John Hope Bryant at Road Atlanta with Chin Motorsports

You come to a race course as famous and storied as Road Atlanta, and it is natural to think that the best way to ‘go fast,’ is to actually just go fast.  The only problem is, that is the wrong answer.  Thanks to the amazing on track driver training provided by Chin Motorsports General Manager Mark Hicks over two, days, what became very clear to me was how much ‘quietness’ played in ‘going fast.’

I am talking about quietness of your hands, quietness of unnecessary movement within the cockpit (when your hands are not shifting they should be on the wheel, and when you turn the wheel, turn it once and commit to a line).  I am talking about braking strong, late and with commitment — not testing the brakes two or three times as you enter a corner.

Thanks to the incredible course, skill and technical observations of Mark Hicks and his team at Chin Motorsports, I had one of the fastest times on a race track.

130+ laps completed.

300 miles driven on the Road Atlanta road course over the course of two days.

100 miles per hour turning down into turn 12, arguably the most challenging turn on the entire 12 turn road course (and the most frightening, considering you are coming under the bridge at turn 11 into what can only be described as blind everything, down hill and to the right — very fast).

So how did I do?  I qualified as a Solo Driver my next time out, and was one of the 2-3 fastest and most consistent drivers amongst my Green Group this Track Day weekend.  Very cool.

A special thank you Mark Hicks, and the incredible team at Chin Motorsports.  Here is but one of the great quotes from my new friend and great instructor Mark Hicks —

“Focus on being smooth, calm and peaceful in the car.  Fast, is a side effect of smooth.”

John Hope Bryant

Chin Motorsports

Chin Motorsports

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pin It on Pinterest