Vision narrowing under "spirited" driving, Normal or not? Options

[Tom Perso]

Hey Guys,

I am a pretty inexperienced auto-x/track driver. In my life, I've done a total of 2 auto-x events and done some ride-arounds at the track.

I don't normally drive "spirited" on the street, but I've found a nice backroads on my way home from work. Quite a few twisties, fall colors on the trees, and sunlight peeking thru. It's quite a relaxing time after a hard day of work.

I'm pretty comfortable with the curves, and most of them are fairly open so I can see around the curve.

So, with that, I've put the BMW 325IS thru it's paces today. (The 914 is on jackstands, sans engine).

So, I've noticed that when I'm really winding the car out and hanging near the limits, my vision narrows - much like that in a "fight or flight" situation. I noticed this when I was at my auto-x's which was very disconcerning when you're trying to look ahead for the next turn, keep an eye on the gauges, and have a general "feel" of where you are on the course, when you have tunnel vision.

Is this a normal occurance, or is this just me and my inexperience? Anything that I can do?

I would assume that having a more open field of view while hanging it out thru a corner would be most benificial - especially in a track situation. Watching the line you're on, checking the car in front of you, and the ones in front of them.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Tom

[jhadler]

Some excellent replies.

There are some really good excercises that you can do help expand your field of vision, both in and out of the car. Also, looking ahead is a mantra that you should repeat to yourself, aloud if neccessary, while on the autox course or track.

Where you look is where you go... If you're in a sweeper, and all you see is the road right in front in front of the bumper, you will be -constantly- reacting to the turn as it changes. You will be sawing at the wheel, your throttle will be uneven, you'll be slow, and you'll wind up quickly becoming exhausted. The further through the turn you can look, the more able you will be to -predict- what you need the car to do. Your steering inputs will get smoother, your throttle will get smoother, you'll feel better, and you;'ll be sooo much quicker coming out of the turn that you'll probably blow the next one 'cause you're way hotter than you're used to. And by looking through the turn, I mean -through- the turn. You should be turning your head. In a 180, you shouldn't even be looking through the windshield untill you're exiting the turn, -that's- how far ahead you need to be looking. It doesn't happen overnight, but with practice, you -will- get there.

A couple of people came close to saying it, but no one did...

"A Twist of The Wrist" by Kieth Code.

Kieth Code is a long time motorcycle racer who runs a superbike school as well. He has written a couple of books, "twist" being the most popular. While it's written towards motorcycles, it is just as usefull for competition driving with four wheels.

Read it. It's a major help for competition driving... And there's a really neat excercise in the video for expanding your field of vision. (The original topic of this post).

Good luck! Go Fast! Go Smooth! Have Fun!

-Josh2