Pro driver vs Amateur - Acura NSX vs Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Amateur Alfa Romeo Giulia Driver vs Pro Acura NSX Driver.

Comparing a professional driver in an Acura NSX, to a complete amateur, myself, driving the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio; my first day at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. There is a performance gap between the two cars, but there's also a huge performance gap between the two drivers. The NSX driver is also held up by a bit of traffic at the beginning, and I’m riding shotgun with him, so he’s got some additional weight as well. You can see once the NSX gets out of the traffic, however, I’m completely left behind.

Analyzing these videos side by side, it’s easy for me to see three major areas that allows the professional driver to destroy my pace. First off all, the pro does a nice job of using the entire track. I occasionally do well at hitting the apex, but tend to not bring the car out wide and make use of all of the space available.

Second, I brake way, way too early. Part of this was intentional. This event was designed to evaluate cars, not set the fastest lap times, so I was super conservative with braking to make sure I didn’t run into any scary situations. But there is also a part where I’m simply not confident enough to brake later, as the pro driver does very well.

Third, I don’t carry enough speed in the corners, that is to say, not only do I brake too early, but I brake way too much. Now this again is a confidence thing, and I don’t want to end up off the track and find myself banned from the event, so I played it safe. That said, the professional driver is also playing it safe, for his own limits, and still absolutely crushing my pace.