The Value of Driver Coaching

“I can’t quantify how many people who have gained more time through coaching than any single modification could realistically offer,” Mike Skeen says proudly. As a man who’s taken himself from the Spec E30 ranks to the top of IMSA partly on his coaching ability, partly on his versatility, partly on his speed, and largely on his measured approach to racing, he has a right to be confident.

Coaching is, and will always be, the requisite element that any racer worth his or her salt will invest in. While the allure of an upgrade sways some people to spend thousands in the hope of seeing real improvements in lap times, there still is the loose nut behind the wheel that needs to make the most of said part.

Aaron Whitinger, another hot shoe who earned his spurs in NASA Southeast Spec E30, concurs. The long list of his students who have made it from the back of the pack to the podium supports his claim: “You’ve got to use what you got before you upgrade.”

Not only is blaming the gear a cop-out, but regular modification keeps the driver from mastering the equipment. “Getting away from the upgrade mentality is crucial for advancement,”  Whitinger warns.

The truth is that this is a hard pill to swallow for some. However, outlining what good coaches can offer is convincing, especially if they can cater to the student’s personality, addressing the student’s issues in a way that they can easily digest. Some mimic well, while others need a theoretical foundation to build upon.

Of course, it’s always preferable to stand on the shoulders of those who’ve spent the time studying the subject at hand. “I’ve been in Spec E30 for 14 years. It took me seven years to reach the front, and I know I would’ve gotten there much faster if I had someone showing me the way,” Whitinger says.

No Frills Necessary

Greg Tresan was running midpack in NASA Southeast Spec E30 when he sought guidance. Unlike other drivers in non-spec classes, he couldn’t obsess over finding the latest go-fast bit to address his lack of pace. “There’s only so much you can do to change the car in Spec E30, you know?”

Several days of working with Whitinger helped him move into the midpack, but never did it feel like work. The two turned Tresan’s bus into something between a bar and a classroom where they would review Tresan’s AiM data, overlaying others’ traces, and determining the right braking points. The relaxed ambiance and a constant supply of post-race libations made for enjoyable conversation.

One of the benefits of this video review compared with right-seat coaching is the ability to fine-tune an approach. “There’s usually not enough time to make constructive critiques when you’re sitting shotgun. There needs to be a plan in mind before they start their lap,” Whitinger adds.

These chats in the back of Tresan’s Winnebago highlighted some areas in his driving that surprised him. “I could’ve sworn I was flat there and there, but it turns out I wasn’t. I mean, you can’t argue with the data,” he said with a laugh. Sometimes it is not a lack of humility that prevents people from advancing — the sensations we experience when we’re mentally and physically taxed aren’t always indicative of what’s happening in the moment.

Whitinger asked Tresan to reduce his entry speeds into one fast corner where the data indicated he wasn’t quite flat, and sometimes actually dancing on the gas and upsetting the car slightly. “‘Instead of charging into the corner as fast as you can, try backing off a little at entry so that you can commit to full throttle earlier,’ I told him. He got into the habit of getting back to full throttle safely at a manageable speed, and once that muscle memory was ingrained, he could eke out a little more speed, piece-by-piece, safely,” he explains.

After several months of working together, Tresan decided to stop working with Whitinger. There was no falling out, but he’d demonstrated that the skills he’d learned in that time were enough to get him to the pointy end of the field, where he felt he’d continue to learn at his own pace. He’d been given a base to build upon and the confidence needed to continue climbing up the grid. Time well spent.

Tailored Tutelage

Some students request a little more. One such person was Ian McCloghrie, who had to assess his own shortcomings after a rude awakening following his jump into ST4. “I had always been quick in HPDEs, but once I started racing with the ST guys, I was stuck at the back of the pack and I didn’t know what to do. I felt useless,” he says.

He first tried an online coaching service, but the latency between receiving advice and getting out on track made it hard to implement their suggestions.

Then he turned to a trusted source for advice. Tony Colicchio, the man who’d built McCloghrie’s E46 M3, suggested he consult with Matthew Cresci, a Spec Miata champion and active coach. “I knew Colicchio had built a good car, so the problem was probably with me,” McCloghrie admits.

Cresci’s coaching resume was already quite long for a man in his mid-20s, but what sealed the deal was the personal touch and his varied approaches to instructing. “I’d tried another coach before him, but their personality didn’t gel with mine. I think you’ve got to be able to relate to the guy you’re working with,” he notes.

