Ask Ross

Q: “I’m fairly new to the sport of track driving, and I’m wondering whether I should be insuring my car when I do track events? I’ve looked at the cost of track day insurance, but not really sure it’s worth it. What do you think?”

Q: “Is it okay to skip gears when downshifting? For example, instead of a 5-4-3-2 brake and downshift, if your transmission allows, could you bypass shifting into 4th and 3rd and just shift into 2nd from 5th at the same point?”

Q: “Do you think a higher horsepower car or higher downforce car is more difficult to maximize EoB (End-of-Braking) to full throttle?”

Q: “At an HPDE, how do I practice trail braking without being a hazard to the other participants by accidentally going sideways or spinning out of control in the corner?”

Q: “While I feel I have a good awareness of cars around me, I’m struggling with wheel-to-wheel racing. The problem is, I’m new to the type of car I’m racing – touring cars. I feel totally blind when I’m competing with other cars. I used to race open-wheel cars, and I could sense where other cars were around me, and then confirming it with very good convex mirrors. With the touring cars, every time someone dives inside me in the brake zone, I have no idea if I should turn in on the corner or not because I have no idea where the other car is. I don’t want to turn in if they’re already there, so I just get passed easily. I feel intimidated. I want to get better at racecraft. Any suggestions?”

Q: “I wanted to tell you this. I went out after being off the track for 9 months, but while I was held up in the house I took your webinar on braking (Improve Your Braking & Corner Entry), and the one thing I remember you telling us is pay more attention to where you finish your braking then where you apply the brakes. OMG, this was much more important than I thought! I like comparing my lap and a pro driver’s time in my car. I am a visual person and I like to see at a glance where we are on the throttle and brakes. I did figure out that the reason I was losing time at Thunderhill was not braking too early. In fact, the pro and I were consistent on where we started braking, but I held the brakes on just a little longer. Obviously, this would consistently slow me down. So, without Data Acquisition is there another way to learn when it’s the perfect moment to get off the brakes?”

Q: “Could Joe Average, with enough training, get the same lap times as a pro F1 driver, or is that out of reach for the normal human?”

Q: “I appreciate the racing/driving knowledge you generously provide and continue to provide. I have a question: how did you become a race car driver from being someone who wanted a seat in a race car, from inception to the point of transition? I, like most people, want to make my goal a reality (that’s where the realists will chuckle, but never mind them), but it’s quite difficult to see how I can make that come to fruition. Although not everyone’s path will be the same and our environments may have differed, I think having a guideline could be useful.”

Q: “I purchased and watched your “Virtual Track Walk” for Road Atlanta, which was awesome. It helped a lot to prepare me for that challenging track. I was there last weekend for a 3-day HPDE and there was PCA Club Racing too. The races in the rain Saturday afternoon were scary! I have also just finished reading “Ultimate Speed Secrets,” my 3rd book from you. I have a question that I can’t find an answer to specifically, and as it relates to a fast and long straightaway (such as the straight at Road Atlanta from turn 7 to 10A). I have a Porsche 981 GT4, I was going all the way to using 6th gear at about the “bend” at turn 9 to keep the RPM below 7k (peak HP is 6500), and then tried different downshifts for the braking and turn in at 10A. I first went through all the gears on the way down, doing the turn in 3rd. I then tried a down shift to 5th and then short-shifted from 5th to 3rd during the braking. I also tried going straight to 3rd from 6th during the braking, and last, I tried staying in 5th instead of shifting to 6th (had to lift a little to keep it off the redline) and then short shifted to 3rd. I found no “time” differences in any of the options. What technique would you suggest?”

Q: “I was wondering, as you progress through a race and you lose fuel and your tires get worn out, do you have to change your racing line, braking points, apex, etc.?”

Q: “I’ve been told to work on my driving before making mods and tuning my car, and I’ve taken that advice. But my car understeers badly. No matter what I do, I just can’t seem to get it to turn. Can you tell me what I can do with my driving to help this? And then, what should I do to my car to make it understeer less?”

Q: How can I improve my ability to sense how closely I can get to another car on track?

Q: “If telemetry tells me I’m over-braking for a turn, but reducing braking creates understeer, is it a steering input issue? To clarify, reducing braking causes me to miss the apex. What is going on here? Do I stink at turning in?”

Q: “I’ve you heard you talk about being “comfortable being uncomfortable.” I think I know what you mean, but I’m not sure, and for sure I want to know how to do that consistently in a long stint on track?”

Q: “For momentum cars like Spec Miata, is trail braking still an effective method for improving overall braking and speed out of the corner?”

Q: “After many years with BMWs, I’ve gone to the ‘dark side’ and bought my very first American car: a 2021 C8 Vette. My question is, can I take advantage of the 8 gears and dual-clutch with instant rev match to actually up and downshift in the turns? Shifting is reportedly so quick and smooth in both directions that it may seem like steady throttle application. Also, watching the F1 boys, I’m pretty sure I hear them changing gears on entry and exit. Tough to do with a standard six speed, even though heel-toe is second nature.”

Q: “I have been working on improving my braking and corner entry skills for the last few months. I can definitely see improvements in my lap times. One challenge I have as I’m chasing the last tenths of seconds is that I’m not consistent at threshold braking and trail braking. Mental fatigue, physical fatigue, as well as tires and brakes going off, cause errors. I can do well for a few laps, then the errors cause more lost time than pushing the limits. Luckily most errors are correctable, so very few spins and offs. Any thoughts on the risk versus reward and how to decide when to push the limits?”