[MJAmok]

Newbie...

Congratulations on your first race experience! I remember mine like it was yesterday. It is an awesome feeling isn't it?

The good news is, it just gets better and better. There are so many milestones to achieve and you can revel in each accomplishment. It's a great feeling each time you check off a goal.

I enjoyed your write up, and think you should hold it aside to read at the end of every season. You will be amazed at the amount of progress you can make each year.

There is no substitute for seat time. Regardless of whether it is practice or a race... skippy cars, go karts, or some other type of car. Each experience will build confidence and let you work on the skills you are practicing. The car control clinic you mentioned would be great. Everyone I know who has taken it 'early on' has loved it.


I'm sure everyone on this site will have slightly different advice for things on which to focus. I thought I would throw my suggestion into the ring. Take it for what it is worth. There are others who I am certain are much better at giving advice to people at various stages of development. This is something that, looking back, I wish I had focused on earlier in my learning curve.

Consistency.

This is a topic that Bobo drilled into my head for the last few weekends of this season. It paid dividends in October. But, I should have been thinking about it years ago. I read that your lap times varied by as much as 6 seconds a lap. I'm sure mine did at the beginning as well, but that is far too big a spread.

I think that even if you are (relatively) slow, you should try to be as consistent as possible. Imagine getting feedback on a corner, if you know that you are doing the same thing there over and over. You can work on fixing mistakes much more easily if you know what you are doing as a basis. Knowing where you brake, turn in, release brake pressure, return to throttle, your angle at the apex, etc., will allow you to make the adjustments that are necessary more easily. Granted that may be more than you are thinking about in each corner at this stage, but even having one or two references will help. And, this kind of discipline will pay dividends as your speed increases.


Welcome to the world of racing... hope to see you on the track soon!

p.s. my sympathies on the crash damage... been there done that!