RENEE BURKETT ON THE ART OF SPOTTING.
Photo courtesy of Larry Chen
INSIGHTS FROM PROFESSIONAL FORMULA DRIFT SPOTTER RENEE BURKETT.
When a pro drift driver is on the track competing, they’re not alone. Someone from their team is always there with them on the coms, spotting them from a strategic vantage point outside the action.
We wanted to know what the role of the spotter involves, so we turned to veteran Renee Burkett from the RAD Industries PRO1 Formula D team. Renee has been the guiding voice in Rad Dan’s ear since he entered the circuit now known as PROSPEC in 2015 (formerly PRO2). She holds the 2019 Formula D “Spotter of the Year” title, wears the owner + team manager hats at RAD Industries, and also happens to be Dan’s wife of nearly 12 years.
Photo courtesy of Larry Chen
How did you land the spotter role on Dan’s team?
I have always been interested in cars and was one of only two girls in auto tech during high school. My passion is in design, so going into college, I pursued a studio arts degree with an emphasis of graphic design. While working at a local print shop, I learned about plotters and how they can print large-scale graphics. So, when Dan started competing in ProAm, I did his first car wrap and dove into the branding side of our program as it grew.
We all wear a lot of hats on the team, but when Dan entered the pro drifting circuit and needed a spotter, he asked me to do it. I was hesitant at first, but he assured me he needed me to be his eyes, not to tell him how to drive.
I never would have dreamed my dual interests in automotive technology and graphic design would lead me to pro motorsports, but I’m loving it.
Does your involvement on the crew impact your relationship with Dan at all?
It’s had its moments, but I see that Dan does place a lot of trust in me. That goes far and helps me be confident in doing this job. There’s so much time and money invested, we take the business very seriously, and treat it separately from the personal relationship.
Can you describe how the spotting role works in motorsports?
There is constant focus the entire time. You need to stay aware and be the main source of communication for your driver and the crew. You deliver them critical information about whether the track is hot or cold at any given time, or anything they need to know about the environment that could impact a run. Most importantly, a spotter acts as the driver’s eyes, sharing insights on track positioning, riding the wall, and strengthening the line in the zones, clips, touch-and-goes, etc.
Do all professional teams at the PROSPEC and PRO1 levels have spotters?
Yes. It is a requirement. It isn’t common at the ProAm level, but when you see a team with a spotter, you know they’re serious about competing.
What are the basic skills a spotter needs during a drift competition?
First off, you have to familiarize yourself with the judging regulations. The Formula Drift organization provides a notebook, and I do my best to go through that every year. Not just to become familiar with any revisions, but to refresh myself with the rules, so we can be prepared on how to respond during competition.
Multitasking is also definitely a key skill, along with observance skills, communication, and even coaching. You also need to have patience.
What are the main responsibilities of a spotter?
Spotters handle quite a few things, and it also probably varies from team to team, because each driver is different. These are a few of the main things I have learned to focus on.
Staying aware of track conditions (especially if there’s a wet round, the track is puddling up, etc.), the time of day, the temperature, rubber on the track, etc. All these things affect the vehicle’s performance and responsiveness.
I’m also watching changes to the track made by the judges (e.g. moving clipping points, zone adjustments, FD control center schedule changes, etc.) and relaying this information to the team.
I also record all our data that we reference before and during each race. We’ve had to be innovative with the MKIV Supra, and we’re now finally to a point where we can refer back to last year’s data to help us fine-tune and ensure all the proper settings are in place to make the most of our practice time, in order to prepare for battles.
As a spotter, you have to learn to know how your car should sound and how it should be handling while on the track. This helps the driver and the crew make changes to tire pressure, shock settings, or even switching out the sway bar. When Dan has test days at the track (outside of competition), it’s like boot camp for me, as they experiment with different setups. I am constantly taking notes, so I can translate the data being recorded, in order to understand and learn how to interpret it to our track time during FD competitions.
