Trevor Ashline joins me to talk about the latest in head and neck restraint devices, as well as all sorts of other safety related topics. As VP of Engineering and Product Development for Simpson Performance Products, and a motorsport enthusiast himself, he knows his stuff – and shares it with you in this show. Should a HANS or Hybrid-S device be used with airbags? With standard OEM Seatbelts? How long do these devices stay safe? How do they interact with seats and roll cages? These are just some of the topics we talk about.
Ever since Dale Earnhardt’s death back in 2001, the use of head and neck restraint devices has increased, and in some events they’re mandatory. But what if you track a stock production car with standard OEM Seatbelts where a HANS device doesn’t work for you? There is one device that is FIA certified to work with OEM belts – the Hybrid-S - invented by Trevor.
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Richard Kelley joins me to talk about his experience of capturing some of the most incredibly powerful images of F1 drivers from 1972 to 1984. His photos of Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Jackie Stewart, Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet, Gilles Villeneuve and others will connect with you and either make you smile, get goose bumps, or cry. His perspective as someone who has closely observed some of the best drivers in the world, as well as raced himself, make his advice about visualization, situational awareness and sensory input hugely valuable to every driver.
Richard has been a photojournalist, writer, communicator and historian for most of his life. In addition to his F1 photography, he’s worked for Car and Driver, Mitsubishi (where he was Motorsport Manager, and largely responsible for the Evo), and the Chicago Tribune. He also successfully raced Formula Ford and Atlantic.
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Spencer Pumpelly and I talk about what karting doesn’t teach, how to brake with ABS and release them to rotate the car, why an early apex is better than a late one, when a pass really begins, corner entry speed, and the importance of eliminating the fluff (that part throttle stuff that does more harm than good). Oh, and we also touch on the similarities between flying helicopter and performance driving (just in case you’ve always wanted to know!).
Spencer currently races for Magnus Racing and TRG, and has won in almost every level of racing he’s competed in. In this podcast, he talks about Le Mans and racing in ARCA. He’s also a great coach, as illustrated by his comment that, “The line is not the cause, it’s the result.” Great stuff!
Spencer’s Speed Secret: Eliminate the fluff!
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Peter Puffer joins me to talk about why we do what we do (driving fast around race tracks), the psychology of instructing a driver on track, and what makes a great instructor (hint: observing and paying attention to the student is a good place to start!). Peter also talks about how too much, and also too little, anxiety can negatively impact performance.
Peter, who is a psychologist as a profession, grew up around motorsport and started driving in HPDE events and track days back in 1997. Since that time he’s driven and raced at tracks throughout the midwest and elsewhere. He’s been a HPDE instructor for 18 years, and is the chief instructor for the Glacier Lakes Audi Club.
Peter’s Speed Secret: always be a student.
Peter can be contacted at peter.puffer@audiglacierlakes.org
Wallace Bradley joins me to talk about that thing we don’t want to talk about: when to stop driving. Whether it’s age, money, risk, or “been there, done that,” there comes a time when we all need to make a decision to cut back on our driving or stop cold turkey. How should we make that decision, and then do it?
Wallace started high-performance driving about ten years ago, and has been participating mostly in PCA events at tracks primarily in eastern North America ever since. Like many, he started instructing shortly after getting involved, giving back to the sport. As he also tracks a motorcycle, he’s been thinking about cutting back on the number of track days he does each year in his Porsche 944.
Wallace’s Speed Secret: Commit to yourself and your fitness.
Dave Weckl, a drumming legend, joins me to talk about the rhythm of driving and drumming, how playing music relates to performance driving, and what makes the best performers in anything great.
Dave is a true drumming legend. Modern Drummer magazine inducted Dave into their Hall of Fame and named him one of the 25 best drummers of all time, and he’s played with performers like Paul Simon, Madonna, Robert Plant and Chick Corea. He also has his own band, tours a lot, and has an online training program for drummers. But he also drives a Corvette on track, and has proven that driving is an art just like music.
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Dr. Shannon Irvine joins me to talk about mindset, confidence, mental triggers, fear… and so much more about the mental game of performance & race driving. We all know that the mental game is what makes the difference on the track – but what do we do about it? Shannon shares some deliberate strategies to help you improve your driving performance.
