Cars, Mostly ours

GHIT 0147: HPDE at NJMP Lightning Wrap Up for 2020

Porsche 911 — Some great cars, and some of ours attended this event.

Vicki's NB Miata — Some great cars, and some of ours attended this event.

The latest HPDE with NASA Northeast last weekend completes our season of track driving and instruction for 2020. We try to summarize it as well as how the COVID 19 impacted racing season went. And Bill can’t wait to start planning 2021. It was a great weekend on track with fantastic weather, especially for mid-November in NJ. We came with three cars good to go. We left with zero. Seems to be a familiar refrain. The winter to do list gets longer.

On Dominating with Dawson, we cover driver communication going into and out of the car at the track.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1) We cover our goals going into the event.

2) How was Bill’s new HPDE car on track for the first time. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again or the fourth time is the charm.

3) We also cover how Vicki and Jennifer applied the things they learned at the Lime Rock skid pad on the track.

4) Bill gets to see the Lightning track for the first time, even though he/we drove this track for several hours last year. Hood-Gate.

5) Jennifer got to drive with and review the data from the Garmin Catalyst for the first time.

6) Vicki also started reviewing and using the data from the Apex Pro for the first time ever.

7) Both Jennifer and Vicki got a lot faster throughout the weekend and seemed to have some of their best driving stints ever.

8) Bill went on track for the first time ever in the ND Miata.

9) What were the areas of greatest improvement for Jennifer and Vicki. Both made significant gains in both their lines and their car inputs. Also, now they were both able to take input from the data and video and apply it on their next stint.

10) Bill apparently can’t count turns past 5 and gets confused with turn 7. We will blame this on our post-race weekend hangover.

11) Bill really wants to put racing brake pads onto the M3 for the next track event. The all-season tires were not as big a deal as anticipated but will also need to be improved for our first event next season.

12) Vicki’s last stint led to an off on turn 5 that has caused some issue with her suspension. Exact point of failure is still TBD at this point.

13) We were able to get a lot of good video and hopefully good data. We cannot wait to analyze further and learn what we can work on and how we are improving.

14) Jennifer breaks the news that Ross Bentley is coming back as a guest for our 150^th episode that is coming very soon!

15) Vicki went into her off track event late Sunday at turn 5.

16) Brief review of some of our off season work and planning for next season.

GHIT 0147: HPDE at NJMP Lightning Wrap Up for 2020

GHIT 0146: Live from NJMP Lightning with NASA NE

We thought we would get a short podcast out to update how the day has gone and what we have been doing today. Jennifer is in the Soul Red 2019 Mazda MX5 (Miata) ND2 and is in HPDE 1 this weekend. Vicki is in her first HPDE 2 and, as always is driving her 1999 Mazda Miata with the Flyin’ Miata turbo. Bill finally found an HPDE car that he can fit into that wasn’t stolen (yet) by the girls, a 2004 BMW E46 M3. The day went very well and we all learned from the time on track. We cover highs and lows and end with a short story time from Bill about the last stint of the day. This will cover Saturday and we will likely have a longer episode covering the whole event in the future.

If you are here, please say hi. Jennifer actually ran into a listener in her HPDE class.

Also, if you happen to have some race pads for an E46 M3, Bill has cash money.

GHIT 0146: Live from NJMP Lightning with NASA NE

GHIT 0143: Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360

Bill in the 2017 Toyota 86 — **Dion reviews Bill’s driving at the Autobahn Country Club in the 2017 Toyota 86**

Our latest Podcast, episode GHIT 0143: Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360 is out on all podcast services

After a recent HPDE event with NASA Great Lakes at the Autobahn Country Club near Chicago, Bill sent in some video of a representative lap to Racers360 to try their video coaching and see what he could work on to improve. Dion von Moltke, from Racers360 and a podcast guest from episode #92, evaluated one of Bill’s laps and who knew, it wasn’t all that bad. We thought it would be a great discussion of the use of video and the added benefit of having a professional driver and coach review the video for you. Bill learned a great deal and every driver will. This is especially valuable to the two ends of the learning curve. The newer drivers will start off breaking any bad habits and the higher level drivers will finally have someone qualified, capable, and available who could help them refine the last few items to help shave the final few tenths to get closer to their potential. The cost (~$100) makes this an exceptional value to all drivers looking to improve. Ben and friends discuss the concept of weight transfer during the Dominating with Dawson segment. Whether conscious or subconscious, it is an underlying fundamental to high performance driving and managing this is key to getting the most you can out of a car and reducing lap times.

You can email Dion directly at [email protected]

And follow him on Instagram at or twitter @Dionvmr

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

The raw lap video a bit after 11:30 in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Am-epQIjT4&t=758s

A 5-minute snippet of Dion’s review of Bill’s lap can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT2-NzD3o4Y

Eric Meyer from NASA Great Lakes also discussed this lap from a data analysis perspective here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMtlsfwbSso

1) We review some of Dion’s racing accomplishments including his time as an IMSA driver, winning the 24 hours of Daytona and the 24 hours of Sebring twice and his current work with Racers360 that is aimed at all levels of amateur racing of cars, motorcycles, go karts, etc.

