Going Faster! Mastering the Art of Race Driving

Tremendous book. The Skip Barber racing school has plenty of evidence that they're one of the best racing schools in the world, from the number of their drivers who've gone on to win world championships in various series, to a wealth of computer telemetry showing how they help drivers go faster. This book gives you all the secrets of the Skip Barber school that can be taught short of going to the school and getting in a car.Pros:-So many secrets. I don't even want to divulge what I've learned, because people should buy this book. Even as a lifetime enthusiast, I'm learning a lot.-Math included, but not necessary. The book will give you actual formulas you can use if you want to plot theoretical best times around a corner.-Wherever possible the book gives you explicit and factual data- not just promises, but hard data on what makes you faster including examples from real tracks and real cars.-Real-world experience, not just theory. This book was assembled by, and includes commentary from, a wealth of professional drivers who graduated the Skip Barber school. Not only were they students, but many of them hold multiple championships in various professional series. These are real-world winners, giving you real-world tips.Cons:-Old black-and-white photos of tracks and cars. Honestly that's the best you can hope for considering the price of the book, but drivers with a more visual orientation might appreciate a glossy color version.-Doesn't include a free pass for a day at the Skip Barber school. (Hey, a guy can dream!)If you're a car enthusiast, or if you've ever cared about racing either as a spectator or as a (potential) driver, this book is a must. Personally, I'm going the route of computer "sim" racing to skip the real-world costs for now, and I can already point to improved lap times to show what I've learned. Not only does this book provide every ounce of racing knowledge that you can get from a general-purpose book, but it's not afraid to admit where a book has limitations. You won't find formulaic rules that don't work out in real life. In practice, the decisions you make on track come down to your comfort level and the particular car and track you're running. And ultimately, that's what this book excels at- it puts top-level knowledge in your hands, so that you can do what you want with it, whether that's driving faster or merely learning a new level of appreciation for what goes into the sport.

This gets my 17 year old to read. Very technical , which he loves and keeps him interested

If you are serious about racing at any level and I do mean ANY LEVEL this is a book to read. This will give you a deep look inside motor sports and what it takes to be a race car driver. This is not a biogrophy but a text book. GOING FASTER! is from the staff at the Skip Barber Racing School which is headquarted at Lime Rock Park, CT. The break down and instruction in this book will give you a foundation to begin racing for wins and more importantly championships.If you are racing in NASA, SCCA, ASA, or karting this is a book that will give you a head start in where you are going. Also if you are a sim racer who wants to get better at this new form of racing competion you too can learn from this book. You learn the basics of cornering, shifting, and even some of the theory that goes into setting up and building a race car. As a side note for the sim racer, the Skip Barber Schools are also a partner to iRacing.com.

I purchased Going Faster! to learn more about racing. I purchased it based on all of the positive comments about the diagrams and theoretical explanations that make sense. I agree completely with this reviews. There is a lot of discussion and real-world examples. However, the book seems very dated. The author uses Sebring's course as the main focus of the exercises. For those that haven't driven at Sebring, it can be confusing. In addition, the racing classes and car examples are also pretty dated. The Taurus SHO was used as a showroom stock example, and this is not to be confused with the new 2010-up Ford Taurus SHO. The SHO referenced in the book is the FWD-based Ford Taurus with the Yamaha V8 engine. In addition, the author admitted that they did not have any experience with AWD (all-wheel drive) vehicles, which have become very prevalent since 2000. Many supercars and sports cars now feature AWD, from Porsche 911s, Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8, the new 2010 Taurus SHO, Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, to the Lamborghini Murcielago. The way the authors spoke of AWD made it seem like AWD was some alien and mystical technology.Most of the strategies apply to RWD cars, and that was fine for me since I grew up driving RWD/V8 vehicles. I became interested in FWD and AWD at a later stage and I don't have a bias towards any drivetrain setup. Each of these have their merits and drawbacks, and I was more interested in learning the fundamentals in racing.This book covers the basics up to just enough information to make it very expensive (getting into the different classes, buying the equipment, etc...) but there's not many how-to's on how to mitigate problems like brake fade. There are other books for subjects like that!Pros: Easy to read, very concise topics, great way to get into racing techniques.Cons: Dated materials and examples. Sebring is the only track the author writes about. AWD isn't covered, FWD does have some coverage. The cars mentioned in the book are also very dated.Overall: 4/5 stars