Recommendation on Performance Driving Books?

[NewfieMZ3]

Hi Folks. I'm going to be doing my first DE's this summer with the PCA club. In anticipation i would like to do some reading on the basics of high performance driving. Anyone have any good recommendations on some publications I might wanna consider.

[VroomGrrl]

Originally Posted by NewfieMZ3

Hi Folks. I'm going to be doing my first DE's this summer with the PCA club. In anticipation i would like to do some reading on the basics of high performance driving. Anyone have any good recommendations on some publications I might wanna consider.

Porsche High Performance Driving Handbook by Vic Elford

[twistoffat]

I´ve read the book from Vic Elford. It was an interesting read with nice diagrams and stories of Vics racing career but to be honest there is no substitute for time spent driving and especially time on the track

[Fishcop]

Try Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" - it is motorcycle oriented, but highly transferable to four wheels...

[Quicksilver]

Another good one is: Winning Autocross Solo II Competition: The Art and the Science by Turner.

The biggest thing about performance driving is knowing and feeling how the tires are being pushed into the ground coupled with the understanding that sliding tires are bad. Pretty much everything in a driving book comes back to looking at this specific dance.

[Geronimo '74]

Vic Elford's book has been very informative for me!!

[easelboy1]

+1 on Vic Elfords book - it was my first. But personally the book that was a break through for me was Ross Bentley's "Speed Secrets I"

[ted]

Originally Posted by Fishcop

Try Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" - it is motorcycle oriented, but highly transferable to four wheels...

I read that and enjoyed it, but first you need to read Going Faster.
Going Faster was the best book I've read.
I've had the book for many years and I still review it before a track day.

Going Faster!, Carl Lopez, Book - Barnes & Noble

[Cdnone1]

+1 on going faster. great book

Steve

[Mahler9th]

Vocabulary and theory are helpful... also what to expect at an event. Some PCA regions have their own publications that can be helpful so you know what to expect and how to prep your car, what to bring, et cetera.

Back in 1986 I started with the Bob Bondurant book. I also watched the Skip Barber video "Going Faster!" that I borrowed from a colleague at work. He had attended the school at Lime Rock in 1986. Then I went out to Lime Rock with the PCA for my first event.

Since then, I have watched Going Faster! 2-3x per off-season-- so more than 20 years and counting. I always recommend Going Faster! to my students. The books is good also, but I prefer the video as a starting point and reference.

The other thing I always recommend to my students is "Secrets of Solo Racing." It is written by a Porsche guy, Henry Watts, who is a friend. It has been around a long time and is an excellent resource. Much of what Hank does documents teachings from the PCA Golden Gate Region. This region provided a lot of support to the World Championship winning 935 teams running out of Mountain View California back in the 70's and 80's. Lots of successful pro racers have come from here, including Kevin at TRG and Johannes at the Lizards.

I always start by recommending Hank's book and Going Faster! and it seems to work for my students. My best student ever did about 3-4 seasons of AX and 5 seasons of DE in a heavy, high horsepower street car and progressed very nicely. Then the student moved up to a 1950 pound 911 race car with about 330 bhp and slicks. Seamless transition. In just her third time out, she beat a similar car that had a 700 bhp+, 3.8 twin turbo engine in a PCA time trial. The driver of the latter was... Hank Watts. My best student ever... my wife.

[Forza]

Vic's book is pretty much required reading in this genre for anyone with a Porsche. Very good explanation of double declutching, for example, which is helpful for those of us interested in prolonging the lives of our 915 gearboxes! In fact, Vic relates how double declutching is simply faster than waiting for Porsche's synchros to do their thing.

The absolute classic of the genre, however, is Taruffi's The Technique of Motor Racing. A must purchase! Vic rightly references Taruffi's principles in his own book. Much of what he has to share remains applicable, and the arcane bits are fascinating nonetheless for historical reasons.


Bob Bondurant's High Performance Driving, Lopez' Going Faster!, and other more contemporary treatments of the topic are also worthy of consideration.

Finally, Jackie Stewart, Emerson Fittipladi, Niki Lauda, Alain Prost, and Ayrton Senna, among other big-name professionals, each has his own take on the subject, with varying degrees of success. Some of these are arguably only of interest to those readers who wish to maintain an authoritative collection. Their personalities come through (e.g., Sir Jackie is opinionated as ever; Senna seems to contradict Prost's teachings at times just of the sake of contradiction....). Good stuff!

