Optimum Drive
The Road Map to Driving Greatness Optimum Drive (Sports psychology, Motor sports)
Published on 1. June 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
200 pages
978-1-63353-517-6 (ISBN)
Description
Don't Just Be Good ? You Can Be Great!Optimum Drive is the complete step-by-step guide to maximizing human performance in any endeavor you choose to conquer
Attaining peak performance. Optimum Drive is a motivational book that uses top level race car driving as a metaphor for peak performance. As a professional racing driver and a driving coach for over 20 years, author Paul F. Gerrard gives you his unique perspective on what causes people to stagnate with the idea of being merely good, when each of us has the potential to be great. Gerrard believes that peak performance is within our grasp. He lays out his step-by-step process for attaining peak performance with detailed nuance threaded throughout. If you have ever been curious about maximizing your own ultimate potential, Optimum Drive is for you!
Mental toughness. Greatness is as hard to quantify as it is to achieve...probably not a coincidence. In this book, Optimum Drive, professional driver Gerrard helps you understand the mental toughness that it takes to reach that greatness. He starts off by taking you onto the track as he explores what driving at 200 mph can teach us about who we are. Using his experiences from behind the wheel at death-defying speeds, Gerrard breaks down the psychology of driving, what it takes, and how we can use it to achieve greatness in life.
Flow psychology and staying in the zone. The key to the mental toughness that Gerrard believes it takes to achieve peak performance is the nirvana-like sensation of flow psychology or being in the zone. Flow psychology, or being in the zone, is a mental state in which one who is performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and joy. It is through flow psychology that Gerrard introduces a blend of holistic mindset combined with a competitive edge, which is essential to successful professional driving. This mix of guts, tenacity and endurance is the foundation of Gerrard's philosophy for attaining greatness.
Why you should read Optimum Drive
This book is not just about learning how to drive race cars. Use it for anything.
Auto Racing (by far the richest sport in the world) has invested more money evaluating human performance than any other sport.
Optimum Drive is a step-by-step guide to unlock your hidden potential.
Former Top Gear US Stig, Paul F. Gerrard has taught and refined his principles for over 20 years with thousands of successful students.
Attaining peak performance. Optimum Drive is a motivational book that uses top level race car driving as a metaphor for peak performance. As a professional racing driver and a driving coach for over 20 years, author Paul F. Gerrard gives you his unique perspective on what causes people to stagnate with the idea of being merely good, when each of us has the potential to be great. Gerrard believes that peak performance is within our grasp. He lays out his step-by-step process for attaining peak performance with detailed nuance threaded throughout. If you have ever been curious about maximizing your own ultimate potential, Optimum Drive is for you!
Mental toughness. Greatness is as hard to quantify as it is to achieve...probably not a coincidence. In this book, Optimum Drive, professional driver Gerrard helps you understand the mental toughness that it takes to reach that greatness. He starts off by taking you onto the track as he explores what driving at 200 mph can teach us about who we are. Using his experiences from behind the wheel at death-defying speeds, Gerrard breaks down the psychology of driving, what it takes, and how we can use it to achieve greatness in life.
Flow psychology and staying in the zone. The key to the mental toughness that Gerrard believes it takes to achieve peak performance is the nirvana-like sensation of flow psychology or being in the zone. Flow psychology, or being in the zone, is a mental state in which one who is performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and joy. It is through flow psychology that Gerrard introduces a blend of holistic mindset combined with a competitive edge, which is essential to successful professional driving. This mix of guts, tenacity and endurance is the foundation of Gerrard's philosophy for attaining greatness.
Why you should read Optimum Drive
This book is not just about learning how to drive race cars. Use it for anything.
Auto Racing (by far the richest sport in the world) has invested more money evaluating human performance than any other sport.
Optimum Drive is a step-by-step guide to unlock your hidden potential.
Former Top Gear US Stig, Paul F. Gerrard has taught and refined his principles for over 20 years with thousands of successful students.
Reviews / Votes
"As an aspiring racer and lifetime student of performance driving, I've thoroughly enjoyed and benefited from Optimum Drive. Paul's writing is full of insights -- both into the psychology of competitive driving - and drive itself - accompanied with some very powerful and useable techniques. The way he brings to life the role of tires and the concept of 'Zerosteer' improved my lap times. From his decades of experience, this book delivers on its promise to make you smarter, better and faster."- Chris Cappy, President, Pilot Consulting Corporation "Optimum Drive is a racers guide for anyone trying to get to the top tiers of professional motor racing. As a professional driving coach Paul has seen a wide range of driver issues and understands the complexity of modern motorsports and its technological components. Paul explains the areas a driver must focus his efforts on to master his craft."