Dr. Shannon Irvine is an Entrepreneur, High Achievement Mentor, Host of the Epic Success Podcast, a PhD. in Neuro-Psychology and a Philanthropist.
Her mission is to help entrepreneurs go for their God given dreams by giving them the step-by-step blueprint to go from “Dream to Launch” in a way that honors what they value most.
Dr. Shannon helps her clients “neuro-hack” their success and build an Epic Life and Business that they love by harnessing the power of the brain to hardwire productivity, goal attainment, and high performance mindset mastery.
Through her courses, programs, and Epic Success Podcast, her clients learn the power of neuroachievement™ — her process for shifting how to think, act, and grow, so they can achieve anything they desire. They learn how to hardwire what they want, and delete anything that’s holding them back!
Shannon’s Speed Secret: Be aware of what you say to yourself, and what you think.
Shannon mentioned the Brain Priming audio series, and you can access it here: https://drshannonirvine.com/mindyourbusiness
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Adam Jabaay is back (he was my guest on Episode #11), and we’re talking about his Slip Angle podcast, about the Gridlife events, and what makes a great driving event. He tells us about how Gridlife is launching a wheel-to-wheel race series (Touring Cup), and what brings young drivers and spectators to driving events.
Adam races a Honda in SCCA and NASA events, is a founder and organizer of the Gridlife events, hosts the Slip Angle podcast, and has a passion for older motorhomes. Having purchased the Time Stretcher 3000 from Sears many years ago, he manages to fit 26 hours of activity into each day.
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Don Kitch joins me to talk about the art of racing in the rain, as we sit together at Pacific Raceway in Seattle, the very place where Garth Stein’s book, The Art of Racing in the Rain came to life – and the “home” of the upcoming Patrick Dempsey movie. Don and I dissect eight of my Speed Secrets that are aimed at driving fast in the rain, as well as our love for simply being at a race track.
Don and I have been close friends for over 25 years, and have worked together throughout that time, sharing a race car at Daytona with Team Seattle, coaching drivers, conducting high-performance driving schools, and having our luggage get lost during air travel. Don is the owner and chief instructor for ProFormance Racing School, and the founder of the Team Seattle program that has raised millions of dollars for the Seattle Childrens Hospital. He began racing in 1982… and some think he will never stop! For sure, he will never stop sharing his knowledge and passion for high performance driving.
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Greg Woodrowjoins me to talk about what makes those crazy Aussie V8 Supercar drivers so good, and specifically the training they have all had racing Formula Ford. We also talk about the state of motorsport in Australia, the advice that Luke Youldon and Bruin Beasley of Erebus gave during my Inner Speed Secrets seminar in Melbourne, and finally, some of the fun that we had together – and what we learned – when I was down-under recently.
Greg is the owner of G-Force Motorsport and G-Force Events located in Melbourne, Australia. After twenty years as the agent for Mygale Cars in Australia and New Zealand, where he built an unbeatable empire of Mygale products that have won the last ten Australian Formula Ford Championships and the last ten New Zealand Formula Ford championships back-to-back, Greg sold the Mygale business and now runs a race team for Formula Ford and Porsche drivers, as well as motorsport-orientated events that involve corporations at every level.
Greg’s Speed Secret: Never give up. Un-ending commitment makes the difference.
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Chuck Tucker joins me to talk about HPDE instructing – what the best instructors do, how the classroom sessions need to work with the in-car instruction, the secret of the “secret goal,” and the best driving drills being used today.
Chuck, who is an engineering professor in real life, changes into his superman instructor suit when instructing with NASA Great Lakes Region, as well as the PCA and BMW clubs.
Chuck’s Speed Secret: Ask your student questions – then listen.
You can find Chuck on Facebook, as well as email him at ctucker@illinois.edu.
If you’re ever looking for a good track map, just go to SpeedSecrets.com/Trackmaps.
Andy Pilgrim joins me to talk about racing and traffic safety education. He tells us about his experience co-driving with Dale Earnhardt Sr and Jr at Daytona, why he’s won so often, and the work he’s doing in the traffic safety education world – and why you should care. Andy tells you how you can get free copies of the training videos he’s produced.
Andy has won in just about everything he’s driven from the factory Corvettes to Cadillacs. He’s committed to giving back by helping save young drivers’ lives, through his Traffic Safety Education Foundation work.
