The Tao of Motor Racing

Book 1
"Where the rubber meets the road"

1.1
The void is separated into existence and non-existence by the race track, for the race track is the Way, formed of the nameless Tao.  The names of the race track are many.  Silverstone, Imola, Nurburgring are but some of the many names of the Way, but none of them is the Way, for the Way is all things and has no name.

1.2
The racing lines are many.  They defy labels such as Good, Better, Best, for they are all part of the Way, provided they are going in the right direction.  Although the eternal Tao lies beyond categories, driving in the wrong direction destroys the fabric of Space and Time like a crack destroys the clear note of a bell.

1.3
The race track is the Way, but it is not the Tao, for the Tao is all things.  The Yin is incomplete without the Yang, which together form the whole.  If the race track is the Yang, then the race driver is the Yin.  Both track and driver are each others' cause and effect, for alone, they are not the Tao.  The track creates the driver, and the driver creates the track, for this is the way of the Tao, which transcends Yin and Yang.

Book 2
"And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high."
- Ayrton Senna

2.1
The revered ancient Master Racers have set many lap records on the Way.  The wise Master Racer does not care for such records, for he knows they will be beaten one day.  Because the wise Master Racer is not attached to the lap record, the record will stand forever.

2.2
One day, a novice racer asked a Master racer: "Master, why can I not beat the lap record?"
The Master replied "The lap record cannot be beaten, for there will always be someone who is faster than you."
The novice, seeking to be clever, replied "But Master, someone holds the lap record!  No one can be faster than he is!"
The Master answered "One day, his lap record will be broken, so there will be someone who is faster than him.  This is the way of the Tao."
"But what should I do then?" exclaimed the crestfallen novice.
"Just go faster," replied the Master.

2.3
When one lap dies, another is born, offering the hope of a better lap time.
But know this: if you get a poor exit from the last corner of the previous lap, you will start the new lap already behind on the clock.
The mistakes of a lap are carried into the next lap, but even the novice is not beyond redemption if he seeks to eliminate his errors.

And there's always the next race, for the Tao is plentiful.

Book 3
"I don't know driving in another way which isn't risky. Each one has to improve himself. Each driver has its limit. My limit is a little bit further than other's."
- Ayrton Senna

3.1
The harmony of the Tao pervades all things and brings balance.

3.2
When you give the front of your race car more grip, you lose rear grip.
When you give the rear of your race car more grip, you lose front grip.
When you increase your wings, you are faster in the corners and slower on the straights.
When you decrease your wings, you are faster on the straights and slower in the corners.
The ways of the Tao often seem mysterious, for the Tao does not take sides.

3.3
The novice racer asked the Master racer for Setup Advice.

"My car understeers on corner entry," he told the Master, feeling frustrated. "What should I do?  What can I change in my car's setup to be as fast as you?"
"Try softening your front springs," suggested the Master racer.
The novice tried this and drove many laps, and returned to the Master.

"Now my car oversteers on corner exit," complained the novice. "Please tell me how to set up my car.  I want my car to be set up the same as yours, O Master, so I can be as fast as you."
And so with the patient Master's help, the novice set his car up exactly the same as the Master's, and did many laps on the track.

"This setup is even worse than what I started with!" exclaimed the novice.  "I have lost many tenths of seconds.  Why am I not as fast as you, even with your setup?"
The master explained "Your right foot is not my right foot.  Each racer must find his own setup, which suits his own driving style.  There is no 'best' setup.  There is only the best setup for you.  You must find your own balance, for the ways of the Tao are unlimited."
The novice was disappointed, for he was hoping to find a short cut on the Way.  He asked the Master what to do.
"Go and practice," said the Master.

3.4
The novice pushes too hard on the opening laps of the race on cold tyres and cold brakes and loses positions.
The novice drives too hard on warm tyres in the middle of the race and overheats them.
The novice struggles for grip in the dying laps and, weakened and infirm, loses consistency and more positions.

The Master racer drives conservatively when his tyres and brakes are not yet at optimal temperatures.
The Master drives smoothly and looks after his warm tyres.

The Master racer wins races with patience and control, for he knows the Tao is beyond Space and Time.

Book 4
"To finish first, first you must finish"

4.1
The novice racer practised for many days.  Finally, he went to the Master racer and said proudly "Master!  I have beaten my Personal Best lap time!"
The Master asked the novice "Have you won any races?"
"No," replied the Novice, suddenly feeling sheepish.
"Go back and practice some more," said the Master.
"But Master, shall I try to improve my lap time?" asked the novice.
"Go and practice winning races," replied the Master.

4.2
To be fast, you must be slow.
To be controlled, you must be smooth.
To be forceful, you must be gentle.
To finish first, first you must finish.
The Tao will guide the Master racer, who follows the Way without overdriving his car.

4.3
A novice racer was talking to a Master racer on the road to the race track.

"Master, I was driving in a race and another driver bumped me from behind and made me lose the Racing Line.  I lost two positions when I was pushed wide on a corner.  I saw a vision, Master.  I saw the 'Red Mist', which descended like a curtain before me.  I was determined to get my positions back, and I drove with anger."
The Master racer said nothing, but merely listened.

The novice continued.
"I accelerated too hard out of the next corner and looped the car, and lost four more positions.  My mind wandered off to lodging a protest while I was driving and I lost concentration, and came last."
The Master said nothing, for sometimes an echo has to hear itself.

4.4
Do not fight the track.  
Do not fight the other cars.  
Do not fight yourself.
Let the Tao flow like a river that carries you along the race track.
But be ever mindful of hitting the apex.

4.5
Can you move without moving?
With awareness, you can navigate the Tao.
Be mindful of the foolishness of others, for as their cars touch and spin ahead of you, you can gain positions as the action causes itself.

4.6
The novice racer could barely contain his excitement when he told the Master racer that he had won his first race.
"I did it!  I did it!" exclaimed the novice.  "I won the race!"
"Who won the race?" asked the Master.
The novice was confused.  "I won the race.  I just told you I did," he said.
"Did your pit crew win the race?" asked the Master.
"Well, they helped, I suppose," said the novice.  "But I was the most important person, because I am the driver!  Without me, there would be no win to speak of!"
"Did any of your wheels fall off?" asked the Master.
"No, of course not," replied the novice.
"Are you more important than the pit crew member who tightened the locking nut on your new wheel in your pit stop?"
The novice's face lit up. "I see!  The team won the race."
"No," said the Master.  "Nobody won the race.  Only the Tao can win the race, for the Tao is like the ocean that the fish swims in.  The fish can drink, but the fish can never become the ocean."
The novice did not understand, for he was not a Master racer.

4.7
The fastest lap time does not win the race.
Winning the most races does not win the championship.
Winning the most championships does not make a Master racer.
Only the Tao can make a Master racer, for the Tao is the Mother of all things.