The Value Of Things We Cannot See, Hear, or Touch (or Smell)


Let's say that someone would offer to sell you a muffler that is legal for your competition class and would make your car faster, and you would gain, on average, about a second/lap on your favorite track - or your money back?

Moreover, that muffler would ONLY work on your car - your competitors would not be able to use it. It's $1500. Does that sound like a good deal?

Now consider another situation. Someone offers you a deal: you would install $500 worth of sensors on your car and pay a race engineer and a race coach $500 each to review the data after your race weekend. Based on that, they will make recommendations for adjustments to both your setup and your driving. The deal has a guarantee that you would gain a second/lap, on average, as a result (if you follow their recommendations). Or your money back.
Does this sound like a great deal? Are you reaching for your credit card already?

Even though on the surface the value is identical, in reality most racers (including performance-minded HPDE drivers) see one as a clear investment/return exchange, and one as a leap of faith of sorts, something that requires consideration of expenses and benefits, recommendations, assurances, and so on.

In this article, I am going to look at some of the reasons behind this and some ideas on how to shift some of the perceptions.

Let me start with the quote from "Speed Secrets":

"Speed Secret 10: You will never win a race without understanding how tires work"

Ross Bentley, Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques.

First of all, it's true. I have not won a race, until I understood how tires work (in the case of my first win, rain tires).

Second, it is important that the statement is about understanding. You may want to read it again. I did not fully get that part until after I won my first race. Maybe it's about understanding more than it is about tires. Note how Ross does not write "You will not win a race until you buy some really good tires", or "You will not win a race until you set your tire pressures just right". Not even "You will not win a race, until you hire someone who understands how tires work" (which would had been a reasonable - understandable - thing to do, given Ross's trade, I think). I am going somewhere with this, hang on.

Let's consider information (and understanding, which is a kind of information). Can't see it, hear it, touch it or smell it (in most cases). It's almost as if it is not completely real sometimes, isn't it?

When we go to our first driving event (or our first crew/race support experience), very few of us have much focus on information.

When I instructed novices at the track for example, I often had to explain the basics about things like tire pressures or brake pad wear - which are actually explained in the car's factory manual that has been in the student's glove box all along.

Unfortunately, most instructors are quick to "fill the gaps" in their student's understanding, without taking time or effort to impart how important it is that the student is put on a path of self-learning/self-coaching and seeking out (and verifying!) important information on their own as much as possible.

Substitute "student" for a first time crew member and "instructor" for team owner/crew chief, and a very similar picture often presents itself. Let's call this event "Experience 1" (I like to color code things, but I will spare you that for now - so I will just number the experiences)

Of course, I have met (and worked with) a number of both HPDE/Competition novices, and instructors, coaches, and team owners, who make understanding, and self-learning (directed or not) a priority, while showing (or encouraging) curiosity and critical thinking. Keep up the good work! You are the reason I stuck with this, actually.

Second formative moment (and this one is specific to drivers):  It occurs when we first come upon a "limit", especially if that happens in our search for success in competition. I mean, one of those big, frustrating, baffling "limits": "Everyone is faster!" "Why can't my car/I do this?!" "I am definitely flat out!"

More often then not, first few of such limits are (mostly) in our minds, and through some experimentation, practice or maybe advice from someone with experience, we overcome them.  So some limitation which existed (mostly) in our mind was holding us back, and all we had to do was just drive "better". Some understanding may go along with such "a-ha" moment, and some information may had been important here - but the experience often reinforces focus on action, rather than understanding. Let's call this "Experience 2."

Another important moment comes once we got the basics worked out and achieved some level of consistency. Now adding a mechanical benefit has clear advantage. Such advantage (in most cases) requires nothing beyond money to be realized. You paid for it, and it works. And you are faster. Every time. Or your pit stop is quicker. Or your transporter gets to the track in one piece and on time.

Maybe you even win or complete your first enduro with the car stll running. Or you finally get the car out for that first warm-up session instead of unloading it for an hour. "Experience 3!"

Now things start to get complicated. The driver is consistent, the crew is efficient, and the car had all important "go fast"modifications (at least, affordable ones.) Any gain at this point is measured in tenth of a second, maybe less. Most gains are no longer automatic but require higher level of both preparation and focus to achieve. Often preparation and focus of several team members at the same time.

What to do?

Let's look at data. But do we have a data system? It was not a part of any of those positive, reinforcing experiences! Or maybe we have one, and no one knows how to use it. Or (and this one's my favorite), what we see in the data contradicts what we experience on the track/what the driver is telling us.

Now what?

OK. We can try a change based on what we see (what we think we see) in the data (which we think we understand) Does it help?

It is too bad we are well past type of gains that would be as clear and consistent as what happened during Experiences 2 and 3. 

Doubly so, if the data is coming from a phone app, basic lap timer or un-tested system, and if it is reviewed using software that is either not accessible to novices or has accuracy/clarity problems of it's own.

