Top Racing

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
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
Formula 1
Why We Love Willy T. Ribbs
Why We Love Willy T. Ribbs

Just one week into F1's summer break, we've found ourselves rewatching some of the 2022 season's highlights.  One of the most memorable moments so far has to be Willy T's podium interviews after the Miami GP.

By Ross Bentley | August 08, 2022

Racing

Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: This is Your Brain on Dopamine

True story: before I became a performance driving junkie, I was a college professor. From my perspective, driving is almost entirely a head game, and maybe this is why a nerd like me is so into it. This might also be why I give a lot of thought as to what goes on inside my head when I’m driving, and now that I’m an HPDE instructor, why I think a lot about what goes on inside the heads of my students while they’re driving and learning.

By Ross Bentley | September 12, 2020
Features , Racing
The Guide to Road Racing, Part 2: Getting Started – Safety Gear

With the Novice Permit secured and the light reading of the 2014 SCCA rulebook to tide us over until Buttonwillow, we set our sights on procuring the necessary safety gear we’d need for Cal Club Super School. We’re starting from scratch here, so we needed a helmet, a racing suit, gloves, and shoes. We also opted to use a balaclava and Nomex socks as well, though their inclusion is not required by the SCCA. Here’s a look at what we got and why we got it.

By Bradley Iger | September 05, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Physics For Gearheads

Randy holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, and for 30 years has been an automotive engineer at General Motors, where he is a technical specialist in noise and vibration (N&V) at their proving ground in Milford, MI. He has published numerous papers on powertrain N&V, and holds three patents. His first assignment at GM was the enviable task of developing Corvettes for minimized “rough road shake.” Randy sent this week’s feature article on a Saturday evening, right in the middle of driving his Cayman in a 2-day track event at Putnam Park. So you know that he not only knows the theory, he drives the theory.

By Ross Bentley | September 05, 2020
Features , Racing
The Guide to Road Racing, Part 10: Getting Started – ChampCar

In this installment of the guide we’ll be diving into the ChampCar series, and what sets it apart from the more traditional sanctions like SCCA and NASA. We recently had the opportunity to run a stint amongst a six-driver team in a ChampCar 24 hour endurance race, held at Buttonwillow Raceway. For a number of reasons, this sort of racing is substantially different from the Spec Miata SCCA sprint racing we’ve been discussing thus far, so we’ll be covering some of the key components that make both ChampCar and the endurance racing format unique in comparison to our previous segments.

By Bradley Iger | August 29, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Are You Cornering Too Slow?

If the car feels like it’s on rails, you are probably driving too slow.

By Ross Bentley | August 29, 2020
Features , Racing
The Guide to Road Racing, Part 7: Getting Started in Autocross

We’ve been having such a great time working toward our SCCA Competition License running in the Spec Miata class races that we almost forgot that there’s still plenty of cool events you can do with daily driver. As the weather warms up, autocross events are popping up around the country, so we decided to take the Winding Road Challenger out to the autocross for a closer look at this very fun and accessible way to get involved in road racing.

By Bradley Iger | August 22, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Getting Your Game Face On

I think there’s so much to be learned from other sports and other athletes that can apply to performance and race driving. So when Ingrid Steffensen sent me her article about what she observed at a hockey game (and how it related to driving), I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

By Ross Bentley | August 22, 2020
Features , Racing
The Guide To Road Racing, Part 3: Getting Started – Race School Preparation

Now that we’ve acquired the necessary safety equipment, it’s time to get ready for racing school. As you may recall from Part I, we’re signed up for Cal Club Super School, a rigorous two-day course which, upon completion, makes us eligible to race the following day. If you’re never raced before, you probably have some questions about how to best prepare yourself to be successful in the classroom and on the track. Let’s take a look at some of the important steps to take before school starts, and in turn answer some of the questions you’re likely to have before you even have to ask them.

By Bradley Iger | August 14, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Managing Your Emotions Behind the Wheel

Recently a reader emailed me to ask this: “How do I best manage my emotions when racing?” To answer this question – one that I suspect many drivers would like the answer to – I decided to ask a few drivers whom I respect immensely: Johannes van Overbeek, Tom Long, David Murry, and Don Kitch.

By Ross Bentley | August 11, 2020
Features , Racing
The Guide to Road Racing, Part 15: The Elusive Rain Line

As a young racer I found myself listening to more seasoned drivers discussing rain lines at the track with great curiosity, like they belonged to a secret club. I read and asked questions but found a myriad of answers that never worked that well for me. Ultimately, I determined that my own aggressive research was my best hope for a rain strategy that produced consistent results. I have a short attention span and sports that can’t kill me do little to keep my interest. I guess that’s why I found racing so appealing – specifically road racing.

