Q: “I’ve been reading your book and I was wondering how much certain techniques, such as the ideal line through a corner and reducing steering angle with rotation and others, translate to NASCAR-type cars on ovals. I know that isn’t the kind of racing you did; however I do know you coached Colin Braun who did race in NASCAR for a bit so I was wondering if you could give me any guidance!”
Q: “With a new Bell full coverage helmet my head position is canted down 15 to 20 degrees. I’m certain this is common, but don’t know the solution. This is a daily driver and I don’t want to swap the seat out. What are your recommendations? Both of your books I’ve read emphasize the importance of good body position in the seat.”
Q: “In a recent webinar you said you should be done with all your downshifting before you turn in, but how about when your car only uses 3rd and 4th gears and 3rd over-slows you, and 4th is too tall? Sometimes I feel I need to downshift as late as possible (sometimes in the trail braking zone with a big heel and toe) to gain some entry speed, what do you reckon?”
Q: “I get annoyed when people talk about rotating a car in to a corner. To me rotating is something it does when it is out of control, as in “I rotated the car 720 degrees or the car rotated under hard braking.” I’d rather think about differing slip angles. What am I missing?”
Q: “A friend of mine watched a video of me with an instructor in my car, and thought the instructor was a distraction to me as we talked about all sorts of things (corner workers, the weather, etc.). The instructor felt I drove better when my mind was somewhat off of the track since if I focused too hard, I tried too hard, and it seemed I would start overdriving the car. If I just let my intuition and instincts drive, I drove better. He advised me to just have fun driving after this. Another time I had an instructor asking me about things I had done to the car in previous times and complimenting the looks, style, performance, etc. while we were climbing uphill Esses at VIR. He apparently felt the same way.
Q: “How can I still find motivation to continue after 15 years of racing the same car on the same regional tracks against the same people – it’s gotten stale. I enjoy racing and I have that as an identity, but unfortunately I’m not sufficiently well-financed to afford a second car or race at tracks more than a day’s tow from my home state. I suppose I could sell my current car to buy another, but sentimentality is kind of preventing that. I wondered if you had any advice for me.”