As racers and race fans, we tend to stick to what we know and love. We can be creatures of habit, and our loyalty to our preferred format can sometimes blind us to the benefits of other racing. If you’re a drag racer or a drag race fan, you want to see speed down the straight. Same for those who love the thrill of the oval, the exhilaration of the dirt track, so why change? Why open yourself up to something new? Well, for one, you might just learn something that you can bring back to YOUR pit or stand, behind the wheel or behind the remote.
I saw an interview with NASCAR phenom Shane Van Ginsbergen recently, who said that the NASCAR folks are 5 to 6 years ahead of the Supercar teams he came from. Now, imagine all the experience and advice he could provide to his mates back in Australia with the NASCAR runs under his belt. Sharing what he has learned could have a measurable impact on his teammates’ performance. Racers are constantly evolving and improving and there is nothing to say that those lessons don’t apply to other forms of racing.
I have been fortunate enough to experience many different types of automotive competitions. And I feel like it has made me better driver, reporter and fan.
How? Cross pollination.
Are you a drag racer? When was the last time you went to a non drag racing event? Ever been to your local dirt track? Gone down to the pit area? Not only can attending other types of races be fun, it can help you improve. Drag races, road races, Kart races, dirt, asphalt, sprints, midgets, even bot racing. They all have the same goal; get to the finish line first. Look at drivers like Tony Stewart, Mario Andretti, and AJ Foyt. They’re each masters of their primary discipline, but they’ve all had major success in other types of racing because they take what they learn from each, and apply it to a new skill set. But, you don’t have to be a world class driver to take something away from a different race series. Even grassroots racers can benefit from the cross-discipline approach.
Here are some things to look at when examining a different format in motorsports.
- How do they transport vehicles and equipment to the track? What we bring to the track is important. We see racers bringing more and more to the track. How? And why?
- How do they set up their pit area? Efficiency is extremely important both before and especially during a race. What can you learn by observing how other racers set up their pit/work areas?
- What do their checklists look like? How many and for what purpose are they using? Who has access to them? How are they displayed?
- How are they tracking work done to the car or the list of items to complete on the car? Especially important if you have several people working on the car. And important when making changes at the track or between runs.
- How are the dividing the labor? Is everyone just chipping in? Or does each person have a specific set of responsibilities? Or is each person responsible for a system or a part of the car? It could be anything: car setup, pit organization, pre race driver prep. interacting with fans, breakdown procedure, etc.
If we are flexible and open minded, we can always learn from new people and new experiences. Many types of racing allow pit access. Hit your local dragstrip or dirt track this weekend. Keep your eyes open. Poke around. If you’re comfortable, start up a conversation. People love to talk about themselves and how smart they are. Tap into that. I will wager one crisp US dollar bill that you pick up something you can use!
Happy Trails!
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