While driving home from Ohio it occurred to me that fighting to not be dead last is exactly the same as fighting for the last trophy (as I found myself doing this weekend) is exactly the same as fighting for the class win. And it doesn’t matter whether it be at a regional, a championship tour or at Nationals. It’s all exactly the same.

More often than not the situation is this: you have one run left and it must save more time, sometimes a lot more time. Thou shalt not hit a cone, but thou shall be close. Thou shalt not slide or spin, but thou shall be at the limit. Thou shalt not make a mistake of any consequence.

So, we might as well figure out how to get it done in the one chance remaining while we’re still at the bottom of the time-sheet. Why wait?

One key is being able to remember and think back over the previous run to identify mistakes plus identify what changes will allow you to save more time. If you can’t remember the run vividly enough to identify mistakes, and if you can’t think of any way to at least possibly save more time, then you have little chance of achieving your goal.

Trying to drive harder usually won’t cut it. You’ve got to force yourself to think, man!

Like anything else, it takes practice. In this case, mental practice.