It’s hard to imagine a more stressful environment than behind the wheel of a racecar, but for a driving pro like Townsend Bell, it has become second nature. Bell recently took on a new role of coaching rookies on how to improve on the track. Lexus invited a group of passionate auto-enthusiasts to Apex Motor Club where they were given a driving course with coaching from Bell. After completing the course, they were given a shot at taking the first-ever Lexus IS 500 F SPORT Performance around the track — competing against each other for the best time. The 14 attendees battled it out, and the winner was surprised with their own IS 500. The stakes were high, but they had Bell (along with Jack Hawksworth and Aaron Teltiz) to coach them each step of the way. We caught up with him to discuss what he has learned during his racing career and his top tips for driving under pressure.
LexusTip #1: Rest
Townsend Bell: “A good night’s sleep is absolutely critical. As much sleep as I can stack ahead of the race is crucial because there are going to be a lot of moments on the track where you’ll need to dive into that extra store of sleep energy.”
Tip #2: Be Prepared
TB: “Racing has a way of focusing your attention whether you are ready for it or not. For everyday driving under pressure, I think it’s important to remember we never really know when the pressure is going to come, and from where, so driving with anticipation that anything can happen and being present is hugely important. When we are racing professionally, it happens by default. There is never a time that you are looking at the trees or daydreaming. The key is to expect the unexpected and be prepared — and if you are present and driving in that mindset, you are ahead of 99 percent of people on the road.”