I’m constantly taking notes about all the other driver runs too, and listening to what the judges want, how they score qualifying, judge battles, etc. One nice thing about FD is they offer a designated time for spotters help during practice and give feedback on your driver’s practice lap(s).
During the race weekend, Dan and I also study his practice, qualifying, and competition videos from my iPhone or my MacBook. We compare them all to see what’s working, and what isn’t, so we can see where and how he can improve.
Photo courtesy of Larry Chen
Do spotters help guide strategy?
This goes back to really listening to the judges, and paying attention to the specific line, angle, and style they want to see these professional drivers execute at each track.
Spotters are required to be at the driver’s meetings where these details are presented by the judges, so taking that information and communicating it to your driver and crew as best as possible, is key from start to finish. So, as far as strategy, we learn what our car can do and how we can give Dan what he needs to throw down the best laps he can out there!
As we get more and more competitive, strategy will become necessary in a lot more ways throughout the event as a whole. Drifting is such a precision motorsport and I never get tired of seeing these drivers do unreal things on the track. It still blows my mind!
What is the tone of your communication with the driver?
I try to be as neutral as possible. I always want to be honest to get better results, but I focus on addressing the positive things first by encouraging and acknowledging moments of greatness. Every time Dan goes up to the line, I’m there too, so I don’t want to put on too much pressure.
How does spotting give the driver….and the team….advantages?
I think providing the complete overview - really observing the other drivers and relaying that information to the driver so he can work through the tools in his bag - gives the entire crew the ability to take the feedback and figure out how to best set up the car.
What kind of situations get stressful?
The car is always a source of stress. We are doing everything possible that these cars aren’t supposed to be able to do. You’re constantly dealing with something and the conditions are harsh.
It’s also stressful when it rains and everybody is scrambling.
Competition in general is all about taking action in the moment, so it can be stressful when it feels like everything is happening at once, but when it's ‘go time’, you better be ready. But, we probably wouldn't love it as much as we do, if that wasn't the case.
Do the spotters stay with the rest of the crew?
The spotters all sit together near the judges, because the judges and teams need to be able to have accessible communication with each other for things like requesting a competition time out, protesting a call, schedule changes, or any other information that is necessary.
There is a judge’s section of the tower, and a spotter’s section, but we don’t always have the best view so that makes it challenging to visually get as much information as you can. Spotters often resort to the nearest screen to view the live stream for reference as well.
What kind of technology do you use to record and evaluate everything?
I use my iPhone to record ALL of Dan's laps. This assists me in reviewing things with Dan so we can be on the same page when analyzing specific laps. I have gotten really good at recording without looking at the screen, so I never have to take my eyes off the track while he’s driving. It is super important to observe the car in drift, how it is transitioning, etc.
I also now use a Remarkable tablet, which replaced the two-inch binder I used to make notes in. Now, I’m able to pull up a timeline of data and record scores, so it helps me put the bracket together, then prepare and study for who we will be battling the following day.
What are you looking forward to most in the upcoming 2022 FD season?
Dan’s driving. I’ll never forget when we had an upgrade on the car one season, and when he came off the line and I saw his driving style come through, I remember thinking, “There’s Dan!” Those are the moments when you see the driver and the machine actually align and it’s pretty special.
We’re going into this season really chasing after more seat time, so that means more track days, and Dan spending time on our TrakRacer racing simulator.
When you observe the top ten guys, you know it’s the whole package that got them there. We see the things that have come together over time in FD, and we’re even doing things like reading books to get deeper into the psychology of professional competition. I’m also looking at ways to become a better coach and provide resources for Dan to grow.
We’re taking steps forward, thanks to all our great partners and team over the years. The car has come a long way, and we’re learning more and more about it. I think we’ll see that in his driving this year.
If you liked this behind-the-scenes peek at one pro drift crew member’s role, keep on the lookout for more articles like this in future editions of Drift Enthusiast. We’re here to provide a deeper glimpse into what makes this sport and its culture so amazing all around. Be sure to get on our mailing list and follow us @driftenthusaiastmag to keep your fingers on the pulse of all-things-drift.
