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ThomasM
[PuristS]
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Thanks, Graham!

Hi, Graham,

I appreciate the shared wisdom! 

Being "police" roadcraft I am not surprised at how practical it is, rather than dogmatic.

;-)

Before commenting further, I want to make it clear - yes, I know there is an accepted "right way" as taught in schools and by "professional drivers" (and even these schools and drivers differ sometimes) and I am not arguing their validity as universal "base points." In fact, I'm not arguing at all!   

(rhetorical question: is it possible to have a discussion without arguing? what about differing opinions?)

AND - I don't claim to be a particularly good driver.

Your points are very interesting; I used to be of the school of "better to go in too slow, and have to come out heavier on the throttle than perhaps otherwise, than go in too fast and have to correct mid-turn."  This was, both practically and theoretically, the safer approach, but certainly it is no recipe for winning competitions.

I really would love to see this discussion on different schools and thoughts on performance driving techniques (keeping in mind "horses for courses" of course...    ) on the automotive forum.

About any RIGHT way...I've always found this a fascinating meta subject.

Jim Furyk's golf swing shouldn't work, but it did. Some would argue, "gee, what if he had a more "correct" swing, just imagine what he could do!"  I put that right up there with the retort to the uncle that lived to 98 years smoking two packs a day - "just imagine how much longer he'd have lived if he didn't smoke!!!!!   """

I know of some winning (and consistently winning) rally drivers in Thailand (that they are Thai is probably not particularly relevant, but it did seem all I know who drove that way were Thai) who sat almost sideways to the steering wheel and drove with their hands at 6'oclock.

I wouldn't teach my daughters' to drive that way, but if it works for them, and they win, I'm not about to tell them I know better than they do that what they are doing is wrong.

"that hand is needed only to grip the wheel in the event that your other hand slips or the wheel jolts too far"  I really like this advice; it seems most consistent with my own "habits."  The whole issue of 10 and 2 or 3 and 9 as dogma smacks to me of 904L is superior to everything else; or 316L; or Breguet overcoils are superior to flat hairsprings; or tourbillons are useless; or...much ado about nothing.  It's a good guideline, but is not gospel.  Um...10 and 2 or 3 and 9 as dogma offers with it the potential for pretzel like contortions. or worse, should the steering wheel airbag go off in any rigid position with the arms crossed or even across the face...(shudder)

On the race track, yes, like with handgun grips, two hands in "fixed" positions allows one to "index" without having to look at wheel position, especially in the heat of battle with other cars within centimeters at very high rates of speed all suffering non-street levels of physical forces being exerted on and by...

The next time I am tooling through the UK, I MUST stop by Wales; I learned only too late that some of the greatest driving roads in UK are in Wales...

:-(

Your advice before that last trip were invaluable!

Cheers, and safe driving!  Hope you find that cheap and cheerful to enjoy REAL driving again!  (electronic nannies, 4 wheel drive...bah humbug!

TM