Multi-Time National Champion Jason Frank is this weeks guest on the Autocross Talk Podcast.

His Solo National Championships: 2007 STS, 2013 STC, 2015 STS

His ProSolo Championships: 2011 STC, 2012 STC, 2014 STS

Triad Award 2013, And he has also won a ProSolo Challenge

Jason Frank is MR. STS/C having won many championships and competed in the class since 2002.  I met him several years ago when I entered the class in a civic myself.

He is one of the experts for the civic and crx ST platform, if you are planning to win in the class you have to somehow get past him.

He shares his thoughts on codrivers , data acquisition and much more.

The post Jason Frank Multi-time Solo and ProSolo Champion first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

The post Rocky Entriken Solo Cup winner and SCCA Champion first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

This show features Scott Fraser

Awards

He has raced front wheel drive to rear wheel drive including VW Rabbit, CSP Miata and a Cobra 427 and look for him in a Porsche 911.

The post Scott Fraser SCCA 2012 Driver of the Year and Multi time Solo and ProSolo National Champion first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

Tom Berry

2009 Driver of Eminence award

7 Solo National Championships

Pro Solo

One over all Challenge Championship, Runner up to over all and 15 Class Championships and 10 Challenge Wins

TOM BERRY NOTES

Were you always around cars?

First car/s?

How does that help driving different cars?

Left or Right foot braking?

"We have our weekend events to practice and I just show up with a helmet at times."

It is eye opening for people to ride with others for progression of their driving skills.

TOP TIPS on Slaloms

Data system?

Coming off the brakes and release it much easier

Learning by watching - you should try getting in somebody's car because you can always learn a little something from everybody

Challenges and experiments - change the car and try a different set up

If you are stagnant and you haven't changed anything - if you're not tying different stuff you're getting passed up.

It's like business - if you're business plan hasn't moved in the last 5 years, then you're not successful.

WALKING COURSES?

The post 6 Tom Berry Multi Time Autocross and ProSolo Champion and 2009 Driver of Eminence winner first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

Leslie Cohen began autocrossing in 1996, she started in an automatic Mazda MX-6. She has 4 national championships in STL (2009, 2010) and SSL (2001, 2004).  She has raced Mazda MX-6, 1989 Corvette, 2001 Z06 Corvette, 2003 Z06 Corvette, 1989 Civic SI, 2002  Camaro to name a few.  She also trophies in open class in STS and SS Super Stock in the Z06.

It was fun to hear her thoughts on everything from focus to ProSolo starts.

LeslieCohenDesign.com

Wins

Driving Instructor experience:

Leslie Quotes

It began back in 1996 – I have always loved driving cars. One of our friends was an autocrosser and I was driving a Mazda MX-6 at that time.

I have to say that my first year, I had fun a lot. I pushed the car – aggressive right away.

All my pent up aggressiveness and competitiveness reflect to my driving.

My first year I drove an automatic – won the class in the region and that was based on aggression because my driving skills weren’t phenomenal at that drive. I just drove hard.

The next year, I got rid of the car and bought the same car but a manual transmission all because of autocross.

My first year I didn’t do any practices, I just went to events.

I bought a 1989 Corvette, only owned the car for less than a year because I hated it. I had trophies because of the car but I didn’t like it. The torque was gradual, it felt heavy.

2001, won my Championship on a Z06 Corvette.

I love Pro-solo because of the drag start – you’re there before you’ve taken off whereas at the regular solo, you’re just waiting for the flag person.

The format of the Pro-solo makes me focused.

The majority of my best run, I did something wrong very early and I get mad at myself – all the processing, worrying and all my instincts just set in and I’ll just drive.

I used to have “shakes” but it got lesser in time.

I would use the power for the deficiencies of my driving.

I right-foot brake – I don’t use both feet.

Learning to brake early, just looking ahead.

Picking out what is important to learn and who it is important to learn from. I didn’t listen to everybody.

Number of walks? 6 to 8 in Nationals. If I were serious in a competition, I’d walk a few more times.

I went through a phase and think about the potential screw-ups I’m going to wait. I was working about the variations – contingency plans.

I’d be driving 2-3 weekends a month.

I won everything maybe because I just wanted to have fun, to hang out with my friends – my body was already trained.

I have learned about set ups – as long as you have a reasonable set up and tires, it’s about the driver.

I want to have a set up that I don’t have to touch anymore so I can focus on my driving.

I can diagnose by sound and by feel.

When I am driving well, I am seeing a lot.

My most amazing driving experience ever, it was unbelievable because I could see everything. Totally peaceful. I was one with the car, the landscape, the track. I tried to recapture that in my career but I couldn’t make it happen.

My favorite car ever was the Camaro – it was Z06 on steroids.

The post 5 Leslie Cohen multi-time National Champion and ProSolo National Champion first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

This show features Danny Kao who was your 2012 Johnson Spirit of the Sport Award Winner.

