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Speed Secrets Podcast

The Speed Secrets Podcast is all about high performance and race driving. In it, Ross Bentley has conversations with guests, resulting in tips, advice and inspiration you can take to the track. Digging into topics such as trail braking, cornering lines, race track specific advice, data acquisition and video analysis, upshifting and downshifting, handling and car setup, steering techniques, and the skill of using the throttle - all while driving on track - the goal is to not just entertain you, but also help you learn. Along the way, these conversations will get into why we drive on race tracks, igniting your passion for the sport. Each episode (posted weekly on Thursdays) is about 45 minutes in length – just right for listening to while on your way to work, to the track, or while you're working out.
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Now displaying: Page 3
Nov 12, 2020

In this week’s episode of Speed Secret Podcast, I go solo discuss a lifetime in motorsport and the most valuable things I learned along the way. I dive into the story of how I got involved in this wonderful sport, the relationship between driving experience and when you should begin modifying and tuning your car, focusing on performance rather than results, why adaptability is more important than being fast, how you can improve your ability to sense the limits of your car and tires, and the advanced techniques the best drivers use!

Follow Speed Secrets on social media to keep up with the latest!
https://www.instagram.com/rossbentley/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/Drivercoach/

Want to be in the know? If you’re not already on the Speed Secrets mailing list, sign up here to be the first to hear about new things coming out, promotions and our annual sale, and updates!
https://speedsecrets.com/

Nov 5, 2020

On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Craig Watkins sits down to discuss how he became a race car engineer, how the Flying Lizards race team came about, the process of engineering and tuning a car’s handling, and the right questions to ask to figure out what your car needs. He also dishes about what it’s like to work with drivers such as Johannes van Overbeek, Patrick Long, Jörg Bermeister, Timo Bernhard, and other factory Porsche drivers.

Craig’s Speed Secret: Use a tire gauge and notebook, then data acquisition and video.

Craig Watkins is considered one of the top Porsche race engineers in the world. Watkins has been engineering and racing cars since he was a teenager. He began off-road racing in 1976 and competed in a Class10 car in the SCORE series from 1983 to 1990. Racing with Greg Aronson, Watkins won nearly every major off-road race including the Parker Dam 400, the Baja 1000 and the Frontier 500; he won the SCORE points championship in 1987. In the early 90’s Watkins began racing in local Porsche club events, where he met driver Johannes van Overbeek who would introduce him to World Challenge GT racing and the Lizards. Watkins has been Flying Lizard chief engineer since its inception in 2003.

Check out Craig below!
https://www.smartracingproducts.com
@craig.watkins.ca
https://tractivesuspension.com

Oct 29, 2020

In this week’s episode of Speed Secrets podcast, I am joined by Clay Millican, NHRA Top Fuel drag racer. We discuss the mental game of drag racing, driving 11,000 horsepower, how to steer a Top Fuel dragster, the importance of reaction times, and all that goes into driving a race in less than 4 seconds!

Clay Millican is a 6-time World Champion Top Fuel drag racer, having won IHRA championships from 2001 to 2006. He’s won 3 NHRA events, and his top speed is 335.23 MPH, and an ET of 3.628 seconds.

Clay’s Speed Secret: Focus on what you want.

Check out Clay below:
https://www.straightlinestrategy.com/clay-millican

Oct 22, 2020

On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, James Hinchcliffe joins me to discuss how “the Major of Hinchtown” came about, where the “fun meter” is pointing these days when you get in a race car, how to regain focus using mental triggers, the importance of being able to adapt (and why one style is not good enough), and using a negative, “cup half empty” approach to winning.

James Hinchcliffe is a Canadian race car driver best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. He currently competes part-time in the No. 29 Genesys/Petro Canada Lubricants Honda for Andretti Autosport. James has won six races to date for Andretti Autosport and Schmidt Peterson Motorsports..

Check out the links below to follow James!
http://www.hinchtown.com
IG/FB/TW: @hinchtown

Oct 15, 2020

On this week’s part 2 episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Michael Zimicki and I carry on busting myths and ranting about the way too many drivers and coaches get caught up in the thinking that everything something we say should be taken as gospel.

