Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving

Pretty much a racing school in a book. A comprehensive guide to understanding how to make a car go fast on a road course. I bought and read this when I first started learning how to race and it absolutely helped me win on the track. I would consider this and Carol Smith's Tune to Win (on the engineering and setup side) to be the two fundamental texts on road racing. Highly recommended if you want to go faster.

It is informative and has depth.

Tremendous book. The Skip Barber racing school has plenty of evidence that they're one of the best racing schools in the world, from the number of their drivers who've gone on to win world championships in various series, to a wealth of computer telemetry showing how they help drivers go faster. This book gives you all the secrets of the Skip Barber school that can be taught short of going to the school and getting in a car. Pros: -So many secrets. I don't even want to divulge what I've learned, because people should buy this book. Even as a lifetime enthusiast, I'm learning a lot. -Math included, but not necessary. The book will give you actual formulas you can use if you want to plot theoretical best times around a corner. -Wherever possible the book gives you explicit and factual data- not just promises, but hard data on what makes you faster including examples from real tracks and real cars. -Real-world experience, not just theory. This book was assembled by, and includes commentary from, a wealth of professional drivers who graduated the Skip Barber school. Not only were they students, but many of them hold multiple championships in various professional series. These are real-world winners, giving you real-world tips. Cons: -Old black-and-white photos of tracks and cars. Honestly that's the best you can hope for considering the price of the book, but drivers with a more visual orientation might appreciate a glossy color version. -Doesn't include a free pass for a day at the Skip Barber school. (Hey, a guy can dream!) If you're a car enthusiast, or if you've ever cared about racing either as a spectator or as a (potential) driver, this book is a must. Personally, I'm going the route of computer "sim" racing to skip the real-world costs for now, and I can already point to improved lap times to show what I've learned. Not only does this book provide every ounce of racing knowledge that you can get from a general-purpose book, but it's not afraid to admit where a book has limitations. You won't find formulaic rules that don't work out in real life. In practice, the decisions you make on track come down to your comfort level and the particular car and track you're running. And ultimately, that's what this book excels at- it puts top-level knowledge in your hands, so that you can do what you want with it, whether that's driving faster or merely learning a new level of appreciation for what goes into the sport.

I couldn't "swallow" this book at once, it took me three sessions during a couple of months to figure out that amongst the good books on motor sports this one serves the role of a guidebook, of a manual of a beginning competition driver, best of all. What do I mean by "good books"? Competition Driving by Alain Prost, The Technique of Motor Racing by Piero Taruffi, Driving in Competition by Alan Johnson, Sports Car and Competition Driving by Paul Frere, to name a few. All of them are wise and not overcomplicated, and have no buzz about the success stories of champions, the buzz which is useless for the reader interested in driving techniques. I've found out that the definition of oversteer and understeer here is the most complete and most correct amongst the books that I've listed, yet without the formulas that may frighten somebody. It took the author 17 pages full of illustrations to explain these modes of car behaviour. This is the first big advantage of this book. Another major advantage of this book is the serious attention of the author to the role of hardware, which is sometimes overlooked by the other writers, who claim that hardware is important, but do not write in-depth chapters about it. The book has may illustrations and explanations how the center of gravity, wheel base, and the suspension elements like springs, shock absorbers and the roll bars affect longitudal and lateral load transfer speed and motion, which occurs during acceleration, braking and cornering; how various adjustment affect the weight applied to each of the wheels, and how this affects car behaviour. He is the only author to mention the effect of download on coefficient of friction of the wheel, and why the total friction of the wheels is at its highest level when the download on each wheel is the same, i.e. the car is balanced. The other writers in this case did only mention that to keep the car balanced is important without a sound explanation. The book has an appendix with the listing of racing resources, it has a good bibliography and a useful glossary and an index. I highly recommend this book, although sometimes I had a feeling that more humour and liveliness would have made it even better. Please also consider buying "Skip Barber - Going Faster" DVD in addition to this book.

