Time is of the essence

Zaamin Jaffer competes in a sport in which a mere two-second delay can be the critical difference between first and last position. In order to excel in the cutting-edge and competitive sport of motor racing, this determined teenager is leaving no stone unturned.

While racing is his first love, he is also pursuing a course in Business Management in Cardiff. An aspiring Formula 1 driver from Mumbai, Jaffer visits his family in Dubai regularly during his holidays.

He has been a fast car and bike fanatic since he was five years old, and he simply couldn't wait to get his legs long enough to reach the accelerator. Once he got behind the wheel at the age of 16, he was set to blaze a trail.

Currently racing in a purpose-built Ray Chassis for the Raysport team in the MSA Formula Ford championship, he hopes to one day drive for Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya's Force India.

"You are constantly fine-tuning your craft. You have to keep pushing the envelope and make split second decisions in this sport," says Jaffer.

When asked how he deals with the fear of accidents, injury and death while racing, he says: "I focus on making it to the podium. You have to block out negative thoughts and concentrate on the track. If I remain focused, I do very well and come home thoroughly satisfied with my performance. If I don't do well, I analyse my mistakes and then put them behind me. If you dwell on mistakes for too long, negativity sucks you in, and that can only lead to a downward spiral. I visualise myself winning, and that keeps me motivated."

The intense focus of this young man is evident in the way he talks about the discipline, time management skills, dietary planning and control required to succeed in this sport.

Jaffer lives in an apartment with friends, cooks his own meals and, although he leads a regimented life in some ways, he feels he is not missing out on anything. "I have pretty much the same interests as other people my age. The victory celebration on the podium is such a small percentage of who we race drivers actually are!"

Though level-headed, young Jaffer is easily excited when it comes to cars. His favourite is the Ferrari F430. and Carlin motorsport is the team he would like to drive for when he graduates to the F3 in 2011.

But for now, he drives his student Golf to and from various circuits in the UK. He races on weekends and does testing during the week.

Training for the circuit is tough. Jaffer benefits from three-time world champion Andy Priaulx's performance management programme, which is a tried-and-tested method of mental training. "There are so many distractions while racing. You have to get rid of all of them if you want to do well. Mental preparation is key.

"I visualise the laps and the driving plan before the race until I am rehearsed enough to know every detail. I practice the Silva method of meditation to focus, and I've found it to most effective. It has also taught me how to handle disappointment and find something positive in every defeat. You do, in a way, get what you ask for.

"I also practise Zen meditation, which helps me to remain calm before a race. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a good idea for a driver to be 'pumped up' before a race. You have to breathe evenly and remain both calm and focused.

"Formula racing is a sport where you need the agility of a professional sportsman, the acumen of a businessman and the glibness of a salesman to deal with the politics of it all. You have to train constantly. When you start shaving off one-tenth of a second from your time, you know that you've left the boys behind and joined the men."