Why just changing head position can increase your cornering speed

‘Owl Vision’, and how to use video and data to improve circuit driving

Ben Elliot (ARDS grade A Racing Instructor), has won races in cars as varied as Formula Ford, Radicals, Westfields, and Ginettas. This gives him rich knowledge to draw on when he is coaching others to go faster. In this article, Ben discusses the importance of where a driver is looking on the track, and why reading the road, visualising racing lines, and aligning head and eye movement while driving is so important when chasing lap-times.

Ben Elliot: “The job of a circuit instructor basically involves identifying where a driver can improve, and showing them exactly how to do it. This involves finding where they are sacrificing lap-time, analysing why, and showing them how to take remedial action. Using video and GPS data-logging enables me to back up what I am saying with objective information, and allows the driver to look at the video and data to see for themselves.

Let’s take an example from a session at Bedford Autodrome, UK

I spotted that the driver, Adam, was turning too late from left to right (corners highlighted on the right). The late turn to the right meant a tighter turn to the apex, so he couldn’t accelerate as hard through the turn and onto the following straight.

I arranged the cameras to show the circuit in the main view and the driver in the picture in picture view. In the screenshot below with me driving you can see I’m looking through the left hand bend.

Progressing a little further around the corner we can now compare the video between myself (left) and Adam (right) as we come to the end of the left turn. We both have the car positioned nicely on the inside ready for the following right hand bend.

However, take a look at the inset camera pointing at each of us and you can see a big difference.

Ben	Adam

My head is starting to turn to the right as I look towards the apex of the next corner. Adam is still looking to left side of the circuit. Those familiar with Bedford circuit will know that there is normally a yellow ‘turn in’ cone on the left between the corners. Adam was focussing on this point.

Moving past the exit of the left turn, you can see that I (left) have let the car run away from the edge of the circuit and am in the process of changing direction. I have gained 5mph. Adam’s head (right) is now straight to his body as he looks to the apex. Adam has gained just 1mph.
Ben	Adam

At the apex Adam is now hard on the throttle as he sees the road opening up in front of him. There is now a 13mph difference between us. Both of our heads are now in a similar position, showing that Adam is looking through to the exit of the corner properly.

Ben	Adam

So how can this driver improve his technique to go faster? Let’s take a look:

Identifying the fault: Adam is turning too late into the right hand corner.

Analysing why: The reason this driver is turning in late is visual preparation. Adam is looking for a turn in point for the right hand bend and then looking for the apex once he arrives at the turn point. I call this ‘Cone Spotting’!

His lack of head movement suggests that Adam is looking to the right by turning his eyes and not his head. By doing this your nose blocks your outer eye and you get reduced depth (and therefore speed) perception.

Remedial Action: I was watching Adam do this in the car and on subsequent laps worked with him to improve his use of vision. The real breakthrough, however, came in the debrief. Adam could see the differences in technique but genuinely had no idea that he was doing this in the car.

It’s sometimes necessary to forget about the turn in point between two corners and immediately move your vision to the apex of the right hand bend as you’re exiting the left (as I am doing) You can still use a turn in point as a reference but try to spot this in your peripheral vision, not focus on it.

For right hand bends you also need to keep your eyes ahead and turn your head towards the apex. I call this ‘Owl Vision’.

Looking at the speed and lap-time difference graphs at the bottom of the circuit tools screen is very useful when finding the big areas where lap-time can be improved, but video adds another dimension to the analysis.

With the right equipment and driver focused software, it is very easy to compare two drivers and work out where time is being gained or lost.

The benefits of ‘Owl Vision’ include:

• Better speed perception
• Increased sensitivity to oversteer / understeer
• More consistent driving.

So, after having seen the video and worked on this technique, Adam is now turning his head to look into the corner and is preparing to turn in. This means he carries a huge 11mph more speed through the corner than he was able to earlier in the day.

Looking at the video and embedded data has helped Adam’s corner preparation to improve dramatically.

How does Video VBOX help in cutting lap-times?

Normally I sit and watch the driver as they go through the corner. I can give feedback, but getting a driver to believe they are actually doing it is sometimes quite hard! Video VBOX gives the customer a clear demonstration of the differences in technique and speed.

I am a firm believer in the saying ‘a picture tells a thousand words’. Video VBOX effectively allows the driver to teach themselves, and allows me to give useful tuition in less time than giving a description. Drivers always improve at a higher rate as a result of looking at the video and data, and I can therefore get more teaching done in a day which raises the value for money of my tuition.

By using a Video VBOX, you can monitor your driving progress and improve at a faster rate. It’s much easier to assess your performance by watching it afterwards than whilst driving!”

Ben Elliott

http://www.trackday-instructor.co.uk/default.html