As a club/regional racing driver, I’ve spent much time reading, researching and googling to improve my driving, race engineering, data analysis and technical ability. I believe one of the best ways to improve local racing is to share, so here’s a compilation of the resources I’ve found most useful, including the track maps I use for note-taking. I also provide videos of my hotlaps (with data overlays) and the Racelogic data files for download. Give me a shout if you want to chat about anything, and visit my YouTube page. I race a front-wheel drive (FWD) car, so some resources focus specifically on this. None of this is sponsored or paid, it’s just me sharing, thank you to all these individuals for their publicly available information. Please support their channels, podcasts, websites and stores. Copyright where it’s due, each link will take you to their page, their rights reserved.
PS: I would like to thank VaporWorx for the continued support, your assistance helps me keep the passion alive and get on track, I sincerely appreciate it! If you’d like to assist my endeavours, have a look at my sponsorship proposal.
Helpful Resources
- YourDataDriven website and podcast || Guidance on motorsport, particularly on race engineering and data analysis. In particular, there are calculators and spreadsheets to improve your understanding and analysis of your tyres and gears.
- Suspension Secrets website || All things suspension, from the basics of what does what, how to set your geometry, to adjusting and tuning the specifics to maximise your car’s performance.
- Driver61 website and YouTube channel || Focussing on the driver, resources include an excellent complete course for drivers, specific track guides (mainly UK circuits but useful to see the process and detail) and sim racing.
- Speed Secrets website and podcast || Another driver-focussed collection, the Books/eBooks are golden and cover a wide array of skills, including mental and behavioural approaches to driver improvement.
- SAFEisFAST website and YouTube channel || Online video tutorials and guidance to promote and teach the skills necessary to be both safe and fast on the track. Includes tips on driving, fitness, racecraft and more.
- James Colborn and AiM Sports YouTube channels || Video tutorials about all things data analysis, focussing specifically on using software (like AiM Race Studio or VBOX Circuit Tools) effectively.
- you suck at racing website || An informative and entertaining blog covering many relevant themes about performance driving (or sucking thereat). Lots of golden nuggets.
- Racing Car Technology website || Online courses about vehicle dynamics and setups.
- My Goodreads bookshelf || All the books that taught me something about racing, race car preparation, race engineering, setup, data analysis, and the list goes on.
Key Selections
Understanding and using your tyres
- How tyre data can make you fast
- Tyre Pressure and Temperature
- How to set your racing car tyre pressures perfectly every time
- Hot tyre pressures – What’s an effective target range?
- Wet tyre pressure guide
- Guide to interpreting race car tyre temperatures
- What should the temperature of your racing tyres be
- Tyre failure, graining, tearing, blistering, wearing
- Wear diagnosis
- Michelin Pilot Sport Cup guide
- Vertical stiffness of the tyre
- Inflation pressure and load effects on the contact patch
- Heat Cycles: 3 Proven Ways to Determine Tyre Exhaustion
Suspension setup and tuning
- FWD basic setup
- BTCC & Touring car base wheel alignment
- Toe: How to adjust and tune
- Camber: How to adjust and tune
- Caster: How to adjust and tune
- Race car setup tuning advice
- Make your front-wheel-drive car faster
- Weird ways to make FWD cars faster
- Poor Racecar Handling Balance? Try The Ladder of Laptime
- Converting millimetre values to degrees° minutes’
Driver improvement, track maps and data analysis
- The Driver61 driver’s university
- FWD driving techniques
- Make your front-wheel-drive car faster
- How to be faster in an FWD car
- Tutorial: how to front wheel drive
- Get GOOD At Front Wheel Drive (with actual BTCC legend Mike Epps)
- In fast, out faster
- Oversteer Overanalyzed: Weight Transfer & Brake Bias
- FWD Drifting 101
- Improving vision on track
- How to fully utilise vision, feel & hearing
- Driver fitness – a home workout when you have limited time
- Be a faster track day driver – track map notes
- How to take better track notes
- How to learn a race track in your lunch break
- Racelogic’s advanced circuit driving techniques
- 4 step F1 data deep-dive
- Data analysis in 20 minutes
- Deep data analysis of 2 drivers’ best laps
- A racer’s data acquisition triangle
- See How Telemetry Data Can Help You Drive Faster
- Traction circle myths
- Can AI accurately analyse your data?
Engine, gearbox and brakes optimisation
- What’s the best RPM to shift gears?
- Approximate brake pad equivalence chart
- Proper Brake Cooling Is Essential for Safety and Lower Lap Times
- Understanding brake fade and how to prevent it
- Ask an Oil Expert Part 2: Straight Talk on Oil for Track and Race Use
- Oil cooling – a deeper look
- How to make your street car’s cooling system race and track-day ready
Track Maps (South African Race Tracks)
- Zwartkops Raceway
- Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
- Red Star Raceway
- Midvaal Raceway
- Phakisa Freeway
- Dezzi Raceway
- Prince George Circuit (East London)
- Aldo Scribante Race Circuit
- Killarney Raceway
My Hotlaps and Data Files
Click here to download my Racelogic PerformanceBox data file for the Zwartkops lap.
Click here to download my Racelogic PerformanceBox data file for the Red Star Raceway clockwise lap.
Click here to download my RaceLogic PerformanceBox data file for the Phakisa Freeway lap.
PS: To view Racelogic PerformanceBox data files, click here and download the VBOX Circuit Tools software.
Photo and Video Gallery
My Racing History & Achievements
- VW Challenge (2024+)
- SuperHatch (mid 2021-2023):
- 1st Class A and 1st Overall, 2023.
- 2nd Class C and 4th Overall, 2022.
- Most Improved Driver, 2022.
- Nissan PlayStation GT Academy Competition (2012):
- Reached the top 16 during the competition held online (competing in Gran Turismo 5 on PlayStation 3) and again to 16 during the live competition held at Kyalami Raceway (competing in Gran Turismo 5 and a real Nissan 370Z).
- Formula Ford (2007):
- Participation in select race events.
- Karting (2001-2006):
- Free State Regional and Bloemfontein Club Champion, 2005 and 2006.
- Rookie of the Year, 2001.
- On-Road Electric Radio-Controlled Cars (1998-2004; 2009-2012):
- Multiple South African Champion, the last being in 2012 for the 1/12th scale Modified class.
- Represented South Africa at 4 international events from 2000 to 2003, 3 of which were sponsored by a model manufacturer.
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