On this week’s episode of Speed Secret Podcast, Loni Unser (yes, of THE Unser family) joins me to talk about her absolute love of the sport. Can you guess what the number one thing is that she’s learned from her family who has a total of 9 Indy 500 wins? She dishes.
We also discuss the importance of patience in racing, how important confidence is – especially for a woman in racing, and why “never coast” is bad advice.
Loni’s Speed Secret: Dedication and hard work – that’s what it takes, not matter what level or type of racing you’re in.
Check out Loni below:
All social media: @loniunser
Web: www.loniunser.com
With an athletic background in downhill skiing and other line-finding sports, Loni Unser recently discovered her talent for racing. With the support of her famous family, she is rapidly becoming a threat on track. She has raced the Spec Miata classes in NASA and the MX- 5 Cup (4 races), as well as a variety of marquees in the World Racing League and ChampCar, among others.
The young driver carries her family name to a new generation of fans. Her grandfather was Jerry Unser, the first of the famous Unsers to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. From then on, the Unser family has won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 nine times and become known as “The First Family” of American auto racing.
Unser’s career is made possible through partnerships with companies that are supporting her development. She has worked with Cooper Tire to promote tire and vehicle safety, placing her at the center of a campaign that provided an invaluable opportunity for her to grow as a marketing property and explore the role of brand ambassador.
She believes in the power of positive role models and hopes to inspire young girls through her activities on and off track and competes as a Shift Up Now athlete as an ambassador for women in racing. Unser is a recent graduate of the Environmental Design program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Unser continues to focus on her development as a driver and looks ahead to claiming her place in the record books. Her future plans will carry her to a full season in Mazda’s MX-5 Cup Series, IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship and the storied tracks of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Don Kitch, old friend and founder/owner/chief instructor of ProFormance Racing School, shares what he would do differently if he could do it all over again. We also discuss fear, micromanaging, knowing when to call it quits, the downside of instructing, and the pros and cons of keeping your club racing equipment when going pro racing.
Don’s Speed Secret: Do it differently. Look for different ways, because there’s always more.
Don Kitch has raced at the amateur/club level, as well as professionally in IMSA. He co-drove with Ross to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona LMP2 race in 2003. He founded Team Seattle, which has raised over $6 million for the Seattle Children’s Hospital. In 1994 he founded ProFormance Racing School, which he continues to operate to this day at Pacific Raceway in Seattle.
Check out Don Kitch below:
https://proformanceracingschool.com
This week we have a special episode of Speed Secrets Podcast: Ask Ross Edition! Guest host Bill Fischer (of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast) turns the tables on me and asks me all the questions you’ve ever wanted to know. Specifically, in this episode, we discuss the topic of coaching – what is a driver coach, what makes a successful driver coach, and more!
Check out Ross Bentley and Bill Fischer below:
https://garageheroesintraining.com
https://speedsecrets.com
In this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Matt Romanowski (driver, instructor, coach, and data guru) joins me to dive into all things data and data systems! Specifically we dive into focusing on the speed channel, looking for lack of throttle, and braking issues. We also discuss off-season prep – what drivers can do to help them best prepare getting back on the track!
Matt’s Speed Secret: Visualize – practice visualization in all areas of your life.
Matt Romanowski participated in his first track event when he was 18 years old at Lime Rock Park, Matt was hooked. Through crewing on a SCCA Formula Continental to supporting championship efforts in various categories from SCCA Regionals to Pro Racing, racing data has been at the center of motorsport for Matt. From the early AiM Sports Mychron 3 systems to the latest MXP dash loggers, SmartyCam videos, Power Distribution Modules (PDM’s) and everything in between, racing data has been what he does. Matt has worked hard to build www.TrailBrake.com to be the center for AiM Sports Sales, Support, and Coaching where his customers have won SCCA, NASA, Pro Racing, and other championships.