Q: “I did a track day at NCM in the rain – not damp, but RAIN. Rain, as in standing water many inches deep against curbs, little rivers flowing, no visibility when following… you get the picture. Years ago, I thought you would lower your hot (coming off track) tire pressure to soften/make more compliant tires as you do for sway bars, shock settings, etc. However, a pro who’s name I won’t mention (but he’s won a “few” races in BMWs), suggested that lower pressure was flat wrong. He said you should increase your hot pressure significantly to help pump the water from under the contact patch. Since then, I’ve tried raising a couple of psi a few times and it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t obviously better either. What’s your take? Raise pressures, lower pressures or the same in the rain?”

Q: “After your recent Improve Your Braking & Corner Entry webinar, I have two questions:

“1. Where is the EoB (End-of-Braking) point? Could it be defined as “when the car is under control and pointed where you want it to be”?

“2. Listening to tire squeal… first, in relation to the Slip Angle curve, where does tire squeal begin, near the peak, at the peak, or on the downslope? And when tires squeal, are we close to (or already in) pushing/front and/or getting loose/rear?”

Q: “My question is, why does the track get slippery when it gets really hot and how to adapt to it with my tire pressures, as that is really all I can change at the track?”

Q: “Where does one start to begin racing? I have looked at the Trans Am series (starting at the TA4 class) but there are so many series. Which does one chose? Is there a progression one should follow – maybe we start with HPDE days, then time trials, then getting licensed to race, then pick X organization to go with to race. What’s your advice?”

Q: “What do you think is the better way to go about things for someone who is running mid-pack average lap times for his racing class? A driver/pro coach or a pro school?”

Q: “I have a question about a topic in your Speed Secrets book. In the book you talk a lot about the mental side of racing and a lot of the specific cognitive abilities that race car drivers need. I’ve been using brain training apps like Lumosity and Peak and I was wondering if doing brain training to improve in areas such as processing speed, mental agility, focus, coordination and others would be helpful.”

Q: “I just finished re-watching a couple of your webinars as I work to step up to the next level and go to the Runoffs this season. Reviewing data I see my typical best lap is 1 to 1.3 seconds slower than the theoretical best lap from my data system. No one does the perfect lap, but should my goal be to close that gap to 0.5 seconds? That seems a reasonable goal. Thanks for all your books and webinars! They’ve really helped me improve and consistently run with the leaders.”

Q: “When I am in qualifying, or even just a test or practice session, I often post my fastest time within the first 3 flying laps. This happens despite trying different approaches to certain corners and segments that ‘feel’ faster. Many times I seem to try multiple things within a session, but always come out 1-3 tenths slower than that first fast lap. Could this be from over-driving the car?”

Q: “I have three questions for you. First, while listening to Podcast #99 (Driving with 3 Pedals), it made me think about my heel-toe downshifting. I had thought I was pretty decent at it, however when looking at my data and watching video of my feet I not only realized that I was lessening my brake pressure while downshifting but I was also pretty slow and sloppy with my footwork. Any advice beyond keeping your heels planted?…

Q: What gears should I be using on the race track? I’ve been thinking about a comment you made about “trying one gear taller.” You mention the sound of the car can make us think we are going faster than we really are. I get that but, I’m now driving a 2007 Cayman S and it is a total “momentum” car!

Q: “I did a track day at NCM in the rain – not damp, but RAIN. Rain, as in standing water many inches deep against curbs, little rivers flowing, no visibility when following… you get the picture. Years ago, I thought you would lower your hot (coming off track) tire pressure to soften/make more compliant tires as you do for sway bars, shock settings, etc. However, a pro who’s name I won’t mention (but he’s won a “few” races in BMWs), suggested that lower pressure was flat wrong. He said you should increase your hot pressure significantly to help pump the water from under the contact patch. Since then, I’ve tried raising a couple of psi a few times and it didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t obviously better either. What’s your take? Raise pressures, lower pressures or the same in the rain?”

Q: “After your recent Improve Your Braking & Corner Entry webinar, I have two questions:

“1. Where is the EoB (End-of-Braking) point? Could it be defined as “when the car is under control and pointed where you want it to be”?

“2. Listening to tire squeal… first, in relation to the Slip Angle curve, where does tire squeal begin, near the peak, at the peak, or on the downslope? And when tires squeal, are we close to (or already in) pushing/front and/or getting loose/rear?”

Q: “My question is, why does the track get slippery when it gets really hot and how to adapt to it with my tire pressures, as that is really all I can change at the track?”

Q: “Where does one start to begin racing? I have looked at the Trans Am series (starting at the TA4 class) but there are so many series. Which does one chose? Is there a progression one should follow – maybe we start with HPDE days, then time trials, then getting licensed to race, then pick X organization to go with to race. What’s your advice?”

Q: “What do you think is the better way to go about things for someone who is running mid-pack average lap times for his racing class? A driver/pro coach or a pro school?”

Q: “I have a question about a topic in your Speed Secrets book. In the book you talk a lot about the mental side of racing and a lot of the specific cognitive abilities that race car drivers need. I’ve been using brain training apps like Lumosity and Peak and I was wondering if doing brain training to improve in areas such as processing speed, mental agility, focus, coordination and others would be helpful.”

Q: “I just finished re-watching a couple of your webinars as I work to step up to the next level and go to the Runoffs this season. Reviewing data I see my typical best lap is 1 to 1.3 seconds slower than the theoretical best lap from my data system. No one does the perfect lap, but should my goal be to close that gap to 0.5 seconds? That seems a reasonable goal. Thanks for all your books and webinars! They’ve really helped me improve and consistently run with the leaders.”

Q: “When I am in qualifying, or even just a test or practice session, I often post my fastest time within the first 3 flying laps. This happens despite trying different approaches to certain corners and segments that ‘feel’ faster. Many times I seem to try multiple things within a session, but always come out 1-3 tenths slower than that first fast lap. Could this be from over-driving the car?”

Q: “I have three questions for you. First, while listening to Podcast #99 (Driving with 3 Pedals), it made me think about my heel-toe downshifting. I had thought I was pretty decent at it, however when looking at my data and watching video of my feet I not only realized that I was lessening my brake pressure while downshifting but I was also pretty slow and sloppy with my footwork. Any advice beyond keeping your heels planted?…

Q: What gears should I be using on the race track? I’ve been thinking about a comment you made about “trying one gear taller.” You mention the sound of the car can make us think we are going faster than we really are. I get that but, I’m now driving a 2007 Cayman S and it is a total “momentum” car!