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.
077 – Jordan Taylor: The Best Driving Style
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Jordan Taylor joins me to talk about the driving styles of the best drivers, but before we do we also talk about nature vs. nurture. In other words, did he inherit his driving abilities from his dad, Wayne, or was it something he learned. And then… we have a surprise cameo appearance from Rodney Sandstorm!
076 – Danna Van Noy: Driver’s Guide to Managing Spouses!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Danna Van Noy joins me to talk about how to get your spouse involved and be supportive of your driving addiction! Part marital advice, part motivator, it’s a fun conversation about a “tricky” topic. We also talk about why so many drivers are also entrepreneurs, adrenaline sports, expanding your comfort zone, and how to protect your car’s finish when on track.
075 – Jack Baruth: Opinions from the Road & Track Writer
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Road & Track writer Jack Baruth joins me to talk about whatever is bugging him. Amongst other things, we talk about funding to help young drivers make a career in racing, the mental game of driving, track day safety, HPDE instruction, and how to make the most of a race start.
074 – Chris Wehrheim: Using Karting to Improve Your Car Driving
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Chris Wehrheim joins me to talk about karting, and how you can use it to improve your driving, no matter what you drive. We also talk about why some young drivers make it, and some don’t, but mostly discuss ways you can use a kart to make you a better driver.
073 – Cameron Norsworthy: Getting Into Flow
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Cameron Norsworthy joins me to talk about flow, or getting into the zone. There are many factors that contribute to triggering a “flow performance,” and we talk about the most important ones. What’s very cool in this episode is that he actually takes a few minutes to lead listeners through a short visualization session, and helps you identify what will help you get into the zone more often.
072 – Jamie Stiehr: “Good” Racing – Supporting Charities Through Motorsport
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Jamie Stiehr joins me to talk about vintage and club racing, how to grow participation in our sport, how to help charities through racing, and the Race Against Kids’ Cancer (RAKC). Many individuals and teams have used motorsport as a platform for raising funds for a good cause, and the RAKC, which supports the Morgan Adams Foundation is a great example. The event has been successful in raising over three-quarters of a million dollars, and has now branched out into a separate event in Texas.
071 – Marshall Pruett: A Unique Perspective of What The Best Are Made Of
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Marshall Pruettjoins me to talk about what the best drivers do, and don’t do, that make them the best. His insights on Scott Dixon, Alexander Rossi, Simon Pagenaud, Sebastian Bourdais, Robert Wickens, Josef Newgarden, and others are fascinating – and educational. And the stories he uses to illustrate these insights are hugely fun!
070 – Dave Pratte: Learning From Our Mistakes
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Dave Pratte joins me to talk about, well… mistakes. Okay, and some things that are not mistakes, too, but Dave and I talk about how valuable mistakes are from a learning perspective. We have fun discussing the judgment one needs when passing, and how ego can make a difference; the most common mistakes drivers make with their cars; the differences between autocross and time attack, and road racing; and what one learns from testing tons of different cars.
069 – Scott Mann: Choosing Instructing Over Driving
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Scott Mann joins me to talk about High Performance Driver Education (HPDE) instructing, and particularly what are the traits that the best instructor have. We share stories and thoughts about the importance of an open/growth mindset, dealing with Type A personalities, how to practice instructing, and what the best focus on.
068 – Jeff Braun: What Makes The Best, The Best
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Jeff Braun joins me to talk about what makes the best engineers, and what the best drivers do differently. Of course, Jeff can’t resist sharing what he knows about tuning a car’s handling, so he does that in this episode, too. Most important, by listening to Jeff, you get an insight into the process, or approach, to tuning a car’s performance.
067 – Ed Potkanowicz: How Heat & Hydration Impacts Your Driving
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Ed Potkanowicz joins me to talk about the work he does with Wayne Taylor Racing drivers, Jordan Taylor, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Renger van der Zande regarding core body temperature, heart rate and stress to help them improve their performance. What he’s learned from working with elite-level pro drivers, and shares in this podcast will help you drive better and safer.
066 – Colin Braun: Learning Tracks & The Secrets to His Speed
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
065 – Lyn St. James: Indy 500 Rookie of the Year Shares her Secrets
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
1992 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, Lyn St. James, joins me to talk about her career, and more importantly, what she learned about driving that’ll make you a better driver – how precision is more important than bravery, understanding car set up leads to being more sensitive to the limit of the car, who the best drivers she ever raced against are, and why we have a need for speed.
064 – Gama Aguilar-Gamez: Listen to a Coaching Session
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Gama Aguilar-Gamez allows me to record a coaching session I do with him. We talk about identifying strengths and weaknesses, and then what he needs to do to improve. We use data to confirm some things that we felt were things he should work on, and talk about the approach he should take to make these improvements. Oh, and we talk about the difference between him and Fernando Alonso.
063 – Heyward Wagner: Where the Heck is the SCCA Going?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Heyward Wagner joins me to talk about what the Sports Car Club of America is up to, and why. We talk about how the club’s focus is on converting car and driving enthusiasts into participants (I love this!), and they’re all about having fun with cars. Specifically, we dive into SCCA road racing, autocross, Track Night In America, and the new focus on Time Trials.
062 – Elivan Goulart: SCDA & His Secrets to Speed
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Elivan Goulart has won over 45% of the races he’s competed in. Today he talks about the Sports Car Driving Association (SCDA), why he wins so many races, self-coaching, whether you need to crash to learn the limits, taking time before driving to mentally prepare, & the strategy behind racecraft.
061 – Ann Morey: Getting in The Zone
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Ann Morey joins me to talk about how to get in the zone, what gets in the way of doing so, the voices we all have in our heads when driving, self-critique versus self-awareness, experimenting to learn, and the journey she’s on to win Spec Miata races. Ann writes a great blog about her racing and driving experience at GentleWomanRacer.com.
060 – Steve Stepanian: What the Best Performance Drivers Do
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Steve Stepanian joins me to talk about what the best drivers do, what they don’t do, what his Aha! moments were, and how you can be an even better driver. When he’s not racing Spec E30 or instructing, Steve is the Chairman of the Driving Events Committee of the BMW CCA, the Pacific Region DEC Rep, and license director for the Southwest region of NASA.
059 – Dale Sievwright: Making Noise About Electric Cars
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Dale Sievwright joins me to talk about electric cars, being an engineer at Tesla, racing gas-powered cars, autonomous vehicles, and the future of driving.
058 – Erin Vogel: Sensory Visualization, Club DE & Racing
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | RSS
Erin Vogel joins me to talk about self-coaching, instructing at HPDE events, visualization (especially after focusing on sensory input), fear, and how to find that little bit more speed. We have this very cool conversation about what one learns from instructing, and how racing makes you a faster track day driver.
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
Hey, could you do me a favor?
Subscribe to the Speed Secrets Podcast and leave a review in iTunes.
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.