Just so there is no confusion, I want to go ahead and let the reader know the racing driver vision test has nothing to do with the racecar eye chart. That’s just a fun illustration we made for the article.
Several months ago, I was working with a driver who felt they had hit a plateau with their performance at Road America. During the session, they said they always had trouble with the first two 90 degree corners. I mentioned offhandedly that the corners were actually a bit over and under 90 degrees. They replied with surprise remarking that they didn’t realize that. This made me think we might have found the root of the problem so I showed them the two images below which are featureless, but accurate representations of the two corners in question. They weren’t able to tell which was which.
Several months ago, I was working with a driver who felt they had hit a plateau with their performance at Road America. During the session, they said they always had trouble with the first two 90 degree corners. I mentioned offhandedly that the corners were actually a bit over and under 90 degrees. They replied with surprise remarking that they didn’t realize that. This made me think we might have found the root of the problem so I showed them the two images below which are featureless, but accurate representations of the two corners in question. They weren’t able to tell which was which.
 |  |
As an experiment, the next time they went out on track, I asked them to see if they could not only identify the two corners, but also try to pay attention to the angles of several other corners. This seemed to have made something click, because not only were they quickly able to identify the two corners, but by the end of the day they were setting new personal bests, one after another. This made something click with me as well and so was born the Racing Driver Vision Test.
Beyond Looking Ahead
Most serious errors on track are typically not directly caused by car control problems, they are caused by a driver going faster than their current visual abilities allow. If you ever find yourself sitting in a cloud of dust on the side of the track not sure exactly how you got there, blame your eyes as they are most likely the culprit. I’ve long held that vision should be the primary information source for a driver. In The Perfect Corner, I wrote. “…you must be able to visualize the entire corner and its limits as you drive through it… You’ll need a running picture in your mind, almost as if you are viewing the corner from above, using tire forces to push your racecar around as if it’s a game piece.”
The problem is that you can understand why this is important and think you are doing it, even though you might have a lot of room for improvement. When I wrote that line, I thought I was visualizing myself on track the best I could. It seems like a pretty straightforward concept after all, but since then, I've discovered there are many, many different ways to visualize your car on track. Plus, seemingly subtle differences can have a huge impact on how well you drive. Vision also always seems to be the final limiter to a driver’s abilities. From a personal perspective, anytime I figure out a way to use my eyes better, everything just becomes easier, and then my car control abilities just need time to catch up. A lap time that previously took fierce concentration becomes almost effortless in comparison.
So once a driver moves to the more advanced skill levels, improving visualization techniques becomes the primary focus in training. This is a very personal thing with each driver however. Unfortunately, no one can directly show you how to improve the way you view the track. While it’s relatively easy to spot and correct a novice who might be looking in the completely wrong direction, as you move beyond the basics of simply “looking ahead”, it becomes much more difficult to assess vision issues. It doesn’t show up in any sort of telemetry and only indirectly shows up on the timeslips. Here is an interesting video of Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg driving while wearing vision-tracking glasses. Though these glasses show what Nico is looking at, they can’t tell us how he’s processing this information and visualizing it in his mind. While the little red dot shows the center of his vision, a driver at his level can basically see… everything.
The problem is that you can understand why this is important and think you are doing it, even though you might have a lot of room for improvement. When I wrote that line, I thought I was visualizing myself on track the best I could. It seems like a pretty straightforward concept after all, but since then, I've discovered there are many, many different ways to visualize your car on track. Plus, seemingly subtle differences can have a huge impact on how well you drive. Vision also always seems to be the final limiter to a driver’s abilities. From a personal perspective, anytime I figure out a way to use my eyes better, everything just becomes easier, and then my car control abilities just need time to catch up. A lap time that previously took fierce concentration becomes almost effortless in comparison.
So once a driver moves to the more advanced skill levels, improving visualization techniques becomes the primary focus in training. This is a very personal thing with each driver however. Unfortunately, no one can directly show you how to improve the way you view the track. While it’s relatively easy to spot and correct a novice who might be looking in the completely wrong direction, as you move beyond the basics of simply “looking ahead”, it becomes much more difficult to assess vision issues. It doesn’t show up in any sort of telemetry and only indirectly shows up on the timeslips. Here is an interesting video of Formula 1 driver Nico Hülkenberg driving while wearing vision-tracking glasses. Though these glasses show what Nico is looking at, they can’t tell us how he’s processing this information and visualizing it in his mind. While the little red dot shows the center of his vision, a driver at his level can basically see… everything.
