May 20, 2025 • 45 mins
It’s that time of the month, and Christina Nielsen is back to discuss Katherine’s upcoming race in Charlotte, the process of transitioning through different kinds of racing, and training selfishly. They talk about the importance of getting to know the other driving personalities on the track and confess which drivers they worried about.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey An, Welcome to this
(00:21):
week's episode of Throttle Therapy with Me, Catherine Legg. This
week has been a whirlwind. We are just getting done
wrapping up a two day media blitz in New York City,
which is a lot of fun going around all the
media outlets trying to tell everybody how awesome racing is
and how awesome Elf and Death Neuter and all the
(00:43):
cool sponsors are. And then I am heading home literally
to pick up my race gig because I didn't want
to leave my race gear in the car, and then
driving north to Charlotte because this weekend is a big
race in Charlotte. It is the Coke six hundred. We're
not doing the Coke six hundred race. We're doing the
Saturday race in the Xfinity car, and it's a race
that I'm really excited about. Because I spend a lot
(01:05):
of time on the SIM. I get to do more
SIM time when I get up to Charlotte and we
found a great deal of speed and a great deal
of comfort in the car, so I'm very much looking
forward to seeing whether that translates to on track and
really just building off the fact that we finished the
first race yay at Texas, so hopefully we can have
a decent qualifying spend the first in kind of learning again,
(01:28):
the first stage learning, and then go race with these guys.
I'm really pumped and really excited and really motivated. I've
been watching last year's race in the year before religiously,
and we have a lot to do in Charlotte. We
have a bunch of ELF peeps there. We're going to
do a massive ELF activation, So if you guys are
in the Charlotte area, you have to come down because
it's going to be amazing. They're giving away lots of
(01:51):
cool giddies. We're doing lots of fun things, lots of parties.
We're doing a photo shoot at the ten Tenths Motorclub,
which is a new race that they have built just
outside of Charlotte mode speedway, but super fancy and really fun.
It's built for events and gentlemen drivers and testing and
that kind of thing. And I had the pleasure of
(02:12):
driving on it at a charity event a month or
so ago, and so I'm looking forward to doing pictures there,
then more sometime and a bunch of media on the
run up to the Charlotte Race, which is a big race.
It's a big deal because it is the home track
for everybody in the NASCAR world that lives in the
Charlotte area Charlotte, Concord, Maoresville, et cetera, et cetera. So
(02:32):
looking forward to that. But another thing that I'm really
looking forward to is catching up with my bestie. Christina
Nielsen is joining us for that time on the month
again now and it's been a hot minute and I
miss her face. So it is a real pleasure to
be able to get to see her. Even though you
can't see her on the podcast, I can and I
want to welcome Christina to the park.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Thank you. Happy to be back.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
How are you doing, babe, I'm good.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah? Well, thanks, it's been crazy, well when for me,
I know it has for you as well. You've been
lucky enough to just have a few days Vaca though.
How was that? Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I was lovely? Yeah, Well, I.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Am glad to have you back on the podcast, and
I'm glad to catch up. I know that since we
last spoke, you did one of your events in the
ice driving arena.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, at time, Yeah, we completed ice driving.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
I also went recently to Hockenheim with a private group
that wanted to go a lot of the guys had
their first time on track, so that was pretty cool
that I got to share that experience with them.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And yeah, I mean I.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Always enjoy seeing people, you know, get more confident behind
the wheel and developing themselves and developing their driving skills.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
So yeah, overall a great experience.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Ice driving, I think is something very unique and it
is fun to go sideways all day long.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I want to try that. We have to organize one
in the winter that I get to come on because
I really want to try it. I think it makes
you a better driver, honestly, because you so much car control.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I did have one person that's racing in some of
the national championships and denwork that wanted to go and
do it to develop your car control. The cool thing
is also that you get to do it in both
way will driven cars primarily forces and four wheel driven cars,
so you get to experience what the different cars feel
like in practice adapting because I mean even just a
(04:22):
training session or a practice session doing a race weekend,
the track is going to be different in the morning
and in the afternoon, so it's a good way to
learn to be quick to adapt and fill the car
with low risk because there's nothing to hit other than snow.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, a little bit of snowbank. Yeah. I know. It's
very differently getting a front wheel drive cars sideways to
a full well drive cars sideways and real will drive
and sometimes like you and I primarily did real wiel drive,
I would say we've done a bit of everything, but
I think our instinct is real will drive, So like
if we're driving a front will drive and we'll like
get on the power to save the slide. It's a
(04:58):
little bit alien.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
It's very different, that's so sure.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I mean we see the TCR car is one of
the classes that was racing as a support class to
the MS WeatherTech Championship. I mean the car is definitely
handled differently, but I think the racing was great to
watch always, you know, fun to watch them because they
can get so close and have really close racing. And yeah,
I mean in general with that and GT Racing that's
(05:21):
one of the best things about it.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Actually, segue is really nicely into what we wanted to
talk about today. Well done. I don't know how you
did that, but I see you.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
You see what I did there, And.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're going to talk about different types of racing. We're
going to talk about multi class racing and different race
cars race series. Except but before we jump into that,
you said something really interesting that I want to touch
on really quickly, and that is seeing these guys have
their first experience in a race car, and I just
want to ask you. So I see people of all
(05:57):
different walks of life either think that they're going to
be really good and just as good as us in
a race car, or they're terrified of it and they
think they'll be terrible. And most of the time, it's
somewhere in the middle when you first get out of
driving a race car for the first time, and I
haven't seen it in a while, So this one I'm
deferring to you. Like they have sweaty hands and their
(06:18):
eyes are out on storks, and I don't think they
quite realize what it takes. Do you like enjoy that
aspect of it?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I tell people remember to breathe because a lot of
them hold their breast when they're driving the first time,
and it's so funny to see and they come and
tell me I forgot to breathe, and I'm like, I know,
that's kind of important.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
We need to do that while we're driving.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You know, the group I have is great, and the
thing that makes my job easy when I have a
group is a group that listens and has respect because
you are still driving at high speeds at a racetrack.
While it is much safer than on the road, it
is still something that is a risky business essentially, so
(06:57):
the stakes are high. And a group that since understands
what steps they need to take in order to progress
in order to be faster are normally also the group
where you see the biggest development because they're actually paying
attention to what we're saying because we do kind of
know what we're doing here.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Do they respect your authority?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Do you think this group was great? Honestly, yes, sure,
I experienced sometimes they don't. But the last two groups
that I had for Hockenheim and ice driving were both
amazing groups. And the main thing that I am always
afraid of running into is people with a lot of
courage and very little skill set.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah, dangerous combination.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
That is the most dangerous kind of driver.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, it can make a good race car driver because
if you have the balls to go or you know,
the boobs, whatever you want to say and go, you know,
flat out in the corner that you're supposed to go
flat out, and then you have the courage to do it.
But you also have the skill set and the finesse
to manage and drive a car through a corner like that.
So I think it is always a balance that you
(08:01):
need to have, even as a race co driver.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Yeah, it always amazes me. Like I'll be in the
gym and I'll say to my cohorts, my peers, we
should set up a go cut day or go over
to you Atlantam to Speedway and we will go go cutting.
The amount of them that think that they would.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Beat me, I know, I've rolled my eyes.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Then that makes me want to do it even more, honestly,
Oh you should. We should actually probably set up a
day when you are over here and I won't tell
them who you are, and I'll be like, I'm betting
on my friend to beat you.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
They all like big muscle, you guys.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, one thing people also need to understand. And I'm
not saying this is a possible excuse that people can use,
but these guys, they weigh twice as much as you
do alone and wait, like, I mean, you can beat
them with closed eyes because you know, you're a cat
and leg. But at the same time, they don't understand
everything that goes into this, what actually makes it, what
(08:59):
gives you a compare, it's an advantage, what it takes.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
What are the external factors that we can't control.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah, the science and the physics.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Yeah, I think it's just being oblivious. And you know,
I think we've got to treat it as lack of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So teach them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, I don't know that, because it would be like
somebody in the gym saying that they're a pro tennis
player and me saying, oh, yeah, I can come and
beat your game tennis.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Fine, No, I'm not to be nice here. That's what
it takes, lack of knowledge.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
But I think this is how we make some money. Right.
What I'm going to do is I'm going to start
a book, probably highly illegal and probably shouldn't be saying
it on this podcast, but we're going to do a
bet and I'm going to say, my friend Christine is
coming over to visit me, and if any of you
want to challenge her to a race and they won't
know who you are there and make some money, make
some beer money.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I actually was a part of a TV show Wants,
a Danish TV show where you can do live betting.
They always had a trick of their sleep that they
never told you about whenever you agree to do something
with them. So I was asked, Hey, do you want
to come to this cutting track. Your challenge is you
have to pass twenty five other drivers you start lost,
(10:10):
and I'm like, okay, yeah, normally it's like ten minutes,
fifteen minutes the length of a race.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
They gave me. I can't remember two or three laps.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Did you do it?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You know what the irony is?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I was missing two or three people in the end
on the first take, and then they wanted to do
it like a second and a third time for more footage.
And I did it on attempt number three, but that
one didn't count because it was the first one.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
But it's the fact that you know, I say yes
to doing it.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I'm like, yeah, I can do this, but then they
don't tell me that I have to do it within
it was two a three lap that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I had to pass twenty five people.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, I'm going to give you. I'm going to give
you six laps to pause.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Everybody, Okay, that's that should be fine. But yeah, it's
a little bit of a twist always with them. But
I mean it was still cool to do. It was
fun to do when I think, yeah, but mind is,
I'm telling you you should do it, make some money,
have a good time.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
I mean, it would be fun, but actually go karting.
