[Tommy]

Back when I hit the track regularly, I spun out at least twenty times trying to find the ragged edge of grip in turns. I tried various tire pressures and shock settings but the moment the grip failed would still come as a surprise. And once it started I was almost never able to correct fast enough to keep it from looping. ... Until I went to an event where I was able to run several hours a day for three days. By the third day I could feel a little something from the tires just before it was going to let go. I was even able to keep it in that tiny space near the end of grip. It was three months later before I hit the track again and it took me hours to regain that skill again. .... It reminded me of my experience flying high performance jets for the Air Force. If you did it every day you got better. If you did it less than twice a week, you got worse.

I took several lessons from my track experience.
1. Don't shoot for 100% of grip in a corner (or any other situation) with no safe escape routes. Learn your capability where failure will not result in disaster.
2. Don't demand more than 80% of capability (yours or the car's) until you, the car and the tires are fully warmed up and in a safe, controlled environment with emergency equipment nearby.
3. I'm much more likely to step over the edge when there is an audience involved (e.g., the driver I'm chasing, the driver who is chasing me, or those folks watching from the paddock). Ego is a ***** and I suspect I'm not the only Cobra driver affected by this.