How do you build a racing school from scratch? INTC co-host Ross Bentley has done it multiple times—and he famously helped start Washington State’s world-renowned DirtFish Rally School.
This episode has everything: Whales. Islands. Subarus. The philosophy of teaching and culture. Plus a small coastal race track accessible mostly by ferry.
We talk about how the best coaches in the world deal with egos and beginners, why the words “slow down" are counterproductive on a race track, and how the best coaching move is sometimes just distraction. Plus, there’s a lightning round and an Indy 500 legend named Dick who used to sell insurance.
(That is not a joke. Dick Simon is a legend and don’t you forget it.)
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TIMESTAMPS:
02:40 – Building a Racing School
08:56 – How to Approach Beginners
11:15 – Culture and Student Egos
28:20 – The One Thing You Start With
31:30 – Lightning Round Questions for Ross
40:54 – Is Coaching From the Right Seat Worth it?
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This episode was produced by Sam Smith.
Thanks, as always, to our friends at BFGoodrich for supporting the show!
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Smithology: Thoughts, Travels, and Semi-Plausible Car Writing, 2003–2023
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ABOUT THE SHOW:
It’s Not the Car is a podcast about people and speed. We tell racing stories and leave out the boring parts.
Ross Bentley is a former IndyCar driver, a bestselling author, and a world-renowned performance coach. Jeff Braun is a champion race engineer. Sam Smith is an award-winning writer and a former executive editor of Road & Track magazine.
We don’t love racing for the nuts and bolts—we love it for what it asks of the meatbag at the wheel.
New episodes every other Tuesday.
