Question and Answer Session with Race Driver Gary Sheehan

[Damus]

Have you ever raced with a non synchronous manual transmission that uses full dog teeth engagement? If so, is it harder to race with these transmissions? I absolutely love the sound of gear whine.

[Damus]

What's the average height of racecar drivers? I'm 6'3." I have long arms and legs. Is being tall a good thing in the sport of car racing?

[redg2]

what are your favorite racing books currently im reading The techinque of motor racing by piero taruffi and competition driving by alian prost what other good books are there?

[redg2]

ooo one more are you the stig?

[GarySheehan]

Do you recall how much money it was to enter racing school? How long was it? Also, how often did you race at first? What was it like balancing your other job with racing? And at what point did you become fully financially dependent on racing? Must've been great.

My first racing school was a 5 day Grand Prix course at the Jim Russell Racing School at Mont Tremblant, Quebec. I believe that was around $5,000 back in 1992.

I didn't "race" very much at first. First of all, getting into school formula cars was expensive for me. Secondly, it took me 3 years to actually get to the point of racing. Up until then, it was all professionally coached training classes.

I am still not financially dependent on racing. I'm still working towards that, and there are signs that I might be closer. Balancing racing with a real job was difficult at first as a young engineer. However, a sales job allows more flexible time, so now it's not difficult at all!

[GarySheehan]

Have you ever raced with a non synchronous manual transmission that uses full dog teeth engagement? If so, is it harder to race with these transmissions? I absolutely love the sound of gear whine.

I learned how to race on a non-synchro dog box. I don't think it's harder or easier, since I already double clutch. However, it's different, and a little funny. Everyone says that there is no reason to double-clutch unless you are driving a non-synchro gear box. But for me, driving a non-synchro gearbox allows left foot braking, meaning NO clutch. So the skill set for a non-synchro box is different as left foot braking will allow a driver to get more out of the car.

[GarySheehan]

What's the average height of racecar drivers? I'm 6'3." I have long arms and legs. Is being tall a good thing in the sport of car racing?

Racecar drivers tend to be smaller the higher you go in racing. There are exceptions, like Alexander Wurz, but in general, smaller is better. In the top echelon of racing, drivers are almost an afterthought, so the smaller the driver, the more room you have to package other parts of the car.

In lower racing, it doesn't matter how tall you are. You can always find a class of car to fit your height or girth.

However, shorter often translates to lighter, so there is an advantage there.

[GarySheehan]

what are your favorite racing books currently im reading The techinque of motor racing by piero taruffi and competition driving by alian prost what other good books are there?

I read Competition Driving by Alain Prost many years ago (one of my favorite drivers). I also read Principles of Race Driving by Ayrton Senna, Driving in Competition by Alain Jones and Drive to Win by Carrol Smith.

ooo one more are you the stig?

If I was the Stig, would my contract allow me to tell you?

[redg2]

ok some more for ya... if you dont want to answer this one you dont have to but have you ever taken a pee in the car?.....and on a more serious note, if you get in a collison who pays for damages also what if its a team car?

[jomotopia]

You said you don't currently spend any of your own money to race, but that you are also not totally dependent on racing and have another job. Is racing profitable for you now? How much money would you say you put into your racing career out of your own pocket, total, before racing became profitable, or you at least started breaking even with it?

[GarySheehan]

ok some more for ya... if you dont want to answer this one you dont have to but have you ever taken a pee in the car?.....and on a more serious note, if you get in a collison who pays for damages also what if its a team car?

I've come VERY close to letting go in the race car! It's not a very comfortable feeling. Especially with how rough the ride is in a race car.

If I'm asked to drive the car, the owner pays for damages. If I'm renting the race car, I'm responsible for damages.

[GarySheehan]

You said you don't currently spend any of your own money to race, but that you are also not totally dependent on racing and have another job. Is racing profitable for you now? How much money would you say you put into your racing career out of your own pocket, total, before racing became profitable, or you at least started breaking even with it?

Racing and coaching is profitable for me now, but marginally. I can't say how much I've put into my racing career. I'd imagine it's well over $100k.

[redg2]

o i got one more...do you ever just suit up fully with all your race gear then go for a spirited drive...ive always wanted to suit up in a helmet and all and mess with ppl

[GarySheehan]

o i got one more...do you ever just suit up fully with all your race gear then go for a spirited drive...ive always wanted to suit up in a helmet and all and mess with ppl

no

[Damus]

Have you ever raced outside of the US?