Podcasts!
Conversations (& Tips) to Help You Drive Better
The Speed Secrets Podcast is taking a bit of a hiatus. For how long, I don’t know? What I do know is that it’s being replaced by something else, something very fun, entertaining, and educational (which is what I’m all about) – and I think you’ll like even more: It’s Not the Car podcast.
From the “official” description:
It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people, motorsport, choices, and how we all work under pressure. In other words, we tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts. Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver and an internationally renowned performance coach and author. Jeff Braun is a championship-winning race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning journalist and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine. Together, we explore the emotion at the heart of the machine.
We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the bag of meat at the wheel.
117 – Richard Kelley: Waiting – A Photojournalist’s View of F1 in the 70s & 80s
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Richard Kelley joins me to talk about his experience of capturing some of the most incredibly powerful images of F1 drivers from 1972 to 1984. His photos of Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Gilles Villeneuve, and others will connect with you and either make you smile, get goose bumps, or cry. His perspective as someone who has closely observed some of the best drivers in the world, as well as raced himself, make his advice about visualization, situational awareness, and sensory input hugely valuable to every driver.
116 – Spencer Pumpelly: How to Brake, Pass & Not Use Fluff
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Spencer Pumpelly and I talk about what karting doesn’t teach, how to brake with ABS and release them to rotate the car, why an early apex is better than a late one, when a pass really begins, corner entry speed, and the importance of eliminating the fluff (that part throttle stuff that does more harm than good). Oh, and we also touch on the similarities between flying helicopter and performance driving (just in case you’ve always wanted to know!).
115 – Peter Puffer: The Psychology of HPDE Instructing
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Peter Puffer joins me to talk about why we do what we do (driving fast around race tracks), the psychology of instructing a driver on track, and what makes a great instructor (hint: observing and paying attention to the student is a good place to start!). Peter also talks about how too much, and also too little, anxiety can negatively impact performance.
114 – Wallace Bradley: How to Know When to Stop Performance Driving
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Wallace Bradley joins me to talk about that thing we don’t want to talk about: when to stop driving. Whether it’s age, money, risk, or “been there, done that,” there comes a time when we all need to make a decision to cut back on our driving or stop cold turkey. How should we make that decision, and then do it?
113 – Dave Weckl: The Rhythm of Driving (& Drumming)
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Dave Weckl, a drumming legend, joins me to talk about the rhythm of driving and drumming, how playing music relates to performance driving, and what makes the best performers in anything great.
112 – Dr. Shannon Irvine: Psychology, Neuroscience & Performance Driving
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Dr. Shannon Irvine joins me to talk about mindset, confidence, mental triggers, fear…and so much more of the mental game of performance & race driving. We all know that the mental game is what makes the difference on the track – but what do we do about it? Shannon shares some deliberate strategies to help you improve your driving performance.
111 – Adam Jabaay: Slip Angle, Gridlife & How to Grow Driving Events
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Adam Jabaay is back (he was my guest on Episode #11), and we’re talking about his Slip Angle podcast, about the Gridlife events, and what makes a great driving event. He tells us about how Gridlife is launching a wheel-to-wheel race series (Touring Cup), and what brings young drivers and spectators to driving events.
110 – Don Kitch: The Art of Racing in the Rain
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Don Kitch joins me to talk about the art of racing in the rain, as we sit together at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, the very place where Garth Stein’s book, The Art of Racing in the Rain came to life – and the “home” of the upcoming Patrick Dempsey movie. Don and I dissect eight of my Speed Secrets that are aimed at driving fast in the rain, as well as our love for simply being at a race track.
109 – Greg Woodrow: Why Aussie V8 Supercar Drivers are So Good
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Greg Woodrow joins me to talk about what makes those crazy Aussie V8 Supercar drivers so good, and specifically the training they have all had racing Formula Ford. We also talk about the state of motorsport in Australia, the advice that Luke Youldon and Bruin Beasley of Erebus gave during my Inner Speed Secrets seminar in Melbourne, and finally, some of the fun that we had together – and what we learned – when I was down-under recently.
108 – Chuck Tucker: Life of the HPDE Instructor
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Chuck Tucker joins me to talk about HPDE instructing – what the best instructors do, how the classroom sessions need to work with the in-car instruction, the secret of the “secret goal,” and the best driving drills being used today.
