Session 8 Debrief: Clear Track, Clean Drive

The last few days have been quite hectic because of certain revelations about my future, the increased workload in the office, and taking driving lessons. To cope, I was operating in ‘get on with it’ mode to deal with the pressure.

My approach to today’s driving lesson was the same. I figured it was Saturday, so there would be a lot of traffic. As my attention would be distributed between the car controls and the road, there would be plenty of mistakes.

Surprisingly, it was the opposite. Yesterday’s brief had already readied me on what aspects to prioritize in today’s session, which was easily possible due to a relatively cleaner track.

There are plenty of positives to look at.

Session 8 Recap

I reached the training ground in time and another student practiced going back and forth in the car to improve clutch control. 

My mind was entirely on finer clutch release during the launch of the car, and maintaining the revs while shifting gears when the car is in motion. 

The launch off-the-line was good. I took my sweet time to get going and gradually released the clutch entirely without even touching the throttle pedal. After feeding a bit of fuel to the engine and joining the road, I made a sharp left turn, which went well.

The drive after that was smooth, to say the least. The upshifts were slow and steady, just like the steering through the sharp turns. We hooked a right through the dividers into the petrol station to fill the tank up. It was easier than expected.

Of course, I had my teacher’s assistance the whole time in finessing the controls. But I needed it because I am still setting my mitts on the controls of the vehicle and observing the road at the same time is a tall order.

I had another opportunity to nail the launch off-the-line when we were done refueling and the opportunity did not go to waste. While rejoining the road, I had to halt the car and then get going again, which was another first that went well.

The key element that kept it all going well was the lack of traffic. 

Next, I practiced a couple of U-turns. Yesterday’s handful of laps around the figure of eight improved this maneuver significantly. Again, the relative absence of other civilians on the road helped make this move better than ever.

Finally, I had to stop the car on the left side of the road to give another kid a chance. This is where I discovered an area of improvement.

Areas of Improvement

I am accustomed to controlling the steering of the car with one hand. It is a good technique to keep the left hand free to ensure quicker upshifts and downshifts. However, it does pose a problem when reaching for the turn signals.

The turn signal button is slightly above my right hand gripping the wheel. Since it is the only hand on the steering control, I don’t let it go while reaching the turn signals inadvertently.

This veers the car slightly toward the left. I use the term ‘slightly’ to present my perspective. I am pretty sure it is significantly visible to others on the road. 

To combat this, I will transfer the steering momentarily to the left hand and relieve the right hand entirely to hit the turn signal. Then, I will transfer the wheel back to the right hand for efficient steering for the upcoming corner.

Meanwhile, the left arm can shift the gear. 

The whole maneuver will play out in this sequence:

1. Recognizing that I need to make a turn or change lanes.

2. Transfer the steering wheel to the left hand to free the right arm.

3. Hitting the relevant turn signal and then transferring the steering control back to the right arm.

4. Quickly after that, I will disengage the clutch to downshift appropriately. The right foot will be on the brake pedal.

5. Make the turn or change lanes. In case of a turn, accelerate from the middle of the corner.

3 and 4 will happen quite quickly after one another. The whole maneuver shouldn’t take more than five seconds. Additionally, my attention should remain on the road and the mirrors to avoid crashes. The speed and accuracy for this can be developed after further training.

Looking Forward: Reverse Figure of Eight

One of the biggest boosts in steering improvement was moving the car back and forth in a straight line and a few laps in the figure of eight. Right now, my next objective is to do a few laps of the same number in reverse.

This will improve the steering control and spatial awareness further along with clutch and throttle control. 

As I am putting these elements of driving together, the next big and final step in this journey is to take the vehicle through town traffic. The primary point of focus would be clutch control as the speed of the car will be quite low, especially in many parts of the city.

Post that, my personal training will begin.

Until next time,

Tara

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Next Chapter: Session 9 Debrief: Offroading and Time Off

Previous Chapter: Session 7 Debrief: The Figure of Eight

Index (with Prologue): The Path to Driving License