Past Issues

David Murry is our guest contributor this week and he writes about how he uses data acquisition to help a driver determine what aspects of his/her driving to work on. This issue’s Speed Secret is about how to use the steering wheel (or perhaps not use it, as the less you turn it, the faster you’ll be). And Ross writes about how important it is to use every inch of track surface available to you, and how to do that.

This is the first anniversary issue of Speed Secrets Weekly – it’s been one full year of great issues! And the theme of this issue is all about learning. Ross writes the feature article, making you think about learning, and how having learning as an objective results in big gains. This issue’s Speed Secret will literally make you salivate, as it guides you to more effective mental imagery/visualization – the key to what makes superstars so successful. Ross also writes about some of the experiences and people he’s met through motorsport, which he believes is the most important result to come from our sport.

Ingrid Steffensen, author of the Fast Girl book, writes about why we drive, from a neuroscience perspective, relating the dopamine-producing high that comes from performance driving to the high that comes from a drug. Many times, as you improve you become more aware of what you need to improve, and this can frustrate you. This week’s Speed Secret puts this in perspective, and recommends being aware without being self-critical. And with May 1st having been the twenty-year anniversary of the death of the legendary Ayrton Senna, Ross shares his thoughts about the safety changes that have resulted from that infamous race weekend at Imola, as well as telling you about three documentaries about Senna that every enthusiast should watch.

Veteran driver coach, E. Paul Dickinson shares his top 10 tips to help you drive better – you won’t want to miss these. This week’s Speed Secret challenges you to use a stopwatch to time your mental laps, pointing out what areas of the track you may need to work on more. Ross also writes about vision, but not just giving you the standard advice about looking farther ahead and where you want to go. No, in this article he tells you when and how to turn your head to ensure your vision sets the path for your car.

Mazda factory prototype driver, Tom Long, shares what the life of a pro driver is like – and it may not be what you had thought, as there is much more than just driving to do. This week’s Speed Secret will challenge you to think about your corner entry speed, and how to get it just right. Ross also challenges your thinking – and the limitations we often put on our approach to driving and coaching (admitting that it was a five-year-old that reminded him of how important it is to not clutter our minds with too much “stuff,” and stay creative).

Ryan Hieronymus, a great sim and real racer, is back with more information about sim racing. In Issue #33 he talked about the benefits and how best to use a sim; in this Issue he shares with you the best software and hardware solutions to set up your sim. The Speed Secret is all about communications – between you and whoever you have helping you with car setup (even if that’s a conversation with yourself), as well as between the car and you. Then Ross provides suggestions on how to assess areas of your own performance, and where to focus your energy and time when it comes to improvement.

Driver coach, Jim Kearney, tells the story about how he helped a driver at the Runoffs shave seconds off his lap time by simply making a few notes on napkin. You’ll learn a lot from what Jim has to say. The Speed Secret and related sidebar is all about managing weight transfer while driving. And in another sidebar, Ross tells you how you can win $100,000 by making the right notes on a track map (if he ever actually puts on the competition…) – the article will help you learn how to make the most of your track map notes.

Race engineer, Jeff Braun, walks you through the process he uses to develop a car’s handling, whether it’s million dollar prototype car with all the resources one could ever ask for, or a slightly modified street car… and all you have is a tire pressure gauge. The Speed Secret for this day, April 1st, uses the latest brain research to give you a head start on the competition. Related to the Speed Secret, Ross writes about the power of your belief system –  what you believe is reality. More importantly, he tells you how to use this to your advantage when driving.

Fitness is not something that drivers should only work on away from the track – stretching prior to getting in the car can improve your performance, and reduce injuries if you’re in a crash. Simon Hayes takes you through (with video and photos) a number of stretches that are easy to do at the track. The Speed Secret this week is about making your car show its weakness, so you know what to do to improve its handling. Ross also writes in response to the question, “Can you tell just from looking at someone whether they have the physical abilities to be a good race driver.”

Our sport can be risky, but if you manage it the right way – as Ryan Staub writes about (giving you specific areas to focus on to do so) – you can minimize the risks. The Speed Secret and Ross’ sidebar article is about passing – how to “present” yourself to improve your chances of a safe pass. Ross also writes about why people participate in performance driving and racing – and asks you to share your thoughts on the subject.

It’s all about fun, right? Why we drive, and this issue, that is. Davin Sturdivant writes about the most important part of what we do – having fun. The Speed Secret and Ross’ sidebar articles are about driving in the rain (that’s fun!) – your mindset, as well as the 4 most important things you can do physically to be be fast and enjoy driving in the rain.

We’re talking brakes this week. Rob Schermerhorn writes about the physics of braking – heat, where the heat goes, and then how you can best manage the heat as a driver. If you don’t follow his advice, you might find yourself somewhere you don’t want to be! This week’s Speed Secret is about braking, too, and Ross shares his thoughts on how best to apply and release the brakes to maximize your speed. In other words, how to use your brakes to go faster.