Bill Wood posted on October 15, 2011 00:00
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Ken Block is an international icon for his stupefyingly successful Gymkhana Videos. He's having incremental success at becoming a World Rally Championship driver.
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What is a Rally Driver Part 2
by Bill Wood
Editor's Note: This is part of a series of articles on the psychology of a racecar driver. This was an article done for Sports Car Graphic magazine. It deals with two of the greatest performance rally drivers in U.S. history, John Buffum and Rod Millen. Included also in this piece is an excellent race and rally driver Jon Woodner. Read it for what you can learn and not for the maturity of the words. Enjoy the escape.
Read Part 1 here!
This is the next trait in our study of What is a Rally Driver: a healthy arrogance. Dr. Keith Johnsgard, the San Jose State psychologist who studied race drivers, found that in contrast to the general adult male population, "the novice driver has unusually high achievement needs, high exhibitionist needs and a high degree of self-sufficiency."
(Editor's note: admit it! You knew all of the above was true without a study, didn't you?!)
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Most drivers are used to being the center of attention and the good ones are comfortable with it.
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For the sake of this discussion, I'll define the above as a healthy arrogance much like the 19th century gun fighter who believes he is good enough to wear the title, doesn't need to shoot someone to prove it, but knows someone faster is out there looking for him.
Former national champion road racer Jon Woodner of Washington, DC is 27 (at the time of the article) and a comparative newcomer to rallying. He best fits this personality trait.
Jon Woodner(Editor's note: Jon Woodner was killed in a plane crash in April, 1988. He'd recently finished third at the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Camel Lights car, another illustration of his brilliance behind the wheel. The Sports Car Club of America annually gives an award in Woodner's honor to the performance rallyist driving a two-wheel drive car who best illustrates Woodner's immense driving talent. I also found him to be a brilliant man who gave me the best description of a performance rally I'd ever heard: "Rallying, at its base, is an automobile tour through a very interesting country – to a schedule—with tests of motoring skill and route." Jon Woodner was a conversation worth having.)
"You must absolutely devote yourself to really wanting to do it. I share with my fellows in rallying and in road racing an over developed ego. It's a need to achieve. One can channel one's need for achievement various ways. I chose motorsports. I kept falling off motorcycles. I couldn't afford circuit racing so here I am in rallying."
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| Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team drivers, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala in service after shakedown on the 2011 Rallye de France. It's important that drivers press the winning envelope but Ford would like a title after seven straight years of Citroen success. Team orders reigned in a need for Hirvonen to succeed at the expense of teammate Latvala. |
Does Woodner's need to excel mean that he will do anything to win even at the expense of someone else?
"To a certain extent, that's true. I mean, John Buffum wins the POR Rally this year at the expense of Roddy (Rod Millen) and me. The need to excel, the ambition and the arrogance – some of it is universal in rally drivers. I'm not going to tell you it's necessary but it's universally true."
The last of the acquired traits is youthful enthusiasm at any age. At some point in a rally driver's career, everything must be put aside to seek after the experience necessary to be successful.