There’s a funny thing about averages. Statistically speaking, half of us are below average. Yet, I think if you ask drivers in any track group and with any level of experience, most of them would tell you that they’re above-average drivers.
We know this cannot always be the case. However, there’s a good chance that you and I, and maybe even a driver we look up to, are below-average drivers. I've encountered my share of unsafe & seemingly unskilled drivers on the track, the type that you can't help but ask, “Who signed off THAT guy?!”
For a long time, I believed that I was above average, even in my early DE days, when I occasionally passed some faster cars in my lowly E30. Eventually, I’d win some time trials and even snag a low-hanging track record here and there.
Pondering my place in the echelons of Gridlife Touring Cup has helped me realize that swimming in the small pools that make up the way-too-diverse class offerings in local NASA and SCCA regions doesn't allow you to see where you really stack up against your fellow competitors.
In years past, the average field size in any class I've competed in couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 competitors (including myself). Once in a while, we’d pull a dozen cars in TT6, but that was rare.
This year, I’m up against an average field of around 50 cars, with upwards of 70 at select events.
It is humbling to realize that finishing smack dab in the middle of a 50-car field is not an insignificant accomplishment. It is humbling to have 4 years of time attack experience only to be out-qualified by 60% of the field. It is humbling having a teammate with a nearly identical car to yours only for them to consistently beat you by 10+ positions.
We can’t all be above average. In fact, most of us probably aren’t.
What matters is having the right attitude and continually striving to improve our driving and our cars. Accepting that being just average is okay, too. The journey isn’t just about being the best; it's about being better than we were yesterday.
Hopefully, even if I turn out to be below average, I can help you on that journey. Let’s embrace the challenge together, celebrate our progress, and remember that in the pursuit of better, there’s glory in every finish.