I need to do more of it anyway, because a
it's really good to keep your eye, and it's really
good for like racecraft, and it's physically really demanding, and
so it's good training too. And I know you actually
do quite a bit of it. You do a lot
more than I do.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Oh was it recently?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I just once I was blue everywhere, Bruce is everywhere
and my body was hurting so much. So it is
a great way to exercise, and it was the real
go Courson, not the rental ones, and so much fun.
So I think even for us, it's kind of going
back to basics and yeah, we should just spend a
day going to the karting track.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Yeah, it'd be fun wear ourselves out instead of going
to the gym one day.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I think that sounds like a great alternative.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Actually, that's the second really great segue into what we're
talking about today. And I go off on a tangent,
as I always do, but go cut racing is a
good start to racing in general. Like if you want
to be a pro race cart driver, most of today's
pro race car drivers start off in go karting, and
it's the same the world over. I think Europe has
(12:05):
a good reputation for being the most competitive go kart
racing in the world, or it did at least when
I was coming up through, and I know Denmark's the
same a lot of comparatively speaking, if you look at
a general population like England or Denmark, there's a lot
of pro race car drivers that come out of those nations,
and I think that's because racing is important in those
countries and it is very competitive, so it makes really
(12:27):
good go kart drivers. You started doing karting as well, didn't.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
You, Yes, I did.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
I also recall that somebody has a great children's spot
that talks about somebody.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, thanks, I think you should talk a little bit
about that.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I love you, thank you. Yeah, it's my children's book.
Is We did an episode on it. Actually, it's called
Cat's Magic Helmet, and it is about my start in racing,
which was indeed go kart racing. And I did that
with my dad from age nine for like ten years,
and we traveled around them to doing that. And my
goal coming out of that was I wanted to be
(13:04):
a Formula one driver. I didn't know whether I could
be a race card driver or not. I just kind
of kept trying, right, but my ultimate goal was Formula one.
And when then I kind of diverted because the opportunity
came in America, so then it was Indy car. It
was always open wheel for me. But I know that
you can go in all these different directions outside of karting.
So you start in karting and you might want to
(13:26):
be a stock card driver, as car driver, you might
want to be a sports card driver. You might want
to be GT's, you might want to be prototypes, you
might want to be open wheel. Like you kind of
set your goals then, and your frame of reference was
your dad, I think, was it not yeah, and your
dad raced cars GT cars and he did. I mean
(13:49):
he's got a good name in Denmark too. He mean
he's done Lamore and.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Stuff, right, Yeah, he did THEMNG five times or some
of the podium as well.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's nice.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I think we both feel the same way that it's
it's kind of special that we get to share this
with our dads and we have that passion and you know,
sometimes we want to rip their head off because they
know better. Sometimes they do, but it's still a pretty
amazing thing that we get to share with our dads.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I would say, yeah, I think my dad did a
good job of learning the curting dad bit early, you know,
because it was very abrasive in my formative years that
he wanted to give me help and advice because he
wanted it for me as well. It comes from a
place of love and wanting the best. But you see
it in so many young kids transitioning up through the
(14:44):
racing ranks where they have carting dad syndrome. And I
think both of our dads are kind of having to
have gone through a learning process of how much to
back off but still support and leave us to be
in control of our own destiny. But it's hard because
I know I'm a control freak. I did it as
(15:04):
your teammate, I did. I was telling you, I.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Mean, I get it.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I think that's again one of the interesting differences, which
I think you can speak more to, is the difference
of mentality when you are a single driver on a
car and then when you're doing multi class racing and
doing endurance racing where you're sharing the car with somebody else,
because it means, for example, setup wise, you might want
two different things. When you're driving along, you don't have
(15:33):
to consider another person. You just have to consider what
you want. So I think there's quite a few different
aspects that I used to talk about whenever I did
speaking engagement and maybe talked about the differences. I think
sprit racing. Single driver racing really develops you nicely, but
there's a whole extra set of rules and things that
(15:57):
you need to learn in order to be and doant driver.
So maybe you want touch a little bit about what
you're for the biggest differences was when you moved from
being a single driver into multi driver category.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, I had a lot more years of training. Selfishly,
I would say because it was always just about me,
like you're the only driver in the car, and so
there is no compromise, there's no consideration of anybody else's
comfort or feelings. Right. I did the open wheel route
and I spent ten years doing that before I transitioned
(16:35):
over to doing sports car racing, and then my transition
was from IndyCar to prototypes. It's a very similar style
of driving with the downforce, but it's also a very
different thing to learn. And it took me a hot
minute because you have to learn that you have other
slower cars on track, and it was at slower cars
and I remember thinking, God, is such a pain in
(16:56):
the ass, like get out the way, God, Like why
aren't they moving where doing this way? And then having
been on the other end of it, I realized that
I was an asshole. I think having done all of
them is actually really good experience for the psyche of it,
But no, I did all of my training really is
the only driver in the car, and then learning to
(17:19):
compromise as the driver coming in like as the newbie
and having to defer to somebody else who's trying to
teach me how to do multi class racing, and having
to learn that I can't be one hundred percent comfortable
and that I have to compromise on setup, and that
I have to not get new tires all the time,
(17:40):
and I have to not get like I want to finish,
I want to start, I want to get the new ties,
and so it is definitely a learning process. And then
for me it was a whole other learning process to
transition from prototypes to GT cars. And Andy Lallely actually
was thank god he and Oznegri and Jeff Siegel, like,
we had such a great team. When I first made
(18:03):
my transition into GT Cars with Maya.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Shank, that was when we started competing against each other.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
We did yeah exactly, But I had no experience in
a GT car and so that was all very new
to me, and so learning ABS and power steering and
all the things. I was just really fortunate. I could
have sunk or swim, and I almost almost sunk. They
saved my job. I don't know, I think I've told
you this story. But we were testing the NSX. It
(18:28):
had come fresh off the boat from Japan, and we
were developing it and we were testing it. We were
a brand new team and I went out and I
spun coming out of turn five and I hit the wall,
and you know, I was new to the team. I
was new to HPD in that role, and I thought,
oh gosh, this does not look good. And I hadn't
learned GT cars yet either. I go out and I
(18:50):
do the exact same thing again, and I'm like, it's
not me. How can this be me? It's not me?
And honestly, I think at that point Mike and Lee
Niffninger from HPD wanted to fire me, and actually my
teammates rallied to my side and said, no, don't like.
This isn't fair, it's not cool. Give her a chance.
And thank goodness they did, because I think I became
(19:11):
a pretty good GT card driver in the end. I
don't know, but absolutely thanks. But you started off in
GT's right.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
I did a little bit of Formula and then pretty
quickly moved to GT.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
What did you want to be when you grow up?
When you started, I'm.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Not sure I want to drive cars. I just thought
it was so much fun for a long time, and
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Want to do Formula one and following like the footsteps
of other certain famous Danish people.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I well, okay, so speaking of famous Danish people. I
would say Tom Christensen was a person that was a
very big character within not the sports and within Danish racing.
And he was a lo long driver, so I had
a long Danish drivers have the aspiration of getting to
Lamont and that can be done the now Ellen dh
(20:01):
or gg Cours where Ellen p cars back in the day,
So yeah, GT Cors just because that was also where
my dad used to race and his career, so that
was where his contacts were and that was essentially where
I just ended up and then I met some of
the people. It was I mean, it's kind of sad,
(20:22):
but you know, beautiful outcome because I ended up in America,
where I absolutely loved racing. I had a teammate back
in thirteen. It was my first year sharing the car
with the co driver Alan Simmonson, and he passed away
at Lamont and then Sean Edwards was the first person
to replace him and he couldn't do all the races,
so Kuba Gamasiak joined me for some of them, and
I was actually in America for my first petit Lamont,
(20:45):
and Sewan Edwards passed away during some coaching in Australia,
but it was him and Cuba who introduced me to
the team in America and where I started my American
journey essentially.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Where you won championships were a complete edge.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yeah, it was a good round. It definitely was.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I mean the following year I did Sprint Cup, so
I did a support clause to the weather Tech Championship,
and after that I moved up to the MS of
weather Tech Championship, joined TRG with Austin Martin. Finished second race,
got canceled with a thunderstorm halfway through or two firsts
in We lost by one point to the Ferrari team,
(21:26):
and then I ended up joining that Ferrari team and
we continued to yeah, win the championship in sixteen and
seventeen together with Alessandro Basan and ironically with Jeff Siegel
as our first driver, who was also your teammates, so
we've shared some teammates as well. Overall, just great people.
I still to this day think that some of the
best teams I raced for. It was Scudar Air Corsa
(21:48):
together with Alessandra as my full season code driver, and
then my season with you with mya Shank.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
I think there was an amazing group of.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
People and even though we didn't have the results together
that I had with Alas Andrew and the Ferrari team,
and that means the Ferrari team has a special place
in my heart. But that group that you and I
got to work with was absolutely amazing and I rate
them turn out of ten and that's why that was.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
A part of making that You are very special.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
For me, and we became friends, which.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Is very Yes, after the season finished.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, I mean I have my hands for that season less. Honestly,
we won't go we won't go into it, but it
was it was a lot. Do you think that it's
(22:43):
the car that you enjoy driving? Like? Do you think
because you've also raced a GT four car, so you've
done open wheel GT cars pretty much most of the
gambit and so have I in your opinion and I'll
give mine after Do you think that it's the car
that you enjoy driving or is it the team and
whether it's a good team and a fast car, Like
(23:06):
would you be really happy driving a GT four car
with the best team out there? Or would you be
happy driving a GT three car with like a mediocre team?
