Session 7 Debrief: The Figure of Eight

Since last night, I have been a bit stressed about today. 

Not only there was a chance that I would take the car into town traffic, but also there was a lot of work at the office. Luckily, my rest day coincided, so things became a bit more manageable.

Regardless, the stress woke me up earlier than 6:00 am. I am guessing about 40-45 minutes earlier. At this point, all I was hoping for was a clear day ahead, and no disruptions.

I reached the training ground at about 7:20 am to find it empty. My teacher informed me over the phone that he was on his way. It was almost 8:05 am until the driving classes began. 

Can you believe it? Waiting for over half an hour to drive for about 20 minutes. The only thing that helped me stay calm was that my expectations from this curriculum is to get to know the car’s controls, not achieve mastery.

Moreover, I approached the day with a ‘get on with it’ attitude. Standing at a point and whining about tough days aren’t gonna make them any simpler. Sometimes you need to chew down the mouthpiece and grind through the rounds.

There were some imperfections that came to light during today’s drive that’ll guide my personalized driver practice sessions.

But first, the recap.

Session 7 Recap

The drive today was a bit shabby. The first launch of the line was poor, resulting in a dead engine. Thankfully, the second start was on point and we got going. 

The upshifts were easier because when those happen, the road ahead is usually clear.

However, the downshifts occur at braking zones, where there is more traffic and demands maneuvers like taking a turn. In these moments, my attention is spread thin on the road, the oncoming traffic, and the steering wheel.

Combine all of that with the pressure of ensuring clutch control to keep the engine alive through the downshift, you get a hairy situation.

Each of those segments — clutch control, steering the car, and downshifting — should be practiced individually in safe conditions, such as an empty field. Trying to perfect them all at once is challenging, considering you get only 20 minutes of run time at most.

Fortunately, after returning back to the field, my instructor advised me to do the figure of eight.

Here, too, I stalled twice and crawled the car back into motion on the third attempt. Again, the issues with finer clutch control are showing clearly. I had this issue when riding motorbikes as well which got ironed out after lots of practice.

The ten or so laps of the figure of eight were pretty decent. Turning and steering correction were good enough for a beginner. I also maintained a steady pace of the vehicle throughout with just clutch and throttle pedals.

Areas of Improvement

Clutch-throttle relationship:

• When the car is stationary: Release the clutch for about 20% until the car starts to move. Then, place the right foot on the throttle and its application should proportionately engage the clutch further. 

• When the car is in motion: Apply the throttle slightly, then start relieving pressure on the clutch pedal. Adjust as needed.

There are certain nuances too. You can gradually release all of the clutch when the car is stationary to get it moving a bit faster, especially in reverse gear. This necessitates finer clutch control and will be achieved with time.

It’s hard to ask for solitary time to play with the clutch in group classes, especially early. Perhaps if we stay in the field for longer tomorrow, I can pitch the same.

The rest of the clutch control is the same as in motorbikes.

Another area of concern is handling downshifts. It’s hard to do in braking zones because of the added pressure, as mentioned earlier. If we go on a drive tomorrow, which is likely, I will practice the same on the straight while keeping the car on the left side.

It will be ideal if we spend the weekend on the field rather than the road. I would love to get more time to play with the clutch and figure out the downshifts. Maybe I can stay around a bit longer to play with the clutch after the class if time permits.

Looking Forward: Personal Training Regimen

One of the primary reasons why I started debriefing each of my driving sessions is to dig into my own mind to find where I need to improve. This is crucial to develop a comprehensive driver practice program when my vehicle eventually arrives.

As of now, I am just familiarizing myself with the car and its controls. With my car, I will take it out for a spin at night to dig them deeper into my subconscious.

Both in the field and around town, I’ve already planned certain types of run plans that will get me better with the car overall by focusing on various aspects of driving individually.

Until next time,

Tara

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Next Chapter: Session 8 Debrief: Clear Track, Clean Drive

Previous Chapter: Session 6 Debrief: Repetition of Yesterday

Index (with Prologue): The Path to Driving License