How to Have a Breakthrough Karting Season - Do What No Other Driver Will
9 Reverse Thinking Karting Strategies that you will be alone in performing, and smash 2024 with!
This FREE edition is all about things you can do as a driver, that you know damn fine nobody else will bother with - even though they know they should!
Pick up one or two of these strategies, run with them, and you're looking at a massive impact.
We're talking about making 2024 your breakthrough season.
Think differently, do what nobody else is doing, and you’ll begin to stand out like a sore thumb as a special driver.
Listen to the audio where I make these points in a more raw fashion, hopefully it helps the points hit home.
1. The Saturday Night Data Deep-Dive Capitalizing on Quiet Hours
Consider your Saturday night routine post-practice, a time when most are winding down. Many teams, after a day's work, focus on cleaning and organizing, but you have a different plan. Rather than joining the post-practice downtime, your focus shifts to analysing your data.
While everyone else relaxes, perhaps watching TV or in the premier inn bar, you're diving into your performance data. This isn't a quick glance or casual review. You're doing a deep dive, isolating yourself to concentrate fully. You're scrutinizing every lap and turn, asking, "What did I do on that faster lap? Is there something there I can replicate for better results tomorrow?"
This quiet time isn't just about understanding what you've done; it's about discovering how you can improve. While others are resting, you're analysing, strategising, and planning. And as you sift through the data, you engage in visualization.
You're not just seeing the numbers; you're visualizing the actions that led to them. You're replaying the laps in your mind, imagining the feel of each turn, the pressure on each pedal.
It's a mental rehearsal, preparing you not just to understand your performance, but to feel it, live it, and improve upon it.
Prepared like this, you arrive on the grid on Sunday morning with solid, actionable purpose, rather than the ‘ok let’s see what happens’ attitude.
2. Pushing Beyond Physical Limits: Discover what is left in the tank by using it
You're into physical training, right? But let's talk about what that really means. It's not just hitting the gym or doing a few laps. It's about pushing yourself to a new limit. Ever done push-ups to fail? I mean, going on until your body literally gives up. It's not just about getting fitter. It's about understanding where you think your limit is and then going past it. It's a psychological thing. Your body might be screaming 'no more,' but your mind? That's where the real battle is. It's telling you, 'Come on, one more.'
This isn't just about physical training. It's a metaphor for racing. On the track, when you feel like you've given all you got, that's when you need to push a bit more. That's when you need to find that extra bit you've been training for. It's about conditioning your mind to go beyond, to push when everything else is telling you to stop.
This is where the magic happens. In those moments, when you're beyond what you thought was possible, that's where you discover what you're truly capable of. It's not about the numbers or how fit you look. It's about that moment of truth when you decide whether to give in or push through. That decision, that moment, that's what separates the good from the great.
And here's the real deal: when you push beyond in training, you're teaching yourself to do the same in racing. It's about building a habit of resilience, of grit, of never backing down. So, next time you're training, and you think you're done, go for that one extra push-up, that extra lap, that extra mile. It's in those moments, those extra pushes, that you're building not just a stronger body, but a stronger, more determined, more resilient racer.
3. The Sponsorship Game: Sponsors fall in love when you keep coming back after they say ‘get lost!’
It's a bit like an old sales trick, isn't it? They say for every 100 calls you make, you might just make one sale. So, what's the real target here? It's not the sale itself; it's getting through those 99 rejections. Each 'no' is one step closer to that 'yes.' It's a rough way to look at it, but it's the truth.
Now, apply that to seeking sponsorship. You're not just aiming for a 'yes'; you're aiming to rack up those rejections because statistically, that's how you get to the 'yes.' Each 'no' is progress. But here's the killer part, the real mind hack: every time a sponsor says 'no,' they're actually becoming more vulnerable to saying 'yes' next time.
They start to remember you, to think about you. Especially as a young driver, you're in a unique position. Sponsors are vulnerable to persistence. They might not realize it, but they're impressed by it.
Each rejection is an achievement. Each time they say 'no,' they're inadvertently respecting you more for your persistence. They're starting to think, "This person is serious. They keep coming back. They're determined."
And in their minds, they're noting that if you're this persistent in seeking sponsorship, you're likely to be just as relentless on the track. And that's the kind of driver sponsors are ultimately looking to back – someone who, when faced with a wall, doesn't turn around and give up but keeps hammering away until that wall crumbles.
So next time you face rejection, remember this: it's not a setback. It's a step forward. Each 'no' is preparing you for the ultimate 'yes.' It's building your reputation as a persistent, determined individual who doesn't understand the meaning of 'quit.'
Business people love it, and will deliberately reject you many times, hoping you come back!
4. Engine Builders - Mess with their minds! Charm, Manipulate, Persuade - Whatever It Takes
If you're not rolling in cash, and let's face it, most aren't, you've got to play the game with your engine builders. It's not just about paying for a service; it's about making them believe in you. You've got to employ a bit of that Machiavellian charm. Make them feel good, make them feel needed, but also be ready to play hardball. It's a dance, a psychological game where you make them so invested in your success that they give you their best.
