Yesterday I had my first visit to iZone Driver Performance at Silverstone. I was given a voucher for an eye tracking session at iZone as a prize for being nominated for one of this year’s BWRDC (British Women Racing Drivers’ Club) GoldStar Awards.
The simulator was set up with a front wheel drive car which had a sequential gearbox so it would be similar to what I’m used to driving. We selected Donington Park as the circuit since it’s one I’m used to and is also a round of my championship.
We started out with some laps to get used to the feeling of being on the sim. It’s a strange feeling to start with but unbelievably realistic (even with planes flying overhead as Donington is near an airport!) Then it was time for my eye tracking session. I donned some high-tech goggles using technology used by the US military. I looked at various red dots on the screen to make sure my vision was being tracked correctly then I drove some more laps.
After that I got out the car and was able to view a video on the simulator screen showing exactly where I was looking for the whole lap. It was eye opening (excuse the pun!) to say the least. I wasn’t looking far enough ahead which our instructor Neil explained would be costing me a lot of time. He explained where I should be looking, further round the corners to ensure I got a good exit to carry more speed. I then watched a video of F1 driver Kevin Magnussen from an eye tracking session and it showed exactly where I should be looking. I then drove the circuit again with this new knowledge and with Neil using a laser to point to where I should be looking. It was really interesting to drive in such a different style and is definitely something I need to work hard to master ahead of the new season.
Neil also gave us additional advice on making marginal gains to improve performance such as creating a driving plan and how to use key words to improve your approach to each corner. It was a really informative session and we were also told about the other aspects of driver performance which iZone can support with – physical training, nutrition, mindfulness etc. I will definitely be booking some additional sessions at iZone before the start of the season to learn the circuits and improve my performance.