ARTICLE #2

A racing car on a grand prix track travels at speeds of up to 230k/hr plus. The driver has to be fit, strong and alert to everything going on around them.  Taking corners at high speeds can add up to forces 6 times the force of gravity or 6g’s. 

 

 On hot days the temperature in the cockpit can get up to 40-50 degrees.   The weight of the helmet through some corners can be as much as 50kg with all the forces placed upon the head.     

 

When the engineer or mechanic straps the driver into their safety belt they do a dead lift pulling the belts up so tight the drivers breath is taken away.    If the car stops suddenly from 200km/hr to zerokm/hr and the driver is not strapped in, they would fly 200m through the air.

 

 The challenges for a racing driver are immense and if anybody should be prepared to back themselves then they should.  All athletes have risk involved in their endeavours and some are life threatening.   Not only threatening to themselves but in the case of motor racing also to others on the track or in the pit crew. 

 

 In May of 1998 Simon Wills came to see me regarding some issues with his driving ability.   Simon and I had worked together since 1995 on honing his performance skills especially in the fitness and psychological skills. We had good success winning the New Zealand Formula Ford series with 9 wins from 10 starts and the following year Simon won the British Formula Three junior championship.

 Simon was a good driver who had a supportive family behind him.

 

His father Kieran was a New Zealand motor racing champion several times, in a variety of classes.  At Simons side was Murray McLaren who had been involved with everything from Formula One to Indy cars and was there to support and assist Simon.

 

 Even with all this support Simon still had to be the one who went onto the track and drive his car as fast as possible arriving at the finish line in one piece and preferably without any damage to the car itself.  Simon had to back himself, no matter what he did he had to make the right decision in milliseconds and live with it. 

 

I got a call from Simon saying he needed to talk and it was serious. When Simon visited me he was having trouble with his cornering, he was becoming too cautious into the corners, losing speed and worried about hitting the side barriers.   Simon had already spun of the track at over 200km/hr just missing the barrier and his nerves had been tested. He started to doubt his driving ability in minor ways, not enough to be dangerous but just enough to be uncomfortable. Simon needed to learn to back himself again.

 

We met at UNITEC where I was a lecturer in sport and I took him into a lecture room and seated him halfway back.  I took a position at the front of the room ready to use the white board to record our conversation. 

 

I drew a map of the track he had spun off on the white board. Simon described to me what had to take place on each part of the track as if he was driving in a race.  Simon was competing in an Australian series at the time.  

 

The detail was intricate as to the speeds, gear changes and positions he needed to be on the track for cornering and passing.  Simon talked himself through the perfect race.   The danger areas were noted and to overcome apprehensions about these areas we spent a long time going step by step through what had to take place.

 

 I would throw questions at Simon and he would give quick decisive answers as if he were in a race.  One thing kept coming up throughout this session and that was the words “slow down”.    Simon would say “I would change gear to slow the car down for a corner” – this seemed strange to me, because surely the objective of a racing car driver is to go as fast as possible.     Simon had not talked this way before but his doubts about cornering were starting to show through after his spin out.

 

 The way to solve the problem was to teach Simon that he did not need to slow down so I introduced the phrase “change gear to maintain maximum speed through the corner”.    Simon would then talk himself through the circuit but would select the gear he needed so it became, “change to second gear to maintain maximum speed.

 

 The difference between the “slow down” and “maintain maximum speed” is quite significant.  “Slow down” is negative to a racing driver whereas the second statement is proactive and positive.   Add to this statement, the direction needed through the corner and then Simon knows exactly what he should do, so as to stay on the track and be competitive avoiding any chance of hitting the wall.    Before changing gear Simon would tell himself what to do to set up for the each corner - it took milliseconds to set up.  Simon was continuously being proactive and giving himself positive messages.

 

Because he was now in a proactive frame of mind he was able to go back out onto the track and BACK HIMSELF to race well.   Simon had given himself masses of information about his driving ability, his track awareness and knowledge about his car.   Simon was reminding himself that he is a good driver and he could back himself to race well and win.  Simon could focus on the processes of driving fast and back himself successfully on each process.

 

The next time I spoke to Simon was on the telephone 30minutes after the New Zealand Grand Prix of 1998.   Simon had beaten Greg Murphy and Scott Dixon to the most coveted prize in New Zealand motor racing.   His name was on the trophy alongside the greats like Stirling Moss, Denny Hulme, Chris Amon, Keke Roseburg and Bruce McLaren.  All week in the media prior to the race, Dixon and Murphy were the ones to beat and little was said of Simon Wills.     My wife Debbie asked what I thought about it all and who did I think would win.   My response was easy “Simon will win because he backs himself to do each process perfectly and he has experience in races like this”

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 With 10 laps to go Simon was 14 seconds behind Dixon but I did not lose my faith – it seemed to me that Simon would come through.  I totally believed that he had the goods and sure enough he chipped away at Dixon lap by lap and then he was through to take the chequered flag.

 

 On the telephone I congratulated Simon on his win and the class with which he drove.  I began to make a comment to him about when he was 14sec behind and 10 laps to go when he interrupted me.  In his excitement he said “yeh Mark when I was down by 14sec I just kept thinking about what we had talked about and told myself what to do and it worked, I pulled him back and kicked arse”. Simon had taken on board and kept on board what we had worked on and he backed himself to do what he had to do.   He had the skills and the knowledge but he just needed to be aware of it and back himself.  

 

It's All About The Team

 

 A grand prix race is not only won by the driver but also by the mechanics, engineers, fitness trainers, financial backers and supporters.  They all have to back themselves in their knowledge and skills.  I was glad to be able to support Simon that day and since then I back myself more than I used to. 

 

 With each success you have you should back yourself more.  When in doubt about your ability –remind yourself about what you are good at and what you know.  Focus on the processes that you have done well over time and remember how good you are.  Tell yourself positively and proactively what you should be doing.  You will get it right, you will back yourself and you will succeed.