Garage Heroes In Training

Jen, Vicki, and Bill review how the NASA Great Lakes HPDE event at PittRace went last weekend. It is our team's most anticipated HPDE event of the year and we were not disappointed. Jennifer had our friend Chris as her instructor for the entire weekend and it showed as she progressed dramatically through the event in her ND Miata. Vicki was also in HPDE 1 with another friend Jim as her student partner and also learned a ton, especially related to weight transfer in her NB Miata. Bill was in the HPDE

2 group with both Chrissy and Jeff in the E36 race car and the stock Toyota

86 for this weekend. With COVID 19 controls in place, there was no right seat driving instruction option, but NASA Great Lakes is continually learning, adapting, and responding with improvements that allow for a great amount of instruction for every student.

The Dominating with Dawson segment for this episode was initially in the area of coasting but we quickly wandered off into proper use and application of the throttle and aspects of controlled or over controlled track driving as opposed to pushing the limit and getting out of a comfort zone.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) Our group of 7 brought 7 cars with us and Chris did his best Randy Pobst impersonation by driving almost every one of them during the weekend.

2) Our teams struggle with car preparation and timing continued and we agree they must be addressed going forward.

3) Jen, Vicki, and Bill all had goals going into the event, largely as we discussed after our last HPDE at GingerMan several weeks ago.

4) Track learning/prep is very important to allow us to focus on our driving and not be distracted by "learning" the track at the same time for a new to us track

5) We discuss the Saturday event and the Sunday event and how we did not prepare our meals as well as normally because we were way behind. Sorry to our camp sharing friends.

6) Vicki converts Jen's RV sink into a disposal, for a short time.

7) We compare and contrast HPDE 1 and HPDE 2 from this event.

8) We individually cover the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the event

9) Vicki "surveyed" the track extensively after turn 10 during her spin on Saturday. Vicki did get to wave to Jennifer as she drove by a bit later.

10) Chrissy, Vicki, and Chris encountered a handling issue on the NB Miata that was easily fixed by adjusting the adjustable shocks in the rear. Who knew? PS We are sorry for not listening to you earlier Chrissy.

11) Jen solved her downshifting issue going into a turn that has plagued her to this point. This was solved by slowing down by letting out the clutch, especially on track. The best part is that Jennifer can also practice this on the street during her daily driving.

12) Jennifer failed miserably by not getting her training partner over to our podcast. Lol.

13) We learned a lot from this event both about our prep and our driving.

14) Bill admits we have too many cars and need to downsize significantly.

15) Vicki summarizes our teams learning and progress to this point.

16) Vicki's "ah ha" moment included understanding weight transfer and improving her down shifting/sequencing going into turns. Hopefully, this will help when she races a front wheel drive car again.

17) Jennifer's "ah ha" moment included shifting and especially downshifting and actually her hearing tires "sing" through the turns for the first time ever on track.

18) Bill's "ah ha" moments included 1) Bringing Lemons "skills" and HPDE "skills" together into a complimentary driving style utilizing both, 2) Comparison and E36 race car and the Toyota 86 street car, and 3) How significant the difference between sticker tires and scuffed tires. We won't be sending any of our newer drivers out on track with sticker tires ever.

19) Vicki did not get out onto the track in the E36 BMW race car due to an accident in the prior session closing the track on Sunday prematurely.

20) Some of the advantages of lead follow and some of the difficulties we saw. NASA Great Lakes addressed these by actually switching the lead follow to what is essentially a switch of the cars into a "follow - Lead" where the student is in front of the instructor at several points.

21) Goals for our next HPDE event for each of us.

We review the 2020 NASA Great Lakes HPDE event at PittRace, our team's most anticipated HPDE event of the year. Jennifer had Chris as her instructor for the weekend and she improved dramatically. Vicki was also in HPDE 1 and also learned a ton, especially about weight transfer. Bill was in the HPDE 2 group with Chrissy and Jeff . The Dominating with Dawson segment was initially on coasting but we wandered off into throttle application and pushing your limit and getting out of a comfort zone.