The Racing DRiver Vision Test
Top drivers always show fantastic spatial awareness on track, but while it comes naturally to some, this is something anyone should be able to learn and improve. Imagine you are asked to walk through the corner of a racetrack and then sketch out the corner and the path you took through it. Most people could probably do this pretty well. Humans evolved to have excellent vision while walking and running. It’s another matter entirely when you are strapped in the cockpit of a formula car at over 100 mph while pulling 3g at the limits of adhesion. We’re simply not built for this. Fortunately though, one of a human's greatest skills is our ability to adapt. Through techniques such as this vision test, you can train your eyes and brain to provide the stable and excellent image you need as you progress through faster and faster cars.
Now, whenever I start working with a driver, I have them do some variation of the vision test and there is a strong correlation between a driver’s ability to estimate the angle of a corner and to drive through it quickly. You can’t just sit down with a track map and a protractor though. Memorizing the exact angle of every corner down to the last degree is not the point. In fact, if you are properly using your eyes on track, you should be able to sketch out a pretty good track map of your own. The ability to discern the angles of a corner as you drive through it is just a side effect of using your vision correctly. The reasoning behind having a driver do the vision test is that by pushing them to begin paying attention to the angles, they will be forced to “widen” their vision and take in the corner as a whole.
Learning to widen your vision and view yourself on track properly is the true benefit of the test as you will be developing the ability to accurately track your speed and position throughout the entire corner. We call this ability The Universal Cue and this is where you will find your ultimate speed. You don’t have to wait for your next day at the track to start testing and developing your racing vision though. The next time you are in your daily driver try to begin visualizing the angles of corners. Imagine that you will need to sketch out a drawing of a twisty bit of road, or the angle of an intersection.
When you do get to the track, do some laps before taking a close look at the track map. Try to sketch out a few of the simpler corners and compare them to the track map. How close did you get? Make sure you use an accurate track map, not an artist rendition one. Eventually you might want to try a linked sequence. Which of the two corners of a chicane has more angle? Which way does the straight after the chicane go in relation to the one that fed into it. Try estimating the total direction change of a large double apex. Again though, your ability to accurately draw a corner is not the real goal here. In an effort to discern these angles as you drive, you will learn to use your vision properly. You will be developing your ability to see the track “…almost as if you are viewing the corner from above…” If you hadn't been doing this before, don’t be surprised if you start setting new personal bests without even trying.
by Adam Brouillard, lead author of the Science of Speed Series
Now, whenever I start working with a driver, I have them do some variation of the vision test and there is a strong correlation between a driver’s ability to estimate the angle of a corner and to drive through it quickly. You can’t just sit down with a track map and a protractor though. Memorizing the exact angle of every corner down to the last degree is not the point. In fact, if you are properly using your eyes on track, you should be able to sketch out a pretty good track map of your own. The ability to discern the angles of a corner as you drive through it is just a side effect of using your vision correctly. The reasoning behind having a driver do the vision test is that by pushing them to begin paying attention to the angles, they will be forced to “widen” their vision and take in the corner as a whole.
Learning to widen your vision and view yourself on track properly is the true benefit of the test as you will be developing the ability to accurately track your speed and position throughout the entire corner. We call this ability The Universal Cue and this is where you will find your ultimate speed. You don’t have to wait for your next day at the track to start testing and developing your racing vision though. The next time you are in your daily driver try to begin visualizing the angles of corners. Imagine that you will need to sketch out a drawing of a twisty bit of road, or the angle of an intersection.
When you do get to the track, do some laps before taking a close look at the track map. Try to sketch out a few of the simpler corners and compare them to the track map. How close did you get? Make sure you use an accurate track map, not an artist rendition one. Eventually you might want to try a linked sequence. Which of the two corners of a chicane has more angle? Which way does the straight after the chicane go in relation to the one that fed into it. Try estimating the total direction change of a large double apex. Again though, your ability to accurately draw a corner is not the real goal here. In an effort to discern these angles as you drive, you will learn to use your vision properly. You will be developing your ability to see the track “…almost as if you are viewing the corner from above…” If you hadn't been doing this before, don’t be surprised if you start setting new personal bests without even trying.
by Adam Brouillard, lead author of the Science of Speed Series
