Welcome back to the last episode of No Dumb Questions (...but have no fear, we're not going far)! We sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. Sam Smith joins us again, and we talk a little about the new podcast we’ve just launched (it’s live now!), called "It’s Not the Car." Please go check it out right now, subscribe to it, and let us know what you think. On this episode, Jeff, Sam, and I answer two great questions: 1) what d...
Jan 11, 2024•55 min•Season 7Ep. 217
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! We sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. This episode is a little different… We introduce a guest “host,” Sam Smith, who we are launching a new podcast in January with. It’s called It’s Not The Car , and is all about stories learning things, and having fun. On this episode, Jeff, Sam, and I discuss how to better instruct intermediate level drivers and how to use damper h...
Dec 07, 2023•37 min•Season 7Ep. 216
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss whether we’d prefer to deal with a driver that is also engineering minded or one that can't speak engineering and therefore wouldn't second guess or poke holes in the car setup? This question leads into our second question: if you're a one man show, both the driver and the engineer...
Nov 02, 2023•37 min•Season 7Ep. 215
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss the future of technology in motorsports, specifically around “driver-less” race cars. Is it still “racing” if there isn’t a human being inside the car piloting it - either thru remote control or an AI pilot? Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s enginee...
Oct 05, 2023•42 min•Season 7Ep. 214
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Ross discusses proper head position during cornering, and Jeff dives into the differences in car setup between racing versus qualifying. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Pro...
Aug 31, 2023•41 min•Season 7Ep. 213
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Ross answers how a driver can clear his/her mind of finding the same person repeatedly and running his/her own race, and Jeff answers what speed “aero” downforce starts happening. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR...
Aug 03, 2023•44 min•Season 7Ep. 212
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I tackle two great questions: is there ever a time when you would use understeer to your advantage; is there anything in racing/car setup that is definitive and absolute or does the entire motorsport world really always come down to doing what works best for an individual scenario? Jeff is o...
Jul 20, 2023•42 min•Season 7Ep. 211
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss the best way to lean your body while turning; how to set up for a turn; and considerations when thinking about driver weight, ballast weight, and how to minimize the impact of uneven side to side weight. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered ...
Jun 01, 2023•49 min•Season 7Ep. 210
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss driver fatigue; driving style and car set up for bigger, heavier driver; and our favorite and least favorite turns on a race track from a car setup perspective versus driving perspective. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every le...
May 04, 2023•41 min•Season 7Ep. 209
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss what single quantifiable thing relating to a race car are we still unable to reliably measure that would be most useful for finding performance and eye placement when tracking a car. This week’s episode also features a bonus question… tune in to hear what question Ross has for Jeff...
Apr 20, 2023•38 min•Season 7Ep. 208
Hi there, thanks for joining us for another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this month’s episode, Jeff and I discuss the validity of testing on used tires. We also dive into the concept of a “momentum car” and how the approach one takes when driving a “momentum car” may differ compared to other cars. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s en...
Mar 02, 2023•48 min•Season 7Ep. 207
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss how a track’s difficulty impacts a student’s learning curve, and we dive into drafting. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Prototypes, and even Top Fuel dra...
Feb 09, 2023•46 min•Season 7Ep. 206
You’re still here… and it’s been a year! A great big thank you to all for tuning in each week to our new (not so new anymore) podcast series. We enjoy being here answering your questions each week. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss shaving off that last second off your ultimate pace, understanding the role of a limited slip differential in track driving, and whether t...
Jan 05, 2023•47 min•Season 7Ep. 205
As we come out of the Thanksgiving weekend, stuffed to the brim (we almost needed to wave the red flag!), we want to thank you for your continued support over the years. We’re grateful you come back each month to listen to us chat away. And with bellies still full, time to green flag us into another episode of No Dumb Questions! (Ok, we’re done with the flag puns.) Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On t...
Dec 01, 2022•36 min•Season 6Ep. 204
Welcome back! Happy to have you join for another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss how to transition tracking a FWD to a RWD, how important it is to check tire temperatures with respect to set up changes, and if we could go back in time, what races we would want to be an engineer for and a driver in! It’s a good time this episode. Tune in...
Nov 03, 2022•42 min•Season 6Ep. 203
More rain on the pavement means it’s officially October, which means another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss when cross weight is appropriate on a road racecar to favor turning in one direction over the other, and dive deep into high-speed sweepers. Tune in for our new series!
Oct 07, 2022•35 min•Season 6Ep. 202
You're still here? Just in time for another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss if a tire gives its peak grip on tarmac at around 10 degrees slip angle, why do rally cars on tarmac exceed this and in some cases practically drift around slow corners. We also dive into when the performance of the car/driver isn’t where you want it to be, how ...
