This past weekend was rounds 5 and 6 of the Mazda Global MX-5 Cup Series at Road America during the IndyCar event. It wasn’t just another MX-5 event for me: it was very special to me personally, because the race was named The Alana Long 100 as a tribute to my mom. It...

Last month Long Road Racing and other Global Mazda MX-5 Cup teams participated in a hot-weather test at Roebling Road. The goal of the test was to confirm proper cooling for the hot summer months. Several different teams were invited to participate, specifically to...

How do you approach driving a car that’s new to you? I was at Virginia International Raceway for a tire test last week, where we evaluated various compounds and tire construction. It was a lot of fun to be able to run that many sets of new tires, back to back, then...

I was at Watkins Glen last week, which is one of my favorite tracks. Not only is it a favorite circuit of mine, but the surrounding area makes you feel like you’re on vacation, so it’s always a fun time there. I was there to support three of my coaching clients, who...

Last week I was at Virginia International Raceway for a cool opportunity with Car and Driver Magazine. Every year, they publish a special Lightning Laps issue. Journalists test drive the latest sports cars on VIR’s Grand Course, then they write a big article with...

This past week I was at Virginia International Raceway for NASA’s Hyperfest, a popular event in the Mid-Atlantic Region that encompasses everything from racing to drifting to helicopter rides to burnout contests, and even a downhill Power Wheels race! No wonder they...

I was at Virginia International Raceway again last week (no surprise there!) for an SCCA test day as we continue to prepare for the upcoming SCCA Runoffs in October. It was a fun day, but also an interesting dichotomy because the two clients I was with were in very...

This past weekend I was at Mid-Ohio for the IMSA Sports Car weekend. We had a very wet, cold event there, despite the better weather the forecast had promised. We only had brief glimpses of the sun until the WeatherTech race started on Sunday. One of the unique...

I have a good family friend who is a high school automotive shop teacher at Nations Ford High School. He invited me to be a chaperone for his students last week, when they participated in the NHRA’s Youth & Education Services (YES) Program at the drag strip in...

Last week we discussed how to optimize a short coaching session. This week, I want to discuss something that’s a little more common, which is a full day’s coaching at the track. In both scenarios, preparation can result in much faster progress. I was at Virginia...