[Perfectlap]

^yes the map! I'm a visual person yet I too would have trouble "connecting the dots". I draw a map large enought so it can fit on the steering wheel and while I wait for my runs I study the map. I number each cone and draw an x where the braking should occur. In the begining I tended to brake a different number of times on each turn because I was going into each turn too fast or I was braking to late and the one hard tap to brakes wasn't slowing me down enough. Nailing the braking is the key to a quick lap for me.

The reason you are missing the gates is because your not looking ahead. Sounds retarded how can I look at the 2nd gate if I can't find the first!? Its a funny thing but your subconscious starts to plot the cones for you. You are indeed seeing them its just that your mind isn't registering them because you are in "target fixation". You are concentrating 90% on what is in front of you and 10% on the next one. Should be the other way around.
When you get rid of that target fixation you can see that the 2nd gate is at 9 o'clock with your eyes your body starts to react to the gate in front of you at 3 o'clock.

I once missed a gate on almost all my laps except on my very last run I got it together and managed to set the best time. Everyone had jokes about that...