[Gerardo]

With Skip Barber cars, I place my seat insert into the car and set the belts so they're easier to buckle together. I place my helmet/hans/headsock/gloves/arm restraints on the bodywork just forward of the windscreen. I attach the arm restraints to the buckle, attach the belts, latch down, tighten the lap belts, slip on my headsock, slip my helmet and hans on and underneath the still loose shoulder belts, then tighten the shoulders gradually until incredibly tight. Then the gloves when its nearly time to go.

I spend the waiting time thinking about how I want to drive the car. I think about performance. I do NOT think about the results I want to achieve, as that takes focus away from performance. One big goal is to relax. Sometimes I'll chat with mechanics, other drivers, instructors, perhaps laugh a bit. If it helps me relax, then great. A calm and relaxed mind is a powerful weapon.

If you want to call it zen, getting in the zone, etc, for me its about getting mentally relaxed. I have enough experience to know I'm going to have a good session and a LOT of fun. I have lots of faith things will work out in a good way, and that faith helps me to relax even further. Doubt is a confidence killer. Whenever that debilitating thought enters my mind, I remind myself about all the other times I had faith, about how good things felt once the green flag was waving, and this allows me to get back in the zone very quickly.