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The following article comes from the team at Blayze coaching. It's part of our series to help drivers turn better times at our Top Dog Championship series. There's a link at the end where you can sign up for the Blayze newsletter. See you at Summit Point on 10/1/2023 - https://bit.ly/2023TopDogRegistration BEGIN BLAYZE ARTICLE 1. How To Safely Find The Limit of a New Vehicle The First Time On Track? Is there a systematic way for us to work up and find the limit of the new vehicle safely? Yes! When I'm learning a new car the first thing I want to do is get a feel for how much grip it has. To do this I start by getting a feel for the grip in brake zones. Here is my step-by-step process: Pick a corner on the race track that has the biggest brake zone, preferably this corner also has a good amount of runoff area (margin for error is a great thing). Start with a conservative brake zone (for example, if let's say the 400 board is a pretty late brake I will begin at the 550 or so board). Lap-by-lap work on ramping up my initial hit of the brakes to be harder and harder until I start to get into the ABS or lock up tires right away. (I'm still braking at a very conservative point throughout this whole process). Back it down slightly from there. When I'm doing here is getting a feel for the peak longitudinal G the vehicle can pull. What you'll find is the peak G a vehicle can pull longitudinally (braking and acceleration) will be almost identical to what it can pull laterally (cornering). Our bodies are extremely good at feeling the G's in one way and translating that to all parts of the race track. Meaning our bodies are good at getting a feel for how much grip we have in braking and beginning to translate that to how much grip the car has in corning. My second area of focus will be traction out of the corner. I'll work on ramping up to full throttle faster and faster until I start fighting traction issues and then I'll back it down from there. My final phase is working up that initial brake zone and rolling in more entry speed into the corner. This is where risk is highest and it's why it's the last thing I begin to work on. If you combine this with your knowledge of reference points on track and how to "learn a race track" you'll be able to pretty quickly get a feel for any new vehicle very quickly. END ARTICLE If you aren't a subscriber yet but need more of this in your life click here to subscribe.

This post comes directly from the Blayze Coaching newsletter I receive weekly. You can reach the full post below. You can also subscribe for free at this link Blayze Racing Newsletter. BEGIN ARTICLE 1. How Josef Newgarden Learns a Race Track This week, we had Josef Newgarden, an IndyCar driver and two-time champion, explain how he tackles learning a race track. Below is a high-level summary and resources from our team that will be helpful to develop your plan. You can view the full video from Josef here: Always have a plan before getting onto the track. Do not just wing it. Learning a new track should be done before getting into the race car. Research the track before arriving. Start with a track map, then move to videos of others driving the track, and finally talk to references ahead of time. Using a track map, we want to identify each corner and establish what corner type it is (entry, exit, or balanced speed). Create a plan for each specific corner type. We need to know whether to focus on entry or exit speed and how that affects our visual and feel reference points. Prioritize low-speed corners first, then move to medium-speed, and finally high-speed corners. Time gain or time loss will take place in low-speed corners. Therefore, this is where you can make the most significant improvement. A huge part of building confidence as a racecar driver is proper planning and knowing what to focus on. This week I want to share some resources Blayze has made to make it easy for you to create your plan: Track Maps: This week will be releasing a resource center for 70+ race tracks. This will include track maps, written notes for the track, onboard videos to study, and video track guides. Keep posted for an announcement coming soon! Tomorrow night we are hosting a specific call on developing a race weekend (or track day) plan. If you're a Blayze+ member, come and join for a detailed walkthrough of what a proper plan looks like! This is a great video walking through how to study track maps and then what to look for in videos. Here is a video on how to analyze different corner types to know whether to focus on entry or exit speed corners. If you haven't spent time creating a plan ahead of a race weekend, now is the time to start! Message your Blayze coach in-app and ask them for their help in forming your plan. I recommend doing this simple drill to start: Get a track map out and go through and label every corner as an entry speed, exit speed, or balanced speed corner. Label whether you think the minimum speed should come before or after the apex in each corner. That's it - start with that and get feedback from your coach on those simple notes. You'll be surprised how much that focuses your attention on the things that really matter while on track! END ARTICLE Robert's note: We'll be using the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point again this October for the 3rd Annual Top Dog Champions. I'm not sure if we will use the entire circuit but we will be using the section with the Carousel. Here's a link to a lap that includes the Carousel - this corner definitely is worth planning in advance! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36ogrbbFMIY&t=7s.

