Put a Monk in a Race Car

Can’t concentrate? Can’t race.

Because really, all the tech, tires and money are for not if the driver drops their focus for one fast moment. Because that moment turns into seconds lost.

I’m speaking with Honda IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe. He’d just coached me around the DDT at Mosport (watch here)

We talk about his mind while racing, how he stays hyper-focused for 2 straight hours. It’s an almost-meditative state, he says.

That’s why my idea to put a monk in a race car –
their concentration is outstanding.

Read it online at Autonet.

Favourite line:

If winning comes down to a driver’s level of concentration, how about putting a monk behind the wheel?  Trophies ahoy!

 

Thanks for taking the time James! Best of luck this season.

Watch James coach me around my first track time here.

How he fared in this years Toronto Indy here.

Blog tag = the Mind (13)

Back to ‘Keri on Driving’ – Index

 

 

Invest Time in Training Your Mind

It’s your strongest asset, most powerful weapon, and the last frontier.

Prediction – the topic of “the Mind”
will become a massive trend, starting later this year.

Here comes Thought-Controlled Computing.

The words ‘neuro’ & ‘neural’ will become part of our vocabulary.

We’ll become familiar with BCIs – Brainwave-controlled interfaces.

 

 

A Nice Thing Happened in Nashville

I was in Nashville with Nissan a couple months ago.  Mark Richardson and I were outside the city, testing the new Hybrid Pathfinder.

We passed these parade floats, and stopped to pose the car.

Two gentleman appeared, groundskeepers.  Mark kept clicking, I went over to say hi.

He was so curious about Canada.  What’s it like there? Then:

Him: Do you have black people there?
Me: Yup.
Him: Do you have gay people there?
Me: Yup.  Some are black and gay.  No one cares in Canada.

He said he didn’t understand gay people, it was confusing, why would they choose to do that?

I responded with my logic line, “being gay is tough, right? So, why would anyone choose a harder life?”

That started sinking in, and then Mark’s timing was perfect: he walked up at this exact moment, and said he was gay.

Our new friend’s eyes almost came out of his head. “But, you seem normal, we were just joking, but…..”.  It was all over his face, trying to process this anomaly.

And then, THE moment.

Mark stuck out his hand, and slowly, our new friend reached out and shook it.  Eyes still like saucers.  I laughed and clapped and said do it again, and he did.  The second time his face registered proudness.  This was the first time he’d met a gay person, and had been brave enough to touch him. I’m literally smiling while typing this, it was special like that.

It was amazing to watch his mind rewire.

Then Mark snapped us to commemorate the moment.

We’d have liked a photo of him and Mark, but after those 2 handshakes, the guy was visibly overwhelmed, enough was enough.

Off we went grinning, one less homophobe, tada.