2) A discussion of NJMP’s Lightning track and its (obvious) nickname. Just look at the track map.

3) The advantages of personalized coaching and the feedback opportunities it opens up the coach and the driver.

4) Dion asks Bill to self-asses his driving strengths and weaknesses. This discussion was very short and very long, respectively.

5) The coaching consisted of not only the “what”, but the “why” as well as an estimate of the potential impact on lap times and safety that area involved.

6) A big discussion of Turn 9 and Turn 10 at Autobahn that applies to several other turn complexes that lead onto long straights where sometimes you sacrifice a turn and sometimes it is not the best choice. It appears that as in life, nothing is 100% all the time.

7) Turn 1 at Autobahn is a high speed right hand turn that Dion went into in general and also used as an example of how best to break down a turn (backwards) to determine what to do for a specific turn, especially if you are unfamiliar with the track or turn.

8) To the surprise of absolutely no one, we also discussed vision and the need to relax and look very “long” and “wide” with good scanning practices.

9) Dion is a fan of trying to work on one or two things at a time and not overwhelming the driver while learning.

10) Bill gives a brief description of the Garmin Catalyst and how it worked for him at Autobahn during his first weekend with the unit.

11) Dion gets (unfairly) put on the spot with looking at Jennifer’s crash at the Charlotte Roval. He agreed that is looks like a catch done well and a recovery not quite quick enough. Dion also recalls a time where he was able to catch a similar incident and save the car (with a bit of luck). It can be found at about 40-45 seconds into the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPq5K1giAC8

12) Racers in training weight loss challenge is entered. Please let us know if you want to participate. Dion may even help despite not needing to lose any weight personally.

13) Bill looks to scoop up a few brownie points when the opportunity arises.

14) Some of the takeaways and how they apply to all laps and all tracks. Many are going to be incorporated into his practice session at the track and on the sim.

15) Bill vents his standard color matching issues. Still no traction received.

16) Track Addict may be worth some investigation and if your budget allows perhaps an AIM SmartyCam.

17) Bill drags Dion into his current level of overthinking the geometry of a turn.

18) Another vote for the Senna documentary. Maybe Vicki will finally watch it. It is really fantastic, even if you aren’t a race driver.

19) Post credits discussion of Mid-Ohio, with and without the chicane before the keyhole, and some volleyball discussion.

GHIT 0143: Using Video Coaching with Dion von Moltke from Racers360

GHIT 0139: Team Progress and Update

This episode of our podcast is a listeners request, Jennifer, Vicki, and Bill go over what we have been up to and begin to look at where we are going for next year. Lots of changes, lots of cars gone, still a few to go, and lots of new cars added, most need some TLC. We think we are on a good path, but you can be the judge of that. Also, on this episode’s Dominating with Dawson, we get into a discussion of driving skill vs driving talent. Lots of opinions, lots of thoughts, probably the first of several discussions related to this. In the end, there are very few people, I any, who if they are interested in our sport and apply themselves, cannot get to a competitive level and become a very good driver and racer. At least that’s what we think.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and

Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1) Our upcoming skid pad & autocross car control event at Lime Rock with Safety Third Motorsports. Jennifer and Vicki as so excited it is hard to explain, even for them.

2) How the 2.75 Porsche 944’s and 1.0 Boxsters have found new homes and Brad’s starting to prep his E46 330 for his move to Colorado. Maybe we have the beginnings of a Midwest/Mountain time zone team. 4.75 cars in one weekend.

3) The plan for the SpiderStang Mustang and the black Honda Civic are still tbd at this point, but may be available.

4) Bill has located a HPDE car that is undergoing some upgrade and preventative maintenance with the help of John Lavin from Safety Third Motorsports. It is a E46 that is changing from a SMG transmission to a manual transmission because that is just so much more fun and engaging.

5) An E46 330 shell magically appeared and is the long-term project car for Bill’s goal of running the NASA Thunderhill 25 by 2025. So far, we have 3.5 drivers who are interested and now need only one more driver and Bill to get some more skill.

6) What are we doing with 1974 Capri. We have plans, but not enough skill at this point.

7) Should we build two Civic race cars, we don’t know for sure at this point. Still TBD.

8) Our 2017 Ford F150 black cap is also looking for a new home

9) Mechanical status for each car and the progress to be accomplished over the off season this winter.

10) Bill is apparently stuck in bad joke/dad joke mode throughout this episode. We apologize.

11) We talk about what the plan is for modifying the cage in the yellow Honda Civic and the two smaller jobs of fixing the engine and adding new/better seat mounts.

