Ok ive done events such as autox, track day, and solo rally events.
now the thing im wondering is in production car classes we obviously use our mirrors and whatnot. but in heavily modified races, like jgtc, from watching some instruction videos i only see side mirrors and no rear view mirror. also they have the racing seat that has the wing near the head/helmet that obviously blocks head checks for blind spots.
how are they monitering these blind spots without a rear view mirror? obviously if i want to improve as a track day driver so please leave some input.
thanks

 

you don't want to look behind you, the more you look behind, the less you are focusing on what is in front of you and then you drive slower.

 

i actually found out those jgtc cars have lcds mounted in the dash with rear view cameras

 

Hey. Stay with old school. If your in front, watch the front. Be aware enough to know if you are a 'backmarker' and getting passed. But, if not... WHO CARES what happens behind you. That is how a driver forces a mistake out of the driver in front. Mistake = he wins. Watch the windshield and pass ALL who come before it. You'll be a winna!

Tired old racer, performance driver, ex street racer... (young and dumb).

 

when you start gaining experience, you will learn "situational awareness". This is a fighter pilot term meaning just that: a very good grasp of what is happening around you. This is where your experience fills in for what you cannot see with your eyes. After you check your mirrors, a good race driver will have a very accurate picture in his mind about what is going on behind him for the next 4 or 5 seconds. Of course, the longer you don't look, the more things might have changed, and you have to recheck.

"Driving in you mirrors" does not mean not looking, usually this refers to someone who spends more brain power looking than driving. You have to look, even the leaders. If you neglect to check your mirrors on a regular basis, you are doing so at your own peril, because no amount of your skill will save you from a rookie missing his brake point, or 2nd place sticking his nose inside you.

For each track, you will find places that you can use to look in your mirrors and get a picture of what the field behind you looks like. In general, use the times that you are not busy to look, like the middle of a straight, or right as you track out of a turn. If you see someone pulling on you, use your experience to judge at what point of the track they may catch you, and don't think about it again until that point. Quick glances only. The more experience you have, the quicker your glances become and the longer you mental pictures stay accurate.

Just because you are in front doesn't mean you are the fastest, and turning down on someone in a turn may not be your fault technically, but you both lost.

Anyone who ever went for their comp license knows, they were not getting judged on how fast they were going, but how aware they wear of others. That means using those mirrors.

Chris Lock

 

In addition to what Chris mentioned, most street drivers arrange their side mirrors so that the inside edge of the mirror shows them the side of their car. This leads to blind spots on the left and right and a huge amount of overlap between the side mirrors and the center rearview mirror. Why do you want to see the same car behind you in all three mirrors?!

The proper way to set up your mirrors is to have just slight overlap between the side mirrors and the rearview mirrors. This means that your side mirrors will be angled out quite a bit more, eliminating the "blind spots".

This type of arrangement will reveal any car that is to either side and behind your car up until the point where their hood is up to your door. A quick glance left and right will show those areas as well. The large headbolsters on the seat are not in the way at all.

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

 

I always set my mirrors As wide as possible. When I adjust them I position the line on the pavement in the bottom inside corner of the mirror. This takes away much of the blind spots. Combined with the rear view mirror you have a full 180 deg view behind you.