Sign In
Create Account
Part 1: The reasons for hiring a driving coach are more than one might think, and so are the things they can do
It’s very possible, even for extremely competitive racers, to get complacent with driving. That’s especially true if one is winning or otherwise running at the front. But there are always new challenges – new cars, new tracks, new competition – so there may be times when one has to work at it. Many of those changing conditions can be overcome with a driving coach.
“The symptoms of potentially utilizing a coach could be a plateau – you’ve been driving a while and you just feel like you’re not getting better,†says Tom Long, who in addition to being one of the drivers in Mazda’s Daytona Prototype International program in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, is also a driving coach. “Or it could be that you have a new car and you don’t want to make a mistake with it, so you hire a coach that has some experience in those types of cars. A coach can bring you up to speed at a quicker rate than if you were to learn it yourself. Another reason is local knowledge. For example, the Runoffs at Indy this year…there are a few drivers who have run that road course before, so reaching out to a driving coach that has experience at that circuit could be a huge value in your learning curve, because track time is so limited.â€
Once you’ve decided to hire a coach, there are certain things to look for in one. There are a lot of fast drivers, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into being a good coach. It’s one thing to say what your braking points and entry speed into a corner need to be; it’s another to be able to explain why.
“Therein lies the success: How well does the coach communicate the information so that the driver is able to utilize it and capitalize on it? The coach needs to do a good job of explaining the information in a very easy-to-understand format,†says Long. “It can’t be overly detailed, and it has to be something simple to remember or to work on. It can’t be five things to work on; it needs to be one [or] two things that you can then focus on.â€
Andrew Carbonell, who races in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge aboard the Freedom Autosport MX-5 and also coaches, echoes Long’s sentiment about the importance of explaining what’s going on.
“A big part is describing why it is I do what I do, and why it is what you should do in a car,†Carbonell explains. “Not just say, ‘Here’s what you need to do to go fast.’ No, ‘Here’s what you need to go fast, but here’s why you should do it.’ It’s easy to give someone marks – you need to be 2mph faster here and you need to brake 50 feet later here. But why is that going to work? Do you need to keep weight on the nose, or is it going to get me to the apex a little later, which may allow me to get back to power sooner?â€
Carbonell even goes so far as to say that just telling someone the marks they should be hitting is a little degrading and somewhat discouraging. “It’s discouraging for someone who thinks they’re at their limit,†he says. “They are driving at their limit. You have to make them comfortable. I tell my guys that it’s not about getting faster, it’s about getting comfortable at that speed; because the more comfortable you are, the slower it will feel, and the faster you will go. If you’re not comfortable, everything feels like it’s happening 10 times faster than it is, and you’re not ahead of the car.â€
Now that some reasons for having a coach, and what qualities to seek in one, have been explored, in a future installment we’ll discuss how, when and where to get coached.
Mazda Factory Drivers who offer Driver Coaching
Jonathan Bomarito
Jonathan Bomarito has a lengthy career with Mazda-powered race cars, including open-wheel and sports cars. Among his victories, the most notable is winning the GT class title with Mazda at the 2010 Rolex 24 at Daytona. Bomarito now drives the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P Mazda Prototype.
Andrew Carbonell
A native of Miami who has made a career as one of the top Mazda MX-5 racers in the world. Carbonell helped develop the Global MX-5 Cup car, and finished third in points in the IMSA Continental Tires SportsCar Challenge in 2015. Carbonell is racing in the IMSA Continental Tire Series
Tom Long
www.tomlongracing.com
Tom Long was the lead development driver of the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup car in 2015, and is very active as a driver coach. A former MX-5 Cup champion, Long moved through the Mazda grassroots sports car program to reach the Prototype team in 2014.
Long currently pilots the No. 70 Mazda RT24-P Mazda Prototype.
Joel Miller
joel-miller.squarespace.com
Joel Miller, who has a degree in mechanical engineering, is the featured presenter in the national-touring Mazda STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education program R.A.C.E. (Racing Accelerates Creative Education), and is an official driver coach and mentor for the Mazda Road to Indy program. Miller races the No. 70 Mazda RT24-P Mazda Prototype.
Tristan Nunez
www.tristannunez.com
Now 21-years old but already in his fifth year as Mazda factory driver, Nunez has his own foundation to battle the dangers of texting and distracted driving, giving presentations to school kids across the U.S. He still holds numerous records as the youngest driver to win a major North American professional sports car race and championships. Ninez is currently racing the Mazda Prototype No. 55 Mazda RT24-P.
Back to top
Report
