Only improves your driving if you have a real car driving on real roads with your game on your passenger seat.

 

Good for you for wanting to learn - too many people just go out and wing it.

Autocross = car control event - its all about controlling a car through speed and transition and will really make you understand what the car is telling you and how you need to drive. Its all tight turns, on the gas or brakes, that will make you much better at handling. Plus, Autocross is inexpensive, easy to get into, you can ask experienced autocrossers to ride with you and tell you what to do for free, you can ride along with them, and if you make a mistake, you'll get some cone rash but not wad up the car.

HPDEs and any track events are more about hitting apexes and being consistent on a set of turns, and will eat up tires, brakes and fluids quickly. Plus, its more expensive and there's a real chance of totaling your car.

Start with autocrosses and if you feel the need move on to track events.

 

go to an autocross, go to the track with a local car club (I went with PCA for my first two, and it was an AWESOME learning experience).

then go get this book

and learn even more

 

^^^ I agree Ross Bently also has a book specifically about autocross skills.
Go out and get some seat time. and then read the books

 

When I kart race I use a lot of techniques I learned from playing Gran Turismo. It helped me learn how to trail brake and pick the fastest line. My steering wheel setup on my PS3 is in almost the exact same position as a shifter kart, so it even feels like I'm in a kart when I'm playing the game.

But to the OP don't use a video game as a trainer. Do the autox like everyone is saying.

 

It's refreshing to see someone that realizes the need for driver training. That's a huge step in itself! Most are too wrapped up in their own egos to admit that they might not know everything from watching F1 races or whatever.

Any chance you can get to drive a car at the limit is a great way to learn, even better when you can have someone guiding you properly. The cheapest option is autocross but you definitely don't get a lot of seat time. Lapping days give you lots of track time but the costs and risks are much higher.

Is there a kart track near you? Not kiddie karts, the quicker stuff where you can't do a whole lap at full throttle. You can learn a lot of the basics in a kart, especially if you have someone that's willing to coach you or at least let you follow them to find the racing line. You get REAL quick feedback too as the person in front pulls away by a few kart lengths (or more ) after any mistakes you make.

 

As someone who has done driving schools for 20-years I have to say, this is the answer.

For more than half of that time I have taught, and on track instruction with someone who knows what they are doing and knows how to watch the student to help them with what they most need to know is the best money.

And remember, you get what you pay for, a good school will not be cheap, but then again, it's the best form of education.

In addition, go pick up yourself some books byRoss Bentley and get to reading.
Just one of his many

 

Go to a Skip Barber course! Lol.

 

Skippy schools are very good, however, they are also VERY costly
There are indeed better value options out there

 

start with auto-x and make some friends. a lot of the guys out there are very knowledgable.