This book is incredibly detailed and reads like a comprehensive textbook on how to drive fast. It is an easy and pleasant read, yet takes a while to finish (just finished my copy), just because there is so much in it - and one gets so much out of it. To quote a track instructor, this book will make your car go faster than thousands of $$$ of performance upgrades. It covers basic driving physics (no, no pages of equations, and they did the math for you where necessary so you just need to look at the final numbers to get the point), basic and advanced line theory, car handling, control and weight shifting, the approach to analyzing a new track, methods to analyze and improve lap times, rain driving, passing techniques, car setup (suspension and tire basics), types of racecars, general advice on life as an amateur or pro driver. Real life quotes on each topic from famous drivers. A reference book that you will read again and again, in full or in parts. Most people consider it the essential read. A steal at the current price.

Don't let the 2001 copyright scare you away. I've read a number of books on driving dynamics and this one is the best at putting all the theory, explanations, and personal experiences in a usable and repeatable form. It describes the details of driving fast on a race course in such practical ways that it remains informative and encouraging even though cars have changed a good deal in the ensuing years. For a rookie driver hungry for the low down one driving on a track, this is a must. For an experienced amateur, there is plenty of value here. For learning the line on a track new to you, I can't imagine a plain and simple explanation on how to find the line quickly and efficiently. Simply, a must read for all track rats.

Easy read yet seems very comprehensive in driving skill details.

I bought this book to help me get better laps times in GTR 2. GTR 2 is such a realistic simulation that arcade driving techniques just don't work. This book is absolutely amazing. It covers every possible detail---maintaining traction in corners, braking and cornering strategies and techniques, spin prevention and recovery, etc. By applying the lessons in this book, I have greatly improved lap times in GTR 2, and I also have a greater understanding of the physics and planning involved in modern racing. The level of detail in this book is astounding. No details are left out. In the chapter covering shifting, they explain in detail why you should blip the throttle when downshifting, including the effect that blipping the throttle has on the engine, transmission, and grip at the rear wheels. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in automobile racing.

Me encantó el libro, realmente está muy bien explicado y las técnicas son importantes aunque no hable de sistemas modernos que ahora tienen la carros, aún si las técnicas son muy buenas para entender las físicas involucradas en el manejo deportivo. Súper recomendable tanto el libro como el vencedor, tardo un poco el llegar otro dentro del plazo estipulado.

The present book is based on many years of experience gathered by several teachers at the Skip Barber Racing School, for which this book is the essential required reading. It is, to my knowledge, the most complete and detailed introduction to the techniques required for driving at the limit. Among others, the highlights of this book are the excellent illustrations, both in drawing and as photographs, and insets into the main text written by the many experienced teachers of the school offering a wider perspective (from a racer's point of view) on the explanations in the main body of the text. Of particular value is chapter 7 'From Maps to Laps' where the author approaches the Sebring race track (home to the Skip Barber school) and shows (again using elaborate drawings and suitable photographs) how one approaches a new race track - turn by turn. No other book known to me goes to this level of detail and achieves the same level of insight. All of the material is presented in a well structured form (turning this book also into a good reference), and the writing is always lucid and readable. The material covered in this book is, in spite of the above praise, standard. Cornering is the corner stone of driving technique, and this is where the book starts. The second part shows how to find the right line on a track and then proceeds to develop the essential techniques of breaking and shifting, the explanation of which makes use of an intermittent chapter on the ways a car moves. Part three takes you from reading a new track (see the praise of chapter 7 above) to the elements of racing. This part does not spare you extensive discussions of what to do in cases things go (badly) wrong. Part four is devoted to the hardware which you use: The tires and the chassis. The concluding fifth part is an outlook into the difficulties anybody will have to face who wishes to make a career in racing. It is in the nature of this topic that here the book peters out, but some focus is preserved as this part returns to previous praise of the author for the Skip Barber school. The formal body at the end of the book contains a few references to American racing resources, a very detailed index (useful if you prefer to use the book as a workbook) and a helpful glossary. This book is, to my mind, the best introduction to racing available at a reasonable price. The material you need to get started is all there. The book will serve those best who approach driving at the limit for the first time and wish to make it not a matter of trial and error on the track but prefer the informed (and thus in the end safer and less expensive), even if sometimes over-elaborate approach presented in this book.

MUITO BOM EXPLICA O ASSUNTO COM DESENHOS E TEORIAS RECOMENDO

This book is for the active race driver, the racer-to-be and the auto-racing fan who wants to know what driving a racecar is really about. AMAZON as fast as usual.

Bought this as a gift and it was well received.