- D. Bruce Reichel, Racer and Career Driving Trainer, Driving SME "I have been involved in high performance driving, including club racing, at all amateur levels for twenty-five years. No professional I have been exposed to in numerous driving and racing schools over the years has articulated, demonstrated and taught high-performance driving and race-craft knowledge and skills better than Paul Gerrard."
Gary Church President & CEO, Aviation Management Associates, Inc. "Paul's unique way of describing the "art" of driving is what's so appealing to me. I highly recommend this book for the novice driver as well as the experienced professional!"
- Micheal Castiglione, Design Manager, KIA Design Center America "The mental side of driving is so important and easily ignored, be it ego, laziness or purely lack of understanding of its true power for success. There are reasons we progress and perform differently on any given day and Pauls book brings this all into perspective and written in such away that it can be utilized for us to be the best we can be, more often, and learn at a much higher rate. Through our many conversations I know Pauls passion and knowledge for the art of driving to be second to none and he has been able to put this gift into written words so that even the most experienced of drivers can gain tools to reach a higher and more consistent level. As for the person just embarking on their performance driving journey what a fantastic insight to take with you and help you rise through the many levels. A glovebox book for reference along the way and one I would love any student I teach to read from beginning to end."
Paul Charsley Formula 1 Blog Analyst, driver coach, manager and professional racing driver "Have you tried driving an automobile at the limit of performance on a track... naked?
Paul Gerrard's comprehensive principles overlay a method of drilling down to the truth of your skill set. You get in the car, take your fire suit off, and get blasted by a pressure washer. Sure this sounds painful, but you're washing in the honesty of driver skills assessment.
In doing so you grow-performing at a higher level-going beyond the plateau that you never realized you were stuck on.
Reading Paul's book is an insightful and welcomed experience. Optimum Drive stands apart from the crowd of how-to-drive-a-race-car publications."
- Rob Schermerhorn, Delta Vee Motorsports LLC "With an array of motorsports driving books on the shelf it's wonderful to see a new and exciting approach by delving deeper inside the all important mental game. Paul has drawn on his vast experience of driving, coaching and living racing to put together a map that guides you through the mental mine field that is competitive racing. You'll quickly learn how driving transcends into any challenge in life, sports or business."
- Nick Harvey, Xfinity Competition Manager, Chip Ganassi Racing "If you know all about threshold braking, late apexes, and trolling for sponsors, but you're still not achieving racing success, Paul Gerrard's new book might be able to help. In Optimum Drive, Gerrard covers these topics, but he also focuses on the mental side of racing-how to develop the mindset that's essential for greatness. We all need the right attitude to make the most of our inherent skills."
Csaba Csere
Editor-in-Chief, Car and Driver
1993-2008 "Optimum Drive is a great read for young aspiring racers, and experienced veterans alike. If you are a racer, you will get something from this book. It covers basics that can be easily overlooked, and also dives into more intimate concepts. It is thought provoking, educational, and an excellent account of the skill sets to be developed for race car drivers as athletes." - Josh Wise, former Sprint Car Champion and NASCAR driver
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
FL
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
B/W
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
333 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-63353-517-6 (9781633535176)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Prior to becoming a professional stunt driver, Paul Gerrard earned multiple racing championships and became Chief of Special Projects for Skip Barber - the largest racing school in the world. Gerrard has a wide range of automotive talents and deep history in motorsports. His ability to write and present in an entertaining and compelling manner has earned appearances on TV shows such as MythBusters, ABC Nightly News, Supercars Exposed, and National Geographic's Ultimate Factories. Gerrard is also a commentator at X Games for ESPN and the voice for the Global Rallycross Championship race series that features Ken Block and Tanner Foust. The preface for Optimum Drive was provided by Allan McNish. Allan is among sportscar racing's elite. With Porsche and Audi he joined an exclusive club of three-time winners of the notoriously demanding 24 Hours of Le Mans, became FIA WEC World Champion with Audi, he has won three American Le Mans Series titles, and is the most successful British driver in America's revered Sebring 12 Hour, with four wins. A former factory Audi driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Allan's commitments include being an Audi Ambassador, media duties for BBC F1 & BBC Radio 5 Live, FIA Formula One Driver Steward roles, and he is proud to be the President of the Scottish Motor Racing Club. The foreword for Optimum Drive was provided by Tanner Foust. Tanner is a versatile and multi-talented driver known for his supreme car control and a proven track record of podium placements, national championships and world records. He is a three-time U.S. rallycross champion (2012, 2011, 2010) who has also won four X Games gold medals (2013, 2010, 2007), and two Formula Drift championships (2008, 2007). Off the track, Tanner demonstrates his impressive car control and driving experience on-camera as host for History Channel's Top Gear and performing stunts for various films, TV shows, and commercials.