And remember, in motorsport, ethics can be... flexible. So, learn the psychological tricks, make your engine builder your biggest fan, and get that kit that makes the difference.
5. Making Allies One 'Thank You' at a Time: Gratitude as a Strategy, Not Manners
At the end of a tough day or weekend, be that person who goes around thanking everyone. Your team boss, the officials, the marshals – these people put up with a lot, and a simple 'thank you' can mean the world. It's about more than just being polite; it's about making allies, about standing out.
I've done this myself and seen the impact. I once had a grid marshal offer to black flag another driver for me because I'd shown them a bit of kindness. It's powerful.
You want people talking about you in a positive light, saying,
"That guy's different, that guy's cool."
And you know what? It's pretty easy to do. Just look at these people, recognize their hard work, and give them a pat on the back. It's not just cool; it's smart.
6. Change Your Perspective on Racing: Use Racing for YOUR Purposes - don’t get used and turned into a weak slave of the industry
You've probably heard me harp on this before, but it's my big song: Change how you see racing.
It's not just a passion; it's a tool for crafting your character, for transforming yourself into that ultimate version you dream about. Racing wants to use you, suck you into its system, make you think it's some big privilege to be part of it. But here's the thing: screw that.
Racing is there for you to use, to shape yourself into a badass. You own racing; it doesn't own you. Every hard knock, every bit of cheating you face, every ego that tries to overshadow you - it's all just fodder for your self-improvement. It's about not letting it weaken you, not becoming a slave to the sport. You've got to command it, use it for your own purposes, and let it fuel your rise to the top.
7. Embrace a Bit of Madness: Stand Out in the Sea of Sameness
Racing, especially karting, has hit this plateau of stability. It's become like this commodity business where everyone's doing the same thing. Everyone's looking the same, driving the same, and it's boring.
It's like you're drowning in a sea of mediocrity, and if you're not careful, you'll get homogenized into just another face in the crowd. You're a racing driver, a risk-taker, not some low-risk, bankable corporate asset.
You need to inject a bit of madness, a bit of your unique flair into everything you do. Be passionate, be authentic, be a bit wild. Let your true self shine through. It's about breaking out of the mold, having fun, and making sure people remember you for who you really are.
There’s an art to it, you can’t go around acting like a pillock - but it’s no good to just fit in and join the crowd
8. The Art of Uncomfortable Challenges: Training Your Will to do what You Hate
This one's about doing things you don't want to do, things that push you out of your comfort zone. An F1 guy I know always told his drivers to run in the rain, to push themselves when they least want to.
Racing demands this kind of resilience. It's about developing that part of you that insists on pushing through when everything else is telling you to stop. But here's the kicker: it needs to be self-driven. It's not about obedience; it's about challenging yourself, setting your own uncomfortable goals, and then smashing them.
It's about proving to yourself that you can do the hard stuff, the stuff you hate, because that's what racing will demand of you.
9. Weird opposite ways to get bloody quick - Push one way to develop its opposite
Rethinking your approach to driving isn't just about what you do on the track; it's about embracing contradictions that push you to be better. Here's what I mean:
Develop Super-Strength so you can have a Light Touch: You might think being strong means you're heavy-handed, but it's the opposite. Building physical strength isn't just for show; it's about having such control and power that every touch on the steering wheel is deliberate and light. Imagine being so strong that what feels like a firm grip to you is gentle and precise, allowing for nuanced control others can't replicate. It's like a dancer or a surgeon; their strength lies in their precision and control, not in brute force.
Braking Like a Monster for Delicate Finesse: Here's where most get it wrong. They think being delicate from the start is the key. But I say, learn to brake hard, really hard. Feel what it's like to push the kart to its absolute limit, then learn to dial it back.
Why? Because once you've gone too far, you know exactly where the edge is. It's about finding that sweet spot where you're not just braking but caressing the kart into the bend. It's about developing a level of sensitivity and control that others just don't have. The best drivers aren't those who never lock up; they're the ones who know exactly how far they can push before they do.
Learning to Fight So You Never Have To: In martial arts, they say the best way to avoid a fight is to be so good no one wants to challenge you. Apply that to the track. If you're known as someone who will fiercely defend their position, who will push back as hard as they get pushed, soon you'll find people give you more space. Because they know you'll fight, you often don't have to. Your reputation precedes you, allowing you to race smarter, not harder.
Quick Summary
Each of these points is about rethinking how you approach your driving, your training, and your mindset. It's about embracing the paradoxes that make you a more complete, more formidable driver. So, go against the grain, challenge your preconceptions, and watch as you transform not just your driving, but your entire approach to the sport.
Thanks for reading
Terence
Life Lessons : ), too?