Andy’s Speed Secret: Eyes to the vanishing point.
To learn more about Andy’s traffic safety initiatives, go to his Traffic Safety Education Foundation website at www.tsef.org. And you can also contact him through his website at www.AndyPilgrim.com.
Randy Beikmann joins me to talk about the ideal line – the one that results in the fastest lap times – something that he’s been modeling from a mathematical perspective, and then relating to real track driving. What he shares will give you a deeper understanding of why you drive the line you – or should drive the line you’re currently not!
Randy is a former engineer for General Motors, and currently teaches engineering at Kettering University. He’s written the super-important book, Physics for Gearheads – a must-have for anyone interested in understanding vehicle dynamics and driving at a deeper level. As important is the fact that he’s also a track rat who drives a Porsche Cayman in PCA events.
Randy’s Speed Secret: Power is not the end-all. Traction is more important.
You can purchase Randy’s Physics for Gearheads at Barnes & Noble, or on Amazon.
Trey Shannon joins me to talk about how to improve your fitness for performance and race driving. We talk about how to train your breathing, vision, sense of balance, and your fine muscle control to improve your footwork. Trey provides some great tips for simple exercises you can do at home, without expensive equipment.
Trey runs Podium Performance Fitness in Charlotte, NC, where he trains drivers like Tom Long, Colin Braun and John Edwards. As a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and with a Engineering degree, you know he looks at fitness training in a analytical and specialized manner.
Trey’s Speed Secret: Take the pressure off yourself.
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For more information about the Improve Your Braking & Corner Entry webinar, go to SpeedSecrets.com/Braking-Entry
Phil Lombardi joins me to talk about what most drivers struggle with the most – corner entry speed – as well driving style, perception, and focusing on performance. Phil’s insights are hugely valuable. And even more important are his recommendations of how to work through these challenges to become an even better and faster driver.
Phil was a long-time Skip Barber instructor, and currently provides personal coaching for drivers of all levels, and instructs for the Lucas Oil School of Racing.
Phil's Speed Secret: "Focus on your own performance, not the results."
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For more information about the Improve Your Braking & Corner Entry webinar, go to SpeedSecrets.com/Braking-Entry. Registration closes on January 13th, 2019.
Eric Meyer joins me to talk about the steps and process he’s seen that the best drivers – and organizations – use to become even better drivers. From first-timers to serious club racers and pros, there are certain things – situational awareness, passing and being passed, flags, race starts – that everyone should learn. And there’s a process you can use to learn them more effectively.
Eric is the Chief Instructor for the NASA Great Lakes Region, and has raced in both amateur and pro racing – Grand-Am and Pirelli World Challenge, for example.
Eric’s Speed Secret: The more you scan with your eyes, the better.
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Oh, and mark February 23, 2019 on your calendar for a super-cool event that Eric and I are doing together in Indy. More details are coming soon.
Mark Sternberg is on today’s show and we bounce around, talking about karting, Karma Automotive, the pros & cons of having ADHD, Formula One, Honda S2000s, and what to do when you need to pee.
Mark is a life-long car and driving enthusiast who has turned his passion into a career. He helped re-launch the Peterson Automotive Museum, races karts, founded the L.A. F1 Fan Group, and currently works for Karma Automotive. Oh, and he’s in the process of launching a car-themed watch company called Heel & Toe Watches. How cool is that?!
Mark’s Speed Secret: If you’re wearing your driving suit and you need to pee, tuck the arms of your suit into your pant leg to avoid it touching the floor.
Follow Mark on Instagram @jdotmark, and his new watch company at www.heelandtoewatches.com.
Matthew Walker joins me to talk all about the importance of sleep on your driving performance – everything from how it impacts learning to your ability react and focus. He also provides tips on how to get better sleep, how to manage jet lag, the effect a lack of sleep can have on your health, what drugs and alcohol do to sleep, and memory formation and practice.
In addition to a love of all things motorsport, Matthew is the Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. With a degree in neuroscience and PhD in neurophysiology, he is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. And of course, he is the author of the International Bestseller book, Why We Sleep.
Matt’s Speed Secret: Get no less than seven hours of sleep.
