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Speed Secrets Merch
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 to the right, or just scroll through the pages and pages…), but if not, you can email it to me (use the big red button to the right).
Q: How do I get started in racing?
Q: “I’ve been following racing for many years, and recently I’ve gotten involved with the flaggers and safety crews with the SCCA. This has only turned up my desire to go racing, but I don’t know where to start. What do I do?”
Q: How do I drive fast corners faster, like Turn 8 at Mosport?
Q: “My home track is Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park). One of the more challenging turns for me is the very fast Turn 8. What I find is that the rear gets loose when I try to brake later. Any help would be appreciated.”
Q: How can I manage being nervous about getting back on track after a long lay-off?
Q: “I haven’t been in a car, on track, for months. I’m going to be in the car for the first time next month, and I find myself super nervous about it – way more anxiety about it than I’ve usually had. It’s to the point of self-doubt and wondering if I should even do it. I’ve had similar situations in the past, and it usually disappears as soon as I unload the car and get on track. But this time it seems stronger. And I know self-doubt is super-dangerous, given the situations racing can put you in. Is there anything I can do to calm my anxiety? I love racing and being at the track, and it’s not something I want to give up on. But at the moment, the nervousness is a bit overwhelming. Thanks for any insight.”
Q: When should I use a double apex in corners?
Q: “Is it better to treat the double apex corner as a single apex corner or is there room for a little more brake release — or quick blip of the throttle — to gain a bit more “mid-corner” speed through the short stretch of track?”
Q: How should I practice and get better at trail braking and my brake release?
Q: “An area I really want to work on is “trail braking” and “brake release.” Do you have some training techniques or drills to use, to focus on & practice on, so I can better feel & use the “end of braking” to best advantage?”
Q: Can you explain how the timing and rate of brake release helps me drive faster?
You’ve mentioned how brakes are useful for more than slowing down, and can be useful for rotating the car and helping me drive faster. Is there something about the actual rate of release beyond, (1) not over-slowing, and (2) keeping some weight on the fronts to steer in the corner? Also, isn’t this “trail braking”?
Q: How do I find the brake reference points on the track?
Q: “One thing I continue to struggle with (even after 20 years of largely amateur sports car racing) is finding and retaining my brake points. What could/should I be doing to create these points of reference from seemingly nothing?”
Q: What is trail braking & how do I trail brake?
Q: “I’ve heard the term trail braking. I’ve been told that the best drivers use it. I’ve been told that I should use it. But I’m not sure exactly what it is, and whether I’m already doing it or not. I think I am, but not sure. Can you tell me what it is, and how to do it?”
Q: How do I find the ideal pressures for my tires for driving on track?
Q: “I’m looking for the formula to adjust my cold tire pressure based on the ambient air temp. I had heard someone at the track mentioning this but missed getting the formula. I have used the pyrometer to ensure I have a tire pressure that gives a very even temp across the tire, let the tire cool overnight and took the tire pressure as my future starting cold tire pressure. At the same time, I recorded the ambient air temp to have record of both. My question is, if on the next time to that track, the ambient air temp is higher or lower than the day I recorded my previous tire pressure, how much do I adjust my cold starting pressure? Of course, I have done all of the above for each tire, arriving at four different starting cold pressures. Is there a formula that will give me the adjustment?”
Q: Explain the difference between blocking & defending in racing?
Q: “When watching racing on TV I hear commentators talk about blocking and defending a pass. I think I know the difference, but can you clarify? What’s the difference between blocking and defending? Where’s the line drawn for proper, fair, safe racing?”
Got Questions?
Skills
Types
Subscriptions
Speed Secrets Merch
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: How do I get started in racing?
Q: “I’ve been following racing for many years, and recently I’ve gotten involved with the flaggers and safety crews with the SCCA. This has only turned up my desire to go racing, but I don’t know where to start. What do I do?”
Q: How do I drive fast corners faster, like Turn 8 at Mosport?
Q: “My home track is Mosport (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park). One of the more challenging turns for me is the very fast Turn 8. What I find is that the rear gets loose when I try to brake later. Any help would be appreciated.”
Q: How can I manage being nervous about getting back on track after a long lay-off?
Q: “I haven’t been in a car, on track, for months. I’m going to be in the car for the first time next month, and I find myself super nervous about it – way more anxiety about it than I’ve usually had. It’s to the point of self-doubt and wondering if I should even do it. I’ve had similar situations in the past, and it usually disappears as soon as I unload the car and get on track. But this time it seems stronger. And I know self-doubt is super-dangerous, given the situations racing can put you in. Is there anything I can do to calm my anxiety? I love racing and being at the track, and it’s not something I want to give up on. But at the moment, the nervousness is a bit overwhelming. Thanks for any insight.”
Q: When should I use a double apex in corners?
Q: “Is it better to treat the double apex corner as a single apex corner or is there room for a little more brake release — or quick blip of the throttle — to gain a bit more “mid-corner” speed through the short stretch of track?”
Q: How should I practice and get better at trail braking and my brake release?
Q: “An area I really want to work on is “trail braking” and “brake release.” Do you have some training techniques or drills to use, to focus on & practice on, so I can better feel & use the “end of braking” to best advantage?”
Q: Can you explain how the timing and rate of brake release helps me drive faster?
You’ve mentioned how brakes are useful for more than slowing down, and can be useful for rotating the car and helping me drive faster. Is there something about the actual rate of release beyond, (1) not over-slowing, and (2) keeping some weight on the fronts to steer in the corner? Also, isn’t this “trail braking”?
Q: How do I find the brake reference points on the track?
Q: “One thing I continue to struggle with (even after 20 years of largely amateur sports car racing) is finding and retaining my brake points. What could/should I be doing to create these points of reference from seemingly nothing?”
Q: What is trail braking & how do I trail brake?
Q: “I’ve heard the term trail braking. I’ve been told that the best drivers use it. I’ve been told that I should use it. But I’m not sure exactly what it is, and whether I’m already doing it or not. I think I am, but not sure. Can you tell me what it is, and how to do it?”
Q: How do I find the ideal pressures for my tires for driving on track?
Q: “I’m looking for the formula to adjust my cold tire pressure based on the ambient air temp. I had heard someone at the track mentioning this but missed getting the formula. I have used the pyrometer to ensure I have a tire pressure that gives a very even temp across the tire, let the tire cool overnight and took the tire pressure as my future starting cold tire pressure. At the same time, I recorded the ambient air temp to have record of both. My question is, if on the next time to that track, the ambient air temp is higher or lower than the day I recorded my previous tire pressure, how much do I adjust my cold starting pressure? Of course, I have done all of the above for each tire, arriving at four different starting cold pressures. Is there a formula that will give me the adjustment?”
Q: Explain the difference between blocking & defending in racing?
Q: “When watching racing on TV I hear commentators talk about blocking and defending a pass. I think I know the difference, but can you clarify? What’s the difference between blocking and defending? Where’s the line drawn for proper, fair, safe racing?”
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