If you’ve ever wondered how to compare racing drivers just using onboard video then here is a quick trick you can use.
Motorsports is all about driver comparison!
Simply going faster than the majority of the global population will EVER experience in a car, is not enough for us! And as soon as you start timing laps, being “competitive” becomes a thing in your world.
Being “Competitive“
You’ll have your own definition of what “competitive” means for you. For me it is the feeling that I was able to get all the speed that my car had to give that session. That I left no lap time on the table.
The issue with that is you might feel like your car had nothing more to give when in fact it did. When another driver – in your car or a similar one – is able to find more speed, you can either make an excuse or look to learn.
Comparing Drivers With Video
Looking to learn gets my vote and clearly that’s when I reach for the data. But what if you don’t have data? How can you compare two drivers then?
In the video at the top, I look at a simple trick you can use to compare two drivers just using their onboard video.
Breaking Down The Problem Makes It Less Daunting
If you watch to the end, you’ll see that I make the point that what you’re really aiming to break down the problem.
Tell a driver they need to find 5 or 6 seconds per lap, after they already feel they’re close to the limit, and you get some funny looks back…
By doing this exercise you are able to isolate the areas to work on. You can then chip away, knowing you’re focusing on the right things.
And that is the fundamental point of using any data and video for driver analysis.
You’re aiming to create an easy process that will objectively tell you how to improve your driving. A method that means you never again have to engage with the “Yeah, turn 1 is easy flat for me [shrug]” paddock ‘advice’ you might have suffered…
Creating video to compare racing drivers
To learn how to create these side-by-side driver comparison videos see this article.
