Optimum Drive: The Road Map to Driving Greatness Optimum Drive (Sports psychology, Motor sports)

I'm not a pro driver, but I've done more than 200 track days, have coached/instructed more than 100 drivers, and have trained and evaluated many new instructors. From my perspective, this book is a mixed bag, and I have to dissent from the 5-star reviews so far.On the positive side, this book is pretty good as far as its coverage of sports psychology. The author doesn't really say anything new in that regard, but some readers will benefit from being reminded that becoming a "great" driver requires a lot of deliberate practice guided by qualified coaches, continuing to work on and reinforce basic skills (especially car control), managing emotions, and for those who wish to race, being a fierce (but fair) competitor.On the negative side, the author's coverage of technical aspects of driving is somewhat shallow, and sometimes not quite accurate. The best books available for the technical aspects are the three Perfect Corner books by Adam Broulliard, though they do require some deep thinking and careful study.Ironically, the author talks about managing one's ego (having humility) in order to learn, yet his own ego is pretty big, as demonstrated by his assertion that he's a member of a small elite group of pros who are the only people really qualified to be coaches, whereas amateur drivers generally aren't qualified to be coaches. As such an "amateur" myself, I know plenty of amateurs who are both excellent drivers and excellent coaches (my lap time at my home track is within 1 second of the local pro in the same car), and we teach everything in this book and more. Contrary to what the author asserts, many of us do drive in the rain, have karting and skidpad experience, know how to analyze data, know how to modulate brakes and trailbrake, know how and when to downshift, look into corners before turning in, focus on improving our driving rather than fiddling with our cars, etc. The author seems to have been exposed to only lesser examples of amateurs and has erroneously generalized from his small sample of experience.As another example, the author states that the best engineers tend to be attracted to motorsports. Well, I'm an engineer who's received national awards, and I can say that the author is wrong again here. Most engineers have had no exposure to motorsports nor have any interest in it, and there are plenty of top-notch engineers in all areas of engineering outside the comparatively small world of motorsports. The author seems to have been living in somewhat of a bubble, and glaringly demonstrates that he doesn't know what he doesn't know (Google "Dunning Kruger effect").If you read this book, I recommend doing so with a grain of salt, keeping in mind that everything covered in this book has been covered in other books, and other authors often do a better job than this author.

I have finished the book, Amazon just now allowed me to do a review. I gave it five stars because I can't give it six. Normally you read for entertainment, I bought this for entertainment. When I started reading it I seriously wish I had listened to Paul more when he lived here. This book is education , It takes studying. Reading chapters over and over to make sure they sink in. Paul you have done a great job with this. I can apply quite a bit of it to the motorcycle world where I am, "the mediocre teacher" but this book will make me better. At both riding and teaching.Maybe driving too. Edit. This book is written by the Stig , From top gear.

Far from the typical and overly analytical treatise on high performance driving, Paul's book is much more about the essence and "feel" of the craft, and presents a path to transition from thinking about driving, to internalization of the experience in order to get into that "flow" zone where it just happens. His very tangible discussion of the novel concept of zero steer, differentiating and discussing input- vs. output style driving styles, and describing how to effectively use braking in a high performance / race driving situations were three areas to me that make the book well worth the price of admission! Highly recommended.

I enjoyed Optimum Drive as it gives you a glimpse of the mental fortitude and commitment it takes to become great. I would recommend this book to drivers who think they are already good but want to take it to the next level. Being able to visualize the sensations that Paul describes as "zerosteer" helped me take away a deeper understanding of the sensations that the tires/car transmit to us drivers. I will definitely reread this book next year as I believe there is much more to learn and take away from it.I also appreciate Paul's prompt and thoughtful responses to my questions via email. I have rarely emailed another author but I found his commitment to teaching to be truly special.

Undoubtedly one of the best books on driving on the market. I think that any aspiring racer should have this book on their shelf right alongside Going Faster! and Ultimate Speed Secrets. I have read this book through twice so far right before and after going to a performance driving school and gained new understanding both times. This book has a wealth of knowledge on understanding driving concepts that is well worth the admission price!!

This book is a must for anyone that wants to improve their driving. Paul explains things in a way that other high performance books do not. If you buy 1 driving book this is the one. You can spend a LOT of money on making your car faster however the knowledge gained by reading this book will put you much farther ahead for a very small investment. This coupled with the audio book is the 1-2 punch. Instead of putting shiny parts on your car to perform better on the track just get the book and audio version. You’ll be way ahead

I've read multiple track driving books and do open track days a few times each summer. I learned more reading this excellent concise book in few hours than all the other books I've read. This book really put together for me what it means that the driver is balancing the weight of the car on the tires to optimize grip and make up for compromises in the car's setup. Paul's explains how to use trail braking and weight transfer to achieve zerosteer. You need to read about "flow". I liked it so much I bought my son a copy. I discovered Paul on a Racers HQ.com padcast, listen to the podcast then you will order the book.

I FOUND THIS BOOK SO INTERESTING AND EXCITING THAT I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PAUL GERRARD'S "OPTIMUM DRIVE" TO ANYONE!

Absolutely awesome book for the driver looking to progress beyond the plateau of being 'pretty good'. I have a lot of ideas to go off and practice now. When you think about it, the price of this book is about the same as a burger and a coffee at the racetrack ! What a great coach and author Paul Gerrard is to provide all this advanced knowledge at such an affordable price and in such an easily accessible and consumable format.