Hi, Ant.
On #2... IMHO there is no substitute for study/visualization before you're actually on the track. We talked about concentrating on just one thing while riding to make progress... if you're adding yet another task (learning the track) to all the other stuff it's just going to hold you back even more.
Little tricks I use:
- Watch video of the track in spare moments, even if you're not able to concentrate on it.
- Make time for at least one study session where you have the track map in front of you and a video for reference. Really pay attention to make best use of your time. Time at the track is expensive. Time when you're eating lunch at work is free.
- Visualization... you see Olympic athletes doing this. Skiers, bobsledders... they're running the course in their mind, eyes closed. Aerobatic pilots and skydivers too, at the highest level. I do this before going to sleep at night, or when I wake up and can't get back to sleep. That's down time, right? Use it to learn. Of course, you have to have the image in your mind already, which is why it's good to watch those videos in the days and weeks prior to hitting the track. If you're going to Palmer in a couple of weeks, the time to start watching that reverse video in the NE Trackday thread is NOW.
If you really must hit the track completely cold, I'd suggest:
- During the first session or two, laser-focus on the line... what the instructor in front of you is doing, or lacking an instructor, what a faster rider is doing. Also on picking up reference points. Let the riding itself become secondary... speed is unimportant until you have some idea where the track goes. Make learning the line that "one thing" that consumes the majority of your attention.
- Lift your vision/go wide-field. See above about picking up reference points.
- As soon as you get back to the pits, stop and re-run the track in your mind's eye to burn what you just saw into memory. That will reveal where there are gaps in your recollection. Prioritize. A number of times during the weekend you said that at X part of the track you were still getting lost. That's a signal that next time out, you should make a point of focusing on X part of the track. The fact that you were still getting lost in the same places after multiple sessions is evidence that you were not doing that... likely due to overload from trying to do too much at once. It's clear you're working diligently out there... but are you working in the most productive way?
Something I started doing recently is writing down track notes as soon as possible after I hear a pointer or make an observation... then go back and review later. You probably saw my notebook. This is in one of Code's earlier books, and is a thing some top racers do. You see it in other sports as well... in golf, the caddy has detailed notes of the course. The less you "wing it" the better.
On #3... really don't know. Perhaps you're unconsciously compensating for being overly cautious and hitting the throttle harder than you otherwise would when the corner exit appears?
