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Garage Heroes (In Training)

Garage Heroes (In Training)

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Sundae Cup

Recap of Grid Life NJMP 2023

GridLife NJMP 2023
Off-Track Images

GHiT 0482:  Recap of GridLife NJMP 2023 and Our First Time Working with a Coach – Miss Jackie

What a great weekend we had at the recent GridLife NJMP 2023.  Our team worked with Jackie Andrews as our coach for the Grid Life event at NJMP.  Jeremy and Nick were in the advanced HPDE group in their E46 BMW 3-series street’ish cars.  Jennifer was in our B Spec Fit in HPDE and Vicki was in HPDE in our new E46 race car but switched to our Honda Fit when we had a mechanical issue.  Bill was also in the B Spec Fit and competed in the Sundae Cup series, securing a solid last place.

If you would like to help grow our podcast and high-performance driving and racing:

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

Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating, that we would appreciate 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  Are you looking to stream or integrate your telemetry/racing data with video?  Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution for you.  We are 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/

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, Jeremy, and Bill

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

GHiT 0482:  Recap of Grid Life NJMP 2023

Frank Schwartz

– All About B Spec Racing and More

Frank Schwartz

GHIT 0408:  Frank Schwartz – All About B Spec Racing and More

Frank Schwartz is a racer and owner of Grass Paddock Motorsports that rents B Spec Honda Fits and Mini Coopers.  He is also known online as the stepfather of B Spec racing. Frank seems to be a proud father to be of a potential new class of C Spec racing for the SCCA.  Frank is involved with getting people into the sport at a reasonable budget.  We ended up talking a great deal about racing in general, the motivations, as well as what you can get out of racing beyond “winning” the race. 

If you are ever interested in trying out B Spec racing, Grass Paddock Motorsports may be a great option. Especially if you are getting started and may be an even better option to stay racing.  While we are here, you know we couldn’t help but ask what to do to get involved in B Spec racing and prepare a car.  Or two.  Well, maybe 3.  How about 4.  That sounds better.  #VickiIsGoingToKillBill

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  Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution to stream or save your integrated telemetry/racing data with you video.  We are amid installing the system in two of our cars.  Please use our discount code “GHIT” for a 10% discount code to all our listeners. During the checkout process at https://candelaria-racing.com/ enter GHiT.

PS2  Also, if you use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free gift. The windshield suction cup mount is a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order from https://apextrackcoach.com/

Best regards,

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

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

GHIT 0408:  Frank Schwartz – All About B Spec Racing and More

One Lap of America 2022

– Marlon Sumlin – Sundae Cup Class

OLoA 2022 Map
Sundae Cup OLoA

GHIT 0333:  One Lap of America 2022 – Marlon Sumlin – Sundae Cup Class

In the first of a series, we reflect back on the 2022 One Lap of America with Marlon Sumlin. Marlon completed the event in his Mazda 2 Sundae Cup car.  This was Marlon’s first One Lap of America, and it will not be his last.  We talk about Marlon’s impressions from his first OLoA, how it is to compete in a low horsepower, Sundae Cup car, and what he learned from his first event.  As always, it seems like the first OLoA event leads to an annual habit and we cannot wait to try our first One Lap of America, hopefully next year.  If you don’t yet know about the One Lap of America event, this is a great introduction, we hope.

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. This includes 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 would be a podcast review. This 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 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, 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)  What is the One Lap of America

2)  How it is to participate in the OLoA for the fist time and in the new to this year Sundae Cup category.

3)  How everyone on the OLoA work together to support the other entrants and fight against the weather and any mechanical issues that may arise during the week.

4)  Bill makes a joke that Vicki liked.  Time to play the lottery.

5)  Track reviews and what Marlon thought of the new to him tracks for the event.

6)  Marlon’s future as a packer and a mover and some great stories from the 2022 event.

7)  How to make a Mazda 2 sound like a Huey Helicopter.

8)  We try to find out how Becky and Scott were able to come in second overall on the skid pad. 

9)  How Marlon and the One Lap of America teams helped support FORCE and work against cancer, as well as a ton of other charities for the event.

10)  We start planning the 2023 OLoA.

11)  We start to talk a bit about the NASA Great Lakes TREC endurance racing series that we cannot wait to try for the first time and what prep is needed for the car.

For more information about FORCE or to make a charitable contribution:  https://www.facingourrisk.org/ 

GHIT 0333:  One Lap of America 2022 – Marlon Sumlin – Sundae Cup Class

Route Book
Marlons Deuce

How to Test Your Race Car

at the Track with Scott Robertson

GHIT 0334:  How to Test Your Car at the Track with Scott Robertson

We often hear how important it is to test your car prior to racing.  While listening to Scott’s Track Walking podcast (a can’t miss podcast), Scott was discussing how he and Becky were able to conduct a full track test and tune evaluation of their vehicle during a recent HPDE.  Since Scott is a respected coach and offers a service to help a driver to dial in their car at the track, we thought he would be a perfect guest to discuss how to best conduct a test and tune day most effectively and efficiently.  We start the discussion with what a test day means and work our way up from there.  This was recorded several weeks ago prior to the 2022 One Lap of America where Scott and Becky entered the OLoA in their Mazda 2 Sundae Cup car lovingly called Mooncake.  If we could go back in time, we would have asked how that car was able to come in second overall on the skid pad event versus some very capable and sometimes expensively prep’ed vehicles. 

