Book Review: Ultimate Speed Secrets by Ross Bentley
Positives
Negatives
Although there are a lot of instructional books on race driving, the level of coverage and detail in Ross Bentley’s “Ultimate Speed Secrets” is amazing.
From the basics of the cockpit, gear shifting, foot braking and throttling, every chapter covers a different aspect of driving, setup, race technique, strategy and mental preparation.
There are 53 chapters in all, including topics like:
- chassis and suspension setup
- learning the racing line
- cornering (approach, entry, mid-corner & exit)
- brake bias, traction circle, slip angles
- braking (trail braking, left foot braking)
- rain
- overtaking
- physiological training
- sensing speed and traction
- mental preparation
- decision making and beliefs
- managing errors
- learning and adapting
- oval racing
- practice and testing
- qualifying
- the race
- sponsorship
- interpreting telemetry data
- driver safety
The book has a heavy emphasis on technical aspects of taking corners and the mental aspects of race driving. There useful charts and diagrams to supplement Bentley’s advice.
There’s also a lot of useful personal advice and stories from Ross Bentley from his days as a driver (Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Indycar) and as a driver coach.
Although it doesn’t have the gravitas of books by Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda, Jackie Stewart or Alain Prost, it definitely is one of the more comprehensive books on this subject.
Wow Factor or Money Shot: The diagrams are very instructive with side by side notes – foot brake positions during cornering, throttle levels, etc.
Suitable for: Any aspiring driver or casual motorsport fans who want to get better technical understanding of motorsport.