12) Vicki is reminded of the winter project that was set for last winter. Perhaps we will have better luck this year. TBD. Maybe someday the ND Miata may actually have an interior again.

13) Bill tries to get some planning on the upcoming themes. Vicki and Jen don’t want to get into it at all. Bill thinks its all a coverup for no plan. We shall see.

14) Vicki learns about the most romantic anniversary gifts ever. Why does Vicki put up with this? How did Bill ever get so lucky?

15) We are all three going to complete some car related courses this winter. Eventually, we will be competent mechanically and electrically. (These had better be good courses if they are to get us there, lol.)

16) New/recent garage tools and capabilities that will aide us this winter, with a quick review of each.

17) We reverse the “what does someone know about you that no one knows” question on each other. Bill stuffs a big foot into his mouth during this one. He will be sleeping in the bathtub for a long, long time.

18) Vicki learns that Thunderhill is located in California.

Any ideas for Guests?

Any ideas for upcoming topics?

Please let us know at [email protected] or on our Instagram at @GarageHeroesInTraining

GHIT 0139: Team Progress and Update

GHIT 0129: Review of Our NASA Great Lakes HPDE at PittRace 2020

Jen, Vicki, and Bill review how the NASA Great Lakes HPDE event at PittRace went last weekend. It is our team’s most anticipated HPDE event of the year and we were not disappointed. Jennifer had our friend Chris as her instructor for the entire weekend and it showed as she progressed dramatically through the event in her ND Miata. Vicki was also in HPDE 1 with another friend Jim as her student partner and also learned a ton, especially related to weight transfer in her NB Miata. Bill was in the HPDE 2 group with both Chrissy and Jeff in the E36 race car and the stock Toyota 86 for this weekend. With COVID 19 controls in place, there was no right seat driving instruction option, but NASA Great Lakes is continually learning, adapting, and responding with improvements that allow for a great amount of instruction for every student.

The Dominating with Dawson segment for this episode was initially in the area of coasting but we quickly wandered off into proper use and application of the throttle and aspects of controlled or over controlled track driving as opposed to pushing the limit and getting out of a comfort zone.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) Our group of 7 brought 7 cars with us and Chris did his best Randy Pobst impersonation by driving almost every one of them during the weekend.

2) Our teams struggle with car preparation and timing continued and we agree they must be addressed going forward.

3) Jen, Vicki, and Bill all had goals going into the event, largely as we discussed after our last HPDE at GingerMan several weeks ago.

4) Track learning/prep is very important to allow us to focus on our driving and not be distracted by “learning” the track at the same time for a new to us track

5) We discuss the Saturday event and the Sunday event and how we did not prepare our meals as well as normally because we were way behind. Sorry to our camp sharing friends.

6) Vicki converts Jen’s RV sink into a disposal, for a short time.

7) We compare and contrast HPDE 1 and HPDE 2 from this event.

8) We individually cover the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the event

9) Vicki “surveyed” the track extensively after turn 10 during her spin on Saturday. Vicki did get to wave to Jennifer as she drove by a bit later.

10) Chrissy, Vicki, and Chris encountered a handling issue on the NB Miata that was easily fixed by adjusting the adjustable shocks in the rear. Who knew? PS We are sorry for not listening to you earlier Chrissy.

11) Jen solved her downshifting issue going into a turn that has plagued her to this point. This was solved by slowing down by letting out the clutch, especially on track. The best part is that Jennifer can also practice this on the street during her daily driving.

12) Jennifer failed miserably by not getting her training partner over to our podcast. Lol.

13) We learned a lot from this event both about our prep and our driving.

14) Bill admits we have too many cars and need to downsize significantly.

15) Vicki summarizes our teams learning and progress to this point.

16) Vicki’s “ah ha” moment included understanding weight transfer and improving her down shifting/sequencing going into turns. Hopefully, this will help when she races a front wheel drive car again.

17) Jennifer’s “ah ha” moment included shifting and especially downshifting and actually her hearing tires “sing” through the turns for the first time ever on track.

18) Bill’s “ah ha” moments included 1) Bringing Lemons “skills” and HPDE “skills” together into a complimentary driving style utilizing both, 2) Comparison and E36 race car and the Toyota 86 street car, and 3) How significant the difference between sticker tires and scuffed tires. We won’t be sending any of our newer drivers out on track with sticker tires ever.

19) Vicki did not get out onto the track in the E36 BMW race car due to an accident in the prior session closing the track on Sunday prematurely.

20) Some of the advantages of lead follow and some of the difficulties we saw. NASA Great Lakes addressed these by actually switching the lead follow to what is essentially a switch of the cars into a “follow – Lead”

where the student is in front of the instructor at several points.

21) Goals for our next HPDE event for each of us.

GHIT 0129: Review of Our NASA Great Lakes HPDE at PittRace 2020