By Corey Rueth | August 11, 2020
Features , Racing
Spec MX-5 SimRacing Challenge Driver Profile: #42 Michael Borden

Michael is a returning driver with a solid record of top-10 finishes in 2019 and finished 6th overall in the 2019 Spec MX-5 SimRacing Challenge season. He’s a hard-charger and is not afraid to put his elbows out and fight for a position. With a single win in the 2020 season, he’s sitting in 3rd, only 8 points behind 2nd place with one regular season event to go.

By Winding Road Staff | July 21, 2020
Features , Racing
How To Jump Curbs Like A Pro At Buttonwillow: Driver Mod Track Guide

For racers and time attack/HPDE drivers in the Southwest, there are still plenty of opportunities to get on track at Southern California’s world-famous famous Buttonwillow Raceway Park. If drivers are feeling a bit rusty in regard to properly navigating this fun-yet-tricky course, particularly in its 13CW configuration, Kevin Burke of Driver Mod has you covered.

By Peter Nelson | June 03, 2020
Features , Racing
Spec MX-5 SimRacing Challenge Driver Profile: #23 Jack Sanchez

Oregon’s Jack Sanchez returns to the Spec MX-5 SimRacing Challenge for another crack at the title. In 2019, Jack finished 18th in the regular season which earned him a spot in the Grand Finale race at Road Atlanta; he also has the distinction of being one of the few driver’s that started every 2019 race and that’s what earned him an auto-invite to the 2020 season.

By Winding Road Staff | April 21, 2020
Features , Racing
2020 Spec MX-5 SimRacing Challenge Driver Profile: Rob Lebel #14

Rob Lebel comes to us with plenty of real-world experience. Having competed in various North American racing series for the past 10 years, he's now…

By Winding Road Staff | April 09, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: What Prevents Quicker

Is there anyone reading this who does not want to drive faster? Yep, just what I thought. Going faster can be seen in two ways: what can you do to drive faster, and what stops you from driving faster. It’s this second viewpoint that driver coach E. Paul Dickinson writes about this week, getting you to think about what stops you from going quicker. By doing so, you can mentally prepare for what prevents you from driving quicker.

By Ross Bentley | March 23, 2020
Features , Racing
This Weekend In Racing: Take A Look Back To The Late 80s And Early 90s

Since there won’t really be any racing on TV this weekend, we thought we’d put together a mix of street circuit races from around 35 years to enjoy while we’re all more cooped-up than usual.

By Peter Nelson | March 20, 2020
Features , Racing
The Sauber-Mercedes C9 Is One Of The Most Gorgeous And Fascinating Group C Racecars

We’ve got a big soft spot for the Sauber-Mercedes C9. Its development story is fascinating, its podium ratio is quite good, and it just looks beautiful. The small, bi-turbo V8 beast was the most successful cars of the 1989 Group C racing season, winning eight races including Le Mans. They scored a 2nd place spot on the prestigious, French podium as well.

By Peter Nelson | March 18, 2020
Features , Racing
How Do NASCAR Teams Figure Out Tire Changes Before And During Races?

It is impossible to watch a NASCAR race without noticing the lightning-fast speeds at which the pit crews change tires on the vehicles during their pit stops. The unforgettable zipping sound of the impact wrenches they use to remove the lug nuts is just one of the highly-skilled duties these professionals use to assure a quick tire change.

By Guest Contributor | March 17, 2020
Features , Racing
Three Common Methods of Steering Wheel Control – But Which Makes You Faster?

This is a controversial topic, with many differing opinions. One of my objectives for Speed Secrets Weekly has always been to provide different perspectives, and that’s why we have a different guest contributor each week. To address these questions and comments, I’m going to tackle the topic in the feature article, and then have two coaches/drivers whom I respect immensely, Peter Krause and Peter Carroll, share their thoughts.

By Ross Bentley | March 17, 2020
Features , Racing
Speed Secrets: Why Do We Do What We Do?

Some people would say that driving around a race track is not the smartest thing to do! In fact, you may have had your sanity questioned more than once. Perhaps you’ve had someone give you THAT look when you tell them how much you spend on your passion. Or they’ve questioned your concern for the environment, your safety, or the care for your family.

By Ross Bentley | March 09, 2020
Features , Racing
Why You Want To Go Vintage Racing

In some ways, vintage “racing” isn’t really racing. Chances are, you’ll be in a class with other cars that aren’t really like your car all that much. Vintage is different, but in that difference are some charms…

By Tom Martin | March 08, 2020

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