Mike’s speed secret: Never stop learning.

Mike has coached drivers such as Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and many, many more big names; he’s also coached drivers you’ve never heard of. The bottom line is he’s one of the best.

Check out Mike at:
https://www.sliderulemotorsports.com
IG: @zimicki
Facebook

Oct 8, 2020

On this week’s part 1 episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I sit down with friend and coach, Michael Zimicki, to bust or confirm some of the most common driving myths!

Mike has coached drivers such as Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Jon Fogarty, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and many, many more big names; he’s also coached drivers you’ve never heard of. The bottom line is he’s one of the best. 

Check out Mike at:
https://www.sliderulemotorsports.com
IG: @zimicki
Facebook

Oct 1, 2020

On this week’s episode of Speed Secret podcast, Peter Krause (fellow coach and data guru) joins me to talk all things driving fast – consistently! We get into why driving the limit is more important than the line, raising corner entry speed, and leading the throttle existing corners.

Peter’s Speed Secret: Drive every corner, every lap, as quickly as you can.

Peter specialties include individual and privately tailored analysis and optimization programs for sports car drivers and racers; data analysis equipment sales and training; supply and support for prep shops and teams for AiM Sports and Video VBOX equipment. A multi-time championship-winning racing driver, award-winning mechanic and automotive historian, Krause understands and can communicate effectively both the psychology AND methodology of "going fast," with more than thirty-five years of experience and a library of historical data to draw on.

Check out Peter here:
www.peterkrause.net
www.gofasternow.com

Sep 24, 2020

On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets podcast, Adam Spence (architect leader at Garmin, and racer) joins me to discuss Garmin’s new data tool, the Catalyst. The Catalyst really is as cool as it sounds, and helped me shave 0.9 seconds off my best lap time. Plus, Adam explains what Area 51 at Garmin is!

In addition to his role as Product Architect Leader – Area 51 at Garmin, Adam is a racer and track instructor.

Check out the Catalyst here

Sep 17, 2020

On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I talk with Dr. Jerry Lynch, author of my all-time favorite book, Thinking Body, Dancing Mind. As an expert in Eastern philosophy and sports psychology, his insights and guidance have had a major impact on my life, helping me perform better as a driver and coach. We discuss what being a champion really means, how Jerry’s teachings were used by Phil Jackson when coaching the Chicago Bulls, L.A. Lakers, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant, and his human growth and performance consulting group, Way of Champions.

Check out Way of Champions here:
https://www.wayofchampions.com

Jerry combines Eastern thought, Native American tradition, Christian mysticism and western psychology to help create focus, mental talent, spiritual dexterity, inspiration and empowerment not only for competitive events but to learn self awareness, confidence and how to be the best version of yourself each day.

Jerry has been recognized as one of the top five in his profession nationwide. He has worked with teams, coaches and athletes in the NBA, Pro Lacrosse, National Soccer League, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, golf and other sports at many top universities. Jerry has a doctorate in psychology from Penn State University, and has done extensive post-doctoral work in the area of philosophy, Taoist and Buddhist thought, comparative religions, leadership development, and performance enhancement. He is the author of 14 books in as many as 10 languages on coaching, leadership, spirituality of sport, warrior spirit, peak performance, and sports psychology.

Sep 10, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, Cathy McCause Fuss joins me to talk about why she got involved with running a race series, how to make a series popular, how to make endurance racing safe, her sponsors (Hankook and Hawk brakes), and giving back through charitable events. She shares about Lucky Dog races and Heroes Motorsports race teams for veterans.

Cathy’s speed secret: Be able to see!

Cathy has been involved in endurance racing since driving in the very first Lemons races at Altamont Motorsports Park, then co-founding ChumpCar & being their executive VP for 6 years, partnering with my Chump colleague Joey Todd at WRL when we started Lucky Dog. All this after leaving 25 years in software, most recently as VP Global Marketing for Oracle Utilities. 

