Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup for September 19, 2022

This week’s Racecraft & Driver Development Roundup is packed once again with great information for race drivers of all levels. In Racecraft I have tips and advice on track walks, racecraft advice from pro racer Todd Lamb, getting the most from your data acquisition system and more. In Driver Development there is news on FEED Racing’s plans, physical and mental conditioning advice, inspirational words from Enzo Mucci and much more. All this plus 3 more driver snapshots that you can take inspiration from. It’s all news racers can use.

Racecraft Tips & Techniques

• In How Do Drivers Run Well in IMSA Races? They Walk First, the IMSA website looks at the all important track walk. “Yes, “track walk” is pretty self-explanatory and simple in concept. It’s the chance to study a racetrack at a slow pace in great detail. Simulators can help drivers learn a track’s basic layout and fundamental characteristics, and even assist an engineer in devising a basic chassis setup, but by putting in a bit of old-fashioned legwork and observation, they can pick up so much more.”

• Dion von Moltke from Blayze explains how you can Go Faster On The Racetrack By Spending Less Time On Throttle. “Sometimes spending less time on throttle can actually lead to a faster lap. Yes, you heard that right! At Blayze we often work with our drivers to actually spend less time on throttle. But, there is a very important part of this puzzle to make it all work…“

• In 4 Step Data Deep Dive – Verstappen Beat Hamilton But Why?, Your Data Driven looks at the Bahrain 2021 Grand Prix. “In qualifying for the Bahrain 2021 Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was 4 tenths quicker than Lewis Hamilton. But can analysing their data help you? And if so, how could you apply that to improve your own data analysis, and your own performance on track? In this weeks article / video learn an easy 4-step process to help you analyse and find improvements for both these drivers and yourself.” You can watch the video above.

• Grassroots Motorsports explains How to go from also-ran to national champion: 10 tips from pro racer and driving coach Todd Lamb. “Whether you’re pondering a pro ride or just want to climb the competition ladder, winning a national championship is often part of the dream. Before entering the pro ranks with both the Pirelli World Challenge series and IMSA, Todd Lamb made that dream come true: He captured two Spec Miata national titles with NASA and finished fourth at the SCCA Runoffs. He also has an SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup title to his credit. Looking for a shortcut to the next level? Feel free to crib from his notes.”

• Grassroots Motorsports also looks at Evolution Performance Driving School in Looking for faster autocross times? There’s a driving school for that. “On the surface, autocross looks so easy. All you have to do is drive through the cones quicker than anyone else. In reality, there are so many subtle nuances that it can take years to figure out the sport’s finer points. If only there were a way to speed up the process.”

• Ken Hill talks Exit Direction from the drivers seat in this quick two minute video above that will give you something to work on during your next session.

• Ross Bentley of Speed Secrets answers the question: How many lines are there to get through Turn 5 at Road America?

• Getting the most from your data acquisition system is easy. As Andrew Rains from APEX Pro explains in this SCCA Shop Manual presented by Hoosier above, data acquisition is a tool that you need to learn how to use before you can get the most from it. With these simple tips, you can maximize speed through analysis of not only your on-track data, but also any data overlaid against it.

Driver Development News & Resources

• A bit of inspiration from Enzo Mucci in the video above. NEVER GIVE UP!

• The Skip Barber Racing School has succeeded Lucas Oil School of Racing as the Official Racing School of the Road to Indy. “The new partnership will extend the current, unrivaled scholarship-funded ladder system to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis 500, anchored by the Road to Indy and USF Juniors. Beginning in 2023, the champion of the Skip Barber Formula Race Series will be offered a scholarship valued at $100,000 to advance to USF Juniors the following season.”

• FEED Racing has explained to F1 Feeder Series how they want to democratise motorsport & organise karting shootouts for 100 Euros. “After the 3^rd edition, FEED Racing already has ideas to develop and grow in the coming years. For several years already, the French driving school organizes a shootout karting race with all 600 Junior High School students of the Nièvre department, where FEED is located. The winner of this karting challenge gets granted a free place for the 5-day training course to have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. FEED wants to continue in this way.” Meanwhile, Canadian Kevin Foster has won the 2022 FEED Racing Shootout and will race in French F4 in 2023.

• FIA Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich says the champion should either be promoted to Formula 1 or allowed to remain in the series but F2/F3 CEO Bruno Michel does not agree.

• Canadian Mac Clark has won the inaugural USF Juniors championship and the scholarship that goes with it. “The 18-year-old Canadian also secured a scholarship valued at more than $221,000 to graduate onto the first official step of the Road to Indy, the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, in 2023.”

