Karting Beyond the Pursuit of Happiness
I'm a cruel coach really, here's why.
Most of what I do with drivers is about building their confidence and identifying what they have as potential and strength, then helping them build that out to the maximum.
Weirdly, that often comes with making them dissatisfied with where they are compared to where I rate them. In other words, I try to guide drivers towards a kind of unhappiness that drives them forward.
That gets especially interesting when I encounter a driver who is already very good, or even an example of driving excellence - but somehow doesn’t get the results they deserve.
This becomes even more difficult when it becomes clear that the results are down to the kart, not their driving ability - which with the right kit would see them winning way more.
What do you do with an excellent driver, who can’t get better kit because they are skint?
I try to find how they are happy and comfortable with the situation, and rock the boat so that they aren’t happy.
Why? Because when I can smell comfort, satisfaction and happiness in a driver who could push themselves harder - then I want to break it. Even when there is barely any room for improvement!
For the skint fast driver that happiness and self-satisfaction sounds like this:
"I'm doing the best I can with what I've got, and some top people respect that"
I think that’s pretty cool actually, but I know it also keeps them from making a necessary leap forward. The task becomes how to unsettle that comfort, whilst maintaining confidence…
One way to do that is to look at some of the very best drivers and consider their comfort-induced limitations.
Try asking this if you encounter a champion in Rotax or X30 - ‘Why don’t you do KZ???’
You will get an immediate sense that they are protecting something when they respond, and you will go away thinking ‘ah, even the best guys have a weakness’
So, champion drivers develop a self-image and reputation they don’t want to lose by struggling in KZ. They are happy with the level they have reached and don’t want to mess with that.
