NTT IndyCar Series champions aren’t just physically prepared; they’re also mentally prepared. Mental discipline and skill are important tools for every racing driver, and some of IndyCar’s best and brightest are providing insight into the mental side of their career in a development video re-released by SAFEisFAST.com.
In “The Mental Edge,” originally released in May 2014, a number of Astor Cup winners and Indianapolis 500 champions discuss what they do to be mentally sharp for an IndyCar race and why working on their mind is as important as keeping their body in good shape.
The speakers include 2012 IndyCar Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, four-time Champ Car titleholder and IndyCar veteran Sebastien Bourdais, 2016 IndyCar champion and reigning Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud, and two-time Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya.
This was the first time SAFEisFAST discussed the mental component of auto racing; the company put together another video on the topic in December 2014.
But this video came first, and it’s interesting to see these drivers at an earlier point in their careers, some of them well before they achieved their greatest victories. Simon Pagenaud is wearing a Schmidt Peterson Motorsports shirt, and hasn’t driven for Sam Schmidt’s organization since 2014. He’d join Team Penske for the following season and his career has exploded since then.
Additionally, former Ed Carpenter Racing driver Mike Conway is included, and 2014 was Conway’s last year in the IndyCar Series before he moved full-time into sportscar racing.
With no IndyCar racing on track until at least June, keeping mentally sharp is a very relevant topic at the moment, making this video worth a watch for both aspiring drivers and those who want to know what goes into being an open-wheel champion.
Article content is (c)2020 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr.
TVBrittanyF.com 