Like what makes it for you the car or the team?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
I mean one.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
We like results, so I'd rather be with a little
bit of a slower car, but be with the top
performing team who I have a good time. Whether you're
spending so much time on the road, you want to
have results. But the last thing that I will add
to your equation would be the tracks. I think America
has some of the best tracks in the world, and
I enjoyed racing so many of them, and that for
(23:39):
me was a part of my I love racing in America.
I know you have one more category that you can
add to it. I mean, you've raised a lot more
different types of cars. I think I've raised quite a
few different tracks and different continents. I think that's one
of the beautiful things about GT racing is it's worldwide,
so you can go to so many places in the
world and race that.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
But you've raced Bad, which is the one that elludes
me and that I really want to do. It's on
my bucket list. I want to race bad first. At
some point, it looks so awesome. Is it as awesome
as it looks on TV?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
It is scary to begin with. It is overwhelming. I
had a cool suit that stopped working and the water
just got hot and horder. So in the end, like
I had to, I had to get out because it
was just like boiling my body so warm.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah, that happens quite a lot in NASCAR, apparently because
they all wear cool suits and I didn't. I did
in Texas and it didn't work. Luckily, it wasn't hot
enough that it boiled me. But they have this, They
actually have to cut in a pit stuck. They cut
the tube to let the water out so the water
doesn't sit there getting colder and hotter and boil that
on me.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, that's brutal. I don't think people understand how. I mean,
you get busy and you feel sick, and it's just
it's awful.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Yeah, And I mean that's also a thing about America.
We raised some of the hardest races of the year
over there, Lime Rock. I still remember that thing you did.
I was like, how is she the diving out there?
It is so hot?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Insane?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, I think I'm well equipped. I don't know anymore.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
You're stubborn.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Not the first time I've heard that today, even.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
All right, so what do you think are the biggest
differences as a driver, What have you had a new
learning curves with the new types of racing you've stepped.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Into, oh, making the transition to NASCAR driving a stock car. Yeah,
so I think everything I've driven is really different procedurally, right,
And you look at IndyCar and open more cars, you
look at stock cars and NASCAR, you look at sports
cars and even the difference between a GT car and
a prototype, and you look at sprint races versus ensurance
(25:46):
racing and all the things, like one of the biggest
difference outside of how the car handles, because I do
believe that you can adapt. It takes some time, but
you can program your brain and adapt to how the
car drives because it's just about how much grip you
have at the end of the day. Whether that grip
comes from the tire or from mechanical grip or from
aerodynamic grip, or however it gets there, the car will
(26:09):
go as fast. And in NASCAR, for example, the thing
that I'm struggling with, especially in the SIM is overcharging
the corner because I think I have more grip than
I have and then being patient and waiting on the
power because these things are heavy and they take a
set and I'm like rushing getting back to power because
I'm so used to being on mom pedal or the other.
(26:29):
But I think the biggest thing for me is actually procedurally,
Like the biggest thing is learning what happens under yellow?
When do you stop? How do you stop? What do
you do in this situation? Like when do you go
out and qualify? When do you have to be in
the car? What are this day doing taping it up?
And all the things outside of the car. When you're
in the car, you drive that car as fast as
it will go. Right fundamentally, and I'm making it really basic,
(26:52):
but I think it's a really fun car to drive,
and I love it. I love the challenge, I love
learning it, and I'm definitely learning oval racing in a
NASCAR as opposed to an INDYE car, it's very different.
But when we're sports car racing, you and I now
could do it with our eyes closed, where we know
(27:13):
how to stop. We're not thinking about taking out of gear.
We're not thinking about pulling up to the thing. We're
not thinking about what we do in a pit store.
We're not thinking about driver change, We're not thinking about
what happens on the yellow and when we get the
past around and we're not thinking like all of that stuff.
We're going about our own merry way, and you'd be
the same. And all of that stuff is new to me,
and so I don't want to make a mistake and
mess it up and having a spotter.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
In your Yeah, and you're spending more energy because there
are these things that you're not used to, So it
takes more energy and more focus or more concentration. I
guess to just have that become sacred nature for me.
That also falls another category of if you started being
a sprint driver, right, you might have to manage your
(27:56):
retires for thirty minutes during a sprint race, or you
don't have to.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You know, you get the fuel in the car that
you need for that race, and you.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Know the start is important, so you know how to
be somewhat aggressive because you're going to have to make
it through the start, but also try and use any
opportunity that might be presented to you in the beginning.
While when you're raising sports car racing with endurance racing,
then you know there's fuel consumption.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Do you have to.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Manage your fuel? Do you have to manage your tires
because you're doing a full close to an hour, like
that's what the tank normally allows you to do. It's
about managing traffic. It's about understanding that are you going
to produce the fastest lap the car has or is
it more important to give up three tens a lap
(28:42):
in order to maintain the car so it can last
for twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
So you're going to put your ego aside.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So that's but that requires everybody to do it.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
So there's just there's.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Another layer of elements that an endurance driverary need to
take into consideration. And I think whether what you're describing
one last car, those elements even come into play, even
though that's a single driver category.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, they do. I definitely struggled with the whole putting
my ego aside thing because I wanted to be the
fastest driver in the car when I went over to
insurance racing and I wanted to have the fastest average
lab and all the things. So yes, that was definitely
a struggle for me. The transition to NASCAR now, the
struggle is when the tire pressures are low and they're
(29:26):
new at the beginning, you can push so much harder
and then they go off and like learning how they
go off and how much to push dependent track dependent,
because I'm also learning new tracks, but the one lap
qualifying thing for me is totally new. So you go
out and you take the green and that is your
lap time, and like having to be precise and perfect
(29:46):
and know how much harder you can push than you
just did in practice, if you even get any practice,
is completely bonkers because I went through the last gosh
how many five six years not even qualifying like that
was a youth thing. So and when I did, it
was like five or six laps that you get to
go up to speed and really kind of dial your
head in, like having to dial your head into doing
(30:07):
the one lap qualifying I haven't done since I did
go cutting, which was alone farming right now, How did
you feel about qualifying as opposed to racing.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
I think I improved in qualifying during our time together.
I would never say that qualifying was my strong suit.
I would say driving, being consistent, making smart choices on
track is what was a part of my role with
Alessandra when we won the championship. But yeah, I would
(30:38):
say I definitely improved with you guys in qualifying. But
I was also lucky because when I do on the team.
You had been there for two years, three years. Yeah, yeah,
so you were quite familiar with the car, and I
like your setup with the car, like I like the
changes that you were making. So I had the pleasure
(30:58):
of focusing on driving trying to optimize what I needed
to optimize myself, and didn't have to focus that much
on setup because I just like the changes that you made.
Even though I had a very proud moment when because
you know, Theguna Sega is one of the tracks where
there's the biggest drop.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
They've repaved it now, so I don't know if that's yes.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
But with you and I were racing there together, then
you know, this was yeah, in nineteen and.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I kind of had to do that myself.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
It was later in the season because they want to
say it was in September, and so it was important
that I was feeling what I needed because the car
was very different when you put new tires on because
it wears so much on them doing that or on
that track. And you just told me, yeah, you go
out and do it. You know what you want, like,
just go and do it. You got this, And I
was like, oh my god, it's like I'm being sent
(31:50):
off to university and you know, saying goodbye to me here.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Like, okay, I graduated, I'm going to do myself now.
That was like a moment that I remember that I
really liked.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
I didn't even register to me. I don't think. I
think it just like your stripes.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah yeah, And I think it's just sometimes there are
small things like that that would you remember.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
So when you came out of doing single class print
racing and you had to learn, like I came out
of IndyCar and I had to learn multi car racing.
I came at it from the prototype side, and we
already know that I was an asshole because I used
to think GT cars should just move out the way
and then the other way.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
We're just like entertainment between you guys were doing.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
And then when I was in the GT car, I'm like,
what are these proto type drives doing? Then? I know, right,
So I got to see it from both points of view.
But when you went into the GT car and you
had all these faster cars on track, what was your
opinion of having to watch your mirrit all the time?
Speaker 2 (33:06):
I was okay with it.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
That never stressed me out, to be honest, and I
think if you had a good spotter, that was crucial
during the night at Daytona because you have the flashing
lights and perhaps instead of a real mirror, we often
have cameras, but those cameras can't differentiate and it can
be hard to see if there's one, two or three
cars perhaps coming at you. So a good spotter definitely
made the difference. The traffic was never really what I
(33:30):
found stressful. It was specific drivers, and there were a
few where it's like, oh boy, here comes that person.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
It is true, right, we knew everybody's driving personality. We
need people's personalities as well, but like the driving personality,
like who we had to worry about on track, who
we liked, who would racist family?
Speaker 3 (33:48):
If we're going to be honest, Montoya, he.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Just comes straight on there.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Yeah. He was so aggressive in traffic.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
I remember one time a walking splend and we're coming
down to the final two corners and.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Which are really fast by the way, for those of you.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Super fast, and I leave the door open. I have
a guardrail a wall next to me. I am on
the curve with my car up against that. I cannot
move anymore, and he still squeezes me so tight I
think I could barely fit a pinky in between my crimes.
And it's practice. Why it's this necessary, I never understood that.
But I think it makes good racing, and I think
(34:28):
it's a It's a part of what makes a championship
great to watch as a viewer.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Do you think it makes good racing though, because part
of me thinks that there are too many classes now,
and like if you take imps, for example, you've got
four different classes. You've got two GT classes, and you
got two broad stuff classes. Like if you are a
casual fan and you're not into racing, so you don't
know the difference between GTLM or GTD and GTD P now,
(34:55):
I don't know what even call it anywhere for two
minutes the pro class in the AM class. Do you
think that they know the difference, like the casual fan
that just kind of shows up at Wakin's then or
Road Atlanta or wherever is or do you think they
just like watching cars go around? Or do you think
it would be much simpler if there was just a
(35:15):
prototype class and a GT class and they can follow
it a lot easier.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
I think two classes like L and Date's Prototype and
then a GT class. I think that would be more
than enough, and I think that would create some exciting battles.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
It would create some place, you.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Know, being played out between the different classes, and it's
always been exciting to watch also on TV to see
what they're going to do. And I think it is
a skill set that should be valued and respected. A
person who is good at navigating traffic is also a
person who is going to be a more complete and
doance driver. So being good at that, I think makes
(35:53):
you a good endurance driver. And I think that's important
to know when to take the risk and when to
be aggressive.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
And it goes both ways, yes, right, Like it's a
GT car has to know how to be passed as well,
and like I would always throw a block on somebody
if I was going to lose too much time where
they wanted to pass me, because if they're not going
to lose any time by passing me in like let's say,
for example, last corner Rhodetlanta, very very difficult to do
(36:21):
flat in a GT car on old tires, and so
you're on the edge on the limit. You can't move
as dynamically as a GDP car as a prototype, but
the prototypes can basically put their car wherever they want to,
and they could do it underneath you into that corner
and you'd lose like two seconds or so, or you
could close the door on them, but then make sure
you know that you can open it up on the exit,
(36:44):
so you're like, here you go. I'm really sorry I've
blocked you in this corner, but you can have this
one and not lose any time as well. So I
think it's a different skill set whether you're driving the
GT car or the Prototype, but I think it's equally
important because if you get any damage, that's your race over.
So is it with the risk and so it's like
a constant, subconscious weighing up of all of those things,
(37:06):
and that you make a lot of mistakes on the
way to learning all of it.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Really honestly, that corner, specifically, when I was coming down
to the final corner in sixteen leading the championship, I
know I need to complete my minerum drive time, which
is around three hours, So I'm doing a triple stint
and I'm going down the hill. You know when you
go straight before you start turning. I see prototype, I'm
like perfect before I even have to turn. He's going
(37:32):
to be by me. Great, he takes my mirror, my
right side mirror. I had to drive almost my entire
triple stint without a right time mirror. And you know
how often the track turns to the right at vert Atlanta,
It's a lot of times. And under the start, I
had one of the competitors rear end me on lap one,
so he broke my camera.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
No, so you would flying bline for.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Almost three hours. I had a left side mirror and
that was it.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
So what you just you left mare and see whether
there was anything remotely coming anywhere near and then go
by feel yes.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
And that's the point where you know it's about being smart.
Don't panic, don't be an asshole, and don't start doing
stupid shit. We are about to win a championship. Essentially,
one choir could beat us, and that boy had to win,
and we had to score zero points. Now we ended
on the podium. So wait was that us? No, it
(38:26):
was been Keating and Keating won the race. So had
he scored several or zero points, he would have closed
the championship.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah. I love the drama. See this is the drama
that the.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Fans has were looking at all of this.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yes, and if they saw that and understood it, I
think that then they'd be invested a lot more. I
am in the process at the moment of learning my
competitors in NASCAR as well, because I don't know who
the crazies are. I know some of the super skilled
ones and super good ones, but I don't know how
they race. And I will give you an example. When
I did next, I thought of all the people. A
(39:02):
J being my friend, would like, yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Think it has to be the worst of anybody on
like lap three of driving this car and never driven
it before, and I'm like, Aj, what the fudge pickles
man Like, that's not cool?
Speaker 2 (39:18):
He was like, she's gonna learn the hard way here.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
We tough on me up or something. I don't know,
but yeah, you have to learn all the personalities as
well as learning the car and everything else. It's like
a new thing. It's like if we were going to
go and do racing something else.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I was about to say, it's kind of you haven't
an impressive racing CD. I don't know what I mean.
I know there are certain tracks like Bathurst that you
would like to do, but other than that, I mean,
you know what Supercuss Australia that one is missing on
your CD, just saying.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
It is, I want to do bathist Ava.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I think that would It's going to be so difficult
to manage with the time difference to call each other.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
I don't think I want to move to Australia now.
I think I've got past that stage I want to make.
I could go of NASCAR, I really do, and I
want to do some more IndyCar races, but like, I
really really really want to make it go of NASCAR.
And it's crazy because, as we were saying earlier, you
get to this stage where it's comfortable and it's complacent,
and I feel like I was a good sports car
(40:17):
driver and I knew what I was doing, and so
I didn't watch the old races that many times. I
didn't do homework or think about it. I could just
show up and literally do it with my eyes closed,
right because I knew what I was doing, and I
don't think any of that prep work would have made
me faster or made me better or anything else. I
did it like for my teammate at the end, because
(40:38):
they needed it. I would do notes and like help
them to do it. But I am so motivated at
the moment. It's like Catherine going into driving IndyCar for
the first time again fifteen twenty years ago, whatever it was.
And I'm like watching old races and I'm studying and
I'm looking at like the entry list, and I'm looking
at where are we going and what we're doing, and
(40:59):
I'm like super super keen and motivated to do it.
And I love it so much. It's given me this
new lease on life and new passion.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Let's talk about that.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
What is the next race Charlotte this weekend.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
And what are you looking forward to the most?
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Honestly, I feel like I'm kind of getting a little
bit more comfortable. I did a bunch of pit stops
in the last race because we had damage under yellow,
So I feel like I'm kind of getting into it
a little bit more now, and I feel like maybe
I can show a little bit more of what I'm
capable of. I want to have a good finish. It's
been I mean, we haven't had a good finish because
(41:37):
the first race in Phoenix I took myself out of
and the first to admit the mistakes that I made.
But then after that, like I've had a lot of
bad luck and been hit a bunch, and I think
that's also a factor of where you start. Yeah, if
you're starting in the back, then it's more likely to happen.
So I really want to get into my stride and
I just qualify much fun.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Yeah, So qualifying is like a top of trying to
do better at to have a better starting position, That's
what I'm hearing you.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Say it is, but then knowing how hard to push
at the starts as well and not fall backwards because
it's been like everybody's like, do all the laps, make
sure you do all the labs. So even at Texas,
we didn't have any practice because it rained out. We
didn't even have qualifying, so I've never seen the place.
So the first that when we take the Greatness, the
first alap I've driven there and everybody's like, you've got
to finish, so like I am super paranoid that I
(42:27):
can't take any risks that can't be around any other cars.
So then obviously we started at the back, so we're
just kind of like hanging out at the back just
because everybody wants me to learn and experience it and
good laps yeah, so I'm looking forward to actually going
out there and having a weekend. I hope for the
first time that we can go out and do all
(42:48):
the things, get practiced and then qualified decently, and then
have a good race and do all the things in
the right order that I know we're capable of. I
just want to finish that we're worthy of, I think.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
But what I'm also hearing you say, and I think
that's sometimes a method that I used to use to
take the pressure off myself, for example, being nervous for qualifying.
I would break it down what do I need to do, Like,
what are my goals for qualifying? What kind of attributes
do I want to have? Like what kind of driver
do I want to be doing qualifying? What I need
to be aware of? Like you're explaining your weekend to
(43:19):
me with partial goals. That's going to get you to
your final goal for the weekend.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
A little body bite today.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Yeah, yeah, step by step.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Before I let you go. I know that you haven't
really watched many NASCAR races, but I would.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Love to tell you about it.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, I know. I would love for you to come
out and come to a NASCAR race with me and
experience it with me so that you get to have
all the feelings of doing it firsthand. I'll call you.
I don't know whether I want to go to another race.
We should go like float around on the lake before
we get to another race track. Well I do that's yeah,
(43:57):
that sounds tempting.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Not going to be.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
If you fly in for one and then we go
straight back to the leg, then you've got the experience
of one day of doing it and then we can
go chill.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Perfect deal, we work out the details. Deal sold, Okay,
all right?
Speaker 1 (44:12):
Thank you Christina Aloon. You eat some tons of masses
and it will speak to you.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
See sounds good. Thank you for it.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and more overtakes. We want to
hear from you. Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts
and tell us what you want to talk about. It
might just be the topic for our next show. Throttle
Therapy is hosted by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is
Jesse Katz, and our supervising producer is Grace Fuse. Listen
(44:42):
to Throttle Therapy on America's number one podcast network, I
Heeart Open your free iHeart app and Search. Throttle Therapy
with Katherinelegg and start listening
Throttle Therapy with Catherine Legg is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts. Hey An, Welcome to this
(00:21):
week's episode of Throttle Therapy with Me, Catherine Legg. This
week has been a whirlwind. We are just getting done
wrapping up a two day media blitz in New York City,
which is a lot of fun going around all the
media outlets trying to tell everybody how awesome racing is
and how awesome Elf and Death Neuter and all the
(00:43):
cool sponsors are. And then I am heading home literally
to pick up my race gig because I didn't want
to leave my race gear in the car, and then
driving north to Charlotte because this weekend is a big
race in Charlotte. It is the Coke six hundred. We're
not doing the Coke six hundred race. We're doing the
Saturday race in the Xfinity car, and it's a race
that I'm really excited about. Because I spend a lot
(01:05):
of time on the SIM. I get to do more
SIM time when I get up to Charlotte and we
found a great deal of speed and a great deal
of comfort in the car, so I'm very much looking
forward to seeing whether that translates to on track and
really just building off the fact that we finished the
first race yay at Texas, so hopefully we can have
a decent qualifying spend the first in kind of learning again,
(01:28):
the first stage learning, and then go race with these guys.
I'm really pumped and really excited and really motivated. I've
been watching last year's race in the year before religiously,
and we have a lot to do in Charlotte. We
have a bunch of ELF peeps there. We're going to
do a massive ELF activation, So if you guys are
in the Charlotte area, you have to come down because
it's going to be amazing. They're giving away lots of
(01:51):
cool giddies. We're doing lots of fun things, lots of parties.
We're doing a photo shoot at the ten Tenths Motorclub,
which is a new race that they have built just
outside of Charlotte mode speedway, but super fancy and really fun.
It's built for events and gentlemen drivers and testing and
that kind of thing. And I had the pleasure of
(02:12):
driving on it at a charity event a month or
so ago, and so I'm looking forward to doing pictures there,
then more sometime and a bunch of media on the
run up to the Charlotte Race, which is a big race.
It's a big deal because it is the home track
for everybody in the NASCAR world that lives in the
Charlotte area Charlotte, Concord, Maoresville, et cetera, et cetera. So
(02:32):
looking forward to that. But another thing that I'm really
looking forward to is catching up with my bestie. Christina
Nielsen is joining us for that time on the month
again now and it's been a hot minute and I
miss her face. So it is a real pleasure to
be able to get to see her. Even though you
can't see her on the podcast, I can and I
want to welcome Christina to the park.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Thank you. Happy to be back.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
How are you doing, babe, I'm good.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Yeah? Well, thanks, it's been crazy, well when for me,
I know it has for you as well. You've been
lucky enough to just have a few days Vaca though.
How was that? Oh?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
I was lovely? Yeah, Well, I.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Am glad to have you back on the podcast, and
I'm glad to catch up. I know that since we
last spoke, you did one of your events in the
ice driving arena.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yes, at time, Yeah, we completed ice driving.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
I also went recently to Hockenheim with a private group
that wanted to go a lot of the guys had
their first time on track, so that was pretty cool
that I got to share that experience with them.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And yeah, I mean I.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Always enjoy seeing people, you know, get more confident behind
the wheel and developing themselves and developing their driving skills.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
So yeah, overall a great experience.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Ice driving, I think is something very unique and it
is fun to go sideways all day long.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
I want to try that. We have to organize one
in the winter that I get to come on because
I really want to try it. I think it makes
you a better driver, honestly, because you so much car control.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I did have one person that's racing in some of
the national championships and denwork that wanted to go and
do it to develop your car control. The cool thing
is also that you get to do it in both
way will driven cars primarily forces and four wheel driven cars,
so you get to experience what the different cars feel
like in practice adapting because I mean even just a
(04:22):
training session or a practice session doing a race weekend,
the track is going to be different in the morning
and in the afternoon, so it's a good way to
learn to be quick to adapt and fill the car
with low risk because there's nothing to hit other than snow.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
Yeah, a little bit of snowbank. Yeah. I know. It's
very differently getting a front wheel drive cars sideways to
a full well drive cars sideways and real will drive
and sometimes like you and I primarily did real wiel drive,
I would say we've done a bit of everything, but
I think our instinct is real will drive, So like
if we're driving a front will drive and we'll like
get on the power to save the slide. It's a
(04:58):
little bit alien.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
It's very different, that's so sure.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
I mean we see the TCR car is one of
the classes that was racing as a support class to
the MS WeatherTech Championship. I mean the car is definitely
handled differently, but I think the racing was great to
watch always, you know, fun to watch them because they
can get so close and have really close racing. And yeah,
I mean in general with that and GT Racing that's
(05:21):
one of the best things about it.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Actually, segue is really nicely into what we wanted to
talk about today. Well done. I don't know how you
did that, but I see you.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
You see what I did there, And.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
We're going to talk about different types of racing. We're
going to talk about multi class racing and different race
cars race series. Except but before we jump into that,
you said something really interesting that I want to touch
on really quickly, and that is seeing these guys have
their first experience in a race car, and I just
want to ask you. So I see people of all
(05:57):
different walks of life either think that they're going to
be really good and just as good as us in
a race car, or they're terrified of it and they
think they'll be terrible. And most of the time, it's
somewhere in the middle when you first get out of
driving a race car for the first time, and I
haven't seen it in a while, So this one I'm
deferring to you. Like they have sweaty hands and their
(06:18):
eyes are out on storks, and I don't think they
quite realize what it takes. Do you like enjoy that
aspect of it?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
I tell people remember to breathe because a lot of
them hold their breast when they're driving the first time,
and it's so funny to see and they come and
tell me I forgot to breathe, and I'm like, I know,
that's kind of important.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
We need to do that while we're driving.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
You know, the group I have is great, and the
thing that makes my job easy when I have a
group is a group that listens and has respect because
you are still driving at high speeds at a racetrack.
While it is much safer than on the road, it
is still something that is a risky business essentially, so
(06:57):
the stakes are high. And a group that since understands
what steps they need to take in order to progress
in order to be faster are normally also the group
where you see the biggest development because they're actually paying
attention to what we're saying because we do kind of
know what we're doing here.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Do they respect your authority?
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Do you think this group was great? Honestly, yes, sure,
I experienced sometimes they don't. But the last two groups
that I had for Hockenheim and ice driving were both
amazing groups. And the main thing that I am always
afraid of running into is people with a lot of
courage and very little skill set.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
Yeah, dangerous combination.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
That is the most dangerous kind of driver.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Yeah, it can make a good race car driver because
if you have the balls to go or you know,
the boobs, whatever you want to say and go, you know,
flat out in the corner that you're supposed to go
flat out, and then you have the courage to do it.
But you also have the skill set and the finesse
to manage and drive a car through a corner like that.
So I think it is always a balance that you
(08:01):
need to have, even as a race co driver.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Yeah, it always amazes me. Like I'll be in the
gym and I'll say to my cohorts, my peers, we
should set up a go cut day or go over
to you Atlantam to Speedway and we will go go cutting.
The amount of them that think that they would.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Beat me, I know, I've rolled my eyes.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Then that makes me want to do it even more, honestly,
Oh you should. We should actually probably set up a
day when you are over here and I won't tell
them who you are, and I'll be like, I'm betting
on my friend to beat you.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
They all like big muscle, you guys.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Yeah, one thing people also need to understand. And I'm
not saying this is a possible excuse that people can use,
but these guys, they weigh twice as much as you
do alone and wait, like, I mean, you can beat
them with closed eyes because you know, you're a cat
and leg. But at the same time, they don't understand
everything that goes into this, what actually makes it, what
(08:59):
gives you a compare, it's an advantage, what it takes.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
What are the external factors that we can't control.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Yeah, the science and the physics.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Yeah, I think it's just being oblivious. And you know,
I think we've got to treat it as lack of knowledge.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
So teach them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Yeah, I don't know that, because it would be like
somebody in the gym saying that they're a pro tennis
player and me saying, oh, yeah, I can come and
beat your game tennis.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
Fine, No, I'm not to be nice here. That's what
it takes, lack of knowledge.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
But I think this is how we make some money. Right.
What I'm going to do is I'm going to start
a book, probably highly illegal and probably shouldn't be saying
it on this podcast, but we're going to do a
bet and I'm going to say, my friend Christine is
coming over to visit me, and if any of you
want to challenge her to a race and they won't
know who you are there and make some money, make
some beer money.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
You know.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I actually was a part of a TV show Wants,
a Danish TV show where you can do live betting.
They always had a trick of their sleep that they
never told you about whenever you agree to do something
with them. So I was asked, Hey, do you want
to come to this cutting track. Your challenge is you
have to pass twenty five other drivers you start lost,
(10:10):
and I'm like, okay, yeah, normally it's like ten minutes,
fifteen minutes the length of a race.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
They gave me. I can't remember two or three laps.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Did you do it?
Speaker 2 (10:21):
You know what the irony is?
Speaker 3 (10:22):
I was missing two or three people in the end
on the first take, and then they wanted to do
it like a second and a third time for more footage.
And I did it on attempt number three, but that
one didn't count because it was the first one.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
But it's the fact that you know, I say yes
to doing it.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I'm like, yeah, I can do this, but then they
don't tell me that I have to do it within
it was two a three lap that.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
I had to pass twenty five people.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Yeah, I'm going to give you. I'm going to give
you six laps to pause.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Everybody, Okay, that's that should be fine. But yeah, it's
a little bit of a twist always with them. But
I mean it was still cool to do. It was
fun to do when I think, yeah, but mind is,
I'm telling you you should do it, make some money,
have a good time.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
I mean, it would be fun, but actually go karting.
I need to do more of it anyway, because a
it's really good to keep your eye, and it's really
good for like racecraft, and it's physically really demanding, and
so it's good training too. And I know you actually
do quite a bit of it. You do a lot
more than I do.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Oh was it recently?
Speaker 3 (11:22):
I just once I was blue everywhere, Bruce is everywhere
and my body was hurting so much. So it is
a great way to exercise, and it was the real
go Courson, not the rental ones, and so much fun.
So I think even for us, it's kind of going
back to basics and yeah, we should just spend a
day going to the karting track.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
Yeah, it'd be fun wear ourselves out instead of going
to the gym one day.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
I think that sounds like a great alternative.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Actually, that's the second really great segue into what we're
talking about today. And I go off on a tangent,
as I always do, but go cut racing is a
good start to racing in general. Like if you want
to be a pro race cart driver, most of today's
pro race car drivers start off in go karting, and
it's the same the world over. I think Europe has
(12:05):
a good reputation for being the most competitive go kart
racing in the world, or it did at least when
I was coming up through, and I know Denmark's the
same a lot of comparatively speaking, if you look at
a general population like England or Denmark, there's a lot
of pro race car drivers that come out of those nations,
and I think that's because racing is important in those
countries and it is very competitive, so it makes really
(12:27):
good go kart drivers. You started doing karting as well, didn't.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
You, Yes, I did.
Speaker 3 (12:32):
I also recall that somebody has a great children's spot
that talks about somebody.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, thanks, I think you should talk a little bit
about that.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I love you, thank you. Yeah, it's my children's book.
Is We did an episode on it. Actually, it's called
Cat's Magic Helmet, and it is about my start in racing,
which was indeed go kart racing. And I did that
with my dad from age nine for like ten years,
and we traveled around them to doing that. And my
goal coming out of that was I wanted to be
(13:04):
a Formula one driver. I didn't know whether I could
be a race card driver or not. I just kind
of kept trying, right, but my ultimate goal was Formula one.
And when then I kind of diverted because the opportunity
came in America, so then it was Indy car. It
was always open wheel for me. But I know that
you can go in all these different directions outside of karting.
So you start in karting and you might want to
(13:26):
be a stock card driver, as car driver, you might
want to be a sports card driver. You might want
to be GT's, you might want to be prototypes, you
might want to be open wheel. Like you kind of
set your goals then, and your frame of reference was
your dad, I think, was it not yeah, and your
dad raced cars GT cars and he did. I mean
(13:49):
he's got a good name in Denmark too. He mean
he's done Lamore and.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
Stuff, right, Yeah, he did THEMNG five times or some
of the podium as well.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
So yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean it's nice.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
I think we both feel the same way that it's
it's kind of special that we get to share this
with our dads and we have that passion and you know,
sometimes we want to rip their head off because they
know better. Sometimes they do, but it's still a pretty
amazing thing that we get to share with our dads.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
I would say, yeah, I think my dad did a
good job of learning the curting dad bit early, you know,
because it was very abrasive in my formative years that
he wanted to give me help and advice because he
wanted it for me as well. It comes from a
place of love and wanting the best. But you see
it in so many young kids transitioning up through the
(14:44):
racing ranks where they have carting dad syndrome. And I
think both of our dads are kind of having to
have gone through a learning process of how much to
back off but still support and leave us to be
in control of our own destiny. But it's hard because
I know I'm a control freak. I did it as
(15:04):
your teammate, I did. I was telling you, I.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Mean, I get it.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I think that's again one of the interesting differences, which
I think you can speak more to, is the difference
of mentality when you are a single driver on a
car and then when you're doing multi class racing and
doing endurance racing where you're sharing the car with somebody else,
because it means, for example, setup wise, you might want
two different things. When you're driving along, you don't have
(15:33):
to consider another person. You just have to consider what
you want. So I think there's quite a few different
aspects that I used to talk about whenever I did
speaking engagement and maybe talked about the differences. I think
sprit racing. Single driver racing really develops you nicely, but
there's a whole extra set of rules and things that
(15:57):
you need to learn in order to be and doant driver.
So maybe you want touch a little bit about what
you're for the biggest differences was when you moved from
being a single driver into multi driver category.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Yeah, I had a lot more years of training. Selfishly,
I would say because it was always just about me,
like you're the only driver in the car, and so
there is no compromise, there's no consideration of anybody else's
comfort or feelings. Right. I did the open wheel route
and I spent ten years doing that before I transitioned
(16:35):
over to doing sports car racing, and then my transition
was from IndyCar to prototypes. It's a very similar style
of driving with the downforce, but it's also a very
different thing to learn. And it took me a hot
minute because you have to learn that you have other
slower cars on track, and it was at slower cars
and I remember thinking, God, is such a pain in
(16:56):
the ass, like get out the way, God, Like why
aren't they moving where doing this way? And then having
been on the other end of it, I realized that
I was an asshole. I think having done all of
them is actually really good experience for the psyche of it,
But no, I did all of my training really is
the only driver in the car, and then learning to
(17:19):
compromise as the driver coming in like as the newbie
and having to defer to somebody else who's trying to
teach me how to do multi class racing, and having
to learn that I can't be one hundred percent comfortable
and that I have to compromise on setup, and that
I have to not get new tires all the time,
(17:40):
and I have to not get like I want to finish,
I want to start, I want to get the new ties,
and so it is definitely a learning process. And then
for me it was a whole other learning process to
transition from prototypes to GT cars. And Andy Lallely actually
was thank god he and Oznegri and Jeff Siegel, like,
we had such a great team. When I first made
(18:03):
my transition into GT Cars with Maya.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Shank, that was when we started competing against each other.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
We did yeah exactly, But I had no experience in
a GT car and so that was all very new
to me, and so learning ABS and power steering and
all the things. I was just really fortunate. I could
have sunk or swim, and I almost almost sunk. They
saved my job. I don't know, I think I've told
you this story. But we were testing the NSX. It
(18:28):
had come fresh off the boat from Japan, and we
were developing it and we were testing it. We were
a brand new team and I went out and I
spun coming out of turn five and I hit the wall,
and you know, I was new to the team. I
was new to HPD in that role, and I thought,
oh gosh, this does not look good. And I hadn't
learned GT cars yet either. I go out and I
(18:50):
do the exact same thing again, and I'm like, it's
not me. How can this be me? It's not me?
And honestly, I think at that point Mike and Lee
Niffninger from HPD wanted to fire me, and actually my
teammates rallied to my side and said, no, don't like.
This isn't fair, it's not cool. Give her a chance.
And thank goodness they did, because I think I became
(19:11):
a pretty good GT card driver in the end. I
don't know, but absolutely thanks. But you started off in
GT's right.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
I did a little bit of Formula and then pretty
quickly moved to GT.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
What did you want to be when you grow up?
When you started, I'm.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
Not sure I want to drive cars. I just thought
it was so much fun for a long time, and
I didn't.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Want to do Formula one and following like the footsteps
of other certain famous Danish people.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
I well, okay, so speaking of famous Danish people. I
would say Tom Christensen was a person that was a
very big character within not the sports and within Danish racing.
And he was a lo long driver, so I had
a long Danish drivers have the aspiration of getting to
Lamont and that can be done the now Ellen dh
(20:01):
or gg Cours where Ellen p cars back in the day,
So yeah, GT Cors just because that was also where
my dad used to race and his career, so that
was where his contacts were and that was essentially where
I just ended up and then I met some of
the people. It was I mean, it's kind of sad,
(20:22):
but you know, beautiful outcome because I ended up in America,
where I absolutely loved racing. I had a teammate back
in thirteen. It was my first year sharing the car
with the co driver Alan Simmonson, and he passed away
at Lamont and then Sean Edwards was the first person
to replace him and he couldn't do all the races,
so Kuba Gamasiak joined me for some of them, and
I was actually in America for my first petit Lamont,
(20:45):
and Sewan Edwards passed away during some coaching in Australia,
but it was him and Cuba who introduced me to
the team in America and where I started my American
journey essentially.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
Where you won championships were a complete edge.
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yeah, it was a good round. It definitely was.
Speaker 3 (21:04):
I mean the following year I did Sprint Cup, so
I did a support clause to the weather Tech Championship,
and after that I moved up to the MS of
weather Tech Championship, joined TRG with Austin Martin. Finished second race,
got canceled with a thunderstorm halfway through or two firsts
in We lost by one point to the Ferrari team,
(21:26):
and then I ended up joining that Ferrari team and
we continued to yeah, win the championship in sixteen and
seventeen together with Alessandro Basan and ironically with Jeff Siegel
as our first driver, who was also your teammates, so
we've shared some teammates as well. Overall, just great people.
I still to this day think that some of the
best teams I raced for. It was Scudar Air Corsa
(21:48):
together with Alessandra as my full season code driver, and
then my season with you with mya Shank.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
I think there was an amazing group of.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
People and even though we didn't have the results together
that I had with Alas Andrew and the Ferrari team,
and that means the Ferrari team has a special place
in my heart. But that group that you and I
got to work with was absolutely amazing and I rate
them turn out of ten and that's why that was.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
A part of making that You are very special.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
For me, and we became friends, which.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Is very Yes, after the season finished.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Yeah, I mean I have my hands for that season less. Honestly,
we won't go we won't go into it, but it
was it was a lot. Do you think that it's
(22:43):
the car that you enjoy driving? Like? Do you think
because you've also raced a GT four car, so you've
done open wheel GT cars pretty much most of the
gambit and so have I in your opinion and I'll
give mine after Do you think that it's the car
that you enjoy driving or is it the team and
whether it's a good team and a fast car, Like
(23:06):
would you be really happy driving a GT four car
with the best team out there? Or would you be
happy driving a GT three car with like a mediocre team?
Like what makes it for you the car or the team?
Speaker 2 (23:16):
I mean one.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
We like results, so I'd rather be with a little
bit of a slower car, but be with the top
performing team who I have a good time. Whether you're
spending so much time on the road, you want to
have results. But the last thing that I will add
to your equation would be the tracks. I think America
has some of the best tracks in the world, and
I enjoyed racing so many of them, and that for
(23:39):
me was a part of my I love racing in America.
I know you have one more category that you can
add to it. I mean, you've raised a lot more
different types of cars. I think I've raised quite a
few different tracks and different continents. I think that's one
of the beautiful things about GT racing is it's worldwide,
so you can go to so many places in the
world and race that.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
But you've raced Bad, which is the one that elludes
me and that I really want to do. It's on
my bucket list. I want to race bad first. At
some point, it looks so awesome. Is it as awesome
as it looks on TV?
Speaker 3 (24:08):
It is scary to begin with. It is overwhelming. I
had a cool suit that stopped working and the water
just got hot and horder. So in the end, like
I had to, I had to get out because it
was just like boiling my body so warm.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Yeah, that happens quite a lot in NASCAR, apparently because
they all wear cool suits and I didn't. I did
in Texas and it didn't work. Luckily, it wasn't hot
enough that it boiled me. But they have this, They
actually have to cut in a pit stuck. They cut
the tube to let the water out so the water
doesn't sit there getting colder and hotter and boil that
on me.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Yeah, that's brutal. I don't think people understand how. I mean,
you get busy and you feel sick, and it's just
it's awful.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
Yeah, And I mean that's also a thing about America.
We raised some of the hardest races of the year
over there, Lime Rock. I still remember that thing you did.
I was like, how is she the diving out there?
It is so hot?
Speaker 2 (25:02):
Insane?
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, I think I'm well equipped. I don't know anymore.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
You're stubborn.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Not the first time I've heard that today, even.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
All right, so what do you think are the biggest
differences as a driver, What have you had a new
learning curves with the new types of racing you've stepped.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Into, oh, making the transition to NASCAR driving a stock car. Yeah,
so I think everything I've driven is really different procedurally, right,
And you look at IndyCar and open more cars, you
look at stock cars and NASCAR, you look at sports
cars and even the difference between a GT car and
a prototype, and you look at sprint races versus ensurance
(25:46):
racing and all the things, like one of the biggest
difference outside of how the car handles, because I do
believe that you can adapt. It takes some time, but
you can program your brain and adapt to how the
car drives because it's just about how much grip you
have at the end of the day. Whether that grip
comes from the tire or from mechanical grip or from
aerodynamic grip, or however it gets there, the car will
(26:09):
go as fast. And in NASCAR, for example, the thing
that I'm struggling with, especially in the SIM is overcharging
the corner because I think I have more grip than
I have and then being patient and waiting on the
power because these things are heavy and they take a
set and I'm like rushing getting back to power because
I'm so used to being on mom pedal or the other.
(26:29):
But I think the biggest thing for me is actually procedurally,
Like the biggest thing is learning what happens under yellow?
When do you stop? How do you stop? What do
you do in this situation? Like when do you go
out and qualify? When do you have to be in
the car? What are this day doing taping it up?
And all the things outside of the car. When you're
in the car, you drive that car as fast as
it will go. Right fundamentally, and I'm making it really basic,
(26:52):
but I think it's a really fun car to drive,
and I love it. I love the challenge, I love
learning it, and I'm definitely learning oval racing in a
NASCAR as opposed to an INDYE car, it's very different.
But when we're sports car racing, you and I now
could do it with our eyes closed, where we know
(27:13):
how to stop. We're not thinking about taking out of gear.
We're not thinking about pulling up to the thing. We're
not thinking about what we do in a pit store.
We're not thinking about driver change, We're not thinking about
what happens on the yellow and when we get the
past around and we're not thinking like all of that stuff.
We're going about our own merry way, and you'd be
the same. And all of that stuff is new to me,
and so I don't want to make a mistake and
mess it up and having a spotter.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
In your Yeah, and you're spending more energy because there
are these things that you're not used to, So it
takes more energy and more focus or more concentration. I
guess to just have that become sacred nature for me.
That also falls another category of if you started being
a sprint driver, right, you might have to manage your
(27:56):
retires for thirty minutes during a sprint race, or you
don't have to.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You know, you get the fuel in the car that
you need for that race, and you.
Speaker 3 (28:04):
Know the start is important, so you know how to
be somewhat aggressive because you're going to have to make
it through the start, but also try and use any
opportunity that might be presented to you in the beginning.
While when you're raising sports car racing with endurance racing,
then you know there's fuel consumption.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Do you have to.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Manage your fuel? Do you have to manage your tires
because you're doing a full close to an hour, like
that's what the tank normally allows you to do. It's
about managing traffic. It's about understanding that are you going
to produce the fastest lap the car has or is
it more important to give up three tens a lap
(28:42):
in order to maintain the car so it can last
for twenty four hours.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
So you're going to put your ego aside.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
So that's but that requires everybody to do it.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
So there's just there's.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
Another layer of elements that an endurance driverary need to
take into consideration. And I think whether what you're describing
one last car, those elements even come into play, even
though that's a single driver category.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, they do. I definitely struggled with the whole putting
my ego aside thing because I wanted to be the
fastest driver in the car when I went over to
insurance racing and I wanted to have the fastest average
lab and all the things. So yes, that was definitely
a struggle for me. The transition to NASCAR now, the
struggle is when the tire pressures are low and they're
(29:26):
new at the beginning, you can push so much harder
and then they go off and like learning how they
go off and how much to push dependent track dependent,
because I'm also learning new tracks, but the one lap
qualifying thing for me is totally new. So you go
out and you take the green and that is your
lap time, and like having to be precise and perfect
(29:46):
and know how much harder you can push than you
just did in practice, if you even get any practice,
is completely bonkers because I went through the last gosh
how many five six years not even qualifying like that
was a youth thing. So and when I did, it
was like five or six laps that you get to
go up to speed and really kind of dial your
head in, like having to dial your head into doing
(30:07):
the one lap qualifying I haven't done since I did
go cutting, which was alone farming right now, How did
you feel about qualifying as opposed to racing.
Speaker 3 (30:16):
I think I improved in qualifying during our time together.
I would never say that qualifying was my strong suit.
I would say driving, being consistent, making smart choices on
track is what was a part of my role with
Alessandra when we won the championship. But yeah, I would
(30:38):
say I definitely improved with you guys in qualifying. But
I was also lucky because when I do on the team.
You had been there for two years, three years. Yeah, yeah,
so you were quite familiar with the car, and I
like your setup with the car, like I like the
changes that you were making. So I had the pleasure
(30:58):
of focusing on driving trying to optimize what I needed
to optimize myself, and didn't have to focus that much
on setup because I just like the changes that you made.
Even though I had a very proud moment when because
you know, Theguna Sega is one of the tracks where
there's the biggest drop.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
They've repaved it now, so I don't know if that's yes.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
But with you and I were racing there together, then
you know, this was yeah, in nineteen and.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
I kind of had to do that myself.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
It was later in the season because they want to
say it was in September, and so it was important
that I was feeling what I needed because the car
was very different when you put new tires on because
it wears so much on them doing that or on
that track. And you just told me, yeah, you go
out and do it. You know what you want, like,
just go and do it. You got this, And I
was like, oh my god, it's like I'm being sent
(31:50):
off to university and you know, saying goodbye to me here.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Like, okay, I graduated, I'm going to do myself now.
That was like a moment that I remember that I
really liked.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
I didn't even register to me. I don't think. I
think it just like your stripes.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Yeah yeah, And I think it's just sometimes there are
small things like that that would you remember.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
So when you came out of doing single class print
racing and you had to learn, like I came out
of IndyCar and I had to learn multi car racing.
I came at it from the prototype side, and we
already know that I was an asshole because I used
to think GT cars should just move out the way
and then the other way.
Speaker 2 (32:43):
We're just like entertainment between you guys were doing.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
And then when I was in the GT car, I'm like,
what are these proto type drives doing? Then? I know, right,
So I got to see it from both points of view.
But when you went into the GT car and you
had all these faster cars on track, what was your
opinion of having to watch your mirrit all the time?
Speaker 2 (33:06):
I was okay with it.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
That never stressed me out, to be honest, and I
think if you had a good spotter, that was crucial
during the night at Daytona because you have the flashing
lights and perhaps instead of a real mirror, we often
have cameras, but those cameras can't differentiate and it can
be hard to see if there's one, two or three
cars perhaps coming at you. So a good spotter definitely
made the difference. The traffic was never really what I
(33:30):
found stressful. It was specific drivers, and there were a
few where it's like, oh boy, here comes that person.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
It is true, right, we knew everybody's driving personality. We
need people's personalities as well, but like the driving personality,
like who we had to worry about on track, who
we liked, who would racist family?
Speaker 3 (33:48):
If we're going to be honest, Montoya, he.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Just comes straight on there.
Speaker 2 (33:53):
Yeah. He was so aggressive in traffic.
Speaker 3 (33:56):
I remember one time a walking splend and we're coming
down to the final two corners and.
Speaker 1 (34:03):
Which are really fast by the way, for those of you.
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Super fast, and I leave the door open. I have
a guardrail a wall next to me. I am on
the curve with my car up against that. I cannot
move anymore, and he still squeezes me so tight I
think I could barely fit a pinky in between my crimes.
And it's practice. Why it's this necessary, I never understood that.
But I think it makes good racing, and I think
(34:28):
it's a It's a part of what makes a championship
great to watch as a viewer.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
Do you think it makes good racing though, because part
of me thinks that there are too many classes now,
and like if you take imps, for example, you've got
four different classes. You've got two GT classes, and you
got two broad stuff classes. Like if you are a
casual fan and you're not into racing, so you don't
know the difference between GTLM or GTD and GTD P now,
(34:55):
I don't know what even call it anywhere for two
minutes the pro class in the AM class. Do you
think that they know the difference, like the casual fan
that just kind of shows up at Wakin's then or
Road Atlanta or wherever is or do you think they
just like watching cars go around? Or do you think
it would be much simpler if there was just a
(35:15):
prototype class and a GT class and they can follow
it a lot easier.
Speaker 3 (35:19):
I think two classes like L and Date's Prototype and
then a GT class. I think that would be more
than enough, and I think that would create some exciting battles.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
It would create some place, you.
Speaker 3 (35:32):
Know, being played out between the different classes, and it's
always been exciting to watch also on TV to see
what they're going to do. And I think it is
a skill set that should be valued and respected. A
person who is good at navigating traffic is also a
person who is going to be a more complete and
doance driver. So being good at that, I think makes
(35:53):
you a good endurance driver. And I think that's important
to know when to take the risk and when to
be aggressive.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
And it goes both ways, yes, right, Like it's a
GT car has to know how to be passed as well,
and like I would always throw a block on somebody
if I was going to lose too much time where
they wanted to pass me, because if they're not going
to lose any time by passing me in like let's say,
for example, last corner Rhodetlanta, very very difficult to do
(36:21):
flat in a GT car on old tires, and so
you're on the edge on the limit. You can't move
as dynamically as a GDP car as a prototype, but
the prototypes can basically put their car wherever they want to,
and they could do it underneath you into that corner
and you'd lose like two seconds or so, or you
could close the door on them, but then make sure
you know that you can open it up on the exit,
(36:44):
so you're like, here you go. I'm really sorry I've
blocked you in this corner, but you can have this
one and not lose any time as well. So I
think it's a different skill set whether you're driving the
GT car or the Prototype, but I think it's equally
important because if you get any damage, that's your race over.
So is it with the risk and so it's like
a constant, subconscious weighing up of all of those things,
(37:06):
and that you make a lot of mistakes on the
way to learning all of it.
Speaker 3 (37:10):
Really honestly, that corner, specifically, when I was coming down
to the final corner in sixteen leading the championship, I
know I need to complete my minerum drive time, which
is around three hours, So I'm doing a triple stint
and I'm going down the hill. You know when you
go straight before you start turning. I see prototype, I'm
like perfect before I even have to turn. He's going
(37:32):
to be by me. Great, he takes my mirror, my
right side mirror. I had to drive almost my entire
triple stint without a right time mirror. And you know
how often the track turns to the right at vert Atlanta,
It's a lot of times. And under the start, I
had one of the competitors rear end me on lap one,
so he broke my camera.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
No, so you would flying bline for.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Almost three hours. I had a left side mirror and
that was it.
Speaker 1 (37:59):
So what you just you left mare and see whether
there was anything remotely coming anywhere near and then go
by feel yes.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
And that's the point where you know it's about being smart.
Don't panic, don't be an asshole, and don't start doing
stupid shit. We are about to win a championship. Essentially,
one choir could beat us, and that boy had to win,
and we had to score zero points. Now we ended
on the podium. So wait was that us? No, it
(38:26):
was been Keating and Keating won the race. So had
he scored several or zero points, he would have closed
the championship.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
Yeah. I love the drama. See this is the drama
that the.
Speaker 2 (38:38):
Fans has were looking at all of this.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yes, and if they saw that and understood it, I
think that then they'd be invested a lot more. I
am in the process at the moment of learning my
competitors in NASCAR as well, because I don't know who
the crazies are. I know some of the super skilled
ones and super good ones, but I don't know how
they race. And I will give you an example. When
I did next, I thought of all the people. A
(39:02):
J being my friend, would like, yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (39:07):
Think it has to be the worst of anybody on
like lap three of driving this car and never driven
it before, and I'm like, Aj, what the fudge pickles
man Like, that's not cool?
Speaker 2 (39:18):
He was like, she's gonna learn the hard way here.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
We tough on me up or something. I don't know,
but yeah, you have to learn all the personalities as
well as learning the car and everything else. It's like
a new thing. It's like if we were going to
go and do racing something else.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:32):
I was about to say, it's kind of you haven't
an impressive racing CD. I don't know what I mean.
I know there are certain tracks like Bathurst that you
would like to do, but other than that, I mean,
you know what Supercuss Australia that one is missing on
your CD, just saying.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
It is, I want to do bathist Ava.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
I think that would It's going to be so difficult
to manage with the time difference to call each other.
Speaker 1 (39:56):
I don't think I want to move to Australia now.
I think I've got past that stage I want to make.
I could go of NASCAR, I really do, and I
want to do some more IndyCar races, but like, I
really really really want to make it go of NASCAR.
And it's crazy because, as we were saying earlier, you
get to this stage where it's comfortable and it's complacent,
and I feel like I was a good sports car
(40:17):
driver and I knew what I was doing, and so
I didn't watch the old races that many times. I
didn't do homework or think about it. I could just
show up and literally do it with my eyes closed,
right because I knew what I was doing, and I
don't think any of that prep work would have made
me faster or made me better or anything else. I
did it like for my teammate at the end, because
(40:38):
they needed it. I would do notes and like help
them to do it. But I am so motivated at
the moment. It's like Catherine going into driving IndyCar for
the first time again fifteen twenty years ago, whatever it was.
And I'm like watching old races and I'm studying and
I'm looking at like the entry list, and I'm looking
at where are we going and what we're doing, and
(40:59):
I'm like super super keen and motivated to do it.
And I love it so much. It's given me this
new lease on life and new passion.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Let's talk about that.
Speaker 1 (41:08):
What is the next race Charlotte this weekend.
Speaker 2 (41:12):
And what are you looking forward to the most?
Speaker 1 (41:14):
Honestly, I feel like I'm kind of getting a little
bit more comfortable. I did a bunch of pit stops
in the last race because we had damage under yellow,
So I feel like I'm kind of getting into it
a little bit more now, and I feel like maybe
I can show a little bit more of what I'm
capable of. I want to have a good finish. It's
been I mean, we haven't had a good finish because
(41:37):
the first race in Phoenix I took myself out of
and the first to admit the mistakes that I made.
But then after that, like I've had a lot of
bad luck and been hit a bunch, and I think
that's also a factor of where you start. Yeah, if
you're starting in the back, then it's more likely to happen.
So I really want to get into my stride and
I just qualify much fun.
Speaker 3 (41:58):
Yeah, So qualifying is like a top of trying to
do better at to have a better starting position, That's
what I'm hearing you.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Say it is, but then knowing how hard to push
at the starts as well and not fall backwards because
it's been like everybody's like, do all the laps, make
sure you do all the labs. So even at Texas,
we didn't have any practice because it rained out. We
didn't even have qualifying, so I've never seen the place.
So the first that when we take the Greatness, the
first alap I've driven there and everybody's like, you've got
to finish, so like I am super paranoid that I
(42:27):
can't take any risks that can't be around any other cars.
So then obviously we started at the back, so we're
just kind of like hanging out at the back just
because everybody wants me to learn and experience it and
good laps yeah, so I'm looking forward to actually going
out there and having a weekend. I hope for the
first time that we can go out and do all
(42:48):
the things, get practiced and then qualified decently, and then
have a good race and do all the things in
the right order that I know we're capable of. I
just want to finish that we're worthy of, I think.
Speaker 3 (42:58):
But what I'm also hearing you say, and I think
that's sometimes a method that I used to use to
take the pressure off myself, for example, being nervous for qualifying.
I would break it down what do I need to do, Like,
what are my goals for qualifying? What kind of attributes
do I want to have? Like what kind of driver
do I want to be doing qualifying? What I need
to be aware of? Like you're explaining your weekend to
(43:19):
me with partial goals. That's going to get you to
your final goal for the weekend.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
A little body bite today.
Speaker 2 (43:26):
Yeah, yeah, step by step.
Speaker 1 (43:29):
Before I let you go. I know that you haven't
really watched many NASCAR races, but I would.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
Love to tell you about it.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Yeah, I know. I would love for you to come
out and come to a NASCAR race with me and
experience it with me so that you get to have
all the feelings of doing it firsthand. I'll call you.
I don't know whether I want to go to another race.
We should go like float around on the lake before
we get to another race track. Well I do that's yeah,
(43:57):
that sounds tempting.
Speaker 2 (43:58):
Not going to be.
Speaker 1 (44:00):
If you fly in for one and then we go
straight back to the leg, then you've got the experience
of one day of doing it and then we can
go chill.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Perfect deal, we work out the details. Deal sold, Okay,
all right?
Speaker 1 (44:12):
Thank you Christina Aloon. You eat some tons of masses
and it will speak to you.
Speaker 2 (44:15):
See sounds good. Thank you for it.
Speaker 1 (44:20):
Thanks for listening to Throttle Therapy. We'll be back next
week with more updates and more overtakes. We want to
hear from you. Leave us a review in Apple Podcasts
and tell us what you want to talk about. It
might just be the topic for our next show. Throttle
Therapy is hosted by Katherine Legg. Our executive producer is
Jesse Katz, and our supervising producer is Grace Fuse. Listen
(44:42):
to Throttle Therapy on America's number one podcast network, I
Heeart Open your free iHeart app and Search. Throttle Therapy
with Katherinelegg and start listening
Host
Katherine Legge
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