How Driving a Porsche Brought Back My Confidence
There really isn’t much difference between driving a car and riding a motorcycle.
In the fall of 2013, I low-sided my motorcycle (twice) in the same corner at Thunderhill Raceway. What hurt the most from that was my confidence, and I immediately went into hurt puppy mode. This incident is what ultimately landed me to work with Ken Hill as well and as do as many track days possible this entire year. Yes, part of the overall goal was to get back in it and start road racing, maybe this year (perhaps next year…or even the year after that), but the main goal was to gain my confidence back.
The first time I took a car out on a track was back in April this year. Motorcycle Riding Coach Ken Hill instructed me to leave the motorcycle behind and hop in a Hyundai Sonata.
Working with Ken was so awesome because he was the first to actually force my eyes open when this whole time I was riding with them shut (metaphorically speaking). I simply rode my motorcycle based on how the bike felt, with no concrete technique really in mind. I was able to learn more about the mechanics of a motorcycle, why it turns, and how important the brakes are in regards to getting you to become a faster and smoother rider. The Hyundai was a drill to prove the point that the brakes are SO crucial in driving or riding any motorized vehicle.
After working with Ken, the pieces were coming together and my wounds were starting to scar as I proceeded to take what I’ve learned and applied it to numerous track days. I was still on the fence on whether I would attempt to race this year with the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM), a NorCal amateur road racing club. Yet, since gaining my new found knowledge, I knew there was so much more to still learn, and of course I was still seeking the self-assurance that I could do it.
Enter my boyfriend Greg and his mom and dad, Debbie and Chuck. They are a car racing family, driving primarily Porsches. They belong to the Porsche Club of America San Diego Region (PCASDR) and twice a year, the club puts on a three-day performance driving school (PDS) at Qualcomm Stadium. Being an AFM racer himself, Greg suggested trying this out in order to help improve my motorcycle riding. I decided to give it a go this past August.
My history of driving a manual transmission began about a week prior on Greg’s Boxster. While I knew the concepts from riding a motorcycle, I began to realize the size of the task I have undertaken. I was borrowing Chuck’s racecar that weekend, a 1986 spec 944. It had a race clutch as well as a wobbly, loose shifter, so we also did parking lot exercises to make sure I could get it out of first, the answer was… most of the time.
The first day at Qualcomm – I’m not going to lie – I was more stressed out and anxious than being excited. I couldn’t help but be my own worst enemy and think, “I suck at riding motos, and I suck at driving manual cars. It sucks to suck!” But forced myself to think, “No, not yet. Get in the right frame of mind. You can do this woman!” We did a lot of drills and exercises to help prepare us for the autocross the following day. All in all, I didn’t do so bad, and was even complimented on my cornering abilities.
I was a bit more excited Sunday for the autocross, but still pretty nervous because I was worried about blowing corners and other petty things. Good thing Ken had also taught me to be smooth on all my inputs (braking, rolling on the throttle, etc.) because that was the goal for the autocross: I wanted to be quick and smooth.
As I entered lap after lap on the autocross course, the more and more something grew within. What was that? Is that confidence that had been dormant for almost a year? It sure was!
That weekend I learned to not only drive a manual car well, but also learned that I can do whatever I set my mind to (sorry for sounding cliché, but it’s simply true). I learned to pitch a car into corners at relatively high speeds, yet remain smooth in my steering and braking inputs. It was the final piece I needed for everything to finally click. Also, immediately following the autocross, I made up my mind that I was going to get my AFM race license later that month. And I did at Sonoma Raceway.
If you stuck with me this long, thank you! There is a point to this post and it is: If you’re in a risky sport such as cars or motorcycles, learn what the heck you’re doing! Trust me, you might think you know everything, but if you haven’t been to a school or received one-on-one coaching, you haven’t learned all there is to know. Like with everything, motorsports are evolving and there are different people who teach different things that you can totally benefit from. There is always something new to learn, for as long as you stick with this hobby.
So to recap, why invest in schools and/or coaching?
- Saves money. You don’t want to tuck the front on your brand new Ducati or crash your pristine Cayman into a fellow driver on the track simply because you weren’t riding/driving with the proper techniques in mind.
- You think you know how to ride or drive, but you really don’t. You should always be learning in motorsports.
- Safety. This isn’t a forgiving sport when crashes occur and you can seriously injure yourself as well as someone else. Back to point A, make sure you learn proper techniques.
- It’s fun!
As for me, I’m having withdrawals. The AFM wrapped up its season last month and won’t begin again until March 2015. Lately, I’ve been thinking, “Is March almost here?”
Resources:
Photo credit: Max Klein / Oxymoron Photography
Ken Hill Coaching – RickDiculous Racing
