For me the only thing better than an Evo school is getting whipped in my own car. It was inspirational last year when Rob did it for me, and this year was just as good.

I should thank Chang, although his visit to paradise was hopefully compensation enough for his good work. That travel left Eric without a ride, which put the mouse and the eagle together at Devens – a fortuitous circumstance.

Now mind you Eric had challenges! He'd never driven a Mini Cooper, and was certainly unprepared for the CD player, power windows, and other luxurious accouterments that the much lighter Civic never knew. The steering is much quicker, the blower whines, the seats are different, the brakes – heck everything. And finally and most important, the dreaded ASC switch – which if not toggled after every engine start will kill power immediately off the starting line (as Rob found out one run last year) leaving the driver wondering what the hell happened.

So three runs later my dear co-driver was already going faster, and by the end of the day he pulled out the better part of a second. Pretty much according to plan I reckon. And all the while maintaining the most genuine courtesy – even offering me an out of sequence drive late in the day when the weather threatened.

There’s something wonderfully simple about that result, almost profound. All the variables are taken away. When the Civic whips me I speculate regarding the handling, the turn in, the balance, the Bridgestones versus my Dunlops, the setup – I can’t help it. The mind squirms and the ego churns. The driver can’t be all of that second which normally separates us, can it?

Oh yes it can! And that’s the lesson. There’s always a better line, always better positioning, always better timing. There’s always an insight hiding in the course walk, and there’s always the ability to read the course at speed. Even on equal equipment, the better driver has many ways to find speed that come from practice, athleticism, attitude and confidence.

And last but not least, lessons such as those that both Rob and Eric have now shared with me save me tons of money! Hey Charlie – there’s another second in that car, or mebbe two! No need to lighten, tweak, replace, upgrade or innovate. Just keep on driving, and keep on learning – no capital improvement thanks.

Thanks gents, and thanks to my other teachers in NER – acknowledged and otherwise.

Cheers,
Charlie

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