Drive to Win and making the jump
Over the extended Bank Holiday period I had the opportunity to read Derek Daly’s excellent ‘Drive to Win’ which is an excellent examination of the qualities required to make it as a top professional driver. What makes the book particularly interesting is that for much of it Daly takes latent talent behind the wheel as a given, and instead focuses on the factors outside the car that can improve a driver’s performance. Throughout the book is peppered with analysis of current drivers together with a frank examination of the mistakes Daly feels that he made throughout his career.
It really is a superb book, although strangely as I put it down I came away feeling quite sad. From a personal point of view I really wish that the book had been out in 2004 when I embarked on my first season of racing. As I read I kept coming across the errors that I made during my driving career, in particular that I never had the mental toughness required to win at a competitive level. I always thought about it too much but never in the right areas – as Daly points out throughout the book – I was too concerned with what others were doing rather than focusing on my own performance. There were a number of times I had bad weekends because mentally I was beaten before I went out to qualify. Likewise I was always an instinct driver and was naturally reasonably quick, I never spent much (any) time poring over the data as I should have done.
Having read Drive to Win I could clearly identify the reasons for my best drives. Firstly I won my first car race – a race school race at Silverstone. That week I had received intensive tuition and two of the instructors in particular recognised I was mentally defeating myself and gave me the confidence to perform. On a high I won the race. The second standout performance was at Silverstone in 2006 when I finished 4th in a Formula Vee race in a superb dice for the lead. The week leading up to the race had been a particularly busy one at work and I had given no thought to the race until I arrived at Silverstone on race morning. With a clear mind I was at the very top of my game that day and drove well. Finally my other standout race was when I won a European Formula Vee race at Varano in 2008. Having had my usual weekend of mental turbulence I had a rubbish qualifying session and then stalled on the grid. So far the story of my career. Then I allowed instinct and my feel for the car to kick in and drove through the field to win on a drying track. Having been soundly beaten all season I drove through the pack when I was at the greatest disadvantage.
Therefore I came away from Drive to Win feeling a bit down as I realise now that had I been brave enough to tackle my performance weaknesses and seek support and assistance I would have achieved far better results behind the wheel. I’m not saying that I would have gone any further during my career but I would certainly have won more races and scored more podiums.
For any aspiring driver Drive to Win is an essential text and I would urge all drivers who want to run at the front of the field to read it. Daly writes extensively about commitment and the financial risks required for some drivers to ‘make it’. This I believe is where the book falls down a little, particularly in relation to the UK racing scene where there is nowhere near the level of outside sponsorship as there is in the US.
At the weekend I saw three outstanding races in the Gaz Shocks Production BMW Championship, which at present is in the happy situation of having a group of outstanding young drivers (plus a couple of very experienced and quick older drivers) at the head of the enormous field. The races at Brands Hatch were superb, particularly the 3rd which saw a 5 car fight for the lead. Despite running 3 abreast though Paddock Hill Bend and Druids on more than one occasion there was no contact and none of the leading cars spun or retired following an accident. The commitment and racecraft was superb and the racing proof that saloon cars can race closely without making contact.
Yet talking to the drivers after the race it was clear that for many there are significant financial challenges to get on the grid. The commitment and skill of these drivers is without question. However without significant external support it is clear that these drivers are unlikely to move up towards the BTCC where they would, in time, be very competitive. It would be fantastic to see one or more of these drivers given the backing (which initially would not be huge) to develop their careers and move up the professional motorsport ladder.
