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ross bentley speed secrets
Speed Secrets: Setting HPDE Expectations

Speed Secrets: Setting HPDE Expectations

The story of two bad wrecks and how experience teaches that managing expectations is key for track days (and even more important for wheel-to-wheel racing).

By Ross Bentley | February 08, 2022
sponsorship
By a Racer, For Racers: Finding Target Brands for Sponsorship
By a Racer, For Racers: Finding Target Brands for Sponsorship

For young racers looking to make the step into racing professionally, a singular topic is always at the forefront: sponsorship.  Current Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup challenger Aidan Fassnacht dives deep into the prospect of finding funding to secure a racing seat; the first of a four part series - By a Racer, For Racers.

By Ross Bentley | September 27, 2022
electric vehicles, formula e
The Vancouver Formula E Debacle
The Vancouver Formula E Debacle

This is a spectacular case of how not to promote a much-anticipate race.  After just finishing it's 8 season of around-the-world racing, Formula E has endured multiple debacles throughout it's growing phase (Miami, Montreal, & London to name a few), so it's not entirely surprising the young Series fell victim again to over-promises and under-deliveries.

By Ross Bentley | September 02, 2022

Racing

Features , Racing
Speed Secrets Quick Tip: The Most Important Corner

Which is the most important corner on a race track? Most performance and race drivers of all levels simply follow the “corner leading onto the longest straight” guideline – and they often get beaten by drivers who focus on different corners.

By Ross Bentley | September 16, 2014
Features , Racing
Ten of the Most Grueling Rally Events Ever Held

For well over a century, car racing has been a way to push both men and machines to their absolute limits. In the early days of motorsports merely finishing an event was considered an astonishing feat, but competitors began to look for new ways to challenge themselves as cars got faster and more reliable.

By Ronan Glon | September 12, 2014
Features , Racing
From Karts to Spec Miata – A Chat With Sam Silver

After several successful seasons in karts, Sam Silver decided to make the transition over to cars. When she’s not rock climbing or starting a company that sells hole saws, she’s racing a ’91 Spec Miata with a famous livery inspired by her mother’s maiden name: Martini. We had a few questions for Sam as to how she made the transition from racing karts to racing cars, what helps her win, and what the advantages are to driving a Spec Miata over other classes in racing.

By Stef Schrader | September 12, 2014
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: It’s the Second Skid that Gets You

In this week’s feature article, Rob Schermerhorn writes about skid control, training, and the technology in modern cars designed to help those without the skill to help themselves. As you’ll see, Rob covers a lot of material in one article, and I’m sure it’ll make you think about your own skill development for track driving – and hopefully of those new drivers with whom you might have some influence. – Ross

By Ross Bentley | September 10, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR TV: Keeping the Pressure On – NASA ST2 Class Racing at Laguna Seca

Team Winding Road member Adrian Little sent us this clip of his recent ST2 class race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Piloting a 1999 Chevrolet Corvette FRC, Adrian keeps the pressure on the #4 Dodge Viper throughout the race. After an extensive full course yellow during the middle of the race things get underway again, and Adrian’s tenacity eventually pays off when he’s able to capitalize on his competitor’s missed shift on the main straight:

By Bradley Iger | September 09, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR University: Driving Buttonwillow Raceway In A High-Power Street Car

You may recall our recent stint with the 2014 SRT Viper TA. While we had the reigns, we headed out to Buttonwillow Raceway to see how the car behaved in a track setting. This also afforded us the opportunity to run some traffic-free fast laps of the course in the TA and illustrate how one might approach it in a RWD street car with gobs of power.

By Bradley Iger | September 04, 2014
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets Quick Tip: Coasting

The “rule” says that you should either be on the brakes, or on the throttle – but never coasting. Well, there’s an exception to every rule, and that’s what I talk about in this Speed Secrets Quick Tip – when and where coasting will actually make you faster.

By Ross Bentley | September 03, 2014
Features , Racing
Race Class Profile: 944-Spec

Just because you want to race Porsches doesn’t mean you’ll have to sell vital organs to afford it. The 944-Spec series was conceived to offer Porsche enthusiasts a way to go racing with limited expense and low operating costs. Consisting of spec-built 1983-1988 Porsche 944s and 1987-1988 Porsche 924Ss, 944-Spec follows a similar concept to that of Spec Miata and Spec E30 in that, due to the parity between cars in the class, driver skill is the biggest factor in regards to a racer’s competitiveness.

By Winding Road Staff | August 28, 2014
Features , Racing
Four Examples of How Memorization Can Work Against You On The Track

One problem I keep coming across in my coaching and driver education is “memorization.” By this I mean memorization as a replacement for understanding. I see a lot of drivers who have problems because they have been taught specifically to do something, but cannot explain why they are doing it. They’ve only memorized a technique. Or similarly, they are trying to imitate something they have observed, but without understanding why it’s being done. In driving, the “why” is just as important as the “what.”