We try to give answers to questions our listeners want to know, usually to help them progress as drivers, but sometimes we get requests to answer questions that are not going to help you drive any better, ever. This is one of those times and one of those episodes. Several of you have asked us these questions at the track or via the inter webs, so here they are, as requested.

Throttle steering is the subject for our Dominating with Dawson segment this episode. This is one of the ways that you can make a car turn without using your steering wheel.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast and team members in the GHiT Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) Somehow we combined the Fast and Furious questions with the Newlywed Game during this episode.

2) Who has driven the fastest on our team. Any guesses? Unfortunately, not all have hit triple digits, yet. New team goal for our next HPDE!

3) Alan wanders off during the podcast with his wireless microphone. Can't even herd cats on the podcast.

4) Jennifer stretches the limits of what a car sound is, just a bit.

5) What were some of our team members "Ahhh Hahhh" moments.

We try to give answers to questions our listeners want to know, usually to help them progress as drivers, but sometimes we get requests to answer questions that are not going to help you drive any better. This is one of those times and one of those episodes. Several of you have asked us these questions at the track or internet, so here they are.

Throttle steering is a way that you can make a car turn without using your steering wheel and is the subject for our Dominating with Dawson segment this time.

Christian "Mental" Ward joins us for a very special episode where we try to break down any barriers that are keeping you from getting started and trying high performance driving or going out to a track or autocrossing etc. As with every Mental episode, we have tons of stories and go very, very long.

So strap in for a great episode where we show various ways for you, YES YOU, to start TODAY! PS this will also apply to getting some improved training opportunities for the new drivers in the family. Avoiding an accident is the best safety system. If you enjoy taking the fun way home from work/school, if you enjoy going around exit ramps, but you haven't tried anything further, this episode should show you how to break through any barrier that prevented you from REALLY enjoying your car.

"That guy can sure spin a yarn" - Jeff Wakeman

Barriers Broken during this episode:

1) I don't have a racing license

2) I don't have a car to race with

3) My car isn't ready

4) It's too far away

5) I am too intimidated by the people or the other cars/may car, or the track

6) I don't know how to get started (Hint you can contact us or E1R etc.)

7) I'm a ______ e.g. Girl, too young, too old, out of shape, the wrong shape etc. etc. etc.

8) I will one I _____ (insert any number of wonderful wish list items)

9) It costs too much

10) I don't have time

11) Ego issues

12) Where can I find where I can ______

Our Dominating with Dawson segment for this episode goes into the often overlooked art involved with downshifting, how and when to do it properly, how to practice during your daily driving, and how it can help your car last quite a bit longer during a race.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) References to Hamsa and Matt

2) Hot tub rule #1 at the track

3) Details of the Deer Incident/Inside Joke can be found at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TS0Ve1sUL8

4) Your race car is never, ever finished. Ever.

5) Waiting to get your car faster or a faster car will actually impede your learning progress. Counterintuitive but absolutely true.

6) Teen driving training discussion and resources (a few links below)

7) This episode may contain some tough love, but it's all with love.

8) We take advantage of the opportunity and hit Mental with the Fast and Furious questions, finally

Descriptions:

Autocross: Racing usually in a large area around a temporary course usually composed of orange cones

HPDE: High performance driving education - Where you can learn to drive better, usually on a race track Track Night in America: an event held at a local track where you can drive your car around a race track and dip your toe into the pool

iRacing: a brand of sim racing on a computer that the focus is on more realistic racing than a traditional racing game.

Lots of links:

SCCA: https://www.scca.com/

NASA: https://www.nasaproracing.com/

Track Night in America: https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/

Go Carting: Lots, use Google

24 Hours of Lemons: https://24hoursoflemons.com/ Lucky Dog:

https://www.racelucky.com/

AER: http://americanenduranceracing.com/

Champ Car: https://champcar.org/

WRL: https://www.worldracingleague.org/

Race Seats for Rent: Lots (Google) including The Dog Pound for Lucky Dog and OK Stupid for Lemons seats and Kingpin Motorsports.

