Just been having a little read as haven't been on the forum for a while......
Not sure where to begin but here we go!!
Regarding preparation, prepare for the unexpected! And to be able to be prepared for that, you need to have prepared well! Have I mentioned prepare(d) enough??!
I was fortunate enough to qualify for Race Camp this year Via the final live event at the Trafford Centre. Until 2015 i had never played GT. I had heard of GT Academy years ago but for some reason never actually tried to qualify for it! In terms of learning the game, I researched what the trails were in previous years and just started practicing on them/or similar. I just tried getting up to speed with how the game reacts etc. I used a control pad at first, i soon realised to have any chance of qualifying id need a wheel, i went and bought and T300 RS and i have to say, its been spot on since day one!
In terms of my preparation for race camp, they are as follows. I didn't have much time to do much physical training that would alter my fitness levels before the competition because i qualified with less than 3 weeks to go! Lucky for me though i was already training 5 days a week, the only down side to that is i tend to train more on weights, core and compound exercises rather than cardio!! I tried to compensate for this by going silly over the following 2 weeks by running between 3-5 miles a day, the result, my IT band flared up in my left leg and 3 days before flying out to Abu Dhabi i could barley move my leg still, i kept up with the stretching exercises and luckily it felt much better by the time we flew out. This was a massive concern for me when we actually took part in the physical challenge because it was still very much "healing" and as the fitness stuff was early on in the comp i wanted to survive that to at least get somewhere near a race car. I paced myself, and came through in 2nd behind James/
@Growling.
In terms of my racing experience, i have a few years experience competing in Karting, it is the best way to learn the principals of race driving, some of the best talent is formed via this route. I would recommend doing a tuition day/track days with a professional instructor if you can afford it though. All i managed to get in was a half day session at Silverstone, it gave me a bit of confidence though and more importantly, peace of mind!
My advice with how to approach the competition should you qualify? As mentioned, be as well prepared as you can be, do as much karting/driving on track as you possibly can, smash it out in the gym and believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, you will go far.
I haven't spoken much online about how i found the experience, having spoken with my fellow team mates, we all share similar views about how things should of been different and how some of the challenges just seemed utter **** and pointless. The key thing is, don't lose focus, keep your eye on the prize whilst not over pressuring it and taking each challenge as it comes.
I'll be straight up and honest with you, on some of the challenges I was very cautious, because i kept thinking, well it will be ok, they'll be plenty of time for me to fully unleash and put my cards on the table and i didn't want to over do it and mess up. The truth is, with that approach i the started to feel i hadn't done myself justice, then the pressure started building up in my head that i'd messed up! I started to think i should of just gone balls out all out from the start and showed my pace rather than playing safe and getting through each task without any dramas.
The end result was i made it to the final, and was fortunate to be given the chance to achieve my dream. My tactic of playing it safe paid off, but looking back, i could of made it a hell of a lot easier on myself if i hadn't of been as cautious. Unfortunately i didn't win the race, i made a mistake at turn one because my left hand wing mirror was not in the correct position so it was impossible for me to see Romain, i was so worried about turning in on him because we'd been warned about contact i effectively ran myself off the road, picked up loads of rubbish on my tyres and spent the next 2 laps trying to get some heat back into them and fluffed 2 gear changes in the process!
On the day though i still wasn't quick enough. i managed a 1.15.8, for some reason as mentioned by the others, the experience was a shock, and not in a good way. Sure it was amazing to be out there doing what we had worked hard to do! But the silly challenges and lack of any real track driving and instruction in the week just put me on edge the whole time and unfortunately i think i just had so much going on in my head i couldn't loosen up and let loose in the car. I am proud that i made it to the final, but frustrated i never relaxed in the process.
So my number one tip, get you mind and focus in the right place, listen to the positives you want to take on board and shut out the negatives. It's your life and if it's your dream you owe it to yourself to give it everything you have if you're going to enter, whether you make it past day 1 or get to the final is irrelevant, if you can look back at the experience at the end and truly know you gave it your all despite what they throw at you, then you can be proud.
Good Luck,
Ben
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