Customer Reviews

Speed Secrets 6: The Perfect Driver (No. 6)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is easy to read and has a lot of real examples from various drivers. The book gives examples for an individual to practice and learn various techniques that will help a person with their driving skills and other aspects of life.

The Speed Secrets series overall (there's one I wasn't so fond of) does a fantastic job of helping a new driver learn various techniques, then transitions into someone with a bit of racing experience. Speed Secrets 6 is an excellent resource for a person looking to take their game to the next level, whether that be someone who feels comfortable on track but is a mid-pack driver, to someone who is typically a front-running driver looking for more. Probably my favorite part of the book deals with learning a new track, or one that you don't have too much experience on. Novices are taught to really focus on learning lines, but this book provides fantastic insight for how a more experienced driver should approach this - and it's not about learning the new track's line as you might think. "Drive the car, not the track." I have a big event coming up at Mid Ohio Sports Car Complex and typically run at the pointy end of the field, but am confident this book will give me another edge.

Dave Gran
Author of "Go Ahead - Take the Wheel" which describes how people can get onto the track on a reasonable budget.

As with the previous five Speed Secrets it is concise and insightful. I found tips that I applied next time in the car. A must for anyone serious about getting faster.

Speed Secrets 6: The Perfect Driver

This book is similar in nature to Keith Code's Soft Science book, as it deals with how the racer processes the track and translates it into motion. There are a lot of narratives and mental imagery descriptions, as well as numerous fictitious track commentaries made by the characters. I felt all of that did not serve a real purpose and I opted to start skipping these paragraphs midway through the book because it just dragged on and on.

Some of the key points I got from the book included the need to drive over the limit in order to consistently drive at the limit, as well as to show the weaknesses of the car. I had subconsciously done this since the day I learned to drive, and many of my non-gearhead friends felt this was a crazy idea but then again they think cars like the Ford Fusion and Pontiac G6 are "sporty" handling cars.

I agree with Bentley's recommendations for learning new tracks. He recommends using whatever resources are available: maps, onboard videos (YouTube is a good source), video games, and descriptions by other racers. Bentley's other bits of advice include making notes on each of the turns right on the map, and to drive the car to beat the other drivers - not beat the track. Other than these bits of advice, there's nothing really new to learn from this book. There are numerous shameless plugs for Speed Secrets 3 or his other books.

Overall: 4/5 stars