Its an old saying and one which is used in many walks of life. In all sports athletes must practice and hone their skills, but with some sports you can't kick a ball against a wall or simply go for a run. So whats the alternative?
Increasingly and in particular after months of lockdowns people have turned to online, virtual, simulated methods of training. We ourselves have been involved with, and continue to be, simulator training for racing drivers; and it is a most valuable tool - however we have to be careful - in the spirit of fun and competition and the quest for improvement - we need to ensure what we are doing is of value in 'the real world'.
Casting my mind back to working with gamers on the final of GT Academy, some of the best online racers from all over the world came face to face for the first time and in trading stories of their own personal journey's to get to where they were, there were stories of how they managed to take advantage of techniques they developed to get the most out of the car they were tasked with setting the time in.
Then theres the 'fear factor', there are undoubtably daunting corners on the worlds race circuits; Paddock Hill Bend, Eau Rouge and the Corkscrew to name three of the most famous. Can you achieve the same level of confidence in real life as you can from behind a screen? Then theres the fairly straight forward task of stopping the car from 200mph for the chicane at the end of the start/finish straight at Monza - could that be conquered with ease or would it need further weeks of testing in a real car to get to the same level reached virtually?
What was for certain was that these people certainly were athletes of a kind, the commitment to their craft was quite incredible and they deserved their places at Silverstone, but could they adapt to real cars on real circuits?
Well, for the most part , yes. As you might expect there were differing levels of experience and therefore differing basic ability levels behind the wheel and yes, they had some world class coaching and tutoring by Silverstone's finest team of instructors and guest 'Mentors' such as Sabine Schmidt, Johnny Herbert and Danny Sullivan to name just three, but all competitors provided tough decisions to the panels of judges.
Some of the drivers also had exceptional knowledge of the circuit and the cars they were driving.
The physicality of driving a car started to set some apart, the g forces, the actual movement of the car and how to interpret this to balance and control a Nissan GTR on the limit proved a step too far. (The car chasing behind with a paintball sniper hanging out the side didn'.t help)
Some had to try to re-learn what they thought they knew about driving having had no experience on a race track other than in the virtual world. Ultimately, winners were selected and they went on to star at events such as the Dubai 24hrs and even Le Mans; a lucky handful carved careers in motorsport, a small number as professional racing drivers.
So, getting back to the point (!) does practice make perfect? Well, we prefer to work to the phrase "Practice makes Permanent".
Imagine, if you will, a driver on their home simulator with the worlds tracks at their finger tips, and uses his/her time to hone and practice skills for when the season starts. Gaining confidence and expertise in the way the steering feedback can be set to recreate as close as possible to the real thing, understanding the pedals and how to brake with no physical feedback to the body. Which then begs the new question - shoes on or shoes off?
Then the driver chooses a car closest to what they will be driving and sets about getting down to hours and hours of 'testing'. Getting ever closer to incredible lap times and consistency akin to the best drivers in the world.
Its worth pointing out at this stage, theres no doubt there are sim racers out there who take on 24 hour races as part of a team with sponsors and race engineers who have similar emotional and psychological challenges as drivers in the real world and some are considered professional in their field - so lets assume we are not talking about them. (Tommy Ostgaard from Norway and David Williams from the UK are two we know well who come under that category).
I have seen on a numerous occasions, where a driver creates a false sense of confidence in their ability to drive a circuit after learning to drive in a particular way which not only suits a simulator but also bypasses all the emotional and physical challenges of actually being there, they then realised its not 100% the same.
So, please, make sure then when you are practicing for your up coming race make sure you stay within the realms of reality and instead of chasing unrealistic lap times, prioritise driving a lap or ten which chase perfect lines and as close to what you will do when you hit the track.
A simulator is a fantastic opportunity to learn a layout of a circuit you've never been to or refresh your memory after 12 months away, but be aware of its limitations and bear in mind your sub conscious mind blurs the line between reality and imagination - you can teach yourself the wrong thing without intending to
BUT, you can also teach yourself a solid foundation and understanding of a track so that when you get there you are straight into fine tuning technique and gear selection.
For more advice and tips on simulator drills get in touch, we can help you add value to what your are already doing.
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