So, the 4th "formative" experience takes place. This one is not positive. Do any of these sound familiar -

"I looked at the data, and it was not that useful".

"I overlayed <basic data logger or phone app> data over google maps, and it showed me driving through the forest, kind of hard to trust anything after that"

"Maybe someone else can use that, I just need to drive faster"

"Yeah, it shows I am slower in this corner compared to X, so now what? I probably need new tires? New car?"

Some of the statements above are direct quotes... (a couple were re-worded for clarity).

Now let's look at the "programming" that has been established in our hypothetical not-so-novices-anymore, each corresponding to one of the numbered experiences above:

1. I can rely on someone to volunteer relevant, useful information for me to use, even if I invest little effort into obtaining access to it.

2. "Just driving faster"/"fixing" obvious driving technique issue produces big gains.

3. Making an obvious mechanical upgrade produces consistent, predictable gains.

4. Data analysis can be confusing, requires hard to justify expenses, and does not produce consistent, predictable gains.

All of those statements are true in the context of those experiences, yet they add up to a picture that mis-represents benefits of systematic, rigorous, and efficient application of proper data acquisition and analysis (in terms of both coaching the drivers, and tuning their cars, perhaps even improving team-level operations).

Here's the bottom line: Once your performance has consistency and your equipment is as good as rules and budgets allow, ALL you have left is information, understanding that information, and taking action based on it. Not once, or twice or every few weeks- but as a central component of your "program".

If you don't, someone who does will beat you and keep beating you (assuming somewhat comparable resources, of course.)

Let's say you make a change to your rear spring rates on someone's advice. Seems to feel good at first. Does it work in the dry and the wet? Does it work better when the car has full fuel load? What about fresh vs. "aged" tires? Will the change be even more effective if you "add" some anti-roll bar? Add spacers to wheels on opposite axle?

Shit. What to do? 5 test days just to figure out the spring rates? Or a guess?

 OK, how about you just do what everyone else does. Same setup, same engine builder, same wing, same anti-roll bars, same tire sizes. That makes it simpler, right - at least we're "even" (if you naively assume everyone else takes this path...)

But wait, why is everyone driving away from you in turn 3! What is going on?! Is something broken? Did you forget how to drive? Were you no good of a driver to begin with? That spring change - put the old one back in!!! NOW!

Guess what. You ignition system has a miss on days with high humidity at about 4700 RPM. You happen to be unconsciously compensating for that when entering turn 3, by throwing the car faster into the corner (so you are above 4700RPM), and trailing the brakes longer, to get it to turn in.  That changes your entry, and puts you across the seam in the pavement, which disrupts the balance of the car (as you are releasing those brakes with a very tense foot, as you do not want to be over this seam), and now you have to wait for the car to settle, before you get on the throttle. While everyone else is happily driving away...

I can guarantee you, that in an average club racing class, at least half of cars have at least 2 or 3 mechanical issues reducing their speed potential, which their drivers/crew chiefs will not discover, except by accident, or by the issue resulting in catastrophic failure at some point. Is this your car too? Stay tuned to find out...

In any case, this is a lot of stuff to track down - with nothing but your mobile phone or lap timer, basic analysis software to help, and about 12 minutes before you have to get back into the car. That muffler deal sounds real sweet now, right?

What we need here, is a system for understanding things we do not understand yet.

The point I am driving at is that the only way to continue improvement here is through generating,  understanding and ultimately applying, high quality information - as a core component of your effort. It's not about the equipment. I think, this starts with a shift in attitude of sorts and de-programming at least some of those 4 experiences.

Here's how to start on this path. It's almost free! (So, cheaper than that muffler)

Forget phone apps and "budget" data loggers. You will only frustrate yourself in the long run (and worse, you may learn things you may need to unlearn later). Maybe phones and phone apps will get there one day. I've seen some cool stuff but nothing I'd use on my race car yet.

In other words, I am skeptical about what ends up being marketed as "entry level" solutions (and I have data to prove they do not work well), but I would be overjoyed if someone proves me wrong.

Anyway. Here's how to start your very own "Competition Data Analytics" (CDA) program:

1. Get a notepad and a pen. Carry them with you.
2. Take notes and review them - after every time you (or anyone else) drives the car.
3. Watch videos of your races/test sessions and take notes as you watch them.
4. Take notes when you prepare the car for the weekend.
5. Review notes before making changes to the car
6. Review notes when making decisions about how the team operates
7. In an endurance race, debrief all drivers, take notes and review notes with all drivers as they get ready for their stints.  Debrief pit stop crew and take notes. Watch videos of driving stints and stops (and, you guessed it, take notes!)

This works. Or your money back (for the notepad)

Eventually, your ideas on costs and benefits of "information processing" will start changing as your experience grows. Data logging equipment and data analysis equipment/services will simply become next logical step. No one will need to "market" them to you.

Enjoy.