Sep 01, 2022•33 min•Season 6Ep. 201
Thank you for joining us for another episode of No Dumb Questions. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I discuss what kinds of unspoken tricks or mind games pro drivers use on track (clean or dirty!) and whether the roll center theory is the opposite of the driving theory. Tune in for our new podcast series!
Aug 04, 2022•41 min•Season 6Ep. 200
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I answer how you know where your End-of-Braking point is and if you can you use data to find it. We also discuss a common race car driver pastime: roasting your own coffee blends! Tune in for our new podcast series!
Jul 07, 2022•42 min•Season 6Ep. 199
Welcome back to another episode of No Dumb Questions. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, Jeff and I tackle three big questions: 1) whether you should track test before testing on a 7-post rig and in wind tunnel (or the other way around) 2) what a K&C rig does and when you should use it and 3) whether you should ever use maintenance throttle and whether professionals disagree on this....
Jun 09, 2022•44 min•Season 6Ep. 198
Did you miss us? We’re back with another episode of No Dumb Questions. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, we share the craziest ideas we’ve had that no one thought would work… but ended up working really well. Buckle up, this is a fun one. We also answer a more technical question – with unlimited resources and no rules, would tires or aerodynamics yield the fastest lap times? Tune in for...
May 05, 2022•44 min•Season 6Ep. 197
The start of April means… another episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, we discuss how to start approaching car set-up as an amateur endurance racer. Lots to discuss here. We also address what works best in the rain from a driving and set-up perspective. Tune in for our new series! Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered ca...
Apr 07, 2022•45 min•Season 6Ep. 196
Good news, we have a new episode of No Dumb Questions for you. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, we address out-braking someone in a turn. We also dive into whether we’d rather work with a driver with no technical background who doesn’t argue with setup, or a driver with a technical background who is also driver-seat quarterbacking the changes and second guessing setup. Tune in for our ...
Mar 03, 2022•37 min•Season 6Ep. 195
…And we’re back with a new episode of No Dumb Questions! Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, we address how to give better feedback to someone helping with the setup, and how we could have called F1 Abu Dhabi for Red Bull, Mercedes, and Race Control. Tune in for our new series! Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level, and every typ...
Feb 03, 2022•39 min•Season 6Ep. 194
Welcome to a new podcast series, No Dumb Questions. Jeff Braun and I sit down to answer your questions, and we promise – there are no dumb questions, maybe just some dumb answers. On this episode, we address how to get comfortable with high speed corners, how to approach a situation where a faster setup is not what makes the driver most comfortable, and what we are most looking forward to in 2022. Tune in for our new series! Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engi...
Jan 06, 2022•42 min•Season 6Ep. 193
Today’s podcast is a “special” episode… that’s because we just launched the Speed Secrets Sim Racer Academy, and I wanted to have a conversation here with my team who has helped make this happen. Anker Berg-Sonne, Conor Murphy, and Ron Gale are my guests today. Why should you care? Why should you listen in? If you’re a sim racer, you will be interested in hearing about the Sim Racer Academy. If you’re not a sim racer, there’s some things we’ll talk about that will still help you be a better driv...
Nov 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 192
This week is an important podcast episode with a special announcement. I’m taking a break from the podcast for “a while” to work on some new exciting things… :). How long is “a while?” I don’t know. But I will record a few random episodes here and there when I get an opportunity to record a conversation with someone super interesting, or I’m at a fun event. My Speed Secret: Drive with the end in mind. I’ll still share free information and new content through Ask Ross posts on SpeedSecrets.com, e...
Apr 29, 2021•19 min•Season 5Ep. 191
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Brian Ghidinelli, founder of Motorsportsreg.com, joins me to talk about how to make a comeback in racing, focusing on the basics – vision, braking, steering, throttle – first, then racecraft and the track, the importance of focusing on one’s own performance and not the lap times or competition, and how competitive nature can interfere with having fun! Brian also shares his personal experience with preparing to compete in the SCCA Runoffs at Indian...
Apr 22, 2021•45 min•Season 5Ep. 190
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets podcast, my good friend Tom Long joins me to discuss all things driving styles! We uncover what a driving style is, which driving style is the fastest, and different driving styles for RWD vs. FWD vs. AWD; and for aero versus non-aero cars. Tom also dishes on the importance of “hand speed” – the quickness of turning the steering wheel into a corner. Tom’s Speed Secret: It’s all about quality seat time, not just the amount of seat time. Check out Tom below!...
Apr 15, 2021•50 min•Season 5Ep. 189
On this week’s episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, I am joined by Mark Martin (who owns and runs the W2W race team in World Racing League events). We discuss the number one thing that successful teams do to win, what makes the best endurance drivers, the pros and cons of starting your own race team, and how to balance being the team owner and driver. Mark’s Speed Secret: Have and listen to a coach. Check out Mark Martin below! Web: W2W.racing Social media: @w2wracing W2W Racing, aka “The Will to W...
Apr 08, 2021•52 min•Season 5Ep. 188