Driving Experiences: Lots, use Google

Grass Roots Motorsports magazine Link: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/guest-blog-open-letter-lgbtq-car-enthusiasts

No Money Motorsports: https://nomoneymotorsports.com/2020/06/09/the-14-most-effective-tips-to-spend-less-on-track-days-and-racing-maximize-your-track-time/

Motorsports Reg: https://www.motorsportreg.com/

Teen driving Training near Atlanta: https://atlantamotorsportspark.com/teen-driving/

B.R.A.K.E.S: https://putonthebrakes.org/

Race Image: http://www.raceimage.com/

Racers Parts Wholesale: https://racerpartswholesale.com/

GHiT Handy Links: https://garageheroesintraining.com/racing-resources/

EVO School: http://evoschool.com/

Team O'Neil Rally School: https://www.teamoneil.com/

Skip Barber Racing School: https://www.skipbarber.com/

DirtFish Rally School: https://dirtfish.com/

Bondurant: https://bondurant.com/

The "Marks" clubs, e.g.

BMW CCA: https://www.bmwcca.org/

PCCA: https://www.pca.org/

Audi: https://audiclubna.org/

No Man's Land Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c0dj11dn98

The Wraith Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC1DRl26Guo

"Mental" Ward helps us break down barriers to trying high performance driving or going out on track. We show many ways for you, YES YOU, to start TODAY!  If you enjoy taking the fun way home from work/school, if you enjoy exit ramps, this episode may show you how to REALLY enjoy your car. Our Dominating with Dawson for this episode goes into the overlooked art involved with downshifting, how and when to do it properly, and how to practice while daily driving.

Cathy joins us on the podcast again to talk about the first ever Lucky Dog endurance race on the east coast that will take place in 4 weeks at Charlotte Motor Speedway on their Roval and we will be under the lights! There is no way we would miss this race and it will likely be our teams only wheel to wheel race this season. Cathy discussed how the Lucky Dog season has gone this year and what updates to the race procedures that they adopted to assist with COVID 19 compliance. If you haven't been to Lucky Dog race yet, this may be a great opportunity. There are still a few spots left to enter a car and there may be seats available on their website under the "Dog Pile" area. We simply cannot wait.

Dominating with Dawson covers the term throttle steering and helps us to understand what it means and how it can be used on track to add a little more to your driving repertoire.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) Cathy's history at the Charlotte Motor Speedway

2) How COVID 19 has changes the Lucky Dog paddock procedures and how everything is still very fluid and changes day to day and especially track to track

3) Changes that have been tried so far include no pitting on pit row, requiring a face mask or a racing helmet at all times, limited track access for kids and spectators/visitors.

4) The details of the Charlotte race include over 18 hours of racing, The BBQ event is still a go for Saturday evening, and a 10-hour race Sunday.

5) There is over $10,000 in prizes and awards available during the weekend, not counting the $10,000 in watches from Rebel Watches (We Are Rebels!) and the $3,000 d in tires from Hankook tires, hopefully our much preferred RS-4's.

6) We may be able to debut the new 196 Honda Civic is all goes well with the prep and cage.

7) Attendees will include traditional west coast Lucky Dog entries as well as many east coast and midwest teams.

8) Horse trading seats as a way of trying new tracks and events

9) Potential tracks that may appear on the 2021 Lucky Dog schedule.

10) How Lucky Dog works with a flexible qualifying model to balance competitiveness and still allow for new and experienced drivers in a single event.

11) Randy Pobst will be racing his Volvo at the Charlotte event. He will be much faster than we are.

12) The mystery of the Fuss Fantom E46 continues.

13) Greg and Bill may have similar car buying issues. But on the bright side, Bill may have solved a race car solution for both coasts. Greg, call us.

14) Bill is confused between goats and sheep and everyone is confused with Lucky Dog racing and racing dogs.

