Customer Reviews

The Successful Race Car Driver: A Career Development Handbook

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
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I have been racing most of my life and this book contains information I have never seen in print anywhere else. The other books I have read on this subject tell how to start racing but this one tells you how to get good at it. Metcalf explains everything from from how a driver should prepare himself mentally before going on the track to how sponsorship really works and how to get sponsored. He has chapters on driving, chassis setup, offensive and defensive passing manuevers, selecting the best car and class to race, running a team, planning a championship, physical fittness and more that are each directly related to what a driver must do be be successful. My girlfriend read this book and now she seems to have a better insight into why I race and the things I and all drivers must face. Because of her reaction, I think it is also a very good book for racing enthusiasts to gain a better understanding of what the inside of racing is all about. At first I thought the book to be a little expensive, but after reading it, it is worth every penny. If you are a racing enthusiast, it's the best book you will see on what the pro drivers must deal with on a day to day basis. If you are a racer, buy it and memorize it. It's that good.

Over 20+ years of being an enthusiast/racer, i've read pretty much every book on this subject i could get my hands on. This book is the most real world guide to racing i've seen yet. this book should serve to inform an aspiring driver what to expect and possibly remove some of the misconceptions that so many enter motorsports with. I could have used this book 20 years ago. ----------------------------------------- JBL

Altho' not even an aspiring racecar driver, I read Metcalf's book, so I am approaching it with a "street car" mentality. With the first page of this book, he piqued my interest with his innovative approach to a disclaimer. His approach to racing is experienced, educated, informative and, as as added bonus, entertaining, with an understanding of to whom he is speaking -- you as the reader -- and you as a driver. It IS a very technical book on the art of race car driving. However, even readers like me can glean both an understanding of the race track with all its finer points, and some helpful hints on driving busy or clogged interstates, deduced from his knowlegable and insightive writing. I understand he has a novel in the works.

What impressed me about Metcalf's work, and will be of interest to anyone who drives, is his use of Alan Johnson's "Driving in Competition," three types of turns, split into three parts each, to explain the theoretical best line to drive around a circuit fast.

Since the straights are where speed is the highest. Robert shows how the lines through the corners are manipulated in order to maximize straight away speeds. He gives real world examples and plenty of pictures.

This book i recomend it for any body who want to make it big in the world
of race car, is the ultimate book of success, don't avoid it. From the starting to the big screen, it will demonstrate you with a lot of sophistication the difference between good race car driver and great one and how to get there, you should ad it with other book like "drive to win", "going faster" and other to, but especially those two, and don't forget that success begin in your self not other people experience...

I had bought this book in hopes that it would provide information that wasn't readily available in every other racing instruction book. This book is well laid out, with information provided just as a thorough and qualified instructor would give you. If you are truly a professional driver looking for those gems of information to help you get to the top, you won't find it here either. The nutrition section is all right, it provides some information, but I feel you really would need another book on sports nutrition to create a worthwhile plan for yourself. Sections on resources are painfully short; Sponsor information is general and nothing but common sense, the formula for working with your team isn't always practical and once again general. Once again a wonderful book for beginners or regional drivers looking to feel more professional.