Dark $ecrets – The Realities of Professional Road Racing

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Dave Gran

The path for most professional athletes in sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, typically includes a person who was born with great talent, and through hard work reached a professional status. In general, their financial resources didn’t play a significant factor of whether they could turn pro. There are numerous stories where a person played a sport in high school, their talents shined, then they went on to get a college scholarship where again, with hard work they were able to showcase their great abilities. From there they either played in the minors or were drafted onto a professional team. While that’s certainly not the path for each person, the general map to becoming a professional athlete in these sports are there. Then once they’ve made it into the professional ranks in these types of Continue reading →

Introduction: Dark $ecrets – The Realities of Professional Road Racing

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Dave Gran

In this series of articles, we will dive into the hidden and often secretive realities of professional road racing in the United States. We will discuss several topics such as the steps to become a pro driver, what it’s like once you’re there, common misconceptions people have, and what it’s like to operate a professional racing team. We were fortunate to be able to speak with a diverse group of people, including drivers currently climbing the professional ladder, pro drivers who have made it, and teams that are well established within the racing industry. For most people, things are not as they seem. There are many pro drivers who tend to skew the realities of what professional racing truly means as it’s hurtful to their egos. It also can go as far as drivers needing to sign non-disclosure agreements. Due to these agreements and fears of backlash among other drivers or teams, it was necessary for several of our sources to have their names withheld. One extremely talented pro driver, Eric Curran, sat down with us and discussed his journey from Club Racing to the professional ranks. This series of articles also includes a fantastic discussion with Duncan Dayton whose the owner of the back-to-back American Le Mans Championship team Highcroft Racing. Now that we’ve given you a taste of what’s to come, buckle up and prepare for the ride!

Read Part I of the Series Here

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New Site Enhancements Released!

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Dave Gran

It’s been a year now since the GoAheadTakeTheWheel.com website was launched as a free online resource. In addition to publishing the entire contents of the original book Go Ahead – Take the Wheel (182 pages yours FREE), we’re also actively adding additional content. With the amount of content added on a daily basis, we knew we needed a better way for you to find it. We are extremely excited to announce enhancements to the way it is organized. Take a look around the site and see our changes on pages such as the Autocross, HPDEs / Time Trials, Club Racing, and The Racecar pages.

We’ve also added BRAND NEW Sections! Continue reading →

Nürburgring: A Visit with Sabine Schmitz

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Dave Gran

By Greg Amy – Part 3

Saturday was VLN testing day, and we were guests of Team Frikadelli. Not that it really mattered: this test day was open to the public, and anyone could walk right in without challenge. In fact, anyone could walk right into the pit lane, and many did! As cars were buzzing in and out of pit lane, spectators were fawning over the cars, taking photos, walking in front of cars; while the pit lane seemed like anarchy, surprisingly no one was injured (that I could see). It just appeared that most spectators kept their heads on a swivel and watched for cars driving by. Of course, every time a car stopped, it was mobbed by the crowd. I’m sure that annoyed the teams, but no one displayed any outward anger, just an occasional polite request to move away so the car could be on its way. Continue reading →

Nürburgring: The Racecar Experience

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Dave Gran

By Greg Amy - Part II
Part I can be read here

We woke up Thursday to an even more beautiful day than Wednesday (quite welcoming, given the winter we had in the Northeast): clear blue skies and lukewarm. The track didn’t open to us until 10:30AM, so we had a somewhat-relaxing breakfast buffet (“somewhat” given the anticipation of the day) and talked about what we were going to do. I had originally planned to drive the BMW Z4 rental on the track which is why I spent the extra money on it versus something more economical. However, the more we talked about it, the more I convinced myself that it was better to rent from one of the many companies around the area that offered prepped cars for lapping. Obviously, Continue reading →

Nürburgring

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Dave Gran

By Greg Amy

Did reading Nürburgring just make you shiver? Yep, me too! I spent several days at this racetrack and thought you might find my musings interesting, maybe interesting enough so you make that jump, too (while you still can; more later). And you want to, trust me. If you’ve ever thought or even just fantasized about driving the Nürburgring,this story is for you.

I went to the Nürburgring with a group of racer friends, some were there before, one actually races there in the VLN series. Going with a group improves the social aspect which can make a big difference. Had I gone there solo, I would not have had nearly as much fun. Yeah, I would have come home knowing I had driven the Nürburgring, but who would I brag to each time I got off the track? Having friends there so we could swap lies was pretty cool…plus you get to give each other rides increasing your track time for the same money. So, don’t forget to bring a friend (or two, or more). Continue reading →

Dave Car Painting – What Else Would You Expect

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Dave Gran

I’ve spent too much time prepping my car including doing some body work, the usual sanding, and all of the other associated fun in getting it ready for paint. It’s far from perfect but I just wanted it to be respectable and I’m just done. Time for painting.

I tell my wife that spraying the primer coat won’t take that long, so we coordinate my doing it on a Saturday morning. Everything is organized, and good to go for the morning. I get in the garage, and conduct some test spraying. The gun is not working properly. Ahhh! I’ve had problems with it in the past (yes, it’s clean and all of the other obvious stuff). I don’t want to ruin all of the work I’ve already done using this gun. Make a few calls to friends close by who might have spray guns; no one around. Explain to wife I need to buy yet another thing for the racecar and get the evil look and followed by the usual “damn Continue reading →

Join Dave at an Upcoming Racing School

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Dave Gran

If you have interest in attending a race school, maybe you’ll have interest in joining me at an upcoming 3 Day Bertil Roos school.

The school I’ll be attending is geared towards novices or experienced drivers who have no previous open wheel race car experience. Either way, plenty will be learned from the experience. With the school having an instructor to student ratio of 3 to 1, they’re also able to provide plenty of tailored instruction and feedback. Continue reading →

Racing Schools – Which is Right for You?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Dave Gran

Attending a racing school can be a fantastic way for both novices and experienced drivers to improve upon your on-track driving abilities and race craft. Before you make a decision on which racing school you’ll attend, there are several important factors you should consider. What I suggest you do is to make a list of what you want to gain from participating in the school, and give thought to which are the highest in priority. Continue reading →

Expanding Into Another Form of Motorsports

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Dave Gran

We have decided to increase the spectrum of racing we cover to include an even more grassroots form. Surprisingly over the past several months, we have received numerous inquires about how to get started in tractor racing. Yes, you’ve read this right! At first we quickly dismissed it but then began to do a bit of research. To say that we were in shock with what was discovered is an understatement. These tractors which can be built for under $900 and travel up to speeds of 40 mph…in a tractor!

From what we’re learning, the rules appear to be fairly consistent among the sactioning bodies and incorporate many aspects which are seen in Club Racing. I expected a basic “remove the cutting blades” and limit engine modifications but it goes way beyond this. For example, they require that all drivers wear an “approved for racing” neck support. We haven’t been able to figure out what exactly this means yet.

In order to provide you a quality resource on how to begin tractor racing, I twisted Kai’s arm to build a mower and attend a few events. Once we get a bit further into this venture we’ll be able to compile a new section on this site.

Should be fun!

UPDATED: We hope you enjoyed your April Fool’s Day, not that we wouldn’t give this a try. :)