[NewfieMZ3]

Great info Forza, really appreciated. I think I'll get both Vic's and Taruffi's to start.

[Craig_D]

Originally Posted by Fishcop

Try Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" - it is motorcycle oriented, but highly transferable to four wheels...

+1 on Keith Codes books and DVDs. Aside from the body position material, there are a lot of similarities in motorcycle sport riding/roadracing and Porsche sport/track day/racing technique. Because of the rear weight bias of the 911, you have to follow the same principles of performance motorcycle riding, and that is to keep the power down(on) through the corner...or more importantly not to lift throttle when there's a lot of cornering force on the rear wheel(s) (unless you are encouraging off throttle oversteer to counter plow or front end push...snap oversteer is the result which can be tricky if unexpected).

One of the best tips I have received from a driving instructor is to have a light touch on the wheel so you can have FAST hands, and keep your eyes up towards the goal (Never to the crashing car ahead, or the place the car is pointed...always where you want to go)

Interesting thread here! I'll have to pick up some of these other books while it's still crappy outside.

Cheers,

- CraigD

[RSTarga]

Taruffi's book was the bible for many years. That worked well until brakes and tires became more efficient allowing trail braking. I like Senna's book for a more modern approach. But there is nothing like seat time and stepping over the edge to learn!

[NewfieMZ3]

Well i am looking forward to seat time and stepping over the edge, but would like to have studied the fundamentals, and have them mentally entrenched long before I hit the track. I have been street driving many nice cars for many years, but still admit I don't know how to really "drive". I done a Targa Newfoundland driving school last year in my Cooper S, and it was a real eye opener, not too mention a real blast, but the cooper and the 911 are two very different beasts as you well know. Thanks again

[VroomGrrl]

Originally Posted by NewfieMZ3

Well i am looking forward to seat time and stepping over the edge, but would like to have studied the fundamentals, and have them mentally entrenched long before I hit the track. I have been street driving many nice cars for many years, but still admit I don't know how to really "drive". I done a Targa Newfoundland driving school last year in my Cooper S, and it was a real eye opener, not too mention a real blast, but the cooper and the 911 are two very different beasts as you well know. Thanks again

Reading up beforehand was exactly what I wanted to do before I jumped in. Gobbled up everything I could find, including many of the above books. Here's my experience: None of it made much sense until I started to drive!

I've read several of these again since getting out there the first time, and I find that the more I drive, the more I understand & can relate to what I'm reading.

That said, for all you "there's no substitute for seat time" folks - I still think I derived great benefit from reading ahead of time, because personally, the whole language and most of the concepts as applied to driving were foreign to me. All the reading helped prepare me for what I experienced on track and gave me a framework in which to process what I learned while in the midst of doing it.

Read up - and get out there and do it! Enjoy, and please report back to us on your experiences as you jump in!

Kathy

[NewfieMZ3]

Originally Posted by VroomGrrl

Reading up beforehand was exactly what I wanted to do before I jumped in. Gobbled up everything I could find, including many of the above books. Here's my experience: None of it made much sense until I started to drive!

I've read several of these again since getting out there the first time, and I find that the more I drive, the more I understand & can relate to what I'm reading.

That said, for all you "there's no substitute for seat time" folks - I still think I derived great benefit from reading ahead of time, because personally, the whole language and most of the concepts as applied to driving were foreign to me. All the reading helped prepare me for what I experienced on track and gave me a framework in which to process what I learned while in the midst of doing it.

Read up - and get out there and do it! Enjoy, and please report back to us on your experiences as you jump in!

Kathy

Thanks Kathy, That's exactly my frame of mind. Knowledge is power.....not quite horsepower........but should prepare me for the experience so that I may get the most out of my instructors.

[C4 Pazzo]

In addition to Hank Watts' book which is excellent, I found Alan Johnson's Driving in Competition extremely helpful for analyzing the key sections of the course.

Amazon.com: Driving in Competition (9780393600117): Alan Johnson: Books

[jhynesrockmtn]

You might want to check out Ross Bentley's Speed Secrets series. They were given to us as part of racing school I went to when I got licensed a couple of years ago and I refer to them often. I also have Vic's book and enjoy that.

[Forza]

Oh, and of further interest to P-car enthusiasts, there is Holbert, Holbert, & Bochroch's Driving to Win!