Ask Ross
Skills
Types
Subscriptions
Got questions? I’ve got answers. This is where I post answers to the many questions I receive. You may find the answer to a question you have here (you can use the “Search” tool), but if not, you have two options:
- If you want the answer immediately, sign up for my SpeedSecrets.ai app (think of it as “Google on steroids, focused solely on performance/race driving,” or “ChatGPT trained to only pull from the 5 million+ words and content I’ve personally created”)
- If you can wait until I get to your question, email it to me.
Q: What advice do you have for drivers starting later in life, and how to manage age-related performance regressions?
Q: “What advice do you have for drivers starting later in life? What tips do you have for managing age-related performance regressions? Do you see things linearly degrading over time? Or is there a point where ability starts to drop off pretty quickly?”
Q: What do you think of Guenther Steiner and how he manages the Haas F1 team?
Q: “This is a different kind of question than you usually answer here, but I’d like to hear your opinion. What do you think of Guenther Steiner and how he manages the Haas F1 team?”
Q: How can I become a faster autocross driver?
Q: “I have a dumb question: What tips do you have to help me become a quicker autocross driver?”
Q: How can I get over crashing my car?
Q: “How can I get over the frustration of crashing my car?
Q: How do I get better at sensing different levels of grip at a race track that is new to me?
Q: “How do you go about learning the traction gradient at a new track? As a track day noob (just doing HPDE events), what scares me more than anything is running across a piece of track with a level of traction I wasn’t expecting — whether that’s because of marbles, dust, different pavement, a puddle, or even a bump.
Q: What is slip angle and how do I use it to drive faster?
Q: “What is slip angle? I hear it talked and written about, but I don’t really understand what it means, or how I can use this knowledge to drive faster.”
Q: What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?
Q: “What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?”
Q: How can I “test” for grip by turning the steering more in the middle of a corner on a race track?
Q: “Can you clarify something for me? What do I learn, and how, from the quick input understeer? I don’t get how that helps me understand how much grip is available. I’m guessing that maybe the answer is paying attention to how much understeer a quick input causes? Lots of understeer meaning that I was already close to the limit? I’m used to using slower turns of the wheel to see if I have more grip available than I am using. If the radius tightens, I was not at the limit. Is this not as valid a test as I think?”
Q: Should a coach talk a lot or little when in-car with me?
Q: “Is it a golden rule in coaching to prioritize quality and minimize advice for maximum impact? Or am I mistaken, and are there some very good coaches who talk a lot during sessions?”
Q: In racing, what does it mean to “present” myself to the driver I’m passing?
Q: “I’ve read about, and heard about, the idea that I should present myself to the car/driver I’m passing. Can you clarify what that actually means?”
Got Questions?
Get Immediate Answers
Skills
Types
Subscriptions
Got questions? I’ve got answers. This is where I post answers to the many questions I’ve received. You may find the answer to a question you have here, but if not, you have two options: If you want the answer immediately, sign up for my SpeedSecrets.ai app (think of it as “Google on steroids, focused solely on performance/race driving”), or email it to me.
Q: What advice do you have for drivers starting later in life, and how to manage age-related performance regressions?
Q: “What advice do you have for drivers starting later in life? What tips do you have for managing age-related performance regressions? Do you see things linearly degrading over time? Or is there a point where ability starts to drop off pretty quickly?”
Q: What do you think of Guenther Steiner and how he manages the Haas F1 team?
Q: “This is a different kind of question than you usually answer here, but I’d like to hear your opinion. What do you think of Guenther Steiner and how he manages the Haas F1 team?”
Q: How can I become a faster autocross driver?
Q: “I have a dumb question: What tips do you have to help me become a quicker autocross driver?”
Q: How can I get over crashing my car?
Q: “How can I get over the frustration of crashing my car?
Q: How do I get better at sensing different levels of grip at a race track that is new to me?
Q: “How do you go about learning the traction gradient at a new track? As a track day noob (just doing HPDE events), what scares me more than anything is running across a piece of track with a level of traction I wasn’t expecting — whether that’s because of marbles, dust, different pavement, a puddle, or even a bump.
Q: What is slip angle and how do I use it to drive faster?
Q: “What is slip angle? I hear it talked and written about, but I don’t really understand what it means, or how I can use this knowledge to drive faster.”
Q: What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?
Q: “What’s the difference between oversteer and rotating the car?”
Q: How can I “test” for grip by turning the steering more in the middle of a corner on a race track?
Q: “Can you clarify something for me? What do I learn, and how, from the quick input understeer? I don’t get how that helps me understand how much grip is available. I’m guessing that maybe the answer is paying attention to how much understeer a quick input causes? Lots of understeer meaning that I was already close to the limit? I’m used to using slower turns of the wheel to see if I have more grip available than I am using. If the radius tightens, I was not at the limit. Is this not as valid a test as I think?”
Q: Should a coach talk a lot or little when in-car with me?
Q: “Is it a golden rule in coaching to prioritize quality and minimize advice for maximum impact? Or am I mistaken, and are there some very good coaches who talk a lot during sessions?”
Q: In racing, what does it mean to “present” myself to the driver I’m passing?
Q: “I’ve read about, and heard about, the idea that I should present myself to the car/driver I’m passing. Can you clarify what that actually means?”
Got Questions?
Get Immediate Answers