Slipstream - June 2001

Nancy Kennedy
Entering the chicane.
Entering the chicane right allowing a full power exit.
Brake to soon and give up time, to late and forget the corner. It is the
ultimate in making a commitment while analyzing time and distance
on the fly. The braking ability of the car was amazing. My only
complaint was we didn’t have a full day to practice.
Next was the slalom, a lesson in rhythm and setting up the balance
and placement of the car. Boy did it feel great when it was right. It was
that feeling I was looking for.
The skid pads followed. I thought it would be learning to catch the
car before spinning out. To my surprise it was about throttle steering,
my now favorite activity. That was the small pad. The big pad added
speed and finding the line. Just when I learned an exercise (small pad)
I had to apply it (big pad). Here was the time to get over the fear of
spinning. I spun, then I spun again. It is no longer a concern.
The afternoon was an autocross. It was one-lap, small course,
Steve’s coaching, and second gear in a 911. This was fun. The hard part
for me was seeing the course in the cones. The solution was to look out
further, to see the pattern of the gates. That puts everything near the car
into peripheral vision.
Sunday morning started the same, only the exercise courses were
larger, we were going to shift to third meaning higher speeds, and each
course applied yesterday’s skills. Just when I was starting to get
comfortable, the ante goes up. The afternoon brought a time trial,
higher speed, larger course with a practice lap and three hot laps. Much
like tennis, were proper body positioning made it easy to hit the ball
Glenn Holman squeaking by the gates.
well, positioning and weight transfer of the car exiting this curve sets up
the next one. Driving the car 3 gates ahead became mandatory. I was
surprised at what a totally different animal the time trial was from the
autocross.
There was a clear logic in the way the weekend was planned. Each
exercise emphasized a skill that logically layered together to form a
foundation. As the foundation solidifies, confidence increases. As each
skill is absorbed the experience of driving slows and relaxes even as the
speeds get higher. What would have been frightening earlier seems quite
natural. It was very effective for me.
The weekend transformed my perception of my car and the club.
I grew up racing sailboats with my brother, competing in national level
regattas around the country. Boat handling was all about proper set up,
trim, balance, timing and feel. When all was right the boat felt alive.
Once the boat felt good, we had to get our heads out of the cockpit, to
see the fleet, wind direction & strength and plan a constantly changing
strategy. There was no one right way. Steering changes with the helm
were seen as putting on the brakes so we steered the boat with the sails
and crew weight to preserve speed. Bodies in motion act the same way,
the edge of adhesion feels fluid. The main difference was we always got
wet. Focused perception, anticipation, consistency, and a light, gentle
touch with a little luck would carry the day. What is it about these
hairless, pink apes always wanting to travel through the landscape faster
than they can run?
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