lbuckley

I'd be grateful if folks could suggest articles or books I can read to improve my driving - going to a school is not an option right now and I'd rather read about it first even if I do take a DE or something down the road. I'm a new porsche driver with an '03 996 Targa.

Thanks,

LB

ltc

All of the Speed Secrets books (6 total?) by Ross Bentley
Going Faster by Skip Barber
High Performance Driving by Bob Bondurant

BTW, as you might except, BostonDMD had started a thread on this:

https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...or-videos.html

If you search this forum, you will find that his threads are excellent reading.

Now, off to Amazon.com

carreracoupe997

YouTube in car video

SundayDriver

Books are great but there is no substitute for seat time and you can get that every time you are in any car.

Learn to feel where the weight is and where it is transferring to. When going around a corner, learn to feel the tire slip. On a cloverleaf, even at lower speeds, lift off the throttle and see/feel how the car changes direction - then changes back when you apply some throttle.

You would be surprised how much you can learn at low speeds in any car (actually the mushier the better). Weight transfer and slip angles will carry over to the track.

Gary R.

I would add the use of a good computer simulator like iRacing during the off season or track hiatus. Eye/hand/foot coordination and you can learn a track layout as they are accurate to the extreme.

ervtx

+1. I like to think of an out of town business trip as a DIY DE in a rental car!

In your own car, create challenges for yourself in everyday driving...
If you like math and physics, read "The Physics of Racing" by Brian Beckman.

himself

I only got good info out of the first 2 in Ross Bentley's books [Speed Secrets]. I found that the rest of them were really geared towards winning races.

You can practice every day in your car, as a few things will translate from the street to the track: heel-toe, vision, and steering using the crossover rather than shuffling. You can also practice curling your toes under braking to develop that feel [i.e., (only when safe!) brake until your ABS kicks in and curl your toes until it stops ABSing]. Maybe speed sensing as well.

But you will ultimately need seat time to put it all together! Good luck!

-td

Land Jet

Can you give me the names of the first 2 Speed Secrets books please?

Gary R.

http://speedsecrets.com/PRODUCTS/Spe...9/Default.aspx

Land Jet

Thanks Gary. Just ordered #1 and #2.

lbuckley

Thanks for all the tips, ordering a book or two to add to my winter reading. I like the rental car comment! This extended business trip has me walking everywhere - and its hard getting used to seeing multiple C4S's and Turbo's on the street everyday. London is funny like that - along with seeing every other high end sports car that you never see in the states. I miss my targa.

-LB

roberga

The Ross stuff and other books are great. One thing that would be every good to do is a Driver Skills Day with your local PCA or some other 911 focused training. It provides a safe environment to learn the dynamics of our rear engine cars. You will do wet skid pads, auto cross, slalom and a few other skills. It is a perfect experience for someone just getting in a 911.

race911

I'd get out there with what you've got, even if you never envision track driving as a lifetime hobby. Had a student on Friday, multiple SCCA autocross champion out here (from what I was told), but only his third track day. Knew all the "right stuff" but was almost completely lost with any semblance of situational awareness when we were out on track. I got pretty frustrated, internally of course. So I may be in the minority here, but I'd rather have someone more raw and be a good street level driver than a guy who has memorized a bunch of technique and comes to the track trying to put it in practice.

Jay Gratton

I agree with iRacing! Amazing product those guys put out.

Mikelly

Karting... Man I must say that I've enjoyed the karting track here in my town... they're not "fun" karts, and the folks running the place want it to be run as if you're at a track day... they black flag you for any bumping and if you pass on a caution, you get moved to the back of the field...Love it!

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE everything written by Ross Bentley.

Mike