Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for August 29, 2022

This week’s Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup has a lot of great stuff including racecraft tips from Enzo Mucci, Ross Bentley, Scott Goodyear and Blayze, why sportscar racing is becoming more popular with junior drivers and the amazing advances in race car hand controls for disabled drivers. All this and much more!

Racecraft Tips & Techniques

• Enzo Mucci explains how to drive faster. “This is for anyone who wants to improve their driving and laptimes in the real world and on simulators using software like iRacing, Assetto, rFactor, etc.”

• Blayze tackles the question: Why am I not improving during the race weekend? “Want to know where almost every driver in grassroots racing goes wrong? They do not have a plan for every session or they have a broken plan. Today, we’ll discuss not only the importance of having a plan but also how to properly form your own.”

• In the video above, a 2022 F2 steering wheel is explained by race driver Alex Brundle.

• This link contains a great pdf that explains Car Control and the Racer’s Brain. “One of the biggest takeaways from the “Science of the Racer’s Brain” book is that the racing driver’s subconscious does in fact assimilate the vehicle dynamics of the race car. You actually do become one with the car, as far as your brain is concerned.”

• Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets answers the question: Should I trail brake to the apex of a corner, and then apply the throttle starting at the apex?

• Ross also posted the video above that he feels demonstrates incredible racecraft. “I could watch this video over and over and over again. The way Thomas Merrill sets up and pulls off passes (and uses a bit of patience when needed) going from 27th to 1st is a work of art. Enjoy.”

• The US F4 Championship has posted a great Get to know Scott Goodyear in 10 Questions interview which contains some important racecraft advice. “From behind the wheel—and I shared this with my son, Michael, when he was karting and driving cars—the thing that I learned so much about is patience. I’ve talked about being prepared, and hopefully I’m teaching that through the notes and PowerPoint presentations that I share with the drivers.”

Driver Development News & Resources

• F1 Feeder Series explains why why young drivers are doubling up with endurance campaigns: Race as much as possible. “The recent boom of interest in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has been driven by a technological revolution at its highest levels. But many recognise that the costs of competing in junior single-seaters are prohibitively expensive, particularly considering the low F1 chances for those without academy backing or many millions at their disposal. Endurance racing does not have a strict ladder of progression as Formula 1 does, but it differentiates its drivers via a complex system of categorisation. Most of those who enter endurance racing from junior single-seaters are given the silver classification, save for a handful of top-five or top-three finishers in championships at the Formula 3 level or higher who may earn gold or even platinum categorisation.”

• Sportscar racing team Inter Europol are set to add Le Mans Cup and Asian Le Mans Series programs for 2023 according to Daily Sportscar. “The team have taken the decision to field entries in the Le Mans Cup to help create a strong prototype ladder within the three ACO-run championships.”

• Racer has a great article on how the latest in race car hand controls took Robbie Wickens and Michael Johnson back to the winners circle. “The concept is simple — you’re using your hands instead of your feet — but that’s where the simplicity stops,” said David Brown, BHA’s technical director, who devised the system with BHA development technician Jonathan Gormley. “It still has to be driven by somebody using their feet as well. You have the underlying brake, throttle and clutch systems all on the floor in the car, but then you have a duplicate set of controls for someone who can’t use their feet.”

• There has been a lot of talk and opinion on the changes coming to the driver categorization system both by the FIA and SRO. Daily Sportscar looks at the Sweeping Changes To FIA Driver Categorisation System Coming For 2023 while John Dagys at Sportscar 365 Plus argues Why a Bronze Mandate Would Ensure GTD’s Long-Term Future.

• The FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme aims to identify the best 12-16 year-old female drivers from around the world and help them reach a professional career in motor sport. This third edition saw 14 promising talents from around the world train and compete at the Circuit Paul Ricard for just eight places in the finals at the Ferrari Driver Academy in November. These eight young rising stars now have a few months to make further progress ahead of the final in November where the two winners of 2022 will be designated.
  • The final four Senior drivers, (born between 01.01.2006 – 31.03.2008) are:
    • Alice Buckley, Australia
    • Chloe Chong, UK
    • Chloe Grant, UK
    • Aurelia Nobels, Belgium
  • The final four Junior drivers, (born between 31.03.2008 – 31.12.2010) are:
    • Lisa Billard, France
    • Zoe Florescu Potolea, Italy
    • Sara Mastui, Japan
    • Mathilda Paatz, Germany

• SCCA racers were well represented among the IMSA Diverse Driver Scholarship finalists. “The Diverse Driver Development Scholarship is an important initiative for IMSA, and we’re proud to build on its initial success looking ahead to 2023,” IMSA President John Doonan said. “Once again, we were blessed with a wealth of talented applicants. Whoever the recipient of the 2023 scholarship is will be a fine representative of IMSA.” Read the SCCA blog post for more information on who and how.

• The YACademy have revealed their Winter Series 2022/23 dates. “Rookie open wheel drivers that are transitioning from karting to formula cars, often find themselves overwhelmed during their first race weekend. This often leads to mistakes, which costs drivers a lot of money and championship points. In order to reduce surprises the optimal solution is competitive testing, or what we like to call the YACademy Winter Series.” For any questions/comments/concerns please contact: Gustavo Yacaman, gusty@gustavoyacaman.com The dates are as follows:
  • Road America September 26-27
  • Barber November 22-23
  • Homestead December 7- 8-9
  • Sebring December 12-13
  • Homestead January 12-13
  • Sebring January 16-17
  • Sebring February 8-9 (Winter Series Races)
  • Homestead February 11-12 (Winter series races)

• World motorsport’s governing body, the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile), is offering aspiring Canadian rally drivers the opportunity of a lifetime with a chance at a World Rally Championship career. Canadians aged 17-26 are eligible to register for the FIA’s ground-breaking Rally Star program. Full details can be found here.

• Changing your eating habits is no easy feat. Try this 4-point plan from Hintsa to find an optimal diet that looks like you. “Your own personal Nutrition Philosophy serves as a guide for your nutrition decisions. It’s your ‘nutrition compass’. It makes nutrition decisions effortless: keeping you on track when you are time-poor and helping you preserve brain capacity for whatever life throws at you.”

• From 2009, Grassroots Motorsports does a Spec Miata vs. Porsche 962 comparison test with Brian Redman. “While they couldn’t be further apart in specifications and scope, the 962 and Spec Miata are tantalizingly similar in philosophy. Both cars can be purchased by any racer or team—with the proper funding, of course—and campaigned with the factory’s blessing and support.”

• Finally, Sportechie looks at How a New Sports Highlight App Is Attempting to Avoid the Negative Chatter of Social Media. “Endorsed by a myriad of pro athletes and powered by proprietary algorithms, Fivestar not only intends to be the singular spot to watch, rank and rate athlete videos in aggregate, but also become the only place it can be done without sarcasm and venom.”