No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 25
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 do you do, and how do you think differently, when you don't know what to do next, and...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 24
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 histograms in sim racing. Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 23
Speed Secrets Podcast
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, how would you recommend changing hats and not letting one job creep into the other? ...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 22
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 engineered cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 21
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 Prototypes, and even Top Fuel dragsters. But what sets Jeff apart from many engineers is how he...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 20
Speed Secrets Podcast
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, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Prototypes, and even Top Fuel...
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No Dumb Questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 19
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars at every level,...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 18
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 cars at every level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and...
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No Dumb Questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 17
Speed Secrets Podcast
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 level, and every type: NASCAR, karts, club racing cars, Indy, GT and Prototypes, and even Top...
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No dumb questions with Jeff Braun: Episode 16
Speed Secrets Podcast
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! Jeff is one of the very best race car engineers in the world. He’s engineered cars...
info_outlineOn 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 Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2021, and how Hagerty purchasing MotorsportReg.com has impacted Brian’s life. We also get into how the pandemic has impacted the motorsports.
Brian’s Speed Secret: You see in your own performance what you want to see or what you can see - you have to get someone else without your filters to help find the details.
Check out Brian below!
Hagerty.com
MotorsportReg.com
@ghidinelli
When eight-year old Brian was told he would never curl his tongue because it was hereditary, he practiced in front of the mirror for days until he learned. He has stubbornly ignored conventional wisdom since.
Brian was the founder of MotorsportReg.com, a CRM, commerce platform, and marketplace that makes it more fun to organize and attend motorsport events. He is currently the Managing Director of Hagerty Motorsports since Hagerty acquired his company in 2019. Behind the screen, he leads a team helping more than 1,300 clubs, racetracks and sanctioning bodies organize, promote and manage 7,000 events annually. Behind the wheel, he is a national racer, championship winner and two-times winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race.
Previously, Brian co-founded San Francisco design and technology firm VFIVE. Award-winning web work for Macromedia, Yahoo and Billabong led to an acquisition by global agency IconMedialab. He also once played the role of journalist, flying in a Soviet-era helicopter to cover the TransSyberia Rally from Moscow, Russia to Ulaanbataar, Mongolia for SPEEDTV.com.
Brian lives near Sonoma Raceway in San Rafael, California with his wife, dog, racecar, motorcycle and shifter kart. He is a dual American-Italian citizen thanks to his Nonno. He serves on the board for Thunderhill Raceway Park.