As North America’s fasting growing grassroots endurance series boasting over 600 teams & 3,000 drivers, Lucky Dog Racing League host events at bucket list track such as at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Willow Springs International Raceway, Utah Motorsports Park, The Ridge Motorsports Park, Buttonwillow Raceway, Pacific Raceways, Thunderhill Raceway Park, Oregon Raceway Park, Portland International Raceway, Spokane County Raceway, Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, Canada’s exclusive Area 27 and the Wild Dogs Ensenada Grand Prix on the streets of Ensenada, Baja, Mexico. The 2020 season will culminate at Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willlows CA on the 5-mile track for the Dawg Days of Thunder Championship / 1000 Miles of Thunderhill. The 2021 season will include an event at Circuit of Americas (COTA)!

Check out Cathy below!
https://www.racelucky.com
https://www.facebook.com/raceluckydog
@RaceLucky
@RaceLuckyDog
YouTube: Lucky Dog Racing League

Sep 3, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Samir Abid and I get into how best to use data to help you become an even better driver, managing the driver’s mind when it’s too analytical and focused on data, and how to use the data from another driver to improve your own driving. We also talk about what Samir learned from having Scott Mansell of Driver61 drive his car, and what makes Lewis Hamilton so special. Samir shares about his involvement in Nike’s Breaking2 and the Ineos 1:59 Challenge projects (breaking the 2-hour barrier for running a marathon)!

Samir’s speed secret: Once up to speed, focus on corner exit rather than late braking.

Samir Abid is the founder of Your Data Driven and a Chartered Professional Motorsports and Automotive Engineer from the UK. As well as developing suspension systems for several OEMs and racing teams (including Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Multimatic), Samir has also spent the last ten years working with Olympic and professional level sports teams, and is also a keen club racer. 

Check out Samir below!
https://www.yourdatadriven.com
@YourDataDriven

Aug 27, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, Jonatan Jorge joins me to discuss what’s made him so successful as a coach, when a coach needs their own coach, and looking outside motorsport (at other sports) to learn how to be a better coach and driver. We also get into the misconception of looking way ahead and through the corner, the value of checkpoints, different references for different drivers, and visual pattern matching. As a bonus, Ross shares his “vision process.”

Jonatan’s speed secret: Know yourself.
Jonatan’s second speed secret: Expect nothing, accept everything.

Jonatan Jorge has been racing and coaching since 1991 and leads JJRD’s operations, coaching philosophy and service delivery. He has made a mark in the racing world both as a driver and coach in auto racing’s most highly respected series and echelons, including:
-  Nascar
-  British Formula 3
-  Turkish Formula 3
-  Skip Barber National and Regional Series
-  Formula Ford 2000
-  Grand Am/Rolex Series
-  IRL
-  American LeMans
-  World Karting Championships
-  Brazilian National Karting Championships
-  Tens of unbroken track and race series records
-  Vehicle Manufacturer Events, Commercials and TV productions, and many others.

Check out Jonatan below!
http://www.teamjjrd.com
@jjrdinc on social media

Aug 20, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Rob Krider joins me to talk about his writing career; his novel, Cadet Blues; his “other” job as a California Highway Patrol officer; and his experience when his car caught fire. Ever wonder the similarities between racing and police driving? We get into that, too!

Rob’s speed secret: Drive fast enough to scare yourself once a lap; make micro-improvements; be consistent.

Rob Krider is a National Champion racecar driver from the NASA Honda Challenge series and he writes the "Toolshed Engineer" column for SpeedNews magazine. He is featured in the documentary film, Double Down, about earning a podium finish at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Besides racing and writing, Rob earns his living as a California Highway Patrol officer. He attributes a lot of his success behind the wheel from his training at the CHP Academy. From that experience he authored the novel Cadet Blues, a humorous take on police training.

