Customer Reviews

Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ross Bentley's Speed Secrets series is the best resource for the racecar driver. This first book in the series contains the primary tools a driver should refer to at the track. I keep a photocopy of the Appendix A (a summary of the Speed Secrets) with my track notes every time I participate in a race. If I'm not performing to my potential in practice, I'm reminded of these simple principles to refocus my objectives.
It is not a long book, at roughly 150 pages, but it is densely packed with useful information. This leaves a concise, thorough, and easily readable and understandable text. You won't find any ego or prejudice, and that makes the information valid for any driver, regardless of one's driving style.
Ross Bentley is kind enough to share these 34 gems with us. And while they may not necessarily be secrets, this is the only place that I have found them grouped and presented in such a useful structure. If you apply the techniques presented in this book, you may find yourself moving quickly to the front of the pack. You'll soon want to read the other Speed Secrets books as well.

after reading 10 pages, i became more knowledgable driver... after another 10, i gained more respect and understanding how hard it is to become of the few, after 10 more, i believed that I can give it a shot... maybe not to professional driving but rather taking my car thru turns beating better cars with not so good drivers behind the wheel. Book simple great, it is VERY clear and gives tons of useful info. must own for people who r into auto-x

Why I like this book:
There is less emphasis on getting the car set up and more on just driving like a pro. Too many grassroots level enthusiasts whine about tires, shocks and sway bars. Ross hardly touches on this stuff. Clearly he comes from the point of view of a professional driver, not a chassis tuner or racecar builder. His emphasis is to get as much as possible out of the car regardless of the equipment. Even pro's have to deal with sub par equipment and rules that make things less than ideal. For example, if you are a Pro driver for hire, you might get the call to run 24 hr of Lemans. You share one car with 3-4 other guys. It's not your car, it doesn't get to be set up the way you like it. You are paid to just plop in the seat and drive it fast and not complain. Now THAT's a race car driver. And that's the vibe i get from Ross in this book. Learn to drive fast, and stop whining. Also spend less money on your car and more money on track days. The book gives you good advice on how to analyze the track, and learn it quickly. Even though Ross mostly races RWD cars (I race FWD cars), I still found 90% of the book to apply. Read this book twice before your next trackday. Then review sections between your run groups, and amaze your buddies at how quickly you have become one of the fast guys! And don't loan it out!

I am reading this book now, along with "Going Faster!", and they are the perfect pair. This book, while light on some of the more technical aspects, is a great read for someone just starting out. If you need the basics, this is the perfect book to start with. (Then, move on to more techical books if you need that level of detail)

Have you read the other theoretical books like Carl Lopez's Going Faster? Do you already know what racing line to take, yet can't seem to make it stick?

Speed Secrets doesn't go into all the detail of the theory of corner entry, braking, accelerating, and corner exits, but it tells you how to consistently do it. After a while, you can only read about theory so much, and you can only analyze so much.

One of the real "secrets" is akin to Bruce Lee's philosophy of learning a technique, using that technique, then "forgetting" that technique. Racing, and feeling what the car is doing, should end up being second nature--an extension of your self. The only way to go fast is to drive--and feel the limits of adhesion--on a subsconscious level.

This book helps you reach that level.

It is simple and clear, but not complete. Maybe the next book of the author "Inner speed secrets" published at Oct. 2000 have some improvement. I rate it 4 stars just because it is easy and little misleading.

Mr. Bentley's narrative description of what it takes to "go fast" in superb. He explains the technical jargon in a language easily understandable for non-engineers. His recommendations for developing good habits on the street have carried over to the race track with good results. I would highly recommend to any novice driver "before" heading off to any racing school. You'll be better prepared and begin to develop good habits early on.

I've done AutoX and road racing for some years and recently started as an instructor for racing drivers license courses. I have bought and read about ten books on motor racing technique. This one, written by Ross Bentley, was one of the best. Where Skip Barbers (although excellent) book is very theoretic and quite technical in it's approach, with diagrams and figures, Ross Bentley writes modestly and concisely about the "softer" sides of racing, for example about mental training, feeling the car and how drivers psychology works.

Many of the secrets are blatantly obvious when you see them in print and read his motivations, but to race successfully you need to remind yourself all the time. This book is perfect for that. The suggestions on how to hone your race driving skills in your everyday street car (without ever violating traffic laws i must add) is worth the price of the book alone. If you must buy only two books on racing, combine Ross Betleys Speed Secrets with Barbers book and you get most of the picture. Highly recommended!

Like one of the other reviewers I recently starting getting seriously into a PC racing SIM, in my case NASCAR 3. I immediately felt that I needed to know much more about driving a real race car and this book did just the trick. Everything he discusses can be applied to driving a good racing SIM like N3 (not an Arcade style game). I recommend it highly for SIM drivers.

I just completed my first race weekend with Skip Barber and found the tips in this book to be very helpful in staying focused on the important stuff. The suggestions correlate well with the Skip Barber instruction and is easy and FAST to read. It definately helped improve lap times.