Bob Bondurant's Driving Basics by Bob Bondurant (5/5/2001)

This month, we're going to talk a little about the quality of your driving skills. One of the most important things I tell my students at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving is that smooth driving is the essence to safety on the road and speed on the racetrack. And the essence of smooth driving is total balance of all the vehicle's systems.

Braking, cornering and acceleration work together to produce track speed. But they can't work together well unless the driver is smooth. By smooth, I mean careful and prepared for the next task, whether it's rounding an apex instead of slashing across it, or squeezing the acceleration instead of flooring it.

When it comes to driving smoothly, concentration is critical, even more so when it comes to the race environment. As the driver, you must constantly focus on the feel of the vehicle and ascertain a complete awareness of your surroundings.

Under normal conditions, such as street driving, staying focused on the ever-present task of driving can be difficult enough. Distractions like radios, pedestrians, the big sandwich you're wolfing down for a late lunch, or cellular conversations all take away from our ability to focus. On the street, you can simply slow down or pull over. On the racetrack however, this is a luxury you simply can't afford.

The key to speed
That's why it's so critical to be a smooth driver before you can become a fast one. Smoothness comes in the relaxed way you sit, the manner in which you hold the steering wheel, the way you squeeze on and off the brakes and throttle. It's not a matter of doing one thing smoothly but instead, everything. Are you changing gears abruptly? If you are erratic with even just one aspect of driving, it will ultimately have a negative effect on the vehicle. Smoothness is the sum total of everything you do while driving.

A reflection of your driving style can also been seen in your pocketbook. A smooth driver, one who effortlessly blends each function of racing, or street driving for that matter, saves unnecessary stress and wear. You can extend the life of the brakes, transmission, suspension, the engine, the whole of the car really, if you are smooth in your driving style.

The old adage "practice makes perfect" is the key when it comes to developing concentration, technique and smoothness. I don't condone driving at high speeds on the street, but you can use street driving as an opportunity to improve braking, downshifting, double-clutch or heel and toe almost anytime. Off the racetrack you can also practice cornering, not by going fast but just by doing it properly. Trail braking, looking ahead for the turn-in, finding the apex - these can all be done safely in daily traffic.

Don't be discouraged when you, for the first time, try to blend together all the necessary ingredients of racing. It can easily be considered awkward to say the very least. In the beginning of your career as a racecar driver or simply as a better street driver, it is essential to be smooth first, then quick. This alone takes a great deal of time and can be difficult to achieve. Keeping safety first and foremost in your mind, practice, practice, practice, anytime, anywhere, and you too can accomplish what so few do.

As you practice, you'll learn balance is the key to performance, thus placing you closer to your goal of achieving 100 percent car control at all times. Blending these three variables - braking, cornering and acceleration - to work in your favor can only be accomplished through complete concentration. Once you've got that, you'll find your driving getting quicker. And smoother, too.

Bob Bondurant, racer and entrepreneur, owns and runs the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix, Ariz. For more information on classes and schedules, click over to www.bondurant.com or call (800) 842-RACE (7223).