The text for this post came from the Blayze coaching newsletter. This would have been good advice when I went through helicopter pilot training waaaaaay back in the 70's!! Click the following link to subscribe to the Blayze newsletter. You'll love it - click here for the Blayze Racing Newsletter. Begin Quote 1. Wiggle Those Fingers For Laptime We have all heard not to death grip the wheel and we know that when we're relaxed we're fast. But, why is death gripping the wheel so bad? How can we tell if we're relaxed enough? This week's topic was inspired by a Blayze member that sent me an email after their race last weekend. With their permission, I'm sharing their email here: "I don’t race until 3:00 so I managed to spend six hours getting myself all pumped up to really get after it in the race and take no prisoners. I’m sitting in grid and I check my heart rate and it's 105 and I'm just sitting there! So I close my eyes, start square breathing, and I subconsciously start wiggling my fingers on the back side of the steering wheel. In five minutes I’m down to 90 bpm and I feel totally relaxed. (Thanks to my Blayze coach) The start of the race was good. On about lap 3, I realize my hands, forearms, and shoulders were rock solid cause I’m grabbing the wheel like I’m trying to choke it to death! I spend the next three laps breathing and wiggling my fingers. Now I know this next part is subconscious to you pros, but I had a race car driving epiphany that will forever change me as a driver… The lighter I held the wheel the more feel I had with what the car was doing. I could feel the load the front tires were under, I could feel the overall grip, and I could tell I could push them harder. Five more laps and I was going through Riverside 4-5 mph faster, on throttle 50’ sooner everywhere, and braking just a tad deeper. On my last lap, lap 25, I broke the track record in my class by 1.3 seconds! I’m a different driver today than I was on Friday!" Now that's the type of email that makes my Monday morning! What I loved most about this email is that this driver built in their own anchor for being relaxed. On our Tuesday night Blayze member calls we talk a lot about the mental side of the sport, and anchor "words" to find the zone or using your breath to find the zone. What I had never thought about was an "anchor action" to remind yourself to relax. Wiggling your fingers forces your hands, forearms, and eventually shoulders to relax. It's also something you can build into your routine on the sim, driving on the streets, or even visualizing. Next time you're on track, check in with your arms. Are they relaxed? If not, you're most definitely losing lap time. We want a relaxed upper body and an engaged core so we can feel the vehicle below us. End Quote

Our Rally4Vets Project C6 Corvette It took a bit of hunting but we finally have our project car. ​ This is a 2007 C6; 34,500 miles; with a manual transmission. This car we will be part of our awareness outreach program and also will serve as a sponsor product showcase and a safe and fun experiential car for celebrity and sponsor supporters driving autocross and time trial events on the track. ​ Just Driven in Orange, California, will be the "prime contractor." Owen Palmer of 5Zero4Designs will do the livery. ​ As the French would say, "Allez-y"! Corvettewith a Cause! Corvette is America's sports car. And our C6 is on a mission to help America's Veterans. ​ Its missions: Raise awareness of veteran suicide Publicize DVEN's Rally4Vets events Provide a genuine "race car" experience to donors and sponsors Serve as a rolling advertisement for DVEN's veteran resources ​ Timeline: 5/21/2023: Malibu Cars and Coffee at Malibu Country Mart 6/8/2023: SCCA Track Night at Thunderhill Raceway 8/15/2023: Rally4Vets "Be The One" cross-country run from LA to Washington, DC. [Est. 10 days. And perhaps one to two 'brass butt' sections in the process]. ​ Supporters are welcome to meet us at a stopping point or drive a section with us. Click the following link for details: 2023 Rally4Vets Be The One trans-America Rally

The 3rd Annual Top Dog Championships Presented by DVEN.org October 1, 2023 Scroll down for event information . . . October 1, 2023 Summit Point Raceway Shenandoah Circuit REGISTER RACE FAQ EVENT FAQ The Top Dog Championships are an annual series of amateur motorsports events leading to the award of the annual Top Dog Championship Trophy to the military service collecting the most points during the competition year and Top Dog Awards to car class winners. The 2022 Top Dog Championship was held on the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park with four service teams competing. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps veterans fielded teams. The Army team earned the Top Dog title for the second consecutive year and was proud to see Army inscribed on the rotating Top Dog Trophy. ​ The 2023 Top Dog Championships are back at Summit Point on October 1, 2023. Get ready to "start your engine!" FORMAT TrackCross/Track Sprint Our events are patterned on the SCCA’s track sprint/time attack format and the TrackCross program Jon Felton runs at Summit Point and Virginia International Speedway. Drivers take a number of familiarization runs and then drive the course 8-10 times with 30-60 seconds between each car. This eliminates the risk associated with wheel-to-wheel racing. Drivers compete for individual standing and points in classes: there are classes for every type of car, regardless of the level of modification. There also are separate classes for novice and experienced drivers. Think of this event as an SCCA Track Night but with 60 seconds between each car. ​ These events are open to veterans, active-duty personnel, national guard members, and civilians who have a veteran family member or who simply wish to support the military/veteran community. LEARN MORE Autocross We held an initial autocross competition at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, in 2019, in conjunction with an SCCA CalClub autocross day. We are exploring how to add this discipline to the Top Dog Championship series. Have an idea? Reach out to us through the email form below. SCHEDULE 2023 The Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park on 10/1/2023. Registration will open in June 2023. Join our event information list below to be sure and have an opportunity to grab a driving slot on your Service team. ​ Just interested in a fun and relaxed driving adventure through some wonderful roads in West Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia? Check back for information on that event in January 2023. JOIN US AT TOP DOG CHAMPIONSHIP OCTOBER 1, 2023 | SUMMIT POINT | WEST VIRGINIA 01 REGISTER TO RACE 02 RSVP TO ATTEND 03 VOLUNTEER

MISSION Between 18 and 20 veterans and service personnel take their own lives every day of the year. They commit suicide at a much higher rate than the general population. Depression and stress often lead to PTSD, which is a major suicide contributing factor. ​ The Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN) created the Rally4Vets program to provide a way for the motorsports enthusiast community to support the disabled veteran community and play an active role in reducing the veteran suicide toll. ​ The Rally4Vets program creates motorsports events to increase awareness of veteran issues and generate funds to support important veteran programs. ​ Our programs include trackcross - autocross on a racetrack, road rallies, and car meetups. Connect with us on Roadstr.io , our Cars and Camo meetup program, and our annual Top Dog Championship.™ [Stay tuned because we have even more fun adventures in the planning stages - like Rally The Valley.™ ] OUR FOUNDER LEARN MORE TOP DOG CHAMPIONSHIP LEARN MORE COMMUNITY LEARN MORE BLOG & NEWS ​ LEARN MORE WAYS WE HELP 1 COMRADERIE We held our first Rally4Vets Top Dog Championship™ on October 10, 2021, at Summit Point Motorsports Park, West Virginia. The format was a TrackCross/Track Sprint format that allowed experienced drivers and novices to compete on an equal footing for class Top Dog honors and for points toward the overall Top Dog Championship Trophy. Spoiler – Army won! ​ We’re back at Summit Point on October 1, 2023, so mark your calendars. Registration opens 4/15/2023. 2 EMPOWER The Department of Defense conducts inter-Service sports competition in 23 sports, from archery to wrestling, but not in motorsports. The DVEN/Rally4Vets Top Dog Championship program is the opportunity for motorsports enthusiasts – veterans, active-duty personnel, family members, and just friends of military service – to come together in a friendly, low-risk environment to compete for bragging rights [Army-Navy football, right?] and to have their Service inscribed on the DVEN Top Dog Trophy. 3 ONE TEAM Beating veteran suicide will take all of us. Just like in the military, we need a combined arms effort. Anyone can be part of these events: veterans, including National Guard and Reserves, active-duty personnel, family members, and motorsports enthusiasts who just want to support the military/veteran community. We want you! CONTACT US First Name Last Name Email Write a message Submit Thanks for contacting Rally4Vets. We will get back to you ASAP. JOIN OUR "NO SPAM" EMAIL LIST Join