Page 50 - Dec 2022

Meet our New Columnist

Sharon St ewart and her

Friends are t he Track Rat s

Cat ching up wit h Sharon St ewart is hard to do; not just because she's a busy lady but because
she spends almost every week on the track in her car, testing it and her skills, constantly focusing on
improvement. We can thank her enthusiasm for bringing us this new column, focusing on the joy of
driving and reveling in going fast. Her passion means that she also has some great friends who are
happy to contribute to the column, too. We already have several members in the NBCC who are involved
with their peppy British cars in vintage racing. Let's hope this column means we will hear more from them
and that it inspires other members to explore some other ways they can enjoy every inch of their cars.
Here's what Sharon has t o say about herself and about Jim Mit chell her guest t his mont h. Editor

Jm has an extensive background in motorsport. He
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began his track career racing motorcycles.

After five years of motorcycle racing, he learned that
the ligaments that hold his joints together (like
DRIVE IN shoulders and hips) are a bit loose. Ouch. It turns

out that just steering a bike - or even a swimming
"One of my former instructors asked me if I had
stroke - can cause his shoulder joints to separate.
started instructing yet. To be honest, it had never
STYLE What's a track addict to do?? I guess you just have to
occurred to me. Then hubby and I joined the
driving club at NCM. That gave me the opportunity
take up racing cars.
to sit in the right seat and try to explain to my
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spouse how to navigate one of the most complex Jm said it just wasn't as much fun as motorcycles. I
tracks on the continent. Spoiler alert: we didn't asked how he solved that. He thought my question
crash - probably because hubby already has some was funny. His answer: "Go FASTER".
experience on track with instructors who know
And tell us, Jm, how do you do that? His answer: get
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what they're doing.
someone to sit in the right seat and offer helpful
Here's t he int erest ing quest ion: comments like, "you're going to crash there"; "you're
over-driving your car", "you need better brakes",
Why on earth do people serve as instructors on "you need different tires". LOL.
the track? It means they have to get in a car with
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someone they don't know, who doesn't know how If you're lucky, you have an instructor like Jm who
to drive (on track). Does that sound fun to you? It offers small amounts of help in the right places at
does to some people. the right time to help a terrified novice feel like they
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are improving. Jm still has a buddy who helps him.
Meet JIM MITCHELL, Inst ruct or Ext raordinaire. We both agree there is no substitute for a great
coach.
Lucky for me, I met Jm as my instructor at NCM a
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couple of years ago. He has a special gift for Jm is on a team in the Champ Car Endurance Series.
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helping his students gain confidence and skill. (https://champcar.org/web/).
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