First, there was the confirmation that there was, in fact, a lot left on the table. “Until [Cresci] got in my car and set a lap of his own, I couldn’t grasp some of the theory, but his lap showed what the car was capable of. Having someone else 6 seconds faster in your car is a little demoralizing at first, but then you realize how much there is left to learn,” he recalls.

Then came the shedding of illusions. “I thought I had been trail-braking, but I hadn’t been, really. He demonstrated that I wasn’t getting the rotation done early enough. That explained why I was getting back to throttle too early and creating understeer mid-corner.”

Skeen is quite familiar with this problem. As he puts it, “This is where I try to get the idea of compressing the braking zone to encourage rotation at the right point: at the beginning of the turn-in phase. You want to get to peak yaw immediately at turn-in, but most underdrive the entry, and so when they get back to throttle, they cause understeer.”

To get this point across, Skeen will, depending on the student, first reference the traction circle and explain some tire science — if they’re analytically minded — then get them to practice finding threshold pressure. “At first, we try to add more pressure at the same braking point, even if it means they’ll coast into the apex,” he begins, “after that, we’ll start moving the braking zone deeper until they can blend the steering and braking at the turn-in point.”

McCloghrie and Cresci used video review and data to convey these concepts. “He’d set a reference lap and I’d set mine. After uploading everything into AiM Studio, we could compare the discrepancies,” McCloghrie adds.

With time between sessions to discuss the issues at hand and work out an actionable plan for every session, McCloghrie quickly honed his brake release, smoothness, car placement, and other near-intangibles that make up the finer points of driving. McCloghrie took third in ST4 at the 2024 NASA Championships at Utah Motorsports Campus.

A Gentle Nudge

Getting the hard science across is far from easy, but it is more digestible when presented cogently than certain psychological setbacks are explained. Some things need a little diplomacy and encouragement to inspire confidence in the student.

Rick Myers got his start in NASA Northeast HPDE1 and quickly transitioned into TT4. Being a considerate person, he’s been able to provide the pep talk to so many students who have had their hangups when it comes to making the same jump he made.

“A lot of these guys seem intimidated by the perceived skill gap between the HPDE guys and the TT guys. Yes, there’s a competitive atmosphere in TT, and the skill level is generally higher, but I convince them that the move is within their reach. I just try to nudge them in the right direction,” he offers.

Some of that is done by showing, not telling. “I’ll invite them to spend a weekend with me when I’m competing in TT4. If they have questions about the protocol, I’m happy to answer,” Myers says.

After he’s made their idea of Time Trial a little less intimidating, he prepares them with a little friendly sparring to get into the fighting spirit.

“I tell the drivers to go out and run alongside someone they know well. Trade positions, drive off-line, and consider exit strategies if things go sour. At the very least, it’ll help them feel comfortable at higher speeds” Myers says.

“You’ve Got to Commit!”

Mental blocks take other forms, and some coaches combine a technique-driven approach combined with faith in the machinery that a seasoned pro makes attainable. Once the drivers have mastered the intermediate steps, they have to learn to trust the car in the truly quick sections when there’s no margin for error, and this is not done with guts alone.

Skeen has an approach for corners with a high pucker factor. “With speed and/or aero,” there’s a need to address commitment, but it’s not just about having big balls — you have to be precise, too.”

Because the consequences for an off are higher, only corners with some runoff area are chosen to focus on building trust in the vehicle. But even if there is a nice field to take a trip through, Skeen makes sure his student is aware of the contingencies available to them in the case of an incident. “Have a couple exit strategies lined up before you commit,” he suggests.

But before anything drastic happens, he structures the corner approach more methodically than he would most of the slow- and medium-speed bends.

“I encourage my students to pick more than the typical three reference points we use in slower corners. Having more references makes it easier to recognize almost immediately when you’ve veered off the intended line. By reviewing the footage and going frame-by-frame, we can plot out the right path that they can memorize and then build toward attacking,” Skeen elaborates.

Because a good coach can identify bad habits before they become a costly, deeply ingrained issue, they can make their student a safer driver as well as a faster one. Money saved.

They also can be a friend and a confidant — a much-needed resource on a race weekend, when things can be a little at arm’s length. In an ideal setting, the two will gel, and this rapport helps the student open up, improve their self-awareness, and work past mental barriers they might never have been aware of without the assistance of someone more experienced.

Is that worth more than a set of coilovers? Get a coach. Then, you be the judge.