Driver Education

Min Distance vs Max Speed

DwD 0392: Balancing Min Distance vs Max Speed

On this week’s Dominating with Dawson, we start a discussion on the competing priorities of maximizing speed and minimizing distance. Obviously, the balance of these will lead to the fastest lap times, but some areas of a track or sequences of a track will be optimized by sacrificing one or the other in certain areas to reduce lap time. This concept is more often spoken about in autocross but applies to road courses as well. This is especially challenging when you are at a track for the first time. So which is more important: Max Speed or Minimizing Distance

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Even Better: If you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating

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We really appreciate it.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS Are you are looking to stream or save your integrated telemetry/racing data with video? Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution for you. We are in the midst of installing the system in two of our cars. If this sounds like something that may help you and your team, please use our discount code “GHIT“. This will give 10% discount code to all our listeners during the checkout process.

PS2 If you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, do not forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems. Please enter the code “ghitlikesapex!”. You will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, Jeremy, and Bill

Hosts and Drivers for the Garage Heroes In Training team

DwD 0392: Balancing Min Distance vs Max Speed

Car Control with Nik Romano

GHIT 0391: Car Control with Nik Romano

There are a few fundamental skills that truly separate drivers. The top two that come to mind are car control and race craft. Nik Romano owns FastSideways and also currently drives professionally for Toyota. FastSideways is a driving school that specializes in holding events that offer personal coaching to focus specifically on improving your car control on skid pads and track through a sequence of drills and tests. During the episode, we talk about a wide variety of aspects of car control and hatch a not so subtle, devious plot to hold the first ever east coast FastSideways car control event. Our team has already reserved many spots, but please let us know if you are interested in joining Nik, his instructors, and us at the event. We cannot wait. Perhaps we can talk him into holding it on a local frozen lake? Vicki is already making the hot chocolate. This episode is an ideal follow up to our recent episode on catching a car where Vicki revealed a specific hole in her car control technique.

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc.

Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating, that we would appreciate that very much. Even better, a podcast review, would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving and we would appreciate it.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS If you are looking to stream or save your integrated telemetry/racing data with you video, Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution for you. We are amid installing the system in two of our cars. If this sounds like something that may help you and your team, please use our discount code “GHIT“. This will give you a 10% discount code to all our listeners during the checkout process at https://candelaria-racing.com/

PS2 Please do not forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, do not forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40. Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order from https://apextrackcoach.com/

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights for this episode include:

1) We start off with the importance on car control on you driving, your safety, and even the speed that you can drive on track.

2) We talk about the CPR acronym and how Vicki has grown from floating through turns and moved into adding slip angle into her track driving. Listen to the tires sing.

3) The advantages and disadvantages of a turbo when trying to drive at the limit.

4) The advantage of recover vs react in CPR. This is a version of our often covered prediction vs reaction discussion, but better.

5) How to use telemetry to assist in your car control and what to look out for.

6) We define what is meant by car control when driving a car on a track or in a high performance condition, such as autocross or even when trying to avoid a potential accident on the street.

7) The relationships between car speed, horsepower/torque, and wheelbase on a car’s car control window and inherent ease/difficulty imposed on the driver.

8) We get Nik’s definitive answer to what is snap oversteer or lift oversteer. Is it Bigfoot or is it Nessie?

9) We even have a discussion of Senna vs Prost during the episode. How about those for search words for a podcast? Lol.

10) Nik adds to Bill’s car purchasing list. Vicki loses her mind for a few minutes.

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11) Vicki and Nik discuss drifting, Formula Drift, GridLife, and Gymkhana. Vicki lost her mind the first time she saw this live at GridLife and has gone down a deep YouTube hole. We hope she comes backout soon, lol.

12) How to adapt your driving technique to a car that is either understeering or oversteering. Note this does not involve having your friend running next to the car and making car adjustments.

13) The effect of the type of tire on car control, especially street tires vs racing slicks. This is especially evident by the slip angle of the tire and the performance window where the tires perform best. We also cover the impact that the tire design and manufacturer can have on this as well.

14) The importance of car control on new and inexperienced drivers. it can literally save their lives.

15) One of the best Thunderhill 25 stories we have ever heard.

