What you learn on the circuit can save you on the road.

Mastering the proper circuit driving techniques isn’t just about shaving off tenths of a second from your lap time. It can also be highly beneficial for everyday driving. Read expert advice from an experienced racer that you can easily apply on the road to drive more safely.

26. 2. 2025 Lifestyle

Driving a car safely and smoothly requires skills and experience that you don’t gain just by getting a driver’s license. To stay calm and confident behind the wheel, especially in unexpected situations and emergencies, you need to master proper vehicle control techniques. It's just like learning a good tennis stroke—if you do it wrong, you won’t enjoy the game, and neither will your opponents.

A circuit day is an excellent way to build the needed confidence. Driving on a circuit isn’t just about the thrill of speed; it’s also about understanding your car’s limits and capabilities. Most importantly, it teaches you smoothness, which is key for everyday driving. Racer Emil Lindholm shares three fundamental tips to get started on the track, all of which you’ll appreciate on the road in everyday traffic as well.

Rally Champion

Finnish rally driver Emil Lindholm won the 2022 WRC 2 World Championship behind the wheel of a Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo. This year, he kicks off his season in the Canary Islands, where the World Rally Championship will take place for the first time on April 24th. In the video, he shares his expertise from behind the wheel of a Škoda Octavia RS at Croatia’s Grobnik circuit.

Proper driving position

To have full control of your vehicle, you must sit correctly. You should sit upright and your back should be firmly against the backrest, and your legs should be slightly bent. If you drive a manual car, your left leg should not be fully extended when pressing the clutch pedal.

Adjust the steering column so that your arms remain slightly bent. A simple trick before starting is to push your back into the seat and stretch one arm over the steering wheel—if your wrist rests on the rim, your position is correct. But that’s not all; you also need to hold the steering wheel properly. Both hands should grip the wheel, ideally at the "quarter to three" position. This gives you precise control and allows quick reactions. A sudden evasive manoeuvre is effortless with both hands on the wheel, and you’ll immediately appreciate this advantage in a series of fast corners on the track.

Understand your car’s full potential

In daily driving, you rarely use your car’s full power or braking capacity, but in emergencies, you might have to. A circuit allows you to safely test how your vehicle responds when pushed to its limits. You’ll learn how the engine behaves under full throttle and how the ABS system kicks in under hard braking. This means that on the road, you can focus on handling the situation rather than being caught off guard by your car’s response, for example, a sudden acceleration when overtaking.

You'll quickly realize that full acceleration and braking are most effective in a straight line. When entering a corner, you should gradually ease off the brakes as you reach the apex, then smoothly accelerate out of it. Nowhere else will you develop such fine control of the throttle and brake pedals as you do on a circuit—this is the foundation of both safety and smooth driving.

Škoda Octavia RS

The sportiest version of the Škoda Octavia features a 2.0 TSI engine with 265 horsepower and 370 Nm of torque. Powerful disc brakes with 335 mm front rotors provide reliable stopping power. The car’s grip is enhanced by 18-inch wheels (with an optional 19-inch upgrade) and an adaptive DCC suspension system that allows for damper stiffness adjustments. For dynamic circuit driving, you’ll also appreciate the electronically controlled limited-slip differential, which comes standard.

Smoothness above all

Two key aspects of smooth driving are maintaining a steady grip on the wheel and following the right racing line. Avoid jerky steering inputs—an old saying goes, "drama doesn’t make you go faster." In fact, abrupt or overly stiff steering movements can cause instability and even create dangerous situations.

On a circuit, the best way to take a corner is to start from the outer edge, brake smoothly toward the apex, and then accelerate back out to the outer edge. Over-aggressive inputs can unsettle both you and the car. Always use the full width of the track to maximize the cornering radius and make your driving smoother. The same principle applies on the road—within your lane, you can still choose the best line through a corner. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference this makes. But always respect traffic signs, speed limits, and other road users.

Expert guidance prevents bad habits

Whether you’re learning to play tennis, cook, or drive, having an expert by your side makes a huge difference. While you can learn a lot on your own, there’s always a risk of developing bad habits that are hard to break. Not everyone has the chance to train with a world champion like Emil Lindholm, but professional driving schools offer experienced instructors who can guide your circuit driving journey the right way since your very beginnings.

Emil Lindholm with Jakub, owner of an Octavia RS Generation I, who is taking part in the Track Day with rally driver.