06-05-2004, 04:58 PM
I got this book about 2 weeks ago at B&N. It was 19.95, and is roughly 125 pages of fairly-in depth and well illustrated descriptions on how to enrich your high-performance driving skills.
chapters:
Getting Aquainted - first you get a little history on Mr. Bondurant and start to understand why he put so much of his life into high perf. driving schools. He started out racing on bikes (interesting) then went to light roadsters and then got into pro racing. He gives alot of insight as to how to keep abreast of the ever changing racing world.
Getting to know the terms - He goes over basic auto dynamics like over/under steer, line, apex, contact patch, trail braking, heel and toeing, etc.
Getting the right fit - proper seating position, posture, and where your hands should fall are covered here. belts and mirrors are also not overlooked, and the importance of each of these parts is given equal consideration.
Getting to know the controls - this chapter covers heel and toeing, and shifting, and how both of these operations has a huge effect on your ability to keep the car stable and smooth at all times.
Getting to know your car - proper maintainance is the theme here, as well as the tools you should own or know how to access.
Getting to know yourself - a very important chapter, since a car can only be as fast as the nut driving the car! smoothness is paramount. concentration and patience are given high priority as these facets of your attitude directly effect smoothness. physical fitness is given attention here too.
Getting behind the wheel - maximizing traction and managing weight transfer are very important to smoothness and ultimately speed. he also goes over how to go about finding your car's limits in a safe manner.
Getting to know the road - this chapter is all about how to dissect a corner and figure out how to take it the most efficiently. tire pressure, weight transfer, etc. are covered (again) in order to give the most complete picture as to how a corner should be attacked, and what to expect when you do attack it. different radius corners are diagramed and allow the reader to see how things need to be done to track out properly and manage tires, speed, etc.
Getting to know trouble - how to avoid it, and what to do when your on a racetrack and the unexpected happens. concentration is, as always, given utmost priority. he also covers how to drive in race traffic and pass. he also covers what to do when you inevitably go off roading.
Getting into racing - planning your entrance into racing, be it as a passtime or a career. how to get liscensed, choose and buy a racecar, and pick safety equipment. how to get a sponsor.
Take some positive tips from me - he goes over some pointers for when you practice/test and hone your skills. being the businessman that he is he also gives a fair amount of space to discussing the merits of his long-time sponsors.
overall i think this book is well worth the $20 if you plan on getting into HPDE's or even a racing career. a huge amount of the information in this book is also applicable to everyday driving, be it in traffic or on a back road. Bob speaks very frankly about his career, so you get the feeling you are not being lectured, but rather spoken to by a wise man trying to help you understand the way to get faster and ultimately feel at one with your car in a high speed environment. i'm sure it's not the best possible book out there on this subject but it's worth your time to at least flip through it if you see it in a bookstore. oh yeah, if anyone wants to borrow this for a few days, be my guest.
sorry for the long review! just wanted to give the book the description it deserves.
chapters:
Getting Aquainted - first you get a little history on Mr. Bondurant and start to understand why he put so much of his life into high perf. driving schools. He started out racing on bikes (interesting) then went to light roadsters and then got into pro racing. He gives alot of insight as to how to keep abreast of the ever changing racing world.
Getting to know the terms - He goes over basic auto dynamics like over/under steer, line, apex, contact patch, trail braking, heel and toeing, etc.
Getting the right fit - proper seating position, posture, and where your hands should fall are covered here. belts and mirrors are also not overlooked, and the importance of each of these parts is given equal consideration.
Getting to know the controls - this chapter covers heel and toeing, and shifting, and how both of these operations has a huge effect on your ability to keep the car stable and smooth at all times.
Getting to know your car - proper maintainance is the theme here, as well as the tools you should own or know how to access.
Getting to know yourself - a very important chapter, since a car can only be as fast as the nut driving the car! smoothness is paramount. concentration and patience are given high priority as these facets of your attitude directly effect smoothness. physical fitness is given attention here too.
Getting behind the wheel - maximizing traction and managing weight transfer are very important to smoothness and ultimately speed. he also goes over how to go about finding your car's limits in a safe manner.
Getting to know the road - this chapter is all about how to dissect a corner and figure out how to take it the most efficiently. tire pressure, weight transfer, etc. are covered (again) in order to give the most complete picture as to how a corner should be attacked, and what to expect when you do attack it. different radius corners are diagramed and allow the reader to see how things need to be done to track out properly and manage tires, speed, etc.
Getting to know trouble - how to avoid it, and what to do when your on a racetrack and the unexpected happens. concentration is, as always, given utmost priority. he also covers how to drive in race traffic and pass. he also covers what to do when you inevitably go off roading.
Getting into racing - planning your entrance into racing, be it as a passtime or a career. how to get liscensed, choose and buy a racecar, and pick safety equipment. how to get a sponsor.
Take some positive tips from me - he goes over some pointers for when you practice/test and hone your skills. being the businessman that he is he also gives a fair amount of space to discussing the merits of his long-time sponsors.
overall i think this book is well worth the $20 if you plan on getting into HPDE's or even a racing career. a huge amount of the information in this book is also applicable to everyday driving, be it in traffic or on a back road. Bob speaks very frankly about his career, so you get the feeling you are not being lectured, but rather spoken to by a wise man trying to help you understand the way to get faster and ultimately feel at one with your car in a high speed environment. i'm sure it's not the best possible book out there on this subject but it's worth your time to at least flip through it if you see it in a bookstore. oh yeah, if anyone wants to borrow this for a few days, be my guest.
sorry for the long review! just wanted to give the book the description it deserves.
2010 Civic Si
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
