It’s that time. That time when spring is in the air. The smell of blooming flowers, freshly cut lawns and copious amounts of rubber remnants that have exhausted their hold with that which we call the modern automobile. No? I guess it’s my racer instinct to prepare for such sensations. Being a midwestern-based bun, spring is the time I pine for track use that is soon to be bestowed upon me. To be with my comrades in paws. To challenge every apex that is before me.
This year is off to a rough (ruff? Woof?) start. The first calendar event of the year for me was canceled for snow. SNOW. That’s the midwest for you. Sunny, 81 degrees on Friday and snow by Saturday night. To say I was dejected would be a mild understatement. Plus side? FURRY CON! Just my luck, MCFC was that same weekend. And what is being a furry if you’re not out meeting new people and living it up with other furs?
This was where another opportunity came my way. While meeting with a con staffer and acquaintance, the subject of go-karts wafted across the table. Yep, now my attention is revved up (see what I did there?)! I haven’t been to an indoor karting place in quite some time, and seat time is SEAT TIME. Even better, it’s time spent getting to meet new furs who like to have fun with four wheels! And doesn’t that shared passion and experience embody part of our “AwooCru” spirit? You know it does!
The issue: Venue. I have never been to the selected location. So here I am looking up the layout of this course. And that leads to the subject of mental preparation. Mental prep can be crucial when you are put into a position of learning a new track.
I’m sure the experience of “entry level” go-karts isn’t new to us. Some may even dismiss it away altogether. But as I said before, seat time is SEAT TIME. If the funds allow, this is still a good time to practice the art of weight transfer in the most fundamental manner. But that’s something we can cover another time. For now, I’m gonna focus on mental racing preparation. That’s right, the use of calm meditative visualization of the racing line.
A map of the course was graciously provided by one of the poor fools that was willing to deal with me on track. Careful study is obviously applied here. Even better is a “suggested” racing line. I appreciate this quite a bit. The next 30 minutes is devoted to sitting on the floor in a quiet room. Legs out with a slight bend. We want that good foot-to-pedal placement. Arms up and forward with a slight bend as well for that wheel. Now close your eyes and visualize the course. Yeah I know, silly. But “To win the battle, is to know the battlefield” – Some smart guy. This allows for a slight advantage of muscle memory for your expected braking zones and acceleration points on the apex exit. It’s much like a rough sketch before the artist cleans the piece up and refines the lines over and over. We mentally sketch the line over and over. Even in your imaginary practice laps, take a few at a less aggressive pace, and visualize the intensity of each apex. Look ahead of each corner. Get a good understanding of how each corner affects the next corner ahead.
In essence, performance driving is as much mental as it is physical. Your brain has to process so much to anticipate the next input. It’s taxing. But with this preparation, part of the processing power is freed up. That’s more brain power that can be used for looking ahead and thinking ahead of the car… ahem… kart.
Now why all this for just putting around in go-karts? Mental preparation is just another form of training. Training that takes practice. Honing the skill of good visualization and situation assessment. I’m eager to see how my prep will turn out! I will be following up with a write-up and video to share the results!