In learning from professional racers, Kyonosuke Morita discovered that they rely not on superhuman talents, but a proper understanding of safety that applies to everyday driving.
Full throttle down the straight, nearing 300 km/h before slamming on the brakes and hurtling into a corner.
When put like that, racers may sound like dangerous drivers. Indeed, as someone unfamiliar with motorsports, the first time this reporter encountered racing cars flying around a circuit, the scene felt disconnected from reality.
The way Morizo tells it, however, racers are the “ultimate safe drivers.”
Do these racing drivers, who seem to exist in another world, represent the pinnacle of safety we aim for daily?
To uncover the true meaning of these words, Kyonosuke Morita took part in a driving experience event organized by TGR, where he learned driving techniques directly from professional racers. Confident in his safe driving abilities, Morita climbed into a stock GR Yaris for some hands-on reporting.
Expecting to jump straight into difficult, high-level skills, he instead found himself starting with the kind of basics taught in driving school, from seat position to steering wheel grip. As it turns out, those impressive-looking racetrack maneuvers are firmly rooted in less glamorous fundamentals.
Out on the track, participants tried the slalom, full braking, and other situations that may seem removed from regular driving. In the process, however, they learned things such as the importance of turning while the car’s weight is shifted forward and how stopping distances differ when the brakes are hit hard. The participants gained a proper understanding of car performance and driving techniques that can help anyone drive more safely on normal roads.
Driver Takamitsu Matsui, who served as an instructor, hinted at the connection between safe driving and motorsports.
“Our main mission is to get the car across the finish line.”
In motorsports, driving fast doesn’t mean anything if you don’t finish. Racers must intimately know the limits of the car and their own abilities, and drive in a way that ensures they stay safely on the track without accidents. Their job also requires them to keep honing those skills.
Watch the video to unravel the meaning of Morizo’s “ultimate safe driving” comment.