107 – Andy Pilgrim: Dale Sr, Winning & Teaching Parents to Be Better Role Models
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Andy Pilgrim joins me to talk about racing and traffic safety education. He tells us about his experience co-driving with Dale Earnhardt Sr and Jr at Daytona, why he’s won so often, and the work he’s doing in the traffic safety education world – and why you should care. Andy tells you how you can get free copies of the training videos he’s produced.
106 – Randy Beikmann: The Ideal Cornering Line
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Randy Beikmann joins me to talk about the ideal line – the one that results in the fastest lap times – something that he’s been modeling from a mathematical perspective, and then relating to real track driving. What he shares will give you a deeper understanding of why you drive the line you do – or should drive the line you’re currently not!
105 – Trey Shannon: Get Physically Fit to Drive Faster
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Trey Shannon joins me to talk about how to improve your fitness for performance and race driving. We talk about how to train your breathing, vision, sense of balance, and your fine muscle control to improve your footwork. Trey provides some great tips for simple exercises you can do at home, without expensive equipment.
104 – Phil Lombardi: Two Coaches Talking
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103 – Eric Meyer: Developing Better Performance Drivers
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Eric Meyer joins me to talk about the steps and process he’s seen that the best drivers – and organizations – use to become even better drivers. From first-timers to serious club racers and pros, there are certain things – situational awareness, passing and being passed, flags, race starts – that everyone should learn. And there’s a process you can use to learn them more effectively.
102 – Mark Sternberg: F1, Karting, Karma, ADHD & Relieving Oneself!
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Mark Sternberg is on today’s show and we bounce around, talking about karting, Karma Automotive, the pros & cons of having ADHD, Formula One, Honda S2000s, and what to do when you need to pee. Mark is a life-long car and driving enthusiast who has turned his passion into a career. He helped re-launch the Peterson Automotive Museum, races karts, founded the L.A. F1 Fan Group, and currently works for Karma Automotive. Oh, and he’s in the process of launching a car-themed watch company called Heel & Toe Watches.
101 – Matthew Walker: Sleep Your Way to Driving Faster
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Matthew Walker joins me to talk all about the importance of sleep on your driving performance – everything from how it impacts learning to your ability react and focus. He also provides tips on how to get better sleep, how to manage jet lag, the effect a lack of sleep can have on your health, what drugs and alcohol do to sleep, and memory formation and practice.
100 – Ross Bentley: Hey, I’m The Guest on Episode #100!
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The tables are turned – I’m the guest, and Frank Greif is the host. Frank was my guest on episode #1, I coached him when he started racing, he’s a business coach and a former TV talk show host. Oh, and we’re good friends, so it was interesting to have him asking me questions. And that’s what the show is about: my thoughts on this podcast, learning, driving, Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, who my greatest influences were, and who my support team are.
099 – Bret Holmes: Driving With 3 Pedals
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Bret Holmes joins me to talk about our passion for shifting, and specifically driving manual transmission cars. We talk about how young drivers DO have an interest in performance driving, the future of manual transmissions, and the 3 Pedal Car Club of America.
098 – John Shoffner: Fast at Any Age
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Thanks!
PODCAST TOPICS
While conversations dig into the details of things (like cornering lines, trail and left-foot braking, race track specific advice, data acquisition and video analysis, upshifting and downshifting, steering techniques, and the use of the throttle), the broader perspective of topics such as the following are covered:
- What specific techniques and skills the best drivers use
- The most challenging corners
- How to adapt to handling problems
- What separates the best drivers from the rest
- How to learn new techniques and tracks
- Safety tips and resources
- Handling and car setup
- Data and video analysis techniques
Plus…
- Fun and interesting stories
- Why we drive
- Passion and enthusiasm for our sport
WHY A PODCAST?
Since my first Speed Secrets book was published back in 1998, many drivers have asked about audio versions of them. They wanted to listen to them while driving to the track, to and from work, and while exercising.
Some of the most educational, and fun conversations I have are at the track with a driver, official, coach, engineer, team member, or safety expert. I often wish I’d recorded those conversations so I could share them with you.