SCCA Project Spec Miata, Part 5 – Tuning The Driver

From Club Racing to Formula 1, drivers of all experience levels seek out coaches. For some, it's simply to accelerate the learning curve at a new track, while others are looking for those last few tenths per lap. Either way, many swear by the positive results a driver coach can bring.

For coaching duties, we lined up Bryan Heitkotter. Heitkotter is well known among SCCA Solo competitors for his numerous national championships, but he also owns an FIA racing license courtesy of his time as a factory Nissan driver. Heitkotter has road raced professionally around the globe, most recently in Pirelli World Challenge, and within days of Isley's testing was working as the driver coach for the Always Evolving team in that series.

We also reached out to AiM Sports for data support – an easy choice considering Isley's Spec Miata was already outfitted with an AiM Solo DL. AiM responded by sending its National Training Manager and data guru Roger Caddell. Caddell hosts data training seminars for AiM both online and throughout the country and has likely forgotten more about data analysis than most of us will ever know.

With our ducks in a row, we descended on Buttonwillow Raceway Park near Bakersfield, Calif. Like many tracks, Buttonwillow offers everything from private rentals to open test days – it's really a matter of what fits your budget. We opted for a semi private test day, allowing us to pick the track configuration; this also limited the number of other cars on track to two.

Before heading on track, Caddell added a second Solo DL unit that was connected to the AiM SmartyCam – this setup allowed Heitkotter to review in-car video and data within moments of the car returning to the pits.

Isley's previous experience with data was in autocross, and she had not worked with a driving coach previously. Throughout the day, Isley did a series of 25-minute, on-track sessions, similar in length to a typical SCCA race, followed by a download session with Caddell and Heitkotter. The benefit of having the data and driver coach duo in place was immense, as Caddell could pinpoint deficiencies on the track and Heitkotter could just as quickly offer suggestions to correct them. It really reinforced the need to be able to interoperate data while understanding vehicle dynamics and driver behavior. Undoubtedly, a single coach familiar with the data software could work both jobs, but for our purposes, having Caddell on hand saved time and allowed Heitkotter to concentrate on one job.

After several sessions, Isley felt she benefited from the entire package. "The data showed me where I was slow and lacking, and the coach explained where to improve times," says Isley. "I learned how to look at the course differently, to open up the turns, and enter some of the corners a little bit differently.

"It was surprising to me," she continues. "I know that I had been struggling in a couple of turns, but I didn't think I was scrubbing off so much speed. When I saw the data, and when Bryan talked to me about where I was making my mistakes, it was surprising how much quicker I could go through the turns."

Shortly after working with the coaches, Isley headed back to Buttonwillow for the SCCA Hoosier Super Tour. Did this newfound knowledge pay off? In short, yes. Isley entered the weekend far more confident, getting up to speed faster.

When it comes time to pick a driver coach, ask a lot of questions. Finding someone who is familiar with the track you are going to, has data knowledge that lines up with the equipment you have and perhaps has driven a car similar to yours, will all help ensure good results. And if time is an issue, keep in mind that driving schools like the Bondurant Racing School offer private one-on-one coaching year-round. But be it a professional driver, a data expert or a racing school, if your results with a driver coach are anything like Isley's, you'll be thankful this was a road you went down.

And the next stop for Isley and her Spec Miata? The SCCA Runoffs at the Brickyard.