Links Below:

Rob Krider's book about surviving the California Highway Patrol Academy, Cadet Blues:
https://www.amazon.com/Cadet-Blues-Rob-Krider/dp/1495108589

Rob Krider's documentary film about the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Double Down:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssY5LsQ91jY

Rob Krider's archive of how-to articles on racing, RobKrider.com:
http://www.robkrider.com/

Rob Krider's National Champion racing team, Double Nickel Nine Motorsports:
http://www.team559.com/

Rob Krider on Instagram, KriderRacing:
https://www.instagram.com/kriderracing/?hl=en

Aug 13, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secret Podcast, John joins me to discuss some very important things in driving: self reflection, awareness, accountability, ego, and being okay saying “I don’t know.” John breaks down philosophy and teaching, and how “Aha!” moments are rare, but that’s ok because learning is a process! We break down the traits of the best and worst drivers, and explain how having a fixed vs. growth mindset will determine your success.John Santiago: Learn How to Learn

John’s speed secret: Know yourself. Find ways to become aware of how you can improve.

Aug 6, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Jeff and I discuss how to improve your race strategy decisions – what to know, what to ask, what to understand, and having patience. We also dig into his hobby business, Mesa Vista Coffee, and his love of coffee roasting!

Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Prototypes, and even Top Fuel dragsters. But what sets Jeff apart from many engineers is how he can explain what he’s doing, what a car is doing, and even how the best think.

Check these out to follow Jeff’s company, Mesa Vista Coffee!

eBay: Mesa Vista Coffee
Instagram: @mesavistacoffee
Facebook: facebook.com/mesavistacoffee

Jul 30, 2020

On this week’s episode, Danny and I discuss his background as a driver and his motorsport business, Hankook Motorsports. We talk everything tires and tackle how to find the right tire pressure for your car, how to use tire temperature, whether tires are directional or not, heat cycles, and how driving styles affect tires!

Danny van Dongen is a Dutch racing driver and entrepreneur, currently competing in the MW-V6 Pickup Series.

Danny’s speed secret: Feel what the tires are doing and adapt your driving to them.

Check these out to follow Danny:

https://hankookmotorsports.com
@hankookmotorsports
@dannyvandongen

Jul 23, 2020

On this week’s episode, Chris Andrews joins me to discuss how driving styles impact the handling of a car, different car setups for oval and road racing, the best passing zones at Watkins Glen, and the best books to read to learn about the best car setup and engineering. Also, a special treat, Chris shares hilarious stories about Dale Earnhardt (including what he says at a urinal).

Chris's speed secret: Never stop learning.

Check these out to follow Chris:
Web: www.tcaellc.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcaengineeringllc/

Jul 9, 2020

On this week’s episode, David Williams joins me to talk about how sim racing can make you a better track day driver or racer. We dive deep to discuss Virtual Racing School, how being a pro sim racer works (where does the money come from?!), dealing with a lack of sensory input from the sim, sensing the limit in a sim, the accuracy of car setups in the sim, brain neuroplasticity and adapting to sims and real cars. Oh, and David offers sim coaching services.

 

David’s speed secret: Be deliberately willing to push beyond your ability in measured amounts.

 

David is an Avid motorsport enthusiast with 13 years of experience and success across multiple sims with VRS Coanda Simsport. He’s a hardware design engineer & racing coach for Virtual Racing School and a multiple race driver competition finalist including the 2012 GT Academy. 

Check these out to follow David:

Twitter: @CoandaDave
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidWilliamsRacing
Virtual Racing School: https://virtualracingschool.com
Niels Heusinkveld: https://www.youtube.com/user/niels007007

Jul 9, 2020

On this week’s episode, Adam Jabaay joins me to discuss the best stories from the Slip Angle podcast, everything Gridlife, and eSports and sim racing. He also shares how he manages time between racing, family, and business – and where to sneak sleep in!

Adam is a club racer in SCCA, NASA and Lemons, a HPDE instructor, and one of the organizers of the Gridlife events. He’s also a co-host, along with Austin Cabot, on the Slip Angle podcast; in addition, they have the TrackTuned.com blog.

Adam’s speed secret: Work harder on your driving than you want to work.

Check these out to follow Adam

Slip Angle Podcast: www.tracktuned.com
www.grid.life
www.facebook.com/GRIDLIFEOfficial/
IG: @gridlifeofficial
Twitter: @gridlifefest

Jul 2, 2020

Rob Wilson joins us on this week’s episode to share stories about coaching F1 drivers, the importance of weight transfer, why confidence matters, and the perfect technique to turning a steering wheel. He also shares his aha! moment as a driver and a coach.

