Many racers around the world always want to blame everything but, themselves for a poor race result. Although the setup of the car is at least 50% of the program, the driver is at least the other 50%. Many times you will see the pros make an educated setup change, only for it to be worse in real life conditions. Even though the car was hard to drive, they still worked through and got the best finish that they could. Mental toughness is a huge part of that. The more you can focus on doing your best rather than worrying about the negatives, the better your result will be.
I have dealt with this myself quite a bit. making a bad tire choice, shock change, or even stuff happening at the beginning of the race. What I have been teaching myself to do is forget the problems as quickly as possible and move on. The more time I spent worrying about something that happened 2 laps ago, the longer it takes to get back in the groove.
Here are a few things that helped me stay more focused during race time.
- Practice is chaos - whether it be in heavy practice traffic, driving with wind, or maybe have someone just talk to you while you're trying to put in laps. Attempt to distract yourself as much as possible, this will help you worry less about things going on around you when it becomes race time.
- Focus Supplements - I have used these on and off to make sure that they work and from what I have found, is that some of my best races were when I was drinking these prior to main events. I personally use the Arma Energy Brand Focus + Boost. This stuff is a little scoop you mix into water and it works to keep you hydrated, promotes focus and boosts your motor skills.
- Use of headsets - The headsets have changed the way RC racing is done. While they are primarily used in nitro racing, they can also be used in electric too. We have used these during electric races for up and coming drivers to help them with traffic, keep them updated where they are in the field and to help calm them down when things get a little rough. I personally have used these for all of those reasons. Having an extra set of eyes that can relay important info is very helpful.
If you would like help with anything I have listed above, our training program is a perfect option. Whether it be the whole program or just hourly sessions, this is just part of what we aim to teach and build up your race program.