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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: What is “fishtailing” & how do I control it?

Q: “What causes the phenomenon known as “Fishtailing” and how do you stop it? I was at a HPDE event at Road America many years ago and the instructor said a quick stab of the brakes would stop it. I’ve have only gotten to use it when towing an unstable race car trailer, and it did work on that. Should that work in a race car or on the highway?”

Q: Any comments on the similarities between skiing and driving?

Q: “I’ve been an avid reader of your content since about 2002, and I find that you always have some new angle of providing new knowledge to us drivers. I have a question that’s a bit borderline off-topic. I don’t remember whether you’ve mentioned alpine skiing anywhere, but even as an inexperienced skier I find there are some similarities which could actually help my driving. For example, the use of vision, the importance and use of balance, and of course, the way of finding “the line.” I know that you often look into other sports to find ideas for use in car racing, and therefore I want to ask you if you know of any good alpine skiing “speed secrets” books to explore?”

Q: How do I know where to look for the EoB (End-of-Braking) point?

Q: “I’m doing sim racing and until now I was not too much paying attention to the EoB (End-of-Braking). What can we look at to use as a reference point for the EoB? For the BoB (Begin-of-Braking) it’s easy to look at a wall, curb or sign, but for the EoB I don’t really see what to look at.”

Q: Do I need to learn how to double clutch downshift?

Q: “I’m currently reading Skip Barber racing school’s book “Going Faster” and came to the chapter about shifting. The author wrote that race cars usually don’t have synchros, and thus require double-clutch for downshifting. Since the book was written in the ‘90s, I’m wondering if it’s still true for race cars nowadays? Is it a required technique if I plan to develop my racing career in the future?”

Q: When & how should I develop different driving styles?

Q: “A friend of mine and I have been discussing driving styles lately. We both work in motorsport as technicians/engineers and don’t mind cutting laps on a sim. He has been telling me to try using the brake as a turning tool; i.e., if I’m accelerating out of a corner and I was too greedy on the throttle and have introduced understeer, I should continue accelerating and tap the brakes to not upset the car’s balance too much. This got me thinking about different driving styles. In many racecraft books and tutorials we talk about the ideal line and standard techniques, but when do different driving styles develop in a professional driver and how do you adapt as an engineer when going over the data with the driver?”

Q: As an aspiring driver, when should I contact the teams I want to drive for?

Q: “I’m an aspiring rally driver who just finished reading your book Speed Secrets 5: The Complete Driver. In Chapter 5, “Career Steps,” you discussed getting started in racing as well as choosing a series. As a driver, I have done a season of competitive karting, a season of rallycross, and been to two racing schools. I plan to attend one more school and do some rally sprints before eventually getting my full competition license, but the question I have is: When is the right time (if there is one) to contact a team to show your interest in joining them for the next season? Should I wait until I have more experience later in the year and a race license, or is it best to let them know as soon as possible?”

Q: How can I get up to speed faster during a race weekend?

Q: “After 1.5 years of club racing, I find that on a good day I can fight for 3rd. The problem is, I can only get to that level of performance on Sunday afternoon, after a three-day weekend. There are points on Saturday, and I have neither the time nor money to put in all those Fridays. What can I do to be fast on my third lap out?”

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: What is “fishtailing” & how do I control it?

Q: “What causes the phenomenon known as “Fishtailing” and how do you stop it? I was at a HPDE event at Road America many years ago and the instructor said a quick stab of the brakes would stop it. I’ve have only gotten to use it when towing an unstable race car trailer, and it did work on that. Should that work in a race car or on the highway?”

Q: Any comments on the similarities between skiing and driving?

Q: “I’ve been an avid reader of your content since about 2002, and I find that you always have some new angle of providing new knowledge to us drivers. I have a question that’s a bit borderline off-topic. I don’t remember whether you’ve mentioned alpine skiing anywhere, but even as an inexperienced skier I find there are some similarities which could actually help my driving. For example, the use of vision, the importance and use of balance, and of course, the way of finding “the line.” I know that you often look into other sports to find ideas for use in car racing, and therefore I want to ask you if you know of any good alpine skiing “speed secrets” books to explore?”

Q: How do I know where to look for the EoB (End-of-Braking) point?

Q: “I’m doing sim racing and until now I was not too much paying attention to the EoB (End-of-Braking). What can we look at to use as a reference point for the EoB? For the BoB (Begin-of-Braking) it’s easy to look at a wall, curb or sign, but for the EoB I don’t really see what to look at.”

Q: Do I need to learn how to double clutch downshift?

Q: “I’m currently reading Skip Barber racing school’s book “Going Faster” and came to the chapter about shifting. The author wrote that race cars usually don’t have synchros, and thus require double-clutch for downshifting. Since the book was written in the ‘90s, I’m wondering if it’s still true for race cars nowadays? Is it a required technique if I plan to develop my racing career in the future?”

Q: When & how should I develop different driving styles?

Q: “A friend of mine and I have been discussing driving styles lately. We both work in motorsport as technicians/engineers and don’t mind cutting laps on a sim. He has been telling me to try using the brake as a turning tool; i.e., if I’m accelerating out of a corner and I was too greedy on the throttle and have introduced understeer, I should continue accelerating and tap the brakes to not upset the car’s balance too much. This got me thinking about different driving styles. In many racecraft books and tutorials we talk about the ideal line and standard techniques, but when do different driving styles develop in a professional driver and how do you adapt as an engineer when going over the data with the driver?”

Q: As an aspiring driver, when should I contact the teams I want to drive for?

Q: “I’m an aspiring rally driver who just finished reading your book Speed Secrets 5: The Complete Driver. In Chapter 5, “Career Steps,” you discussed getting started in racing as well as choosing a series. As a driver, I have done a season of competitive karting, a season of rallycross, and been to two racing schools. I plan to attend one more school and do some rally sprints before eventually getting my full competition license, but the question I have is: When is the right time (if there is one) to contact a team to show your interest in joining them for the next season? Should I wait until I have more experience later in the year and a race license, or is it best to let them know as soon as possible?”

Q: How can I get up to speed faster during a race weekend?

Q: “After 1.5 years of club racing, I find that on a good day I can fight for 3rd. The problem is, I can only get to that level of performance on Sunday afternoon, after a three-day weekend. There are points on Saturday, and I have neither the time nor money to put in all those Fridays. What can I do to be fast on my third lap out?”

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