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The tables are turned – I’m the guest, and Frank Greif is the host. Frank was my guest on episode #1, I coached him when he started racing, he’s a business coach and a former TV talk show host. Oh, and we’re good friends, so it was interesting to have him asking me questions. And that’s what the show is about: my thoughts on this podcast, learning, driving, Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, who my greatest influences were, and who my support team are.
A special thank you to Frank for helping out with this episode, and to you, for listening! I never would have guessed I’d have created one hundred podcasts, but the reason I have is because of the feedback I’ve gotten from you and others. So again, thank you!
There’s always more… so join me next week when I have another interesting guest on the show, and we talk more about performance driving.
Bret Holmes joins me to talk about our passion for shifting, and specifically driving manual transmission cars. We talk about how young drivers DO have an interest in performance driving, the future of manual transmissions, and the 3 Pedal Car Club of America.
Bret has a strong passion for driving manual transmission vehicles, which was the initial motivation for starting the 3 Pedal Car Club of America. You can – and should – join by going to www.3pcca.com.
Bret’s Speed Secret: Eyes up.
Web: www.3pcca.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/3pcca
Instagram: @3pcca
YouTube: 3pcca
John Shoffner joins me to talk about how to maintain and even improve your driving performance as you get older. We talk about diet, supplements, mental training, fitness, and the basic differences between young and older drivers.
John started racing at the age of 58, and within a year was racing in the VLN series at the Nurburgring. With a steep learning curve like that, he’s done everything he can to minimize the effects of aging, and now feels he’s fitter – physically and mentally – than he was decades ago.
John’s Speed Secret: Always be at the limit.
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097 – Matt Romanowski: Note-taking & Data – A Driver’s Best Friends
Matt Romanowski joins me to talk about how to make notes before and after on-track sessions in a way that will help you improve – and help your car improve. Then we talk about the use of data, and even how to integrate your note-taking with what comes out of your data logger.
Matt is a long-time contributor to Speed Secrets Weekly, a data coach who sells and supports data systems, a car setup tuner, and driver coach. Oh, and wheels a pretty fast Porsche 914.
Matt’s Speed Secret: Have a focus for every session on track.
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Matt mentioned the Shocks for DriverseBook that I publish, and if you’re interested in it, go to SpeedSecrets.com/product/Shocks-for-Drivers/
Tom Long is back on the podcast and we’re talking about getting past what seem like the inevitable plateaus in driving and racing. We talk about the mental blocks, the techniques, and corners where drivers have the most trouble. More importantly, we give you some strategies for breaking through.
Tom is a long-time feature writer and expert panelist for Speed Secrets Weekly. He’s a Mazda-factory, championship-winning driver, and a sought-after driver coach.
Tom’s Speed Secret: Drive the car like you’re on a scale pad.
Follow Tom if you’re in the market for a great coach or to find out the results of the final championship race in 2018. Go to:
And if you’d like more from Tom – and dozens of other drivers, coaches, engineers, data experts, and team owners – check out Speed Secrets Weekly at SpeedSecrets.com/SSW.
Russ Rosenberg joins me to talk about his book, Racing Under the Illusion of Grandeur. More importantly, we’re talking about the topic of his book: how to get started in racing after age 40 and what Russ learned when he took on that challenge. But oh, this book – and what Russ has to share – applies to any driver, of any age, in any form of motorsport.
Russ races two very cool cars - a ‘76 BMW 2002 and a ‘66 Yenko Stinger - in vintage races, as well as competing in World Racing League events.
Russ’s Speed Secret: You need to learn how to be fast offline.
Follow Russ at: www.facebook.com/TxCoyoteRacing/
And buy his book at: www.txcoyoteracing.com/racing-under-the-illusion-of-grande
Colin Braun joins me once again - while we’re traveling in Europe – and we talk about how to be fast in fast corners. There aren’t many – if any – faster drivers in sports cars these days, so Colin’s advice on how to work your way up to the limit in very fast corners is great information. Also, we talk about how to sense the limits of the tires when in these fast corners (hint: it’s not wiggling the steering wheel back and forth).
Colin has raced and won in everything from NASCAR to IMSA. He currently drives an Oreca LMP2 car for CORE Autosports in the Weather Tech IMSA series, CrowdStrike Racing in the Pirelli World Challenge, and United Autosports in the Michelin Le Mans Series.
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Facebook:www.facebook.com/ColinBraun
Twitter:@colinbraun
Instagram:@colinbraun