I'm Fast in Practice. Why Am I Afraid to Race?

A gap appears.

Your racing brain sees it and immediately goes: GO.

Two seconds later you're arriving at the apex carrying considerably more enthusiasm than grip, the other driver is turning in, and you're both about to have a much worse afternoon.

Sound familiar?

Aggression isn't necessarily the problem. Racing requires aggression sometimes. The problem comes when the aggression makes the decision before your judgement has had a chance to catch up.

There's a very simple question you can use before sending the car:

If the other car disappeared right now, could I still make this corner?

If the answer is no, you've probably not found an overtaking opportunity. You've found some empty tarmac and hoped the other driver would somehow make the rest of the plan work.

Instead of looking for a gap, start thinking about creating the overtake.

That might begin two or three corners before you actually pass.

Watch the driver ahead. Where are they braking? Where are you gaining? Are they compromising an exit? Do they defend early? Is there a particular part of the circuit where you're consistently stronger?

Suddenly you're not waiting for a hole to appear and throwing the car at it. You're building a move.

Here's something worth trying next time you're stuck behind someone.

For one lap, ban yourself from overtaking them.

Unless they crash, run wide or practically gift-wrap the position for you, stay behind.

Don't sit there thinking GET OUT OF MY WAY. Use the lap.

Watch them.

Where are they vulnerable? Where are you stronger? What happens to the gap through different parts of the circuit? If you show the car somewhere, how do they react?

By the end of that lap you'll probably have a much better idea of where and how you're going to pass them

And there's another habit worth developing: start giving yourself some credit for the overtakes you don't attempt.

We tend to remember the heroic move that worked. We don't remember the slightly dodgy one we considered, thought better of, and therefore finished the race without introducing ourselves to the other driver's rear quarter.

That's racecraft too.

Of course, sometimes you'll still get it wrong. Everyone does.

When you do, have a proper look at it afterwards.

Were you actually alongside? Could the other driver reasonably have known you were there? Was your car under control? And the big one:

Would you have made the corner without the contact?

If you got it wrong, own it. Apologise if that's appropriate. Work out what you should have done differently.

Then carry on.

The goal isn't to turn an aggressive racer into a timid one. It's to turn impulsive aggression into calculated aggression.

Because anyone can stick their nose into a gap.

Knowing which gaps to leave alone is where the racecraft begins.

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