La Dolce Veloce

See the rest of this post for driving tips from three time Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart. As a driving enthusiast myself, I found these words to be spot on.

Jackie Stewart on Driving
Five things you can do to improve your own skills — from the master himself.
by Marty Padgett (2004-08-23)

Driving well is a skill. It takes experience and study to know when to pass, when to merge, and when to let the driver ahead of you careen on through traffic carelessly.

But driving well is also a gift. Sir Jackie Stewart is a prime example. Stewart, a three-time Formula 1 champion, Jaguar Racing chieftan and handling guru for a generation of Ford vehicles, has a knack for smoothing out the hairiest hairpins, moving through them faster than his competition.

But, as Sir Jackie told us on the winding roads of Marin County , it doesn’t take a race-car driver to be a champion when it comes to driving well. Jackie says many of the same principles he uses on the track apply on the Interstate as well. And drivers can make themselves swifter and safer pretty easily.

We can’t guarantee you’ll drive like Sir Jackie, but he guarantees you’ll be a better driver if you follow these road rules:

Choose the right car. Of course, driving well can depend on the car you choose. “You don’t buy the car that’s overly responsive. That will feel good for the honeymoon only,” he says. Spend some time studying the cars you think you’d like: “An American takes three days to buy a car – that’s the decision time. A German takes seven weeks, they take the longest. They look at all the car buff magazines, they will not take the car at the showrooms,” he observes.

When you’ve narrowed it down, then drive everything you can before plunking down the cash. “I would never buy a car without having a demonstration,” he says. “I’m paying a lot of money for this – it’s the second-largest purchase of my life. I’m going to be very fussy about what I buy. I’m going to compare cars of different brands and I’m going to drive them all, not necessarily on one day.”

Be an enthusiast. Even if you buy a minivan, you need to have some enthusiasm for driving, Sir Jackie says. And that’s something we’re shy on in America , he adds. “There’s still a love affair with the motorcar going on in Europe. There’s still an enthusiasm for driving in Europe which is higher than in America .” Enthusiasm means paying attention to your driving and the driving of others, he says.

Be smooth and swift – not just fast. You can develop that enthusiasm for driving by being a smoother driver, Sir Jackie says. “You want to be gentle with the gas pedal, gentle with the brake pedal. You should be able to read the small print in a newspaper with a good driver. You want to be a driver that makes him or herself look good, to your family or your boyfriend or girlfriend.”

Understand what you know and what you can improve. To get to that stage, first you need a reality check. “Most people drive too quickly. Most men have the macho factor – they think they’re wonderful drivers.” Assess your skills – or have someone do it for you objectively. Then set out on the improvements: “Start slowly and work up,” he encourages.

Know when to obey the speed limit. Speed limits exist for a reason – your judgment is an equally important part of the safety equation. Sometimes, Sir Jackie says, you need to “get out of the way of things. Then it’s better to use a bit of Welly” – meaning, put your foot into it. The worst examples of keeping things legal – and unsafe – are slow drivers that “get a lineup of cars behind them, which is really irritating. Then when you do start overtaking, they accelerate.”

Learn on a manual. If the choice is available, teach others how to drive on a manual gearbox. “If you master the manual, it’s easier to go to the automatic. Once you’ve been taught on an automatic, it’s difficult to go the other way,” he thinks. Once you’ve learned, you can always opt for the automatic.

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