Continuing Mazda Motorsports’ ten essential actions to being the complete racecar driver, professional drivers must be mentally tough. This isn’t just about focusing on what is happening while on track. It also includes your life outside of the racecar.

“A racing driver better be prepared to hear about all the great parties, the weddings, the life, they’ve missed. A racing driver who wants to make it to the top better be hard. A racing driver has to be mentally tough.”

Kenton Koch, 2014 Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Champion, explains that being mentally tough is important when racing too. “If you go off track, drop two wheels or someone is trying to get in your head, you can be mentally shaken. If you’re not one that’s very focused on what you need to do and not let your mind stray from what you’re doing, then you’re going to screw up and he’s going to get by you.”

This toughness will separate the best from the rest, determining who is capable of being more than just fast.

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Photo by Al Merion Padron