By Ross Bentley | August 26, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR University: Don’t Overslow It

Pro and club racer Andrew Carbonell recently sat down with the folks at Mazdaspeed to discuss the finer points of braking techniques to help maintain your pace. The most important aspect of the braking process differs depending on who you ask. Some say that the key to being fast is how soon you get on the throttle, while others will tell you it’s how late you get on the brakes. But for Andrew it’s not about getting on the brakes or on the throttle, it’s about when you get off the brakes that matters the most.

By Winding Road Staff | August 21, 2014
Features , Racing
Classic: Group B Rally

Racing changed forever in 1979 when the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA) allowed four-wheel drive cars to compete in the events it sanctioned. Previously, the setup was banned so the majority of teams went rallying with rear-wheel drive racers.

By Ronan Glon | August 15, 2014
Features , Racing
Racecar Profile: ARX AKITA

The AKITA is a newly developed mixed-surface racer designed for use in rallycross events. In ARX Manufacturing’s own words, the idea behind the development of the AKITA is to “build a race car that is affordable to obtain and affordable to race.” After more than 1000 hours of development and testing, ARX is confident that they’ve achieved those objectives.

By Bradley Iger | August 14, 2014
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Shocks – What They Actually Do And How to Adjust Them

Tuning shock absorbers used to be a bit of a black art, but over the past decade or so, it’s become more of a science. David Murry tackles the topic of shock absorber tuning this week, and what I like most about his article is that it’s written from the driver’s perspective.

By Ross Bentley | August 12, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR TV: Watch a Bentley Continental GT3 Muscle Its Way Through the Pack

Butch Leitzinger pilots the #8 Bentley Continental GT3 of Dyson Racing Team Bentley to a fourth place finish at Road America. In his debut appearance driving the Bentley Continental GT3, Leitzinger set the second fastest lap time in two sprint races held at Road America. Finishing sixth and fourth place respectively in a doubleheader at 18th-19th June, the event also marked Bentley’s return to the North American racing circuit since competing in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2003.

By Bradley Iger | August 11, 2014
Features , Racing
Three Key Factors In Making HPDE Events Safer for Everyone

Recently, there has been a lot of press, chatter on enthusiast forums, and discussion in the road course community following a fatal incident at an HPDE event. Everyone I spoke with hated to hear that one of our own lost his life, but the reactions beyond that varied quite a bit: some said they’ll never ride in the passenger seat (instruct) again, some had concerns about controls at events, and some blamed the safety (or lack thereof) at certain track

By Ross Bentley | August 10, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR TV: Perseverance Pays Off at Road America

Ride along onboard the #60 Ford Mustang Boss 302R of Jack Roush Jr. during the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on June 21st.

By Winding Road Staff | August 05, 2014
Features , Racing
Spec Racer Success: A Chat with Mike Miserendino

After four SCCA Spec Racer Ford national championships, Mike Miserendino has made his name as a consistently fast driver. As Business Development Manager for Buttonwillow Raceway Park, most of his days are spent at the track—albeit not always in a car. We had a few questions for Mike as to what helps him win, and what keeps him coming to races outside of his duties at Buttonwillow.

By Stef Schrader | August 05, 2014
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Using Video to Self Coach

One of the greatest tools for driver improvement, one that has become ubiquitous, is on-board video and audio. You only have to scan cars in the paddock or on the grid to know that this setting could be the background for a GoPro advertisement! Going further, “intelligent video,” or video laden with key driver performance data (playable immediately or shortly after returning to the paddock), has been one of the greatest leaps forward in the ability of drivers to coach themselves, as well as a boon to those professionals who assist drivers striving to identify opportunities for improvement.

By Ross Bentley | August 04, 2014
Features , Racing
Race Class Profile: Formula 1000

Formula 1000, also known as USF1000, is an open wheel SCCA race class. Powered by 1000cc motorcycle engines and utilizing full racing aerodynamics, chassis tuning, suspension and brakes, the single seat USF1000 cars are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 150 miles per hour. While the 190 horsepower generated by these motors might not immediately grab the attention of some racers, when it’s installed in a race-ready car that weights 1000 pounds (with the driver in it), some quick math should indicate that Formula 1000 cars have a fairly impressive power-to-weight ratio. As one of the fastest growing formula car classes in the United States with more active car builders than any other open wheel class in the world, the Formula 1000 series attracts experienced amateur racers who’re serious about going fast.

By Bradley Iger | July 30, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR TV: Stadium Super Trucks Prove That Jumps Make Racing Better

We’re used to seeing some high speed action at Detroit’s Belle Isle circuit when a series like the Pirelli World Challenger comes to town, but when the Stadium Super Trucks hit the street circuits, they bring a whole new bag of tricks with them, and it includes lots of wheel-up cornering and gratuitous airtime.

By Bradley Iger | July 28, 2014
Features , Racing
WRR’s Fantasy Racer GP: Round 19

This week we head to the Hungaroring in Mogyoród, Hungary for the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix.

By Winding Road Staff | July 21, 2014

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