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. This includes 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 would be a podcast review. This helps 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” for a 10% discount 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, 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 pre-event processes such as planning what you will test.  This includes aspects of what tools you have, what you are capable/willing to change at the track. 

2)  Some examples of the testing order and priority.  Things to do and things not to do.

3)  One of the key aspects is to determine what you are trying to get from the process, i.e., driver experience/education or car optimization etc.

4)  We also cover some of the key changes that you would like to change, as well as what tools you need to have for some of the key areas you will likely test.  Hint:  you will need a good tire pressure gauge and  ideally a tire thermocouple or equivalent.

5)  The best aspects of seeking an outside perspective or even better an experiences coach or F1 engineer, or even somewhere in between.

6)  Ideas of things that you would like to test, including front sway bar (full hard to disconnected), rear sway bar (same), shock sweeps (full hard to full soft), rake adjustment, alignment, aero, tire pressure, etc.

7)  Tips on how the impact of driver adaptation can affect the tests.

8)   The importance of testing documentation and how it can help you going forward.  A partial list of the items to summarize include the weather, track conditions, alignment, tires and condition, driver  etc.  This will eventually lead towards secondary goal of building you set up database for the car and the tracks

9)  We go into last year’s One Lap of America  and the (at that time) upcoming 2022 which since been completed.

10)  Scott and Becky finished first in class and 54th out of 84 entries for the entire event and stunned the world on the skid pad with a 2nd place overall.

To follow Scott, you can go to:

@TrackWalkingPodcast on Facebook or Instagram

@RobertsonRacing on Instagram

@RobertsonRacingMiata on Facebook

Or you can email Scott about coaching etc. at:  [email protected]

GHIT 0334:  How to Test Your Car at the Track with Scott Robertson

Adam Jabaay Talks GRIDLIFE

GRIDLIFE Logo
Can You Find the Real Adam Jabaay

GHIT 0289:  Adam Jabaay Returns to Talk All Things GRIDLIFE

GLTC, Sundae Cup, and their HPDE Program

Adam Jabaay returns to talk all things GRIDLIFE.  Adam is the co-founder of the GRIDLIFE event series and the series is designed to be the track events that the GRIDLIFE team would want to attend.  We had a series on last year that covered several of the wheel to wheel GLTC (Grid Life Touring Cup) series.  During this episode, we go over the 2022 series and several of the other events in the series including their time attack (fast lap counts) racing series and the GRIDLIFE HPDE program.  We have a plan to attend our first GRIDLIFE event this year and will be participating in the event at Lime Rock.  If you haven’t heard of GRIDLIFE, it is definitely not a typical track event and in many ways, the track events are only the beginning of the festivities.

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 would be greatly appreciated.  Even better, a podcast review, would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving and we would greatly appreciate it.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, look under shows.  Then click on this podcast.  Here you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t 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.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

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

Highlights for this episode are:

1)  We introduce our favorite master carpenter and the Norm Abrams of racing.

2)  Bill gives away one of our upcoming 300 episode listener quiz questions.

3)  Adam and Bill share some podcast anecdotes.  There is more post episode if you are in need of curing your insomnia.

4)  Bill is very jealous of Adam’s upcoming Ice Battle racing event.  Where we has been very cold enough but it does not seem to be an option anywhere nearby.  Ice racing remains on our post plague bucket list.

5)  Ever wonder what is GRIDLIFE?  Adam does a great review if you are not already familiar.

6)  We had a chance to talk with ADAM about the history that led to the creation of GRIDLIFE and has allowed them to become a very popular sprint racing series that has live streaming viewer numbers that would make many professional series jealous.

7)  Adam goes into the recent changes to the GLTS series to a 200 treadwear tire series including the thought process that led to the change. 

8)  What did Skip Barber think of GRIDLIFE and what will be going on at the Lime Rock event.

9)  How GRIDLIFE has grown and how you can participate in the event.

10)  How GRIDLIFE organizes their HPDE groups, events, and instructors.

11)  Bill cannot wait anymore and we get into the GRIDLIFE Sundae Cup series.  Our car is being prepped for the Lime Rock event and several HPDE’s this year.

12)  What is coming for GRIDLIFE and how the east and west coast can expect to see events in the 2022 and more in 2023.

13)  Bill launches his appeal for a wheel to wheel Sundae Cup race.  Logistics are always a concern, but we would be there.  Even better for an enduro.

14)  We almost got off without going into RV life, but as expected we did not try terribly hard.

To follow Adam and GRIDLIFE further: 

GRIDLIFE website:  https://www.grid.life/ 

Slip Angle Podcast:  http://www.tracktuned.com/slipangle 

Instagram:  @gridlifeofficial or @slipangleshow

Facebook:  @GRIDLIFEOfficial or @SlipAngleShow

GHIT 0289:  Adam Jabaay Returns to Talk All Things GRIDLIFE

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