne Strout and others competing online worldwide in IRACING---for God's Glory alone---bringing God’s Word to life in ourselves and in others.