To get more details about Nik and Fast Sideways, please follow them at:

Website: https://www.fastsideways.com/

Instagram: @fastsideways

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fastsideways

DJ Alessandrini

– Race Driver and Sim Racer

GHIT 0381: DJ Alessandrini – Race Driver and Sim Racer

Bill first saw DJ Alessandrini when he was doing some friendly YouTube stalking of the GLTC series and has been following him ever since. DJ has also started a podcast (Lizard Brains Podcast) of his own with co-host Tom O’Gorman and it has become one of our can’t miss podcasts. We end up talking all things Sundae Cup, podcasting, driving and especially how best to learn and use SIM racing during the off season to improve our driving in the real world. DJ is a great guy and we can’t wait to see him again, hopefully at a track.

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS If you are looking to stream or save your integrated telemetry/racing data with you video, Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution for you. We are amid installing the system in two of our cars. If this sounds like something that may help you and your team, please use our discount code “GHIT” for a 10% discount code to all our listeners during the checkout process at https://candelaria-racing.com/

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights for this episode include:

1) DJ’s driving and racing history and how he got a race car for free.

2) How video games and SIM racing have fed his competitive side when he was growing up (and still) and how autocross gave him another outlet to compete and the thrill of driving in real life. A lifelong passion was born.

3) How he was able to be globally competitive in sim racing seemingly overnight. PS it wasn’t overnight, at all.

4) How transitioning between sim racing and real-world racing can compliment each other. Also, ways that sometimes hamper people from getting the most out of the cross training.

5) Vicki cannot wait to start talking about Sim racing and we end the intro section prematurely, lol. We then dive right into some of our problems with sim racing. DJ provides some great suggestions to help us with the transition, both using monitors and virtual reality headsets.

6) How best to make the transition into sim racing, especially if you are already an experienced race driver. This includes the best ways to practice and learn, as well as the minimum equipment needed and setting.

7) Several great tips on getting acclimated to using a VR headset and one horrible method that did not work.

8) Bill mentions his issues with the Global MX5 cup car on iRacing and DJ’s thoughts on what went wrong.

9) What options there are to personalize the livery on your car in iRacing and other sim racing programs.

10) Shopping tips, priorities, and resources for all the various components needed for a good sim racing experience. Also, what is the sweet spot for the best performance bang for the buck items you need or can upgrade to.

11) Tips for prepping for your first race in the spring after a long off season.

12) Some of the key settings and issues that can help with the transition into sim racing

13) We also cover the benefit of using a coach to help with the racing and sim racing as well.

14) We also go into the Lizard Brains podcast he hosts with former guest Tom O’Gorman

15) How he differentiates between instructing and coaching. And how sim racing offers several advantages that are almost impossible to replicate racing in the real world.

GHIT 0381: DJ Alessandrini – Race Driver and Sim Racer

Brake Pad Walk Back or Knock Back

Racing 101: Jargon

DwD 0378: Racing 101: Jargon – What is Brake Pad Walk Back or Knock Back

On our racing 101 series, we often go over jargon that can confuse you at the track. In this episode, we start to talk about brake pad walk back or knock back. This can occur on many cars and be caused by several sources. We try to talk about what it would feel like on your car and what you can do to minimize its effect while on track. We also speculate on what can be the sources in your braking system that can lead to having this condition. Please fee free to expand upon our discussion, as we have rarely experienced this phenomenon on track. As a bonus, we also discuss a few other brake pedal related feelings that you may encounter on track and what the cause of them are.

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

Awesome choice #1: Subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice and every episode will show up.

Even Better: If you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating

Mostest Bestest: if you would leave a podcast review

We really appreciate it.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, Jeremy, and Bill

Hosts and Drivers for the Garage Heroes In Training team

Threshold Braking

– One Tool to Rule Them All ?

DwD 0376: Threshold Braking – One Tool to Rule Them All ?

On this Dominating with Dawson, return to the topic of threshold braking and address several aspects of the technique. In addition, we start to review several ways to practice the technique safely on track. We then discuss the proper use of the technique, where and when, as well as how to determine when to use the technique and potentially where not to utilize it. There is a bit of disagreement on the team on the utilization of threshold braking when on track.

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

Awesome choice #1: Subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice and every episode will show up.

Even Better: If you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating

Mostest Bestest: if you would leave a podcast review

We really appreciate it.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, Jeremy, and Bill

Hosts and Drivers for the Garage Heroes In Training team

DwD 0376: Threshold Braking – One Tool to Rule Them All ?

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