Checking Your Driving Position ④–⑤

④ Practice turning left and right with equal effort

Humans have a dominant hand, but try to practice turning with equal effort on both sides, or so he says (I think).
If you’re aware of this and practice regularly, you’ll avoid dangerous steering habits like “hand-over-hand” turns. Also, if you choose a sports steering wheel, it will have a marker line at the top center.

⑤ Grip the steering wheel at 3 and 9 o’clock and go

After adjusting your arm, steering wheel, and foot positions, grip the steering wheel with both hands at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions.
I always thought the correct grip was at 10 and 2 o’clock, but apparently that’s not right (゜o゜).

Just like sports such as tennis or golf have correct forms, driving has its own proper form too.
This concept isn’t very familiar in Japan, where motorsports culture isn’t deeply rooted, but I truly believe the driving position is very important.

Full English Transcript

By the way, I transcribed the English subtitles from the video (there might be some minor mistakes), so if you want to know the full text, please refer to it below and try translating it yourself. (If you do, please let me know! Haha)

So before you even start the engine,you need to set an optimal driving position.
Come on let me show you.
Driving on the limit seating position has to be optimal to get to all the controls. The first things I look at with seating position is that I’m sat low near the chassis.Next I’m looking at steering wheel depth getting about a wrist to the top of the steering wheel.
So with the 911R we have a lightweight carbon-fiber bucket seat.
Not only does that get me load to the chassis but it gives me a lot of lateral support which is what you need. When you’re going faster the corners.
Another big part of the seating position is your leg distance in relativity to the pedals.
What you need is a slight bend in the knee even when it’s full throw in the clutch or throttle pedal.
With a steering settingI have two major adjustments the four aft and the up and down.
First key is that I get a slight bend in my elbow which gives you enough height clearance to clear your knee while being at full lock with your shoulder still against the seat.
With your seating position and distances to pedals and steering set,the next thing you want to talk about is actually the function of using the steering wheel.
You want to share the effort with both your left and right arms,so you’re equally pulling and pushing the weight as you turn.
With the 911 our we have a sports steering wheel the top-center marking which gives you good reference to where you are with steering lock at all time.
With a good arm and leg position my shoulders are back against the seat I’ve got a nine and three grip let’s start expiring the limits of this 911 are in the next lesson.