Rob’s speed secret: Always tell the car what’s coming next.

Rob Wilson is well-known as a driver coach to many current and past Formula One drivers (Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas), as well as working as an instructor with the Skip Barber school years ago. He’s won the British Formula Ford Championship, raced in Indy Lights, IMSA prototype and GT cars, Formula 3, and even NASCAR.

Jun 25, 2020

On this week’s episode, James Chartres joins me to talk about how he built his confidence and became one of “the oast Ones” in the competitive world of SCCA, finding the balance between being analytical and just letting go to have fun, making track notes, and turn 5 at Laguna Seca. We also dive into racing sponsorships/partnerships at the grassroots level.

James races a Spec Racer Ford in the SCCA San Francisco region, runs his own team – Kanga Motorsport – and in his spare time is an aerospace engineer for NASA (or is that the other way around?!). As a club racer, James has put together some amazing marketing partnerships to help support his team, too.

James’ speed secret: The little changes and improvement add up.

Check these out to follow James!

Web: kangamotorsports.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kangamotorsports/
Instagram: @kangamotorsports
Twitter: @kangamotorsports
YouTube: kangamotorsports

Jun 18, 2020

In this week’s episode, Tom O’Gorman joins me to talk about autocross (how it helps and hurts road course driving), simulators and eSports, the ideal corning line, and making a career in racing! We also discuss why driving a bad car in bad conditions can actually be a really good thing!

O’Gorman’s Speed Secret: Start with well-known limits, and then push each of them by adapting references.

Follow O’Gorman here:
Instagram
Facebook (racing)
Facebook (personal)

Jun 11, 2020

On this week’s episode, Scot Elkins joins me to discuss being COO of IMSA/ALMS and managing the merge with Grand-Am. He dishes all about the Motorsport Safety Foundation – the what and why of the HPDE instructor certification program “CERTIFIED,” how the safety standards are set, and why all driving instructors should get CERTIFIED.

Scot is the COO of the Motorsport Safety Foundation, as well as the race director for the Formula E series. Having spent years as a race engineer, as well as a senior official with the American Le Mans and IMSA series, he has a broad perspective on the sport, from HPDE and track day events, to major international racing.

Check out MSF and the CERTIFIED program here.

Jun 4, 2020

On this week’s Speed Secrets Podcast, Dane Cameron joins me to discuss building confidence as a race driver, how to drive a car with aerodynamic down force – how to learn to trust it and manage its traction, and the difference in driving styles between open wheel and sports cars. He also shares what it was like to get the call to drive for Roger Penske!

Dane Cameron is the reigning IMSA WeatherTech champion, alongside his co-driver at Team Penske Acura, Juan Montoya. And that’s a title he’s won in the past, back in 2016, too. Oh, and also the IMSA GTD championship in 2014. And I think a Formula Mazda championship well before that, and… well, you get it. Dane wins a lot.

Cameron’s speed secret: focus on the smoothness and not over-driving – build the cornering speed, corner by corner, then lap by lap.

Follow Dane Cameron:

IG: @danecameron19
Twitter: @danecameron19
Facebook: www.facebook.com/danecameronmotorsports

 

May 28, 2020

Andrew Rains joins me on this week's episode to discuss all about data systems. We tackle how to best use your data system, the importance of understanding the "why" behind what you see on data, what data can and can't do, and more... 

Andrew Rains has been going to the track since he was five, has raced in Pirelli World Challenge and club racing, is the marketing director for APEX Pro, races as often as he can, and instructs/coaches drivers of all levels. 

Andrew's Speed Secret? If you have a data system, get familiar with how to use it as a tool, and how to read it. 

Contact Andrew by email if you have questions about data and/or the APEX Pro: andrew@apextrackcoach.com

And follow him at:
Web: https://apextrackcoach.com 
Facebook: @officialapexpro
Instagram: @officialapexpro
YouTube: APEXPro

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