Guests & Interviews

Race Training and options to help you progress

If you think you have the driving itch or may have an interest, how  can you try racing to find out if its for you?  We also cover what is a preferred path towards your personal driving greatness.  As always, the biggest key is safety and safely progressing up your individual  learning curve.  

During this episode, we also cover various ways to get out on track, how to progress with many options given including experience type driving events, one day HPDE’s, SCCA Track Night America, SCCA and NASA events, various Mark clubs like BMW, Porsche, Audi, etc. etc.  Naturally we also cover low cost endurance racing series, Go carts/carting, autocross, and other low cost methods to race.  Towards the end, we also cover a brief overview of various decisions and interests that may shape your individual progression including whether you want to race vs a clock or wheel to wheel racing (or both), sprint racing vs endurance racing, open wheel vs closed wheel/road cars, buying your own vs renting a race car or just renting a seat.  We tried to provide an overview and include an approximate cost where we could to help with budget discussions.  

As always, with Mental it always involves great stories and a good bit of digression by both of us across many subjects. 

Always try to remember that the key is remain on the primary tasks of #1 safety and #2 having fun!

Race school recommendations aplenty, but not all inclusive.

Plus we work through Vicki’s flat tire excursion while we were taping

PS We did manage to keep it under 3 hours this time, lol.

GHIT 0040: How to Get Better at Racing

If interested, here is our earlier episode with Mental as our guest.

Mental Ward was last seen in Episode 20 here.

Special Guest Racing Driver and Instructor

We first met Ann Deane at our recent HPDE with Hooked On Driving at NJMP a few weeks ago. She was a participant and also an instructor for the weekend. She was Jennifer’s coach for most of the morning and Vicki’s coach for the afternoon sessions.

In addition, she was kind enough to take both Mia and Jacob out onto the track for each f their first track hot laps in her race prepped Porsche Boxter. Both kids had a blast and the “hook” is firmly set in the next generation of Garage Heroes In Training!

In addition to being and excellent driver for several years, Ann routinely drives competitively herself and has an upcoming rae at Lime Rock in a few weeks.

During the discussion, we talked over a wide variety of topics including:

• Racing and learning to race cars
• Things we could have done and still could do better
• Wish list items and plans for the coming season
• How to approach a new track and what to do to learn a new track, we used Road Atlanta as an example for our preparation for Pitt Race next weekend

We also go over how the day went when teaching Vicki and Jennifer at NJMP. Items reviewed included:

• Clutch and input timing for a manual transmission during a turn
• Heel and Toe
• Goals for each stint
• Breathing is not optional in racing
• Cameras/GoPro’s, data and video uses for learning

We hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did and wish her good luck in her upcoming season and beyond.

GHiT 0032: Ann Deane Special Guest Racing Driver and Instructor