I know I'm not alone in this. There are other drivers that freak out when it's our turn to qualify/tandem and we just lose our cool and can't drive to our fullest ability. What can we do to remain calm in these situations? This is something I've been working on for a while now and I will list some things that I learned through trial and error and other people's advice.
1. Listen to music when you're up.
This is the best thing you can do when it's your turn. Bring a music player with headphones that cancel out other noises. The ones with the rubber ear peice are my personal favorites because they are cheap, and you can't hear anything except your music. With your music playing, and not being able to hear other noises, you can focus entirely on your car with no distractions.
The type of music is important. Some people like to listen to something that gets them pumped up. This may work for some, but I found that music that calms you is much better in this situation. (at least for me) Here is what I listen to when it's my turn to tandem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4abaowMqnI
Usually it's too quiet to hear in a noisy comp environment. So if that's the case, I would go to this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkNj7Aujme4
The point is, these tracks are calming to me. When I listen to them, I'm centered and I can drive like I can when no one is watching. This depends on what you think is calming to you. I find classical music calming, someone might find techno calming. Just find one track that you like, and keep it on loop on your music player.
2. Enter as many comps as you can
Yup, enter as many as you can. How does this help? The more comps you enter, the more times you are put in uncomfortable settings and the faster you get used to them. I've entered a lot of comps and each time I was a little bit less nervous each time.
You get confident in the situation because you've done it before. When you've done something before, you have experience and you can work in the environment better each time you are there. Think of a new job. You're nervous on your first day, but after going there everyday, you're so used to it that you don't even think about it.
3. Gain confidence with your driving ability
This is similar to number 2. Except this involves getting to a point where you know you can go on any track and learn it quickly. Where you know how to tune your car for any track set up or condition. This is why we have sessions every Sunday. Is for this exact purpose. Come out to the session, hang out, talk, drive and just have a good time. Going to sessions also gives you the mentality of comps being sessions. That's pretty much what they are anyway. If you look at comps like a session, you'll be more relaxed.
4. Don't worry if you lose
This is just a general rule that we have in drifting: Remember to have fun. I know losing sucks, but if you have a good time at the comp, you won't even remember you lost. Besides, it's better to lose 10 times and win once then to win 10 times and lose once. That one time you win is extra special because you worked so hard to get to that point.
A quote from DriftRC magazine issue 2:
"Sometimes you have to lose a lot to truly appreciate winning once. Start at the bottom and motivate yourself to the top."
Good luck!
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