Why there's no escaping the race

Motorsport manufacturers lavish millions of pounds each year on new engineering technology and vehicle testing - but do they overlook the mental performance of their drivers?

West Midlands-based sports psychologist Dr Paul Castle reckons too little attention is devoted to the minds of car and bike racers.

And he has just published a book, called Psychology of Motorsport Success, which suggests how competitors of all levels can use psychological skills to boost their performance.

Dr Castle, who is a senior lecturer and director of the University of Worcester's Sport Performance and Coaching Centre, suggests it is how drivers react when things do not go their way that indicates how mentally tough they are.

"Too many drivers are looking for the perfect race. But things will always go wrong - and it's how you react when things go wrong that's important."

The book has chapters devoted to subjects like goal setting, relaxation, building self-confidence and boosting mental toughness. It is mostly free from medical jargon and should benefit anyone with an interest in motorsport - or indeed any competitive sport.

Dr Castle, who has worked as a motorsport consultant since 2002, said he hoped the techniques he had focused on would create a 'mental toolbox' for drivers.

"I'm not saying use this technique for that problem, I'm saying here's your toolbox, when things don't go the way you want them, open up your toolbox, pull something out and make it work."

He is a great admirer of drivers like Michael Schumacher (right), whose reputation surely owes as much to his consistent mental toughness as his technical skill or racecraft.

Dr Castle reckons top racers like Schumacher - and Valentino Rossi from the bike side of things - primarily set out to beat the circuit rather than focus on what other drivers are doing.

"Schumacher epitomises what this book is about. It's about being ready for any eventuality and seeing barriers and obstacles as challenges.

"The question is what motivated him to keep going and I think it was the wish to 'beat the circuit'.

"Valentino Rossi essentially goes out there to beat the track and if anyone gets in his way they are just obstacles to get round so he can beat the track. You deal with the process and the outcome will take care of itself."

But what about Schumacher's perceived 'win at all costs' ruthlessness? Would he recommend that young drivers should go so far as to shunt others out of the way in their bid to reach the top of their sport?

"Not at all. Because then you are failing in terms of you being out there and beating the circuit. You are using psychology in a negative way."

So Schumacher used psychology in a negative way, then. But that didn't stop him winning an awful lot of races.

Interestingly, Dr Castle sees signs that Lewis Hamilton (right) possesses the 'right stuff' mentally - and predicts that he will be a world champion many times over.

"He's done it the hard way. He's taken a lot of knocks on the way up. I think he will go a long way because, mentally, he is ready for things that go wrong.

"I think that's the key in any sport. It's not about perfection - it's about adapting when things go wrong."

The idea of focusing on the process instead of the outcome can be used to help potentially talented performers who lack self-confidence to achieve their potential.

"Self confidence is a big issue for sports performers and there isn't a magical tablet for it. What I tend to do is look for the reasons for lacking in self-confidence and plug the gaps around that.

"It might come about as a result of being demotivated; it might come as a result of being distracted and not concentrating.

"Rather than work on confidence itself, you work on other areas and the self-confidence will naturally return."

A common scenario in motorsport is the talented driver in a non-competitive car: "You've got two choices. You can either pack up and go home or fight with what you've got.

"Even if you have the worst equipment, there are still ways we can make you shine and who knows, you might get another opportunity at a later stage."

West Midlander and twice British Touring Car champion Matt Neal (right) has not employed the services of Dr Castle, but reckons there is potentially much to be gained by focusing on the mental side of racing.

Neal, who lives at Shenstone, near Kidderminster, and drives for Vauxhall VX Racing, said he would consider using a sports psychologist if he thought it would improve his driving.

"Not everyone believes in it and some don't like talking about it. But I've used hypnotherapy in the past and found it very powerful.

"It's the bit between your ears that controls how you operate the pedals and the steering wheel - and anything that can give you the edge is worth trying."

Dr Castle is turning his thoughts to teaching and football for his next two books - and has spent much of this season working with youngsters at West Bromwich Albion's football academy.

Among the issues he observed during the course of the season - and all of us must have seen this in a sporting context at some stage - is the talented performer who 'gives up' when things are not going their way.

"We had this scenario with the academy squad just before Christmas. They weren't playing as a team. We did a lot of work on team cohesion and communication and getting things out into the open.

"I would explore the reasons why people think they need to give up and then employ cognitive restructuring to challenge those thoughts.

"So when they are about to give up you put a big stop light in their head and get them to question why they want to give up and what they need to do in place of that. It's changing the way people think."

Dr Castle also stresses the importance of positive thinking. "If you go into a game thinking you are going to lose then it can become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

"It's about going into a situation and doing the best you can do. You look at challenges and see how overcome them in a non-critical way."

He may have a vested interest but Dr Castle believes most sports performers can benefit from focusing on mental performance.

"Whether you like it or not, you cannot escape from psychology."

Psychology of Motorsport Success, by Dr Paul Castle (Haynes Publishing) costs £19.99.