Free episode: Listen to the audio version because I always add stuff I didn’t think of when writing, then I forget!
Occasionally I get hired to unlock something in a very fast driver, usually related to confidence. This will be a driver who regularly finishes top 5 in European level championships, but should be winning - that kind of thing.
The solution is always a hidden ‘beast mode’ that needs to be unleashed. Then when that materialises and they start winning, I get to spend a bit of time with someone close to being a complete driver.
I mean complete in the sense that they are both a demon and an angel in the same person, the angel does the lap-times and the demon does the killing.
Once that is present, the job is already complete from my side. The period I spend after that with the complete driver is where I get to understand what these guys are like up close. Until they realise they don’t need me any more, I speak to them almost after every track session they do.
That’s when I get pure insight into what drives them, their ruthless clarity and their freakish ability to be so quick. And then I can deliver what they are like to you - hopefully it clarifies in your own mind what the target is and the nuances of getting the balance right.
Angel and Demon - the two sides of the complete driver
The complete driver with both sides intact can still look like a contradiction, but they aren’t really.
Angelic
They drive with beautiful precision, being extremely kind to the kart. That’s the secret to being devastatingly fast - kindness and care for what the kart needs to produce fast times.
They are efficient and save the kart from undue stress. The lines they take are sacrificial, being careful that the entry delivers the right exit line - trimming the line rather than sliding wide. Always asking ‘are my tyres happy?’, ‘is this loading them too much unnecessarily?’
There’s no sign of frustration or impatience, just saintly kindness to the kart and compliance with physics.
Demonic
Then when they catch their prey - bang. All in. In the right circumstance (or the wrong one depending on your perspective) they will drive 5 laps in that saintly mode, in order to unleash hell on their opponent when they catch them.
This can appear as a 50:50 move that either works or it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t - one of, or both drivers end up on their head. Brutal inconsideration of physics, personal loss or even injury is suddenly manifest.
Obviously this isn’t always the case, mostly you see a moment of cold decisiveness that results in a clean overtake. But we all know the potential is there for something very messy and they don’t give a damn.
So you get this strange combination of patience and harmony to be quick, that culminates in profligate waste and malintent released in a flash on a victim.
Then they switch back to serenity until they catch the next victim.
How to get the balance right yourself - between demon and angel
What you want is for these states to be on tap. You don’t want to be a sublime technician when catching, then once you get there you have to think:
‘Oh, now what do I do? Oh yeah, demon mode engage’
That’s not what happens… We aren’t Power Rangers.
Here’s how I believe we operate as drivers when we are commanding both sides of the racing soul.
There’s already a bit of darkness that drives the angelic saintly mode of driving.
When I have to help a driver ‘unleash the demon’, I don’t have to give them a demon. It’s already there - it’s just a matter of first finding it and then letting it loose.
It’s easy to prove to them that they have it ready, because when a driver is able to put together seriously quick laps they are always full of serious and deep intention - an unreasonable drive to be fast. They agree that the depth of focus and serious intention to be fast is an intense ruthlessness, and it does feel like a dark force.
All the marks of the angelic driver above, are made possible by a powerful drive that itself is quite dark, ruthless and dangerous.
They are already familiar with it, but didn’t identify it fully yet. So when they have a chance to consider it they feel it is totally necessary and positive.
That positive association with a darkness inside changes almost everything, so with me, we expand its reach into the racing rules of engagement. Where doubts about racing outcomes can be overridden by letting the demon loose.
Steps to unleashing the demon yourself
Pay attention to your mindset when you have deep concentration and intention.
Recognise the ruthlessness required to do the bonkers stuff you do in a kart to be that concentrated and fast. That ruthlessness is a dark force.
Be proud of that aspect of yourself and positive about it.
How to apply the demon in a racing situation
You will be aware of what drives your concentration and focus. It is dark, ruthless and you should by now trust it. So you can let it graduate to demonic in order to make big moves.
When you approach an opponent, swap the object of your dark ruthless concentration to getting the move done.
For clarity. Apply the demonic part of your concentration away from disciplining your driving inputs, to making a ruthless overtake. Notice the object of concentration is the overtaking move and NOT the opponent.
The object of concentration can literally be:
We get to the apex first. Let the demon handle it.
This cuts out the thinking of consequences. The old angel mode blocks are things like:
What if I take them out, what if they turn in on me, what if they get annoyed.
Instead, the demon says something very simple - move is on - we get to apex first.
That’s it, the demon is simple. Let’s not overcomplicate it.
Thanks for reading.
Terence
PS: None of these terms I use like demon and dark take a moral stance. They are just good words to conjure up what the feeling of full intent driving is, where risks can be taken. It doesn’t mean drive irresponsibly.