• The finalists have been revealed for the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award. The Award, which aims to find and assist the best junior British racing drivers, will include fitness and simulator elements before a two-day test at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in MotorSport Vision Formula 2, United Autosports-run Ligier LMP3 and Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 cars. The finalists are:
  • Ollie Bearman
  • Luke Browning
  • Jamie Chadwick
  • Louis Foster

• Porsche GB’s We Drive Program seeks to encourage women from a variety of backgrounds to learn more about motorsport and the varied career opportunities the industry can offer. “Porsche is on a drive to improve diversity and representation,” explains Rebecca Diver-Clarke, Senior Press Officer at Porsche Cars GB, “and one of the areas where women are hugely underrepresented is in motorsport. Only eight per cent of race license holders in the UK are women, so their chances of getting into professional motorsport are tiny.”

• In the video above, the founders of Pagani Automobili and Asetek SimSports, Horacio Pagani and André Eriksen sat down for a conversation. Here they discuss the nature of ‘performance’ and what it takes to achieve it – both when it comes to racing and when designing technology.

• Motorsport Magazine‘s James Elson argues that F1 has fallen behind IndyCar on diversity and asks, where is its feeder team? “Diversity in F1 can’t be just a box-ticking exercise. It’s essential if it really wants to be the world’s leading racing series, but the reality is it’s falling behind.” Liberty and the FIA appear to be listening according to Sports Business Journal as F1 is plotting ways to increase driver diversity. “F1 is working on a significant, yet-to-be-announced plan to increase driver diversity by a decade from now, and several initiatives are under consideration, said Las Vegas Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm on Thursday during the AXS Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium.”

Physical Conditioning

• Do you know why exercise is important to performance? Download this free resource from MotiV8 Traing to read 5 benefits! Download here.

Mental Conditioning

• Hintsa Performance looks at What’s a Healthy Level of Perfectionism? “Am I good enough? Do I bring value to my clients? Am I a good parent? Will I be able to meet expectations? These are some of the questions we ask ourselves when we are flooded with self-criticism and negative perfectionism. You are not alone. Most of us are affected by it at some point in our life or career.”

• On the most recent episode of the Break/Fix Podcast, they discuss Maximum Performance & Mental Sabotage. “No one ever goes into any Motorsports event and says “today, I want to come in last” the essence of competition is that we’re all fighting to be the best! Training, conditioning, practice and even superstition all seem to go out the window when the green flag drops. Have you ever wondered why you can be “in the zone” and perform at your best on a practice day, but during the race nothing ever seems to come together? Maybe it was bad luck? or maybe… you mentally sabotaged yourself? To discuss why people “psych themselves out” and how to prevent it from happening is Dr. Jacques Dallaire, Ph.D, founder and president of Performance Prime, where he spends his time working with race teams of all disciplines to “develop the mindset of champions.” You can listen here.

Driver Snapshots

Learning from the experience of others is key to succeeding in any walk of life and racing is no different. In Driver Snapshots, I will feature the experiences of various drivers where you can get some perspective on what they have gone through (and continue to go through) as they work to make their motorsport careers happen. I hope you can take some lessons from these experiences and apply them to your own motorsport careers.

• When devastating crashes left Robert Wickens and Michael Johnson paralyzed, everyone thought their racing careers were over. Everyone, that is, except Robert and Michael. Thanks to their indomitable spirit to compete, and the technologically advanced adaptive hand control systems in their Hyundai ELANTRA N TCR cars, Wickens and Johnson have defied all odds. Not only are they racing again. They’re winning, too.

• Beitske Visser is determined to do whatever she can to shake up the W Series season, even if that means grueling cycle rides in the sauna. F1 Feeder Series spoke to Visser as she prepares for the heat of Singapore. “It was important for us to start with an all-female team to make our intentions known, compel people to think and challenge reputations. We have had two great years with three women who have proven themselves in an LMP2 prototype in ELMS and then WEC. However, all the female drivers say they want more inclusivity by finding their place in mixed teams. Their dream comes true when men want to drive alongside them in the same team, and this is now our case with a trio promising a fulfilling season both from a human and sporting perspective.”

• Arriving as Radical Cup North America’s first female driver, and one of the youngest competitors on the grid, Aurora Straus is already pushing her competitors, the Radical record books and her striking yellow SR3XX to the limits. Daughter of petrolhead and Monticello Motor Club CEO Ari Straus, racing runs through her genes. “Balancing college and racing was really, really hard. I would argue that I was good at being productive, with a lot of early mornings and studying on planes, however the hardest part was the trade-offs that came with doing both at once. I missed a lot of time at school, so I didn’t have a traditional ‘college’ experience, even if I still made some amazing, lifelong friends. I also had to sacrifice amazing racing opportunities, such as racing in Europe, as it would’ve meant dropping out of school. I do sometimes regret not taking those opportunities and running with them, but I’m also so proud and grateful to have my degree now!“