Cathy joins us on the podcast to talk about the first ever Lucky Dog endurance race on the east coast in 4 weeks at the Charlotte Roval. We discussed how the Lucky Dog season has gone this year and what updates to the race procedures that they adopted to assist with COVID compliance.  If you haven't been to Lucky Dog race yet, this is a great opportunity.  There are still a few spots left to enter a car and there may be seats available on their website under the "Dog Pile" area.  We simply cannot wait.

On this flashback episode, we cover our team's second ever race at Thompson with the 24 Hours of Lemons series in 2018. How did the race go? Well, it was our first ever two car race. It was the first ever race for half of our team (Alan, Jennifer, Casey, and Pete). It was our first time on track with the SpiderStang and our friends at Prompt Critical showed Liam and Cassian how to "adjust" the boost on the SpiderStang. The Capri died and is still dead to this day. We won the "I Got Screwed" award. Details of our weekend and what we learned shall be provided. PS Never show your new to racing teen age team mates how to adjust the boost. Also, on this episodes Dominating with Dawson, we go over car control and what it means when someone refers to a car "rotating".

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

Highlights from the episode include:

1) We quickly gloss over the new raspberry additions that Alan and Bill added to Vicki's garden area.

2) We cover from post-race of our first race at NJMP to the conclusion of our second race at Thompson

3) How our team grew from our first race with 4 drivers to where we had a two-car team with 8 drivers. Our preparation was not quite up to what it should have been. Especially with 4 additional drivers, two of which that had never driven a manual transmission before.

4) The advantages and disadvantages of a teen drivers on a racing team

5) How a perfectly performing a running car from our last race did not stay that way during the trip back from the track, to the great surprise of all involved. Carburetors are not our center of expertise and decided to let us know.

6) How the SpiderStang theme came to be and what we learned in doing it. It ended up looking great, but the process was not one we would recommend. Sometimes you learn what to do and sometimes you learn what not to do. We also mention how we built "Bondo", a PVC and spray foam version of a mannequin to be used as Spiderman on our car.

7) Vicki's trials and tribulations for her first time driving to a race with a race car trailer. It did not go very well.

8) How our first time trying to stay at the track went. In a word: poorly. We have come up with much better sources for renting RV's to stay at the track since then.

9) How our new drivers first time driving went. Quick checklist, panic attack at being strapped in, panic attack about going on a racetrack in the pit lane, first ever racing in the rain and heavy fog, and how to be a rolling chicane on the track.

10) Prompt Critical helped us with our cars but gave away a bit too much information to Liam and Cassian. They now knew how to adjust (read as increase to maximum) the boost of the turbocharger. After all, more is better, lol.

11) How to dial in a brake proportioning valve during testing.

12) Alan's chipmunk powered internet popped up again, a few times. Bill had no idea on how to edit this, but it seems pretty funny.

13) How we became an award-winning racing team at this event. It all started with Jennifer and her license in driver tech inspection. Well on our way to minor internet celebrity status. Still on the way to this day.

14) Things we learned at our first ever rain race and our first ever fog race, all at the same race.

15) The story of the death of the Capri and the birth of El Jeffe, The Bad Hombre.

16) We share the secret concoction to keep fog off your windshield that was shared with us by the Three Pedal Mafia.

17) Alan treats his body like a temple? And we finally found the root cause for why Alan doesn't want to work on the Capri.

18) Bill tries to avoid sleeping in the bathtub even though we won the coveted "I Got Screwed" award.

19) Finally, we go over the post-race awards and the trials and tribulations we went through to get home afterwards.

Flashback episode of our team's 2nd race at Thompson with Lemons in 2018. How did the race go? Well, it was our first ever two car race. It was the first ever race for half of our team (Alan, Jennifer, Casey, and Pete). It was our first time on track with the SpiderStang and our friends at Prompt Critical showed Liam and Cassian how to "adjust" the boost on the SpiderStang. The Capri died but we did win the "I Got Screwed" award.