It was a lot of fun to learn more about Danny who is another of the great people in our autocross community!

Danny started autocrossing at the end of 2006 and I bet he has autocrossed as much as anyone since then. He thinks he 450 runs per year (59 autocrosses).  He makes every test and tune in the DC area.

I totally forgot to ask him about his theory that relates the PSI it takes to seat a tire to how fast it will be compared to other tires. Danny has a tire mounting machine in his house.

Danny did lots of tire testing last year and shared all of his findings and experiences to help the rest of us who use street tires the time and expense of testing. He is very active on forums and Facebook.

If you think you have a car addiction maybe not once you compare your purchases to his before starting autocross in 2006 he thinks he owned 55 or 60 cars.

He started in CSP kind of by accident and he is once again in CSP for 2016 and has been building a Miata from the ground up – he shared lots of photos on Facebook. Danny shares a lot, a lot of fun which explains him winning the Spirit of the Sport Award Winner.

Classes Danny Kao has run: CSP, GS, STX, STU, SS, F125 (KM)

Started autocrossing at the end of 2006 – before that he was a hobby guy – basketball, golf, motorcyles then he started fixing cars.

His first autocross car was a Miata he found for $1300 thought he would road race it but was told he should try autocross.

After the Miata, he showed up with a new Evo in STU.

Fun first more than anything else – it’s not about competing or doing well, fun is the number one priority. “If I get there, I want everyone to have fun or have a good time. I don’t want to go to an event where everyone is miserable.”

Jokes around and let people loosen up. Keep everybody happy.

At least 450 runs a year on average.

Played too much golf between 1996-98, at least 500 rounds a year.

“I don’t focus on the bad. I can remember the good part, the fun part. The first 5-6 years, I didn’t really learn a lot.”

Majority, on the places I thought I did good, I did poorly. Now, I can go back to the data and evaluate and say, confirm that I didn’t do well.

When I first started, I tried to conserve distance by making everything into a triangle.

Right or left foot braker? Initially a left. Every time I get nervous, my left foot just constantly hovers the brake.

Modulating the throttle – that’s when I started driving the car the way it should be driven. That’s how I got faster.

Knowing what your limitations.

The last three years he can actually feel what the car is doing.

The post 4 Danny Kao SCCA 2012 Johnson Spirit of The Sport Award Winner first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

Episode 3 features Bob and Patty Tunnell Driver of Eminence award winners and multi time autocross champions.  It was great to hear their history in the sport.

Their business is BimmerHaus.com and it was interesting hearing how apprehensive Patty was to buy that first BMW and now that is just about all they will drive.

Towards the end we get to hear about one of their passions of helping people in Afghanistan you can learn more and support the cause at http://www.barekaub.com/

I was surprised to learn that Patty does NOT like to ride along with Bob and don't invite her to a roller coaster.

We still don't know who was in the halfway house.  But we do know that Bob uses his left foot for braking and Patty her right.

Awards:

Bob Tunnell

Patty Tunnell

The post Episode 3 Bob and Patty Tunnell Driver of Eminence award winners and multi time autocross champions first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

This episode is with Julian Garfield who has won 5 junior kart championships in autocross and has a 2nd in CSP and 3rd place finish in DSP at nationals.  And the third place was with his mom riding shot gun since he only had his drivers permit.

Julian has great insight on kart setup and driving which was all new to me.  If you are a parent of a junior kart driver take notes.

He talks about adding distance to keep the junior kart in the torque band rather than taking a tight line which would bog the kart.  Sounds like physics supports a wider line at times.

Julian was written up in my My SCCA Life - Click Here for the Julian Garfield article.

www.thestudentdriver.blogspot.com  - "Student Driver" Julian Garfield brings a fresh perspective to the automotive world.

His website with some videos (fast hands!)

You can catch Julian on Facebook Here

The post Episode 2 Julian Garfield a 5 time junior kart champion Autocrosser and one to watch first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.

This was a fun and insightful interview with Brian Peters who is a multi SCCA national champion and pro solo champion.  He is fast and shares his thoughts with us.

Brian was the 2015 Driver of Eminence award winner and multi time national champion in SOLO and Pro Solo in many different classes.

Brian started out in 1999 when he got invited to an event – had a great time and realized he was good at it, been doing it since.

His first car: Toyota Cressida AT ‘80 - Check out a photo here.

In the beginning Brian hit some local events and traveled a bit. The first few years was just really about having fun for him.

Brian's thoughts:

If Brian could drive anybody’s car right now? Kiesel’s will be high on the list.

If Brian could build any car? A Mustang - I kinda pick the underdogs.  (I forgot to ask him then why a corvette...oh this was a question with unlimited budget

Awards - 2015 Driver of Eminence

National Championships

Pro Solo National Championships

The post Episode 1 Brian Peters your SCCA 2015 Driver of Eminence winner and autocross champion many times over first appeared on Autocross Talk Podcast with Kinch Reindl.