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Speed Secrets The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving: How to Get the Most Out of Your Modern Performance Car
In Speed The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving, Ross Bentley explains in plain language how you can train yourself to become a true performance driver.
With the promise of autonomous vehicles in our near future, and current cars equipped with "driver aides," it's not hard to feel like the art (and science) of performance driving has been all but lost. Don't lose hope! For every device designed to take the act of driving out of your hands, the desire to actively participate in driving a car becomes even stronger for driving enthusiasts.
In Speed The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving, you will learn exactly how to become an even better performance-oriented driver; whether it's to enjoy a twisty mountain highway, to take that secret back-road route to work, or even participate in a track day on a racing circuit.From how to best use your car's controls, to cornering, to dealing with adverse driving conditions, The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving will make you a better performance driver. Along the way, you'll learn what ABS, traction and stability control, self-braking systems, and semi-automatic transmissions do, and how best to incorporate them into your driving.This is the true guide to speed, and it will help you understand your car more intimately than ever. Most importantly, it will fuel your passion for driving!
With the promise of autonomous vehicles in our near future, and current cars equipped with "driver aides," it's not hard to feel like the art (and science) of performance driving has been all but lost. Don't lose hope! For every device designed to take the act of driving out of your hands, the desire to actively participate in driving a car becomes even stronger for driving enthusiasts.
In Speed The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving, you will learn exactly how to become an even better performance-oriented driver; whether it's to enjoy a twisty mountain highway, to take that secret back-road route to work, or even participate in a track day on a racing circuit.From how to best use your car's controls, to cornering, to dealing with adverse driving conditions, The Lost Art of High-Performance Driving will make you a better performance driver. Along the way, you'll learn what ABS, traction and stability control, self-braking systems, and semi-automatic transmissions do, and how best to incorporate them into your driving.This is the true guide to speed, and it will help you understand your car more intimately than ever. Most importantly, it will fuel your passion for driving!
- GenresNonfiction
160 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 7, 2024
Just like having your dad talk to you about driving most of the time he's got some good tidbits of knowledge you never thought of and sometimes he goes on rants you already know about and random tangents that go on abit too long.
However, there are some gold nuggets and tricks in here worth knowing👌 which should appeal to people who know nothing about cars to people who do.
However, there are some gold nuggets and tricks in here worth knowing👌 which should appeal to people who know nothing about cars to people who do.
June 4, 2024
One issue I have is with the insistence of crossing the arms to make turns during regular driving. What is not mentioned is that crossing the arms when the hands are at 9 and 3 and a turn is made, the arms become projectiles if the airbag deploys, causing major limb and facial injuries. Otherwise a great book about the fundamentals of high-performance driving.
December 21, 2019
This is a concise and practical book written by an expert on the techniques, skills, and practices of driving race cars in competitive environments. However, this book is not primarily designed for a driver intending to become a racer, but rather any driver who intends to be the best driver he or she can be. As Ross writes, "here's how I describe high-performance driving: doing, or performing, everything behind the wheel at the highest level possible. It's maximizing your performance in all areas of driving, from parking to cornering on a racetrack, from smoothly progressing in rush-hour traffic to matching revs to make a smooth downshift."
I enjoyed the perspective of constant improvement the author encourages the reader to adopt. In regard to every type of driving, including every day commuting, he emphasizes the attempt to constantly practice with an aim to become a better driver tomorrow than you are today. He certainly provides the reader with information that usually only racers think about, but this is also information that is useful to anyone who drives a car. For example, understanding how traction and grip works under different driving conditions is extremely useful for being able to predict what kinds of car operation are helpful, and which are unhelpful in maintaining full and proper control of one's vehicle when making turns at speed, driving in the rain, and so on. Learning when heavy braking is dangerous, and when and how it should be performed in order to maintain maximum possible control of one's car is a useful skill for anyone to have who drives a car.
Ross is very responsible in the advice he gives everyday drivers, emphasizing that even the best racers have safety foremost in their minds when driving on the road. He criticizes those on the road who likely consider themselves to be good drivers for driving closely behind others, making abrupt unsignaled lane changes, or weaving to get a few cars ahead of others.
I recommend this book to those who would like to learn some principles that anyone can focus on to improve their driving skill and safety behind the wheel of a car.
I enjoyed the perspective of constant improvement the author encourages the reader to adopt. In regard to every type of driving, including every day commuting, he emphasizes the attempt to constantly practice with an aim to become a better driver tomorrow than you are today. He certainly provides the reader with information that usually only racers think about, but this is also information that is useful to anyone who drives a car. For example, understanding how traction and grip works under different driving conditions is extremely useful for being able to predict what kinds of car operation are helpful, and which are unhelpful in maintaining full and proper control of one's vehicle when making turns at speed, driving in the rain, and so on. Learning when heavy braking is dangerous, and when and how it should be performed in order to maintain maximum possible control of one's car is a useful skill for anyone to have who drives a car.
Ross is very responsible in the advice he gives everyday drivers, emphasizing that even the best racers have safety foremost in their minds when driving on the road. He criticizes those on the road who likely consider themselves to be good drivers for driving closely behind others, making abrupt unsignaled lane changes, or weaving to get a few cars ahead of others.
I recommend this book to those who would like to learn some principles that anyone can focus on to improve their driving skill and safety behind the wheel of a car.
November 6, 2020
No matter who you are or what you drive — with the exception of racing professionals, of course — this book will teach you how to be a safer, more competent driver. And while there is no substitute for in-person training, the concepts and guidance in this book can increase your ability to drive at a higher level of performance. Highly Recommended.
July 13, 2018
Great read for beginners and project car enthusiasts
This is an excellent intro read for someone who picked up a project car or looking to improve their techniques with their daily.
This is an excellent intro read for someone who picked up a project car or looking to improve their techniques with their daily.
January 25, 2020
Good info, a little wordy
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Learned a few things I didn’t know. Corrected some mistakes I’ve been making. He gets a little wordy & repetitive, almost like he needed to fill more pages for the publisher.
Enjoyed this quite a bit. Learned a few things I didn’t know. Corrected some mistakes I’ve been making. He gets a little wordy & repetitive, almost like he needed to fill more pages for the publisher.
December 19, 2023
A useful read, practical and not too complicated.. Read it, whoever you are... even if only for the tips and the section on how to adjust your mirrors to avoid blindspots.. Could save a life someday..
August 4, 2025
Nice comprehensive to the point book on performance driving. Would recommend for anyone new to racing, performance driving. Is nice that the book acknowledges modern cars and the tech inside them. Easy read with nice balance of images to illustrate explanations.
January 13, 2018
Excellent!
Engages readers in becoming better drivers with technical explanations in an easy reading manner, reminding how enjoyable and challenging any drive can be.
Engages readers in becoming better drivers with technical explanations in an easy reading manner, reminding how enjoyable and challenging any drive can be.
March 9, 2018
Fantastic book . Every driver must read it .
It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a well experience driver ,
there is something in this book that can make you a better driver .
It doesn't matter if you are a beginner or a well experience driver ,
there is something in this book that can make you a better driver .
July 2, 2018
Really. A most informative and useful book that gives clear and proven tips on how to be a better driver. Invaluable. Accessible. Worthwhile experience!
December 27, 2018
lots of good info applicable to about any driving situation. For me, particularly helpful for autocross events and track days even though I've heard most of these tips before.
December 11, 2022
Great book for beginners and people who want to improve their driving and control of the vehicle. Firstly, I thought that this is just a track tips, but it’s not just that - it offers very valuable techniques of controlling the vehicle and making yourself one with it. Couldn’t recommend this book enough.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews