190 - Brian Ghidinelli: Making a Racing Comeback

190 - Brian Ghidinelli: Making a Racing Comeback

Author: Ross Bentley: Performance & Race Driver Coach April 22, 2021 Duration: 45:01

On this week's episode of Speed Secrets Podcast, Brian Ghidinelli, founder of Motorsportsreg.com, joins me to talk about how to make a comeback in racing, focusing on the basics – vision, braking, steering, throttle – first, then racecraft and the track, the importance of focusing on one's own performance and not the lap times or competition, and how competitive nature can interfere with having fun! Brian also shares his personal experience with preparing to compete in the SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October 2021, and how Hagerty purchasing MotorsportReg.com has impacted Brian's life. We also get into how the pandemic has impacted the motorsports.

Brian's Speed Secret: You see in your own performance what you want to see or what you can see - you have to get someone else without your filters to help find the details.

Check out Brian below!
Hagerty.com
MotorsportReg.com
@ghidinelli

When eight-year old Brian was told he would never curl his tongue because it was hereditary, he practiced in front of the mirror for days until he learned. He has stubbornly ignored conventional wisdom since.

Brian was the founder of MotorsportReg.com, a CRM, commerce platform, and marketplace that makes it more fun to organize and attend motorsport events. He is currently the Managing Director of Hagerty Motorsports since Hagerty acquired his company in 2019. Behind the screen, he leads a team helping more than 1,300 clubs, racetracks and sanctioning bodies organize, promote and manage 7,000 events annually. Behind the wheel, he is a national racer, championship winner and two-times winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race.

Previously, Brian co-founded San Francisco design and technology firm VFIVE. Award-winning web work for Macromedia, Yahoo and Billabong led to an acquisition by global agency IconMedialab. He also once played the role of journalist, flying in a Soviet-era helicopter to cover the TransSyberia Rally from Moscow, Russia to Ulaanbataar, Mongolia for SPEEDTV.com.

Brian lives near Sonoma Raceway in San Rafael, California with his wife, dog, racecar, motorcycle and shifter kart. He is a dual American-Italian citizen thanks to his Nonno. He serves on the board for Thunderhill Raceway Park.


There’s a fine line between simply driving a car and truly connecting with it at the limit, and that’s the space where Speed Secrets Podcast lives. Hosted by renowned performance coach Ross Bentley, each episode feels less like a formal interview and more like a candid garage conversation with some of the most insightful minds in motorsport. The discussions go deep into the tangible details that make a difference on the clock: the nuanced art of trail braking, how to interpret data and video to find tenths, and the subtle interplay between steering input and throttle control. Whether it’s dissecting the ideal line through a complex corner or understanding how a specific car setup change affects handling, Ross and his guests break down complex concepts into applicable knowledge. You’ll come away from this podcast not just with inspiration, but with concrete tips and a clearer mental framework for your own time at the track, be it for competition or personal mastery. It’s a resource built on decades of professional experience, designed for anyone who wants to think more deeply about the craft of high-performance driving.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Speed Secrets Podcast
Podcast Episodes
126 – Lawrence Loshak: How to Win at Racing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:12
Lawrence Loshak joins me to talk about all sorts of really interesting & helpful topics, such as how to prepare for an event, simulators, adapting to your car, trail braking, left-foot-braking, being proactive with your…
125 – James Colborn: Making Your Driving Comeback [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:00
James Colborn joins me to talk about making his comeback to racing after taking more than a year off from it. Not only has he made a comeback, but he's done it in an open-wheel car – not something he's driven before – an…
124 – Kevin Boehm: How to Win the SCCA Runoffs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:47
Kevin Boehm, who's won the SCCA Runoff three times, shares what he's learned so you can win the Runoffs. Yes, he's sharing his secrets - from driving and car prep to his overall strategy towards the event, you'll hear ho…
123 – Jim Mero: Corvette Handling Engineer & Test Driver [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:40
Jim Mero joins me to talk about the Corvette, his contributions to its development over the past decade-plus, life as a development test driver, lapping the Nurburgring as part of one's job, and what's ahead for Corvette…
121 – Steve Spano: Using the Voices in Your Head to Drive Faster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:34
Steve Spano joins me to talk about how we can use technology to drive faster, and specifically, the RaceVoice device he helped develop. This device plugs into your existing ECU and data system, and then provides auditory…
119 – Johannes van Overbeek: How to Win Endurance Races [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:34
Johannes van Overbeek and I reminisce about the time we spent together at ESM Patron Racing, and he gives away all of his secrets about winning endurance races. We then compare right-foot with left-foot-braking, how a dr…
119 – Johannes van Overbeek: How to Win Endurance Races [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:34
Johannes van Overbeek and I reminisce about the time we spent together at ESM Patron Racing, and he gives away all of his secrets about winning endurance races. We then compare right-foot with left-foot-braking, how a dr…

«1...678910