Author: Andrew Price
Your seating position is the basis for your whole driving experience because it dictates comfort and driving performance.
Bad habits that we pick up on the street can be detrimental not just in driving performance but also safety on the track.
In motorsport we have fixed back seats and a harness to hold us in place. We spend plenty of time ensuring that we are comfortable and in the optimal place. In a street car finding the optimal driving position for you is arguably even more important. Generally without a fixed back seat and just a standard seat belt. You have the added stress of your body being pushed around by forces on track with no real support.
Support and leverage will make it easy to make the precise inputs and to feel the outputs from the car to ensure you get the best out of the car and yourself.
Where to Start?
The steps are simple:
1 - Seat Height
2 - Seat Base
3 - Seat Back
4 - How to Hold a Steering Wheel
Seat Height
Start with the seat in the lowest position. Raise the seat until you have a good view of the road. The lower the better, copying your grandma and sitting up to look down at the bonnet might mean you can see the edges of the car but realistically they don't go anywhere (all things going to plan) the most important thing is to be able to see what is happening up ahead.
Sitting down lower will force you to project your vision further forward down the track. Something that even race drivers struggle with is not looking far enough down the road particularly when the heart rate and stress rises.
It also improves weight distribution and places you closer to the yaw, pitch and roll giving you a better feel for the car.
We will cover vision in a later article but just know it is one of the most important things to get comfortable with.
Seat Base
If you have an automatic place your foot behind the brake pedal if you have a manual then place your foot on the clutch. Wiggle your backside into the back of the seat then move your seat forward until you have a slight bend in your knee.
Once again this is important for safety and control. Sitting too close or too far away will remove the fine control needed for pedal control. Gentle feeding on/off the throttle or brake is where you start making up those final tenths in lap time.
On the safety side of things, if the worst happens a frontal impact into a wall, sending the energy through the engine and firewall into the footwell and you're hard on the brake or clutch with your leg fully extended and that force will be transferred back through your leg and pelvis.
When your left foot isn't on the clutch or brake it should be resting on the dead pedal/foot rest. Leaving your left foot floating on the clutch risks damaging the clutch with any slight pressure.
Your right foot should be sitting with the heel in front of the brake pedal so it can pivot back and forth between the brake pedal and accelerator comfortably.
Seat Back
The final step of the process is adjusting the seat back. Start by placing your shoulders back into the seat. At no time should your shoulders come away from the seat back through your range of motion while steering.
Place your wrists on top of the steering wheel and move the seat back forwards or backwards until your wrists are comfortably on top of the steering wheel and your shoulders in the back of the seat. You can use a mixture of reach and height adjustment of the steering wheel if your car comes with that.
Move your hands to the 9 and 3 position and you should find that your elbows are at about a 100 degree position. This might feel like you are sitting more upright than you are used to but will ensure you have a full range of motion to turn the steering wheel through the tightest corners and also provide maximum control over your steering inputs.
How to Hold a Steering Wheel
If I see anyone with their hands at 10 and 2 or their hands flying all over the steering wheel in random locations it'll be a paddl'n. 9 and 3 is the only correct answer. I always grimace when I see driving instructor's students with their hands at 10 and 2. That hasn't been a thing for 70 plus years since airbags and power steering were introduced.
When your hands are at 10 and 2 you are more likely to make exaggerated inputs. Driving a car is an art form. Sloppy and messy movements are not beautiful.
Now that you've done all of that take a few deep breaths and relax your grip on the steering wheel. Everything about racing is delicate and precise. Hold the steering wheel in your fingers rather than the palm as if you are holding your partners hand leading them through a dance.
Finally
Repeat the above steps until you find the optimal seating position. This may feel strange, unnatural or uncomfortable. Try and get past that initial feeling and work through it. It will ultimately make you a better driver not just on the track but also on the street.