Never a stupid question
Never a stupid question
The easiest way to explain it, is tunnel vision or horse blinders. The longer you race, or the more accustomed to speed you get, that tunnel vision goes away, and you see more around you.
On short tracks, like 1/4 to 3/8th miles, I have picked my younger daughter out in the stands at speed and waved to her, lol. Also if you watch some of those in car vids that PAsprint posts, when the car is in the corner and pitched, you can actually turn your head to the left and take a look as to who is running behind you. I've been in situations where I've flipped the guy behind me the 1 finger salute with my left hand while entering a corner just to get him riled up, lol.
Personally I don't run half miles but once or twice a year. But if I'm entering a corner with 2 guys around me at 130 or 140 my bung still puckers, lol.
I run a slightly quieter header, and I wear foam earplugs. The earplugs kill the high end noise of the motors, thus allowing me to hear the low end noise on my motor at speed for tuning or terminal purposes. I can also hear if someone is on the inside or outside of me before I see them, allowing me to adjust my line. Hope this helps.