Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving

Skip Barber's "Going Faster" is a better textbook, especially for someone like me, an engineer with an analytical mindset.

If you want a driving textbook, get Barber's. If you want driving stories, get Bondurant's.


Great place to start   September 8, 2000
 13 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you're interested in learing to drive race cars, this book is a great place to start. It teaches you the basic skills such as proper seating and hand placement, heel toe downshifting, cornering and other fundamentals. There is, however, no substitute for actual hands-on training and wheel time, and the book emphasizes this. I did get the impression that this book was a 144 page plug for Bondurant and his school which is why I only gave it 4 stars. But overall, a very good book for beginners.


Excellent, But Only For Beginners   July 15, 2000
 13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I found this book to be an excellent starting point for anyone interested in doing some Road-Racing. It teaches you proper lines, braking, posture, etc... However, if you have raced, or have taken part in a racing school, this book is basically a waste of time, unless you like reading about what a great driver Bob Bondurant was(or is). And trust me, the book tries to make him look like he's the best driver that ever lived.(Which we all know is Michael Schumacher). Anyways, the book is entertaing, yet I would not recommend it to the experienced road racer.


VERY USEFUL TO UNDERSTAND HOW A CAR RUNS   April 4, 2000
 5 out of 11 found this review helpful

I WAS PRESENTED THIS BOOK FROM ONE OF MY BEST FRIEND. I'VE APPRECIATED HIM UNTIL NOW. IT WAS A FIRST BOOK ABOUT DRIVING FOR ME. IT DESCRIBES WELL HOW YOU CAN MANAGE WEIGHT-TRANSFER OF YOUR CAR, HOW THE TIRE PRESSURE AND GRIP CHANGES WHILE CARS ARE RUNNING, HOW TO USE BASIC RACING SKILLS LIKE HANDLING, DOUBLE CLUTCH, HEEL AND TOE AND STUFF. IT WILL MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND BASIC RACING SKILLS AND MAKE YOU ADAPT THIS TO YOUR CAR ON THE STREET. AND IT'S VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND. BUY IT NOW!


Ideal for translating racing principles to every day driving   November 15, 1997
 11 out of 13 found this review helpful

A primer on the dynamics of car control. This is simply the best book that I've read for translating racetrack skills to your every day street driving. Senna's book is excellent for race car and race track, but doesn't translate to the street as well as Bondurant's book. Drive to Win is also very good, but Bondurant does it best. A must for anyone who wants to improve their driving knowledge and skills.