I figured it was just a matter of time before my name was mentioned
I'll share a few comments on hitting cones, since it's a trouble area for many of us, in the hope that someone may find it helpful. There is never one (1) right way to address any topic, so my thoughts are only one way to look at it. In my case, when you have a lack of talent compared to the big time drivers, I've accepted that I can't be clean on most of my runs *and* still have a chance to beat the top level drivers. I rather inconsistantly be at the top, than never be at the top! Therefore, I try to be aggressive and get some decent runs in that give me a chance and winning or placing in a big event. Sometimes that means risking blowing an event or multiple events.
There really is no such thing as putting a run in the "bank" for someone with my talent level. I can drive at 95-97% all day long, put decent times down, and rarely hit a cone. But, 97% won't get someone like me (slightly above average skills) a Pro Solo or National Tour win...or a trophy at Nationals. Hence, I try my best to be fast at Run #1. In fact, in all seriousness, I think most people in Tarheel are more talented than I am...the only reason I may be faster than some people is b/c I've spent most of the past 11 years of my life standing around in a parking lot with cones getting tons of seat time....not the best investment of one's money or time
When I go out and put in a safe effort on my first run, then several things just happened or didn't happen: 1) I did learn how to navigate the run at less than full speed, 2) Even if I got a decent "clean" time, it's likely not going to hold up for a top spot or trophy anyway, and 3) I now have even more pressure to be fast b/c I only have two more runs left and I still don't know what it feels like to be at 10/10ths through most of the features.
There are many drivers who can be clean, and rocket fast almost all the time (e.g., G.H. Sharp, Jonathan Roberts, Tim Aro, and scores of others - most of us do not fall in that category. If you are an average driver or one who cones too much then you have to address it in some way. I found that when I tried to run clean all the time I was slower and things did not "flow" for me - I became too deliberate. I'm fortunate to have a very good friend who is one of the best Sport Psychologists in the country, she's worked with many of the Olympic teams and with sports that have similiar demands as autox. We talked about this very subject about five years ago. Her answer was "don't worry about it and don't think about it..the more you think about it the worse it will get." That's easy to say and harder to block out, especially when your buddies & people around you keep telling you to stop hitting cones, when that's actually the worse thing they can tell you. Nonetheless, you have to have the discipline to disregard those comments and push them out of your mind and focus on what you need to do to be fast.
I found this advice to be a big help to me. Actually, over the past few years when I run divisional and national stuff I've rarely coned away my fastest run...that was not always the case though. During locals and test and tunes, I usually pick different things to focus on, being cone-free during these events is generally not a priority for me, b/c I know I can clean it up when necessary. If I was running for a club championship, then I'd likely change my approach, but that's currently not the case. Even when I do screw up and cone away good runs or events, I know that it's just part of the big picture given my talent level and propensity to make certain mistakes, but on the other side of the coin, sometimes things work out really well.
Now, if you cone so much that you can rarely get a clean run in, then it's worth going to school focusing on the basics and make some technical improvements.
This philosophical approach probably won't work for most folks, but it's helped me to increase the probability of driving clean when I need to and to better accept it when I am excessively dirty. As a result it's helped me to make the most out of average talent and beat, at one time or another, many drivers that I never would have imagined that I could have even run close to and get some respectable finishes that I didn't think possible.
One of the fun thing about autocrossing is that you can inventory/analyze your strengths and weaknesses, then decide how you want to spend your time developing your strengths & mitigating your weaknesses to get the most bang for your effort & talent. Early on I decided that there were certain lower priority things that I wouldn't waste mental energy on so I could focus on more important stuff. Most of us are not Tony Stewart or Mark Daddio and thus can't fix all of our problems, so I just learn to live with some of mine. I think that approach has helped me more than anything else to be reasonably competitive over the years in a tough class in several different cars. Sorry for the essay, though I hope that there may be something of value in my babble.
Eric
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