[FUNDAMENTALS] THREE REASONS YOU’RE NOT IMPROVING

Why directionless laps won’t make you faster

Frustration is part of the process, even at the highest levels of professional racing.

Several times a week in the middle of the summer months, someone grabs me at a racetrack or sends me an urgent message. The conversation usually starts like this: “I’m stuck. I’m doing everything I can think of, but I’m just not getting any faster. Can you help?”

The actual wording might differ, but the problem is always the same. I empathize, because I’ve lived it, both as a competitor and as a coach helping other drivers and riders through the same struggle. Some break through. Others don’t. What’s the difference?

In my experience, the answer almost always comes down to one of three things:

1. You don’t really want to improve.

2. You’re working on the wrong thing.

3. You’re using the wrong references.

Each one of these can quietly, or not so quietly, stall your progress, even if you’re putting in hours at the track. Let’s break them down so you can identify where you’re losing ground and, more importantly, what you need to change to start moving forward again.