Practice Watch Practice

Then Practice some more! Sometimes I’ll stare at the computer monitor for hours running topics through my head worthy enough to put on this site for you to read. This month the topic came rather easily when a young driver approached me at the track the day before and asked if I could give him some advice. His question was rather simple and it applies to many. His question was: “How do I drive better?” That simple question, however, doesn’t exactly have an easy response. Everyone learns to drive an RC car on their own and at their own pace, but there are ways to improve your ability to wheel a car and I’ll pass along what I told that young driver.

First and foremost, becoming a better driver will not happen overnight. For some it won’t even happen in the next few months and may even take years. If this hobby is that important to you then putting in the time to become a better driver will be easier, but the time frame is still uncertain. Your first step to becoming a better driver is practice. You’ve probably figured it out already, but yes, the more practice you can get in the better. Practice doesn’t have to take place at the track either. Practice can happen right at home, even in small spaces like apartments. I’ve seen drivers pick up a micro car and some cones and set up make-shift tracks in their living room. I myself cleared out a space in my basement and set up a small track to run a micro car. I would go downstairs each evening and put about an hour in behind the wheel focusing on hitting the apex of the corners, trying different braking points and steering inputs.

Of course practicing at the track is always better and if you have a track close by, supporting it through practice and racing will always help insure you have a track around. But at the track, I often like to practice with a car that isn’t—yes isn’t—set up to perfection. Practicing with an ill handling car can teach you more control, because you are thinking and working harder behind the wheel to get around the track as fast as you can. Perhaps the car just has worn tires or shocks that are not positioned properly or your ride height isn’t set perfectly. When it comes race day and you do have the right set-up on and new tires, the car is much easier to handle and you’re still pushing yourself to drive it around the track, which in turn can make you faster.

Another piece of advice I gave was to watch the faster drivers, and I mean really watch and listen. Watch where their car is in the turns, where they hit jumps, where they brake. Listen to the car, listen to when they hit the brakes as the car goes quiet or watch where the nose drops over jumps. Then after watching their car go around the track, watch them. Get close to the drivers stand and watch their hand control on the radio while keeping their car in the corner of your eye so you can see their radio control at different points of the track. Then after you watch what they do, practice what they do some more. Even plan your practice session to go out when they do and try to follow their line with them in front of you.

Very few become instant driving successes in a short period of time. Most have to put in the time to practice before being fast on the track. Don’t get discouraged and try to watch or even talk to fast drivers to help get tips on how to improve your skill. Try different types of cars. On-road cars can help with quick reactions while off-road cars require a different set of skills and control to be precise. But when it’s all said and done, the more practice you can get in the better.