Session 18 Debrief: First Clean Run

Most, if not all, of the rides so far were scrappy in various areas. For instance, in the previous session (debrief linked at the bottom), I stalled in the middle of the street, causing others to drive around me.

Although the remainder of the session went great, all things considered, it was still a glitch that demanded correction. Hence, my objective for the very next practice run was simple — keep it clean.

I’ve been looking forward to this very session for a few days now. Obviously, the thought remained in the back of my head because I had to focus on a multitude of other things. 

The goal was to take the car out in the morning because driving at night is worse. It is easier to wake up early and get the drive done rather than wait for a couple of hours until the desired hour rolls around.

Anyway, the session was a success, and the milestone was achieved.

Session 18 Recap

The last two sessions, which were solo, taught me a lot about my personal driving style. After collating the key insights in the previous analyses, I set out to implement them all in today’s practice drive.

My confidence was much better, considering I drove sufficiently well in dense traffic on narrow sections of Indian streets in the previous session. This helped massively because now I know I can make the vehicle do what I want — a fundamental component of driving.

The launch off the line was smooth and so was the process of joining the main road ahead. I fixed my gaze on the tarmac ahead and glanced at the mirrors just a tiny bit during braking or cornering.

This was a key improvement because a fine shift to bring the mirrors into your peripheral vision is crucial for maintaining on-road visibility while gaining awareness of the surrounding traffic.

I headed toward the beach, hoping there would be some light traffic. There were a few taxis and autorickshaws apart from pedestrians. Navigating around them was simple enough. Yes, there were moments when I had to brake and maneuver, but that was about it.

When riding a bike through light to medium traffic, I minimize braking by disengaging the clutch and going with momentum. I managed to do the same with my car today through those light traffic elements.

Another critical component was to nail the launch after clearing that traffic, which happened organically through the previously established “trick” of revving the engine and dropping the clutch slowly.

After the conclusion of the session, I parked the car close to the wall. I don’t think anyone could squeeze through that gap—maybe a very skinny person could, if they tried hard.

Area of Focus

As mentioned in the past debriefs, the upcoming goal is to just get more experience rather than ironing out any imperfections in handling the car or interacting with various components that result in a drive.

Today’s session has been instrumental in reinforcing the belief that my vehicle control has, indeed, improved and will continue to do so with time. (Duh!)

With that being said, it is essential to drive through tougher road and traffic conditions to enhance effortlessness while piloting a four-wheeler. Therefore, the next session should be planned around that.

A friend, who has helped me immensely in becoming a better driver, commutes to and from a different town on a weekly basis. It would be nice if my other two buddies and I could plan a road trip on the day of his return to our hometown.

That will be a fun session and will enable me to experience multiple conditions. I reckon some of them would be quite challenging.

Next Steps: Pause and Reflect

A friend of mine is getting married in the weekend ahead. The event will take up most of our time, making it complex to squeeze a practice session in. Besides, my calendar is as full as it can get with tasks related to office work, content creation, and house chores.

Realistically, it’d be convenient to coast through the remainder of this week and the first half of the upcoming one. The gap will aid in recovery and give enough buffer for the boys so that the road trip can happen.

If it were to happen, I would have to wait about ten days. Otherwise, I can plan a solo afternoon session sometime in the middle of the week to maximize learning.

Until next time,

Tara

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Next Chapter: Session 19 Debrief: Nip and Tuck

Previous Chapter: Session 17 Debrief: The Arrival of Instinct

Index (with Prologue): The Path to Driving License