Our podcast is always trying to encourage people to try high performance driving and racing, so Vicki wanted to start a special series she calls “So You Wanna Racecar”.  On this episode, we go over a list of the most common errors and issues that a first time driver may have on track.  We taped the episode in two pieces and the editor (Bill) was not able to hide it well.  We apologize.  Do not fear or feel bad about any and all of these areas.  These are the most commonly seen areas that you will be working to improve on at your events.

Please let us know if we missed anything that you may want discussed in a future episode of our Racing 101 Series. 

The outline for the series is:

Part 1:  Building Your First Race Car (and options to not)

Part 2:  Safety and Safety Related Equipment Needed

Part 3:  Best Entry Points To Start Performance Driving

Part 4:  Buying and Selling Cars (With Special Guest Lara Vernon)

Part 5:  Going To and From The Event/Track – What To Expect

Part 6:  Paddock and Pit – Best Practices

Part 7:  Perspective of a New Driver (With Guest Adam Owens)

Part 8:  Tools, Spares, Supplies Needed for a Race Weekend

Part 9:  Common Issues All Drivers Will/May Experience in When On Track For the First Time

Part 10:  Miscellaneous Topics (& Things We Forget to Mention Earlier)

On this episode of Dominating with Dawson, we go over one of the most important topics related to racing, your confidence in the car that you are driving.  There are a variety of ways to build confidence and as your confidence builds, your comfort will increase, and the focus can be applied to the driving of the car and the driving of your competitors and the race craft of passing and setting up passes of the other cars on track.  This includes both car set up as well as familiarity of the car and track.

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. 

Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/Racing101Part9

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  We have two systems for our team and Bill is looking to add a third for this season, pending CFO approval from Vicki.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  Bill still messes up the series name.  He is still dreaming about winning a race car for some reason.  lol.

2)  Awareness:  The first area we go over is the awareness of the surroundings.  Especially on your first events there is a lot of information coming at you seemingly all at once.  It's normal, but as you progress, try to focus on the flags and the other cars and the track (lines and marks etc).  It will gradually become natural.

3)  Driver:  The next area is what the driver is doing, gripping the wheel too tightly, not breathing, focusing on the rear view mirror etc.  Try to be on time, ideally a few minutes early and prepare as you would for any physically demanding activity, ideally well rested and ready to perform. 

4)  Eyes:  The eyes are an area of your driving that will require focus the first day, as well as the 10,000th day.  It is an area of constant awareness and will be something you will work on your entire driving career.  Specifically try to look far into the car’s  future path and scan the entire area around your car and its path, as well as your fellow drivers.

5)  Feet:  The inputs into your pedals, especially the brakes are commonly not optimized for track driving with your years of street driving experience and habits.  Also, the throttle/gas pedal as well as the clutch are other areas where most will struggle initially.

6) Hands:  Mostly in the area of steering your car, but also shifting, positioning of the seat, the way you keep your hands on the wheel while turning.

7)  Seat and Seat belts:  Key to being able to control your car is your seating position and being secure and stable while driving at speed.

8)  Miscellaneous/Other:  There are a few other items that did not fit into the above criteria, but are worth mentioning.

9)  Again, it is worth mentioning that these errors are nothing to worry about or think poorly of yourself.  These are the most common things that we see and they are the normal areas that you will be working on improving at the events.

10)  Eyes and errors in what and where you are looking.  Typical issues are not looking far enough into the future or on focusing on a single target point.  This is especially prevalent for the first time on track.  Also focusing on the mirrors more than going forward and taking care of your driving line.

11)  Also, especially for your first event, plan on preparing for this like an athletic event so staying adequately rested and controlling the social/party atmosphere are important in performing well and staying sharp.

12)  Remember that other cars can be a resource to learn from, but not always a resource that teaches you what to do, many will be teaching you what not to do.

13)  We also cover several of the typical areas of braking, both application, timing/sequencing, and release, that are very different from street driving versus track driving and key to progressing.

14)  Another aspect of track driving that is significantly different from street driving is the application of the throttle, especially the application rate when driving cars with higher horsepower and torque.

15)  We lost our amazing transition to errors using your hands/steering related errors due to technical issues with the recording.  We apologize for the loss.

16)  Another aspect of driving on track is the position and comfort of the driving position for the driver.  This is usually closer to the steering wheel than street driving and there are several tips given to assist in minimizing the effort of driving and maximizing your car control.

17)  Vicki learns a new term, the “Money Shift”.  This is to be avoided at almost any cost.

18)  And don't forget the golden rule:  “Don't be a jerk” at the event or you will be “that guy” and nobody ever wants to be that guy (or girl)